if you want you might tell me thru pn where exactly you will move to. german border is 20min away from my place.
Progress is slow, as only weekends do I have time to really work on the layout.... But there is some progress! As one drives down to Crescent Siding, Gross Dam Rd is the only way in, short of a rocket pack, or helicopter. At the grade crossing is a parking area. I plan to have it occupied with a railfan vehicle or two.... West Crescent (and a young engineer in training): Crescent overview: Gross Dam Rd is clearly visible, as is Tunnel 19.
The grade crossing, and parking area: The massive curve will be faithfully recreated: West Crescent ends before the cut and slide fence, but due to space, it will be at the west switch: I may not be able to hide Tunnel 19 from the west switch view, but oh well!
Tunnel 19 is around this curve, out of sight from the siding: And the east portal of T19: Not nearly enough space for the wide curve, but I'll manage something. Still need to lower the valley between that cut and the tunnel:
I'm still in awe of you guys that start the scenery before any track is down. You've got to have your plans for the setting in your mind's eye well in advance. Of course, you've got the Rockies for your insperation! It's looking good!
Thanks, John! I have loads of scenic compression, but also a bunch of signature scenes I hope to do some small level of justice. Some scenes are left out, and that's the price paid with such a small space.
Tunnel 25 is roughed-in as well: (I just realized it curves the wrong direction!!! Doh!!!) It's not hard to imagine that curve here from this!
More civil engineering this weekend! See the last proto photo above, and now see this: The whole Crescent Siding, and T18 end: Tunnel 25: Tunnel 19:
Unless I missed something....... But, from what I see, the new plan is a simple dogbone style, with siding/setout at Crescent? Has there been a track plan posted somewhere, that I apparently missed? I mean, after all, I am blind in one eye, can't see out the other! Starting to take shape! Really looking good!
Keith, you're right, simple HCD design, dogbone with single siding, and a house track. All my previous layouts have been so ambitious, that I never finished basic scenery. This one is small enough to travel with me. And here's the plan:
Hemi, that's the way I'm doing things. Just a small oval with a few sidings so I get something accomplished. It's been ages since I've built a layout, so I'm taking baby steps!
Thanks, guys! I'm making much more progress than with the last layout. Heck I can almost start slinging 'mud! (Sculptamold, that is) Sandro, The movers will! I will build an enclosure crate for it, and I'll let the movers do all the hard work.
I'll be busy this weekend--laying roadbed! I got my cork in last night, so hopefully, I can get the mainline started. Once I get my c55 track from my other dealer, then I can start that, too. Huzzah!
When I was a kid, I loved the smell of cork roadbed. Actually, I still do! I'm going to Lowe's later this morning to get the legs for my HCD and a few pieces of 1 x 4 to mount them on. Now, if I can just find a store that carries extruded styrofoam. Both the Lowe's and Home Depot here don't carry it. Keep us posted!
I laid a bunch of mainline (8 feet of it, anyways) last night, and spackled the areas needing leveling. I'll sand them level, and finish roadbed installation next week sometime. I'm in the air about the Crescent house track. It's straight on the prototype, and curved on mine. I don't like that it's curved, and the curve is very tight, so I doubt it would work reliably. Should I omit it? The low spots around Gross Dam Rd's grade crossing are pretty deep, and will need a couple applications: West Crescent in particular is needing some more leveling, before roadbed can be finished:
I would say, if you have doubts about it now, either omit it or change ot something that makes you more comfortable. It's easier to do in now than waiting until everything's built and done and then find out you were right about it. Did you have to make any adjustments to your layout to make it level as a whole? If so, what did you use onder the legs to correct it? I've got the legs on my HCD, but I'm not the best carpenter in the world. lol I haven't checked it yet, but...
