Nickel Plates 3rd subdivision

Paul,Tony K is not normal,he's a model railroader .I don't think I'd want to build a layout this big(yeah right).


I'm havin' FUN!!

------------------
Catt!#118

 

Okay, start bashing, but my ATSF is a three deck about the same size as Tony K but I am not using the all the tricks he is. It is now 11 years old, and pretty much done. If you want to see it go to:
http://home.kc.rr.com/cwha/atsfmodelrr/

and there are some photos. Afford it? I have been in HO since 1958, and added garden railroading in 1989, so spread over that amount of time, the cost is less. Starting from scratch today probably would require a wayward Brinks armored car to finance.
Bob Miller

 

thanks for the comments. As I think I said, the site is still in development. The guy helping with the code got in a hurry, so I am short some items, like a track plan, and it is no easy thing to develop. There are actually three rooms in the basement that are full of railroad, plus the bathroom which my wife doesn't allow me to use but for functional things. When Chuck and I find a good way to get the track plan out there, will do so. We may do an end to end first.

To answer your question about maintenance, not really a problem. The room is fairly clean with ceilings, walls and carpet on floors, which helps a lot. Probably the worst headache is cobwebs when I don't get down for a few days during warm weather, which is backyard railroad time.

I am a church pastor, which certainly takes a lot of times some weeks, other weeks, I have extra time. I do manage to get down a couple of hours every other day or so. I do use a track cleaning train which has the Tony Trains brass track cleaning car, and a Centerline(?) which runs ahead of it. I run one with fluid and the other dry when the railroad hasn't operated for a few weeks.

I do have frequent op sessions, so that keeps things working. Also I use Tortoise machines and I go down and power up once a week and throw every switch a couple of times which keeps the tortoise machines limbered up.

Again thanks and I will advise when there are changes on the web.

Bob Miller

 

Building a layout the size of Koester's is a goal of mine personally... It may take awhile to get there but that's what i'm shooting for. I would like wider decks and more aisle space though!

 

Tunnel, you mention wider aisles, and I would tell you that is probably the most important thing there is to building a railroad, with possible exception of number of staging tracks. I have a couple of aisles that are tight. For example, two views on the website looking toward Oklahoma City on top deck and Douglas on middle deck to the left. there is a tight aisle for about 1 foot to the right of Douglas that accesses some of the industrial switching on top deck, fairmont on the middle deck, and Kiowa KS on the lower deck. use your imagination. In an op session, we schedule switching work so there only needs to be one crew back there at a time. Mainline crews don't really have to go back there.

 

Everyone has the right to "DREAM" he built his old layout and I am sure he will pull this one off too! Besides he has put his plans in a national magazine so he has cast his die so to speak. I wish him "GOOD LUCK" and look forward to seeing it in MR someday.



------------------
Jim Krapf (thetrainman00@aol.com)