The Quanah Acme & Pacific RY HO

gjslsffan Aug 28, 2015

  1. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    This is a thread that will try to explain the building of the HO scale, Quanah Acme & Pacific (QA&P). The Prototype started at the Texas/Oklahoma border and went to Floydada TX where it interchanged with the ATSF the whole RR was a little more than 100 miles. Frisco crews brought the train into Quanah where QA&P crews took the train to Floydada. In it's infancy they had grandiose visions of building to El Paso TX, and Westward connections At Lubbock w ATSF and SP farther South.
    On this HO version of the QA&P, we will see trains and power from many different roads on ""run thru" trains to distant connections. It is still a DC operation, for me DCCing 300+ locomotives is just not feasible. At this time. Besides this works just fine, I invite folks to come by and bring their own locos to pull trains assemble at the main yard that has an operating hump yard. Only thing I ask is that they have KD Metal type couplers in gauge/clean wheels.
    I will try and get some pictures from my old laptop covering some of the construction
    For now here is a few pictures. I am trying to get some pictures from earlier construction but a PC crash years ago may have disappeared them for good.

    before scenic divider.jpg

    Showing the scenic divider.jpg

    more work on the divider.jpg scenic divider.jpg

    showing divider.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2015
  2. JimJ

    JimJ Staff Member

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    This will be a great thread. Always nice to see how a quality layout came together.
     
  3. cajon

    cajon TrainBoard Member

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    Is there a plan for this layout?
     
  4. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Yea on a big old piece of paper, I can probably take a picture and upload it. It has bench work and main tracks shown, but no yard or branch lines. I dont think it would work very good here.
    I need someone that knows this computer stuff better than myself to make a diagram or layout plan. I just dont have the knowledge to do that. It is in a 30'x50' building, Starts out at the main yard at 54" and climbs to 74" where you walk under it at the main entrance. I am afraid all I can do is take pictures and show it. Been trying to get a guy over here that can operate one of those little remote control helicopters with a camera and film it from above. Here is video I made about it maybe can explain a little more for people.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2015
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  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Glad to see you are getting photos uploaded!
     
  6. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Yea I even managed to embed a video, wow, this could get crazy. :D Here is layout tour #2
    There has been a bunch of work done to this since making these videos. I have done every nut, bolt, wire, everything myself, as my lack of a work schedule, makes it just too difficult to plan any regular work sessions. So, I alone am to blame for all it shortcomings.

     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2015
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  7. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    Amazing Tom, that is a great railroad. Thank you very much for posting the videos. I would love to see it in person some time.
     
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  8. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Tom I am in awe of your layout I am assuming it is DC? Just need to know because one day I would love to come and visit, would bring my buddy flash who lives in San Antonio as well. Keep posting pics and maybe one day a video of your layout in operation?
     
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  9. Doug A.

    Doug A. TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nice large layout! I'm pretty familiar with the QA&P....I model the FW&D in a much later era and grew up about a two hours south of Quanah.
     
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  10. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    No Problem, let me know when you will be in Grand Junction CO and we can surely set something up. I am always looking for a good reason to lay off LOL
     
  11. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thank you Paul, Thats a really nice thing to say, I appreciate it very much. I think one the most important things I have learned along the way in this particular MRR is to NEVER do it this big or complicated again :D

    Here is a couple videos of it in operation. Also shows some of the scenery under construction as well. I used cardboard webbing hot glued in a grid pattern, then hot glued resin paper to the grid, then used cheap latex caulking to smooth out the joints, then plain old Elmers carpenter glue, brushed over it in 10-15' sections, let dry, smooth out a little more where needed, applied the rock molds. It will never be finished. I cant make enough trees for this thing.
    I really dont care for doing scenery, its messy and gets in the way of operations, but a necessary evil if not but to keep a potential derailment from going to the concrete floor.
    All of these videos were done with an inexpensive point and shoot camera. plus I dont know much about how to run it LOL. Some of it is out of focus. And you would be most welcomed to stop by for a visit, and yes it is all DC. We run 3 Locals and 3-4 main line thru freights at a typical op session. The locals will be anywhere from 10 to 40 cars.







     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2015
  12. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    loved the videos something I will try and do one day
     
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Cool videos. I'm enjoying following these!
     
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  14. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thanks Doug,
    I was born in Quanah, Hardemen County Texas. But grew up chasing Lizards and Rattle snakes at Swearingen TX (a station on the QA&AP) maybe 15 miles West of Quanah. My Grandpa hired out on the QA&P as a carman in 1936-ish. After a bit of time he got to go to the roundhouse as a Hostler, then as WW2 ensued, he was forced into engine service and eventually retired as a locomotive engineer in 1976, I have his 40 years of service pin. I will be lucky to get a 25 year button myself. People forget that we now have a crew base that has 2 people doing what it used to take 5 people to do. And they had a caboose to protect reverse moves too. I remember waking in the middle of the night hearing that Frisco Leslie 5 chime whistle, and watching the train top Pease River hill (which was the ruling grade), go by Boss Mayo's house, I could just barely see the tops of the locos and cars, they would idle down to just West of the West switch Swearingen, where they went right back to the company notch (run 8). Many fond memories of my childhood there, although one could question why?
    Remember this was back in the day that he could actually take me with him on part of a trip, and not get fired for doing it. He ruined me before age 10 on railroading, no one that knew me had any doubt as to what I was going to do for a job.

    You should view and consider Karl Brand's research here;

    http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?8189-Whence-The-Gulf-Texas-and-Western-Railway

    No doubt that if what Karl's research had been realized. A much different railroad dynamic would have been achieved and in place to this day.

     
  15. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Tom,

    I'll be following your thread with a lot of interest. I started watching your videos over at you tube, your layout is fantastic. The auto rack hot shot video is amazing, I have never seen that many in one train except IRL. You have done quite well on your layout. Thanks for starting this thread.
    I have a question, your layout is DC and I see you run quite a few multi-unit lash-ups. How do you get them to run together?

    Thanks,
    Dale
     
  16. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thanks Dale,
    All the power is Athearn or Athearn clones. It is just that simple. I dont care who makes the loco it gets an Athearn chassis, or trucks under it, that way they are all geared the same. Been doing it for many years. Locos dont run exactly together on the real ones sometimes either. Thing is there is enough tonnage behind them, that they are usually always, either pulling or in dynamic brakes. If you got some EMD's behind GE's and you throttle up those EMD's will let you know they are there once in a while.
    I made some videos today, it will take me a while but will get them uploaded to youtube soon.
     
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  17. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    What sound system are you using, it sounds pretty good also. I'm off to watch some more QA&P videos.
    It would be nice to visit sometime, unfortunately my work territory confinds me the the flat lands anymore. I used to get up into Glenwood Canyon for work from time to time, I even made it out to GJ once. There is so wonderful country up there! Rest assured, if I ever make it back out that far, you will be getting a phone call! Till then buddy keep up the great work and posting, I'll just follow along.

    Thanks,
    Dale
     
  18. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thanks Dale,
    But I use real train sounds. You can stop by anytime. Glenwood Canyon is a great piece of RR, but does not compare to what one can see on the CO river once in a while.
    Made a video today of a WB train departing the yard, I cut a bunch of video out and only filmed about 1/2 the mainline. I also decided to film it going into the yard up the branch, and into the staging yard, between my and the other trains, not one single derailment. Anyway had a great time, spent way too much time editing, silenced the sound a bit too much, other than that a completely average video.:)

     
  19. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That video is truly amazing, here I am on my home commute sitting on a train and watching your layout. Disappointed I will be in USA in April with family and unable to visit however in the next few years I intend on a special modelling trip and your house is number two after I visit Flash Blackman in San Antonio.

    How do you control the sound? I am assuming dc/dcc decoders? What controls the sound?

    You layout is inspirational, one suggestion on the video would be too let a full train go by to show the length of that train.

    Thanks so much for sharing you have really captured the essence of big mainline railroading
     
  20. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thanks Paul,
    Had a great friend that went by Flash, lived in Silverton CO, rode a old Harley too. You and your Buddy Flash welcome here anytime. I deliberately cut many of the pass by's short as I thought folks might thing it boring to watch the whole train go by, (5 locos, 55 cars and a crumbox) Youtube definitely does not like videos this long took me almost an hour to upload, and got cable high speed or so I am told.
    Anyway hope you get Clear signals all the way home.
    All sound is dubbed in, nothing like the real thing IMHO, you just cant replicate the sound in a little speaker. I will admit that when visiting some DCC layouts with all their locos turn up to max volume, I start looking for some ear plugs. Louder is not always better. As you know, there is a lot of grinding, squealing, and just metal on metal sounds on the RR, hard to duplicate that for sure.
    As always glad to hear from you Paul.
     

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