The Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's Back Yard

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Tom,


I figured out how to get the roof off of the Kalamazoo passenger cars. the roofs are in the paint shop. I'm still cleaning crud out of the inside of the car bodies.


Bill Nelson

Hi Bill,

That is very good news indeed. What was the trick that allowed you to do this???

Yep those cars have been outside a lot both on your Dad's RR and mine. No telling what is inside. Here is a product "Crud Release" that may be just what you needsign1.
Doc Tom:rolleyes:
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Tom, the roof clips into the sides in the middle, so I had to stick my fingers through the windows, and spread the sidewalls in the middle while prising on the roof. the dirt on the inside is almost all certified Mississippi red clay.



Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Tom, the roof clips into the sides in the middle, so I had to stick my fingers through the windows, and spread the sidewalls in the middle while prising on the roof. the dirt on the inside is almost all certified Mississippi red clay.



Bill Nelson

Good for you....so far a successful operation. Hope the rest of the disassembly goes well.

Mississippi red clay......that has got to bring back memories for you.

Very little garden railroading going on today. The train shed thermometer registered 106 this afternoon in direct sunlight. Spending most of the day watering plants in the yard and on the layout. Hopefully some rain tonight.

Thanks again for all your help!!! Doc Tom:wave:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Shay on the Rocks

Well that cribbing had to go some where. Here is the start of "three prongs" the point on the Little River RR where the Little River splits in to three "prongs", branches, and the logging railroad follows dutifully. The actual turnouts are about 20 feet above the river here on a ledge. The railroad divides with branches going to Townsend, Elkmont and "the sinks".

Bill was a great friend to donate these massive rocks which make up the cliff above the rapid river below.

Here is a work train with a Shay bringing ballast and turnout parts as the railroad increases steadily in overall length.

Logging the Smokies, Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
More of Three Prongs

The work crew has left for the day. Not sure why they left the empty rock gons??

Here are a couple of more shots of the "Three Prongs" area. The two turnouts had to be very level to allow ease of divergence for the heavy large scale trains. If there was one thing I learned in HO scale modeling DO NOT put a turnout on a grade of any kind.

A trestle to "the sinks" will start here when management scrounges up some more capital for cut timber.

Doc Tom:wave::wave:
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Nice pictures Tow, what fine looking rocks!


Turnouts on a grades are ok. what you don't want is a turnout anywhere near a change in grade (vertical curve). I will admit that the easiest way to have a turnout nowhere near a vertical curve is to have it on the flat, where a level can insure there is no change.


The Kalamazoo passenger cars are out of the cleaning phase, and in the paint shops.

work on these is going slow , as I am repainting 7 Ho passenger cars at the same time, as well as doing dome work on the house.



Bill Nelson
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Nice pictures Tow, what fine looking rocks!


Turnouts on a grades are ok. what you don't want is a turnout anywhere near a change in grade (vertical curve). I will admit that the easiest way to have a turnout nowhere near a vertical curve is to have it on the flat, where a level can insure there is no change.


The Kalamazoo passenger cars are out of the cleaning phase, and in the paint shops.

work on these is going slow , as I am repainting 7 Ho passenger cars at the same time, as well as doing dome work on the house.



Bill Nelson

Looking good Bill. The nice looking varnish is going to give the tourists a very comfortable ride to the Wonderland Hotel in Elkmont. Thanks again for all you are doing to make this a very nice rail road.

Doc Tom:thumb:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Fish Camp and the Elkmont turn on the LRRR

High in the Smokey Mountains on the Little River Rail Road was a company commissary at Fish Camp. Here is a prototype photo and the model I made for my previous HO logging outfit.

I have started the spur to Elkmont. It is at this divergence that I will construct a large scale replica of the Fish Camp store and some good ole boys will be wetting a line from the bridge and trying to catch fish in the Little River below.

I shot some pictures of a passenger train taking the turn to Elkmont and the Wonderland Hotel which is located at Elkmont. The Hotel served fresh trout taken from the Little River. It was quite the place to be in the 1920's in the Tennessee summers. It will be an important destination point for passenger traffic on the LRRR. There was also a small engine house and a yard for the woods trains bringing in the logs for the mill back in Townsend.

Hope you all like the pictures.

A big thank you to Bill Nelson for the beautiful passenger varnish carrying the lucky tourists.

Doc Tom:mrgreen:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Large Scale INSPIRATION. Some pics from the NNGC.

Well we just got back from an incredible 4 day National Narrow Guage Convention in St Louis. All I can say after seeing 35,000 square feet of great modeling is WOW:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:.

Here are some pictures of the inspiring Sundance Central modular layout done in Large Scale 1:20.3. The detail and weathering was fantastic and shows what can be done in Large Scale. Of course this detailed pike is indoors only but I was heartened to see what can be done with this scale I am dabbling in.

I threw in a picture of some visitor's heads so you can see just how big these models are. Also I loved the attention to the smallest detail such as the yellow coloring on the blocks on the front of the small Shay. Colored yellow so they could be found when down on the ground in a tangle of brush and debris. The electric arc welder really worked and sparked with realistic sounds.

I will be referring back to the pics I took as I go further with the Little River RR in the back yard.

Enjoy the pictures.

Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Need a bridge?

One year, back in the very dark ages, I arrived from college in Meridian just before Christmas. Om my way I went by a hobby shop. they had had something in stock that I was planning on buying to give to my dad. Whatever it was, it was sold, and I arrived at home with no gift , and very little time.


Dad had the drawings for his railroad, and he had a section of it, behind the annex, supported on traditional benchwork, and there was a section of it, that started on a concrete block retaining wall, and wandered into the piney woods from there. Dad had some of the track on the bench work built, right up to the drawn bridge, and he had some of the track going off into the woods, but Dad had not started the bridge, so the two sections for track dad had started were unconnected.

I fired up the table saws (horribly underpowered Dremil 4 inch saws (I had two available, mine and my Mom's) and with the resulting Lumber, staying up most all the night, I knocked out this bridge, which if I measured right ( it is past my bed time) is designed to span a 52 inch gap. I might be able to shorten it, but I would prefer not to.

We made an insanely brief visit to Mississippi this Labor day weekend, and I removed this bridge from Dad's #1 gauge tinplate RR, that we are dismantling, and brought it home to see if the Little River Railroad could use this 30 year old bridge.



Bill
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
One year, back in the very dark ages, I arrived from college in Meridian just before Christmas. Om my way I went by a hobby shop. they had had something in stock that I was planning on buying to give to my dad. Whatever it was, it was sold, and I arrived at home with no gift , and very little time.


Dad had the drawings for his railroad, and he had a section of it, behind the annex, supported on traditional benchwork, and there was a section of it, that started on a concrete block retaining wall, and wandered into the piney woods from there. Dad had some of the track on the bench work built, right up to the drawn bridge, and he had some of the track going off into the woods, but Dad had not started the bridge, so the two sections for track dad had started were unconnected.

I fired up the table saws (horribly underpowered Dremil 4 inch saws (I had two available, mine and my Mom's) and with the resulting Lumber, staying up most all the night, I knocked out this bridge, which if I measured right ( it is past my bed time) is designed to span a 52 inch gap. I might be able to shorten it, but I would prefer not to.

We made an insanely brief visit to Mississippi this Labor day weekend, and I removed this bridge from Dad's #1 gauge tinplate RR, that we are dismantling, and brought it home to see if the Little River Railroad could use this 30 year old bridge.



Bill

Hi Bill,

That is a beautiful bridge. I do need a big bridge like that at "the sinks" where the main line crosses the Little River at about 50 feet (2.5 feet in 1:20.3 scale) above the waters. I would be honored to use this special bridge.

Thanks for thinking of me and my fledgling mountain RR.

Doc Tom:thumb:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Great

I was hoping you could use it. it is humongous, and pre weathered. it looks like it was built with ceder or redwood, and it seems like I used screws and nuts and bolts exclusively in construction. can't remember much about the construction, but it was a long night, and Dad was very surprised.


Bill
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
I was hoping you could use it. it is humongous, and pre weathered. it looks like it was built with ceder or redwood, and it seems like I used screws and nuts and bolts exclusively in construction. can't remember much about the construction, but it was a long night, and Dad was very surprised.


Bill

Hi Bill,

Looks perfect for the 4-5 foot span needed at "the sinks". We should work out a visit for you to see progress on the LRRR and for a test fit of the bridge.
Doc Tom:thumb:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Amazing Bridge

I was hoping you could use it. it is humongous, and pre weathered. it looks like it was built with ceder or redwood, and it seems like I used screws and nuts and bolts exclusively in construction. can't remember much about the construction, but it was a long night, and Dad was very surprised.


Bill

Bill,

I find it amazing that you were able to build this nice bridge in one night of hard at it work!!! I can barely get two trestle bents built in one day. Also this looks like very good construction with good materials as it has lasted for 30 years!!!! Amazing again.

You provided a very nice gift for your dad and I am honored to give it a home here on the LRRR. The curving trestle over Nelson's Gap will connect with a large bridge over the Little River. I was planning on building a 4-5 foot Howe truss bridge (got the plans from the Internet) for this bridge over the Little River. With your bridge I can be much further along in this project.

Thanks!!! Dr Tom:thumb:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Bill,

I find it amazing that you were able to build this nice bridge in one night of hard at it work!!! I can barely get two trestle bents built in one day.

Thanks!!! Dr Tom:thumb:

Tom, I was a college kid! I pulled an all nighter, started to work on it when the folks went to bed at close to eleven pm, and had it done by six the next morning. when was the last time you had seven straight hours to work on trains without any distractions?


Bill
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Tom, I was a college kid! I pulled an all nighter, started to work on it when the folks went to bed at close to eleven pm, and had it done by six the next morning. when was the last time you had seven straight hours to work on trains without any distractions?


Bill
Tis true. Ahhhh to be young again.
Doc Tom
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Boss Crumb checks the work at the trestle above Tremont

Boss Crumb is the foreman of the work crew. He agreed to a few photos of his latest project the trestle above Tremont and Nelson's Gap.

The photographer got a few poses of this portly boss chomping on his cigar high above the handiwork of his crew.
Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Looking good did you hire on Mr. Crumb in St Louis?


Bill

Hi Bill,

Yes while I was at the NNGC in St Louis Mr Crumb told me he was tiring of working for MoPac and wanted a job on a scenic Tennessee route laying down track in the cool mountains.

He was hired on the spot. He has kept many of his St Louie ways including cigar smoking and German Beer drinking. He is having to have some of his German ales and lagers sent by refrigerated rail car to the interchange in Townsend. He dislikes Tennessee moonshine whiskey.

Doc Tom :cool:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Shay #2147 takes a bow.

Here are a couple of shots of Shay #2147 after the lettering for the Little River Rail Road has been completed. The engine has been lightly weathered to reflect the 8 years of work it has done in the mountains since its creation in Lima Ohio in 1917. It is dusty, not overly rusty.

A special nod to my beautiful bride with naming the locomotive "Miss Kit."

Kadee "body mount" couplers have been installed and a variety of 1:20.3 large scale workers from the LRRR are included in the pictures. Up in the cab are engineer "Pee Wee", fireman Larry and brakeman Ernie.

In front of the locomotive is Boss Crumb, Doc Tom and Timmy, the engineer in training, who is a bit goofy.

Hope you like the pictures.

Management LRRR (aka Doc Tom)
 

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