Don't laugh too hard...It's my first attempt!

[TruckLover]

I like the first and second pictures. I like the idea of that road going up the mountain (for me, it would have trucks going up the steep grade). I also like the second picture. It looks cool with the hills in the backround and the 2 (i think, I cant quite tell how many tracks there are) tracks down below. What a sight to see!!!

Great Pictures!!!:thumb:

 

[ocalicreek]

Hey, that looks like my neck of the woods. I have yet to go out 'the gorge' myself, but everyone out here tells me it's just a great trip (especially the railfans!).

Once again, the prototype shows the way!

Galen

 

[gottaBreal]

Ok that is a great look for your layout....your mountains will look at home with some large trees in there....good luck

 

[viperman]

Trees and plants can grow on very steep slopes, but only up to a certain elevation. Past that line, the air gets too thin to support plant life

 

[pgandw]

Trees and plants can grow on very steep slopes, but only up to a certain elevation. Past that line, the air gets too thin to support plant life

You are not going to get to that elevation on a railroad. Long before the air gets too thin for plant life, it get too thin for human beings and combustion engines.

In the highest Rocky Mountains I've hiked (around Beuna Vista, CO), the key to preventing plant growth is that the top of the Rockies are - well, rocky. Nothing but a pile of boulders for the last 1000 feet. Some of the Sierra Nevada are the same way. And lots of lava in the Oregon Cascades. But any place there was any visible soil at all, there was plant life. There is a tree line, based on latitude, altitude, sun exposure, available moisture, etc, but above that there are plenty of grasses and lichens that grow anywhere there is dirt that is not snow-covered year round.

just my experiences

 

[viperman]

That's basically the same as I was saying. When you get to the altitude where the air is too thin for plants, there is no way a diesel loco would be able to run

 

[Nazgul]

Thanks all!
I've learned a lot of info that I never knew before.
It's funny how completing or at least starting different phases of construction leads in totally different directions that those I had originally envisioned. As one "piece" is put in place, other possibilities present themselves and call for DECISIONS to be made. I guess I should have saw this coming (I did to a certain degree)...but I never thought the evolutionary aspect of layout building would be such a constant. But it is an extremely exciting and enjoyable part of this hobby. I also never thought it would be this intense, requiring learning all sorts of new things and problem solving on the fly, so to speak. Just an added bonus to The World's greatest Hobby.
Over the weekend I'm planning on finishing (except for paint) the tunnel portal on the right side of the upper waterfall. This will complete the construction on the upper left side of the layout. Sceniking still has a long way to go!



I will need to be making trees, doing ground cover and eventually turning my attention to the lower section and build a bridge and do the plaster and rock work to "finish" the entire left side.





I used to wonder how guys could take years on their layout....I wonder no more!sign1
have a great weekend everybody!:thumb:

 

[ocalicreek]

Looking at the second picture, down at that wide spot by the river...a great place for a mini-scene. Do you have one in mind? Well, of course I've got suggestions, thanks for asking! A hunter's cabin might be nice, or fishing scene.

And as for the bridge...lately I've been looking at some of the bridges and trestles around here. If you went with the steel girder approach then concrete piers all along there could be good especially if you want to allow a view beneath the bridge and up the river. But if you went the timber trestle approach, then perhaps a combination at the river crossing would work, with timber bents all along the left (in the second photo) leading up to the bridge with doubled bents supporting a girder section over the river. Any thoughts as to concrete or cribbing for the ends of the bridge section?

Galen

 

[UP SD40-2]

hey Steve, you haven't posted in this thread in a couple days . been doing some work on that layout:thumb: , got some new pics? am anxious to see the progress you have made:thumb: -Deano

 

[viperman]

hey Steve, you haven't posted in this thread in a couple days . been doing some work on that layout:thumb: , got some new pics? am anxious to see the progress you have made:thumb: -Deano

We all are

 

[Nazgul]

Hi guys,
You know how sometimes, you plan things, and for some unknown reason...LIFE gets in the way...well it got in my way (a little bit) this weekend. I got the tunnel portal built but not plastered or sculptamolded (is that a word?).
Here's what I got done:





Not what I planned but better than nothing!

Now on a more important note....changes. This is what I'm thinking:
I'm not real happy with the turntable. "It seemed like a good idea at the time" But in reality it ain't working too well. You all know why....too much real estate, turntable too little, ect.
Here's a pic of the area:



A couple of ideas:
Get rid of turntable (blue)
Add industries there with connecting road to buildings in area marked (green)
Or turn entire area into two level town (red)
also note the loop at the bottom of the yard to turn trains
Or I could leave it as is.
Ideas?



Galen.
I have been giving thought to a mini scene there and above the mine if I don't use the Campbell's mine as a dilapidated one. I was thinking grass and horses maybe wild. But I thought about fishing as well. Of course the ol' hobo's camp crossed my mind too!
Bridge....I want a girder bridge with steel supports and concrete piers....how long I make it, I don't know. That's really why I haven't scenicked anywhere near there yet. I could make it long...past the river and carve more of the blue foam for gorges and such.

Any thoughts as to concrete or cribbing for the ends of the bridge section?

Galen

I was thinking I could just land it on the dirt!:thumb:

 

[viperman]

I do kinda like the idea of adding the extra loop, to turn the trains around, for continuous running. I myself am not a fan of that turntable, and the area is too small for a NICE one. Seeing as how you have no roads as of yet, I'd say put put a Main St with a small downtown district there. Combo of red and green I think

 

[UP SD40-2]

OR,...you could just REWORK the trackplan, buy a couple UP AC4400's and a UP SD90/43MAC, and then just...tooth1 sign1 ...OH SETTLE DOWN FOLKS!, Steve knows I'm just kiddingsign1 **ON a serious note, Hmm...being a certified(certifiable reallytooth1 )engine nut , i am a little concerned about loosing engine holding tracks. if the turntable isn't working out for you, how about a couple straight engine holding tracks? just a thought:thumb: . -Deano

 

[gottaBreal]

Yup that sounds like the best idea.....You dont have to have a turntable to have a nice Engine house and some fueling tracks.

On a side note Im kinda glad you are taken that Atlas turntable out....It wouldnt look right with the rest of your layout....You have done a GREAT job and to throw that thing in would be a shame.

Maybe the Walthers Trasfer table? I just seen one on EBAY

 

[Nazgul]

On a side note Im kinda glad you are taken that Atlas turntable out....It wouldnt look right with the rest of your layout....You have done a GREAT job and to throw that thing in would be a shame.

Where were you 8 months ago when I needed you!sign1

i am a little concerned about loosing engine holding tracks. if the turntable isn't working out for you, how about a couple straight engine holding tracks? just a thought

.

-Deano

point well taken:thumb:
I like the feed back........more please

 

[green_elite_cab]

OR,...you could just REWORK the trackplan, buy a couple UP AC4400's and a UP SD90/43MAC, and then just...tooth1 sign1 ...OH SETTLE DOWN FOLKS!, Steve knows I'm just kiddingsign1 **ON a serious note, Hmm...being a certified(certifiable reallytooth1 )engine nut , i am a little concerned about loosing engine holding tracks. if the turntable isn't working out for you, how about a couple straight engine holding tracks? just a thought:thumb: . -Deano

hold on the SD90.... i just bought a NS SD80MAC from kato. i had to be sitting there for 6 hours installing all the other detail parts. and it didn't help when the grab irons magically shot from my tweeezers and pliers.

I also seemed to miss the part of them being massive until i got home. Also got an AMtrak AEM-7 with less problems, lol.

 

[cnw1961]

Steve, you’re doing a fabulous job. I really admire your mountains and rocks :thumb: .
I think Deano had a very good idea about the straight engine storage tracks (or a small engine service facility?) instead of the turntable. When I started to build my switching layout, I only had two enigines and thought that I wouldn’t need any more locos to operate it, so no need for engine storage tracks. HA! How wrong can you be? :curse: Engines are addictive. I have seven engines now and my collection is still growing, slowly but constantly. And it would be nice to have some place on my layout to display them. The good thing about it – the lack of engine storage tracks gives me a good reason to plan a new layout .

 

[91rioja]

Engine Service Facility

Steve:

Run with what Dean-o said about storage for engines. How many do you have now? You could get some Walthers kits for engine servicing, add a few tracks, maybe a RIP track, and be off and running. I think that would be another good chance to do some great modeling.

I started out with 1 BB diesel (my original GP9 from the 1980's); now I additionally have

4-8-4 N&W
SD40-2 BNSF
GP50 NS
2 x GP35 N&W
2 x GP30 N&W
FM H24-66 VGN

Wow, that makes 9 engines and only 20 cars. So. . . . get some engine storage.

 

[pgandw]

For a steam nut like me, a turntable is too much fun to get rid of.

That said, without going back through 22 pages, are you running diesels or steam? If stinky diesels ) ), the others' suggestions are right on target.

But if you are running steam like a good railroad should ) ), is your Atlas turntable the older or newer version? The newer version allows closer spacing of tracks - 15 degree separation instead of 30. Another suggestion would be to only use 2 storage tracks that are curved to be parallel and go into an engine house, not a roundhouse. The best way to avoid eating a lot of space with a turntable is to have all tracks coming to/going from the turntable on one side. Last, if the Atlas turntable is too short for your steamers, it can be used as a base for a bigger bridge. Some links to modifying the Atlas turntables are http://www.2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=11.html and http://pages.sbcglobal.net/sgratke/sgrr/trains/matt/index.htm. Or the Walters 90ft and 130ft turntables are somewhat and much bigger (about 12" and 18").

my thoughts, your choices

 

[gottaBreal]

I think he is running steam. That being said why not get the Walthers Turntable and install that back in that turn around you are planning on putting in on the far right bottom corner?