Reading line- modern

jsoflo

jsoflo

New Member
Feb 16, 2006
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Ft. Lauderdale
Hello to all, I'm a newbee,
I'm modeling N scale present day Philadelphia to Reading line in an around the room shelf layout. my focus is CP Rail, with a smattering of NS, CSX, and Reading and Blue Mountain Northern. As a shelf layout it is 12" wide at its widest point and 11' x12' layout, although one 12' wall is only a 3" wide shelf (had to fit it above a couch, guest room set-up!) but I have included a planned tunnel (Phenixville) and the viaduct bridge across the schuykill river on that side. I've taken some modeler's license because I wanted to include some of the Philadelphia high line and the port of Philadelphia. It is still very much a work in progress, but I am already running trains (DCC) and have a smooth operation. I'll post pictures when I get a chance I'd like to get some more done first!:oops:

Here are my 2 questions:
1) Can anyone point me to a plan for the Reading Spring street yard plan? I am planning on putting together a modular removable Reading on the "closet & door" end of the layout and I would like to include the very active Spring street yard.

2) as this end of the layout will be detachable, I could really use some recommendations on how to attach the modules to the permanant layout. On one side it will attach at a right angle to the layout, on a curve, on the other side it will attach straight to a 3" wide section.

thanks, this group has been inspirational, wish I had more room, south Florida houses are small!
 
First of all -- Welcome to the gauge jsoflo. I can not offer you anything on your questions but rest assured you have come to the right place. We have many years of experience between all the registered members. It sounds as though you are off to a great start. I can't wait for your guest to check in the room. Woo-Woo; chug chug chug. :wave:
 
Thanks for the welcome!

I'll tell you a bit more of my layout:
power is the following: many CP SD40-2, SOO SD60, CP AC4400 (not many though, CP does not run many AC units in New York and Pennsylvania), RBMN SD50, SOO GP35, CP GP38 (I custom painted it, decals are still going on), NS SD60, WC SD35. I have ordered a half dozen of the Kato mid production SD40-2 undecs 4 of which will be painted CP, one SOO, and one RBMN. SD40-2's and SD60's are the kings of CP rail on the old D&H. I plan to add more NS operations soon (hence the Spring Street yard) with a dash 9 and a couple of SD75's. Eventually I plan to add an island off of the Reading operation for RBMN operations towards Wilkes-Barre, one thing at a time!
 
Wow...I just impressed with your diesel wish list. Sorry I can't be much of a layout help either. I built mine on an interior door FWIW because it is lightweight yet stable and square. But I'm interested in how your shelf plans might end up since I might add on to mine one day and it might be a shelf-type of design.
 
There are lots of ways to fit an removable section. You might look up NTrak and HOTrak on the net.
If you have standard type modules, you can use C-clamps to hold the framing together. This allows you a bit of flexibility (good and bad points). I've used 1/4" bolts to make sure things line up.
The options for the track crossing the joint are basically 2. 1: Lay the track acrossthe joint and then cut it. 2: Insert a short length of sectional track over the gap.
With 1 you should drive some screws underneath the rails and solder the rails to them before cutting. This keeps the rails solidly aligned. Can be covered with scenery.
With 2, you can either lay the removable track right on the roadbed (no ballast) or make a section with the track glued to roadbed and ballasted.
Make sure you leave a space to slide the rail joiners back onto one of the sections.
 
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The easiest way I have found for any hinged sections is to place cheese head screws directly below each rail just before the break & solder each rail to the top of the screw head.

It dosen't much matter if the joint is then on a strait or a curve as it dosen't move.
 
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