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Blue Heron- 3-2-2 HO Inglenook


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Hey, Andy - do I detect a pinch of Peter Norths influence in there?

 

Just a bit, the initial idea was to do something in his "style" but set at night in Seattle in the 1990's.

 

BTW, since his latest layout has wires on, do you think he's suffered a bit of Andy Gautrey influence....?

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nah, I think he saw yours and thought, "Maybe just one more..."

 

Has everyone seen the new rmweb challenge - maybe we should enter a transatlantic collaboration based on the OC switch job?

 

Jack and the Prof on Design, Tony and Craig on stock, Pete on track, etc, etc, etc... (Apologies to all the names I've missed out - you all know your specialties better than me!)

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Just a bit, the initial idea was to do something in his "style" but set at night in Seattle in the 1990's.

 

BTW, since his latest layout has wires on, do you think he's suffered a bit of Andy Gautrey influence....?

 

Dear 298,

 

So, despite appearances of a mass thread hijack, has the discussion inpired you to get a roll on your own version of the OC Switcher?

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

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For those who don't "Step Sideways" off the (RMweb) beaten paths very often, can I introduce you (as part of the continuing thread Hijack :) ) to a rather nice US night-time layout, being built by one of the guys in Germany - there are some very talented modellers building US Layouts over there!

 

http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=5320

Edited by shortliner
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Dear 298,

 

So, despite appearances of a mass thread hijack, has the discussion inpired you to get a roll on your own version of the OC Switcher?

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

 

Well, the Walthers 2-lane cantilever grade crossing signal arrived today, and the Cornerstone Rivoli Theater and Logic Rail Grade Crossing Pro are on order. I thought I'd start with a simple photo-diorama based on a grade crossing (inspired by the photo of the SW1500's next to the 505), but that quickly developed to become a 2' module, I did think about a 4' one with two crossings and a section of street running between, but I'm not sure I have enough buildings in store in order to finish it by June...

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 years later...

Dear RMWebbers,

 

It's been a long hard road, and some years, but I believe I've now gotten a bit of a better bead on the mystery of the missing diamond crossing.

 

To recall:

- 2010 Google Maps imagery shows a simple spur leading to the trolley-curve-tight "short track", no diamond crossing
- 2004 FOGChart says the "Short Track" (track 785) crosses one side of the in-plant runaround via a diamond

- personal onsite investigation and pics taken in 2013 supported the 2010 image

 

Now, since we last spoke, I picked up a copy of the 1986 Oregon Div Brooklyn Sub SPINS doc.
I immediately zero'd in on the Oregon City page (P21 for those reading along),

which showed the "Short Track" (track 0853) curving over one leg of the pass via a diamond crossing.

 

Curiouser and curiouser....

 

Anywho, the key piece of the puzzle fell into place tonight as I downloaded and installed the free version of GoogleEarth
(as opposed to the browser-based GoogleMaps).

 

https://www.google.com/earth/ 

 

Using the "Historical Imagery" timeline tool, I found sat imagery actually showing the "curving over a diamond" track array,
dated up to July 2005.

 

Now, unfortunately there are some pretty low-res images inbetween,
but the next usably-clear sat imagery is dated June 2006,
and the track array has changed to the "passing siding is shorter, short-track curves away cleanly without any sign of diamond crossing" configuration...
(IE as documented in 2010, and personally viewed in 2013).

 

It may sound odd, but this has been eating at me for years,
and to now have an explanation,
which is more than just conjecture or hypothesis,
but actual visual-reference evidence,
provides an actually-palpable sense of relief...

 

Now, to add "Oregon City" to the growing pile of "what layout to build next" options... ;-)

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

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Thanks for bumping this thread, I'll have another read through it later.

 

FTR, I'm hoping to have the latest reincarnation of the concept operable by next September for a Freemo meet, where it'll be operated as a basic 3-2-2 inglenook (and run that way as a stand alone layout).

 

And also due to the generosity of friends, now have SW1500s in BN Green, SP Grey and UPY Yellow to play with....

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Dear 298,

 

The SP and UP SW1500s can certainly claim to be "on company property" for various eras
(although I don't have any pics of a SP SW switching Blue Herron Paper,
and equally unsure if a "mixed consist" of paint schemes was run on point of "LIL75"),

 

but the BN 1500 would certainly be a standout interloper... ;-)
(maybe BNSF 3606 somehow escaped Seattle and took a run down to Oregon City?)

 

Soooo, are you looking at doing pre-2005 "diamond crossing" or post-2006 "simplified" array?

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

 

PS Yep, I have a pair of UPY SW1500s in stock as well,
just need to re-number to UPY 1166 and UPY 1117...
(Did I mention how much I hate painting and decalling?)

 

PPS I sit here wondering what actually prompted the change in track array?
It can't have been a simple decision to deploy, given that all of the plant trackage in "in-street" under concrete/pavement...

 

...but hey, maybe I shouldn't loose any more sleep over why 
and just be thankful that we've now got confirmed what and when...

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AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH! I'd managed to bury this in the back of the deep, dark, recesses in what is laughingly known as my mind, and got the track laid and wired for my  Sun Coast Industrial Park (See BNML2's postings in MRH for the trackplan http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/28070  and then John digs this back up again - which starts me wondering if this wouldn't work as an additional bit hung (hinged?) off a side - yes it would and NO! I won't!, at least not until a point somewhere in the distant future.

 

Edit - link has now been sorted - my apologies

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Dear 298,

 

The SP and UP SW1500s can certainly claim to be "on company property" for various eras

(although I don't have any pics of a SP SW switching Blue Herron Paper,

and equally unsure if a "mixed consist" of paint schemes was run on point of "LIL75"),

 

but the BN 1500 would certainly be a standout interloper... ;-)

(maybe BNSF 3606 somehow escaped Seattle and took a run down to Oregon City?)

 

Soooo, are you looking at doing pre-2005 "diamond crossing" or post-2006 "simplified" array?

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

 

PS Yep, I have a pair of UPY SW1500s in stock as well,

just need to re-number to UPY 1166 and UPY 1117...

(Did I mention how much I hate painting and decalling?)

 

PPS I sit here wondering what actually prompted the change in track array?

It can't have been a simple decision to deploy, given that all of the plant trackage in "in-street" under concrete/pavement...

 

...but hey, maybe I shouldn't loose any more sleep over why 

and just be thankful that we've now got confirmed what and when...

 

At the risk of being thrown out of the OC Switcher Club (and everything else), mine is more likely to be a Blue Heron nr Seattle or any other waterside Pacific Northwest city than an exact copy of Oregon City- there are too many cliches that I'd like to include for it to be modelled on the exact location.

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  • 7 months later...

Resulting from further "Stepping Sideways" - Having just seen Andy's (298's) post on FB - I came back to this and re-read it. Have also been reading Joseph Leal's posts http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9383 and http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/30008, and re-looking at my drawing/track plans, I started to wonder if Joseph's idea for the Scrap warehouse couldn't be adapted. Thoughts centre around a pair of APA boxes, either permanently joined by gluing with suitable wood fillets, end-to-end, or hinged - so that one end folds back over the other - with a removable fiddlestick sector plate at the left to form the two-loco run-round, and a hinged drop-leaf exiting through the back, via Joseph's scrap warehouse for the 90° track, might not be a workable idea. Part of the problem is that I cannot find the dimensions of APA boxes. please note that this is, at least in part, a "thinking out loud" exercise - I'm currently in the middle of stealing Daniels O gauge Piedmont (converted to HO), and Alcanman's Waste Oil Recycling idea, and amalgamating them - however if anyone has any thoughts about this I'd be interested to hear them - There is nothing like bringing 5-year-old ideas back to life, or at least re-vitalising them!

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  • RMweb Gold

Resulting from further "Stepping Sideways" - Having just seen Andy's (298's) post on FB - I came back to this and re-read it. Have also been reading Joseph Leal's posts http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9383 and http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/30008, and re-looking at my drawing/track plans, I started to wonder if Joseph's idea for the Scrap warehouse couldn't be adapted. Thoughts centre around a pair of APA boxes, either permanently joined by gluing with suitable wood fillets, end-to-end, or hinged - so that one end folds back over the other - with a removable fiddlestick sector plate at the left to form the two-loco run-round, and a hinged drop-leaf exiting through the back, via Joseph's scrap warehouse for the 90° track, might not be a workable idea. Part of the problem is that I cannot find the dimensions of APA boxes. please note that this is, at least in part, a "thinking out loud" exercise - I'm currently in the middle of stealing Daniels O gauge Piedmont (converted to HO), and Alcanman's Waste Oil Recycling idea, and amalgamating them - however if anyone has any thoughts about this I'd be interested to hear them - There is nothing like bring 5-year-old ideas back to life, or at least re-vitalising them!

Hello Jack,

 

APA boxes...

 

Sizes are buried in this thead

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/91144-endbourne-a-modular-use-of-the-ikea-apa-boxes/

 

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...

Found some images of Blue Heron this morning from an art display that may give viewers some ideas - I think the open building on the RHS may be the open loading shed that was beyond where the track that went across the diamond

 

post-6688-0-73490700-1499767894.jpg

 

post-6688-0-03586300-1499767776_thumb.jpg

 

post-6688-0-41031600-1499767821.jpg

Edited by shortliner
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  • 1 year later...

Those last two paintings are by Roll Hardy, his work around industrial Portland is well worth a look. 

 

The layout itself is progressing nicely and should be complete enough when it appears at the Midland Small layout Showcase in a few weeks. By which I mean that although no layout is ever truly finished, certain aspects such as modelling building interiors that I had previously shied away from are now quite rewarding. 

 

Here are a few recent photos:

IMG_20190426_232305.jpg

IMG_20190426_203319.jpg

IMG_20190415_121120.jpg

IMG_20190413_202025.jpg

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  • Craftsmanship/clever 2
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