Glorious NSE Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Been playing with designs for a steel mill module for a *long* time now, but various things got in the way (in my defence, relatively "big" things like a baby, moving house, etc etc!) - i'd intended to get on with it when I sold Alpha last year, but didn't really get too far at the time, but I did start to crystallize the plan..Quick recap of the story so far...The original musings, back in Oct 2013, based on a gentle 45deg sweeping curve...http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/47081-track-plans-for-north-american-layouts/page-15?p=1198101&do=findComment&comment=1198101Fast forward to July 2014, and it's evolved to an L shape...http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/47081-track-plans-for-north-american-layouts/page-18?p=1532188&do=findComment&comment=1532188The more I thought about the L, the less happy I was with the balance of the hugeness of the structures versus the amount of supporting trackage, it just wasn't doing justice to the industry - and after a year in the new house it was pretty clear that any intention of having the module work as an "always on" layout when it wasn't being a module was not that likely to come true, far too many other priorities kicking around.So with it not *having* to be a practical shape to put up against a wall in a bedroom any more, it gradually evolved towards this T shape, with the mill itself on the left hand end, and the yard at the bottom:Note - that is most likely not the finished track plan, but it will be the general idea, the only change at a fundamental level is to try and arrange the leads so that the main line can only be accessed from the yard sidings, and not from the plant. That way it separates the internal mill workings from the external "main line" ones, and to an extent they can work in parallel. I would also like (both for simplicity of construction, and for ease of operating) all the pointwork to be on just two boards.The eagle eyed amongst you will notice the shape has two 3x2' boards which will box nicely, and two 3' long angled boards which will box nicely, and an odd little one.That's technically a module in it's own right, that gives the capability of connecting a different module to increase the lead length.So where are we now?The boards were delivered last Saturday...And I did some quick mocking out (aka playing with trains)One of the "learning points" from mocking it up is that whilst the mill itself feels right, the supporting yard is a little on the small side - luckily that comes down to a straight board joint, so adding an extension there at a later date is possible...The even more eagle eyed will have noticed that this is in the plan for the freemo meet at Christow in early May, so I need to crack on. The objective for that one will be to have the main line and the yard tracks installed and working (that will let me treat it as an industry in terms of operations) - but it won't have any of the plant tracks installed, so there won't be a separate job working the mill's own switcher.Tomorrow's job, buy some track to get started, current thought is mixing C83 (on the main) with C75 in the yard/plant - the tighter pointwork available in C75 might help this plan, and it's slightly cheaper too... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 - and after a year in the new house it was pretty clear that any intention of having the module work as an "always on" layout when it wasn't being a module was not that likely to come true, far too many other priorities kicking around. I know that feeling, any home layouts only seem to turn into a photo backdrop / programming track / general dumping ground for stock... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 24, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2016 Martyn WIth boards built you could have that running for the Exeter Freemo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 There's some folk on here that would have finished it in that time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 HUDSON AND LAIGHT STREET..NY CITY.(borrowed from Facebook) I wonder if this would help as the entrance to your steelworks - might make your module easier Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thanks Jack, though the ambience will be a bit different to that I think!(Pic locations, Tuscaloosa, Decatur, Seattle)Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Plant by William Davis, on FlickrNucor Decatur Cold Mill 2008 (4) by Lexicon MagagementGroup, on FlickrNucor2 by Chas Redmond, on Flickr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Yes - yours will be much more modern than my photo - I was just thinking of an old works frontage, with trackage curving in through the front wall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Hi Martyn, This is gonna be great!! Will you have loads of the Walthers steel mill kits and stock on show? May I reccomend lots of switchers to run it all? One of my all time favourite videos, just to help the ambiance; Cheers, John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Ive been looking forward to this ever since you first posted your ideas. I think you'll do a good job of capturing the atmosphere. Are you planning to have steelworks internal user cars, bottle cars, slag cars etc? I wish I'd just bought baseboards, next time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 The main buildings will be the Electric Arc furnace (Walthers kit) and the Rolling Mill (combination of two Walthers kits) - if I can fit it in also the cooling towers kit from the Ethanol range (possibly shortened to fit the site, although the Seattle mill has one of them elavated above the approach tracks!)I've been working on some stock whilst I waited for the boards to be built (big shout out to Mel from our group there!)As it's an Electric Arc Furnace it won't need lots of the specialist freightcars, but I have some cars from State Tool & Die kits to handle some in-plant moves, the flats will move ladles of scrap metal from the scrap storage area to the furnace, and a gondola for moving offcuts or scrap back to the scrap area. Those would likely not be rail moves in a modern mill but i'm flashing my modellers licence... In the future I do plan to model a "riverdale" hot metal train for RS Tower, so I will have some hot metal cars to represent cars being shipped to a rolling mill somewhere else possibly, but I won't need any of them to get up and running, and they won't be part of the normal mill processes.NS 5509 by Eric Hendrickson, on FlickrI created a switcher for it a couple of years back, an Atlas MP15 - a second unit might turn up at some point, but i'm not in a hurry... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Was off work today, so I filled all the screwholes in the boards, then put the main boards up in the conservatory. Interrupted by the postie delivering the Atlas Nucor coil gon! A trip out to the model shop this afternoon got me enough track to get phase 1 (main line) and phase 2 (interchange yard and lead) working. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Just a note on the flatcars moving scrap ladles - mostly that seems to happen using oversize rubber tyre vehicles or sort of a giant trolley arrangement - but these images came up showing a flatcar based version did happen in at least one place! http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?4725-Electric-Melt-Shop-Scrap-Receiving-Yard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 Some minor works over the weekend, a start made on roadbed for the main lines (balsa) - and the four switches for phase 1 have all been modified to fit their final locations and had some preliminary testing to make sure they will work reliably - 3x code 75 short points have been slightly curved, they will make the yard lead, and a code 83 #8 right is now a code 83 wye for the main line switch... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikoos Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 "A trip out to the model shop this afternoon got me enough track to get phase 1 (main line) and phase 2 (interchange yard and lead) working." Which model shop are you using that stocks code 83, US outline? Koos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Hi Koos, it was The Model Shop in Exeter (4 St Davids Hill, near the Iron bridge) - stocks some Peco C83, would suggest phoning before doing a trip on the offchance if you want to go home with something specific though, as I think the range is a bit broad / specialist for him to keep everything in stock all the time. I'm positive they would be happy to order something in if they knew you wanted it and didn't have one in stock. For example with the #8 right they only had an Insulfrog in stock rather than the electrofrog I'd have picked as first choice. (Though that didn't especially bother me as I don't think I'll have excessive gapping problems given that any loco using it will have at least 4 pickups spread over 2 trucks per side, and the frog gaps only one wheel at a time!) As ever, helpful service, and it was quiet enough that I could do a quick compare between the C83 #5 and C75 "short", and for future reference the #4 wye and C75 wye to work out which track worked better for me in terms of overall sizes, angles and overall fitting a lot of pointwork into a relatively compact space, which led me to using the C75 off the main line.It's a pretty well stocked local shop, they don't specialise in US, but they do stock some relevant ranges (like Peco points, Woodland Scenics etc) plus tools, paint... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northpoint Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 There's some folk on here that would have finished it in that time. I can't possibly think who you mean..! But, we guess it will be available for September? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robatron86 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I love the layout shape and the subject Martyn. This is now on my watch list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 I can't possibly think who you mean..! But, we guess it will be available for September? It's on the plan for Christow in May!! - but I'm only working on getting the main line (a Must Do or the plan won't work!) and yard (highly desirable as it can at least work as a pseudo-industry) working for then! By September - who knows! Much uncertainty after June as I'm likely to be made redundant on 30/6 (I'm expecting the formal letter any day now, by the 8th or they will be breaking my T&C) - it could see me with a period where I have a little free time to spend on it and redundancy payout that ought to fund the rest of the track, or alternatively it could see me without much time if I manage to get a new job, or anywhere in between....I really don't know at this stage... A project to take the mind off is probably a good thing. And yep - Armitage is in my diary ready - we should probably start to send out info shortly...? Will send you an email. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 31, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 31, 2016 Martyn Sorry to hear about your job. Is there much around Exeter in terms of jobs these days? As you say keep building as hopefully it will help keeping your mind off it for some Of the time. Look forward to seeing the new boards in action in May Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Thanks Ian - Probably better than most of the peninsula, and definitely better than it was a couple of years back, so i'm not too worried at this stage.More roadbed down tonight.The 18" module in the foreground is roadbed complete. The 3' board from the main module behind is starting to show the curve of the main, with the #8 there for effect. More roadbed to go, but I need to play with the levels - I want the yard and plant to be 'on the deck', the main and the lead over the modular joints need to be on the 1/8th roadbed, it's just working out the ramps between them.The cross piece, i'm going to have a fair bit of real estate on the two angled boards, this one I think will be a closed grade crossing across the two tracks, on the plant side the road will feed the mill entrance with some sort of gatehouse/security post. The main line side, I plan to model an access road alongside the track, giving access to the switch into the plant. That'll reduce the amount of scrubby grass I need to put in, as with the notable exception of the Seattle one, these places do seem to be spaced apart from other buildings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Bought two more points yesterday, i'd intended to put a temporary bit of flextrack in as the lead (you can see them marked in the image above) but I reckon it'll be better to get them installed properly even if they are 'locked out' in it's initial state. If you're keeping count, it's a c83 RH #6 (ins), then a c75 LH medium (elec)...they'll be the first ones that get used effectively stock as well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stadman Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 More parts yesterday? Have you seen the Freytag book? Kev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 More parts yesterday? Have you seen the Freytag book? Kev Yep just a couple more points and some more balsa... Don't think I have seen that one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stadman Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Yep just a couple more points and some more balsa... Don't think I have seen that one. http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=&an=freytag%20dean&tn=cyclopedia%20industrial%20modeling&n=100121503&cm_sp=mbc-_-ats-_-used Out of print looks like so expensive, unless you get lucky. Kev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'll keep my eye open, thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.