Lakehurst industrial park NJ

[long island jack]

Well!!,it's that time again, another layout!!

 

This time built around some of my impulse buys, I'm sure we've all done that in our modelling life time( nice colour, at that price! etc.), in my box ( With cobwebs) are

CSX B30-7,GP15,GP40-2 a Conrail GP38, and more recently a NS HHGP38 (what I hear you say!, no Alco's) and a handful of code 83 track and points.

 

After what seemed months of trolling the web and YouTube,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2IlntcIV1M&t=640s I kept coming back to CSAO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrail_Shared_Assets_Operations operations in New Jersey (especially train WPSA31),the use of CSX,NS and ex Conrail geep's was perfect for my modelling needs.

 

My time period to start, will be 1999-2000, with maybe drifting into the late 2000's( depending on impulse buys),next up was to find a location(freelance) I could base the layout on,utilizing my already acquired stock (End of the spur).

 

more to follow, when life doesn't get in the way, coming dear!!

 

Ray

[Alcanman]

Looks like an interesting project. I'll be following with interest

 

A bit of a coincidence, but I have also been looking at CSX/Conrail post 1999 and I have a feeling Santa may be delivering a Conrail geep on Xmas day!  

 

Merry Xmas!

 

 

Mal

[long island jack]

Hopefully that's the last of the Christmas shopping done!, where were we?

 

Ah!, location, using the YouTube videos and CSAO map as reference, then using google maps to find a location.

 

 

everything pointed towards Farmingdale, don't know why, just did, and after further investigation on google maps,I noticed a track heading west at Farmingdale,https://goo.gl/maps/WkdHMW6J7R62 this use to carry on to Freehold, but there a section that was abandoned and put out of service by Conrail, and I think partly lifted.

 

This spur will be the basis for the layout(with modellers licence thrown in), Manasquan, named after one of the river in the area.

Another impulse buy, a Walthers REA building (good price)and a new Walthers engineering offices will be kit bashed to make the main industry a small foundry, supplying parts for the farming and forestry industries, the other will be a builder yard and last a track(off scene) for loading scrap.

 

 

The layout will be 2 x 50"x16" boards with a add on fiddle yard, my usual design "shadow box" and code 83 track.

 

Ray

[skipepsi]

Quote 'more to follow, when life doesn't get in the way, coming dear!! sums up my difficulties really well, added are yes DD1, DD2 and number one Son. All old enough to know better but then so am I.

 

 

Forgot to add I have a fleet of four Conrail GP 40's which might make 3 good ones and three GE U boats in shades of Conrail blue.

Edited December 21, 2016 by skipepsi

[w124bob]

The whole shared asset area throws up some interesting workings, top & tail short trains, shoving moves with decrepit old C&O/B&O cabooses and try searching "Gresseheimer glass" on Youtube for an end of the line industry. Also plenty of CSX, CR & NS Athearn locos still in the US shops, a patched ex CR GP15 would be top of my list. Nothing worse than having an idea for a layout only to find the locs you want have all been done and sold out!

Edited December 22, 2016 by w124bob

[long island jack]

All the planning above was done over the last 6 months, I started the build at the beginning of November, though at the present moment I'm in a bit of a lull!!

 

Baseboards built from 9mm ply, cut to the basic shape

 

Started adding foam for the scenery, cork glue down, track will be fixed when all basic scenery is done(will stop me playing trains!)

 

 

in between my lulls I'm slooooooowly building the cribbing and the wooden bridge, think this is why I've slowed with the build, hope the Christmas break will help me get a spurt on,

this will depend how many pubs I go to!!!!

 

Ray

[long island jack]

Quite an eventful day so far, basic land form done, most of the large cribbing done, just a couple of small areas left near the river

 

 

test fit to see if it all looks ok with bridge in place, next weathering all that wood!!

 

Now time for a beer

 

Ray

[Supaned]

Nice job Ray - I take it the CNJ is for another project?

 

Cheers!

[Supaned]

PS just spotted the Vocation beer in one of the pics - cracking brew

[long island jack]

CNJ, let me get it finished first, on the contrary all part of the plan, 1974-76, just got to watch I don't date the layout, so I have the flexibility

 

 

As you can see on the map, CNJ went right through Farmingdale, main road power was a mix of SD35-40 with an RS3, locals used RS3's, which is my plan

 

 

pictures above are out of one of my CNJ books,at Lakehurst, just further south.

 

if I have more impulse buys, like Conrail GP's I could do 1976-98,will wait and see.

 

Ray

[long island jack]

PS just spotted the Vocation beer in one of the pics - cracking brew

yep!, nice had a few of there black IPA in the Knott in Manchester a couple of weeks ago, it was yummy!

[Talltim]

I would imagine you have seen this thread full of useful pics http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=4204&hilit=conrail+shared

[long island jack]

Yep, that's what started me thinking.

[Vanrouge]

Brilliant work as always Ray

 

Kind regards

Nick

[w124bob]

Here is another http://sjrail.com

[long island jack]

Well that was Christmas day, did all the usual things, played with the empty boxes, Turkey dinner and fell a sleep for 2 hours.

 

After all that excitement, did a bit more last night, added first layer of mod rock and painted and weathered all the timber, these will be glue in place when the basic ground work is added, then touched up where needed, typical get in the mood to model but run out of mod rock, will have to find something else, building maybe!

 

Thanks for that w124bob, new one for me, a quick glance not much on the southern secondary, will delve deeper, though as it's freelance, I can make it up as I go!!

 

Ray

[enginelane]

Look forw

Well that was Christmas day, did all the usual things, played with the empty boxes, Turkey dinner and fell a sleep for 2 hours.After all that excitement, did a bit more last night, added first layer of mod rock and painted and weathered all the timber, these will be glue in place when the basic ground work is added, then touched up where needed, typical get in the mood to model but run out of mod rock, will have to find something else, building maybe!DSCN0442.JPGDSCN0441.JPGThanks for that w124bob, new one for me, a quick glance not much on the southern secondary, will delve deeper, though as it's freelance, I can make it up as I go!!Ray

Looking forward to you bringing it to Wakefield

[JAMO]

Nice new project Ray!

[long island jack]

Progress last night, went to the sales with SWMBO yesterday, called in at Hobby craft, they sell plaster bandage £1 a http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/plaster-moulding-roll-10-cm-x-3-m/577665-1000 roll for 3m ,got 4 for the price of one Gaugemaster.

 

first coat added, bridge built, second coat tonight

 

next retaining wall along the river, thinking metal piles like in "coffer dam" and part stone.

 

Ray

[Supaned]

Can I ask about the baseboard construction?

 

Side frames look to be about 4 inches deep at their longest (or thereabouts) ?

 

Are the backscene boards to form the shadowbox part of the main board or are they attached & detached separately? From the photos it looks as if the backscene boards were added onto the main frames rather than forming part of the frame (and can I also ask about the overall height of the backscene that forms the box?)

 

Cheers

[long island jack]

Main baseboards are 120mm x 1270mm x 9mm ply(A on drawing) cross members(with holes cut in to lighten )are added at 310mm centres,19 x 19 timber is added at all ply joints( glued and screwed) to these bases I added 19 x 38 x 500 timber(C ) to each corner, the back one on the outside of the base, the front one on the inside, a C shape piece of 6mm ply (B) was added to the joining ends of the bases. further 19 x 38 x 408(C ) is added to support the backscene boards, these are 2mm MDF, 300mm high(F)with a 10 x 12 timber pinned along the top edge, to support the roof, the two end boards are full height 420W x 500H fixed to the outside of the bases, 6mm ply tops are then cut to shape and fix to the base.

 

 

The front rail (D) which will support the roof and fascia is made from 25mm x 60mm timber, cut to form a wedge shape, with the tapered side at the bottom, LED lights will be added to this timber, I've been given some 600 x 1200 plastic (old unused signs boards) which have cleaned up well, thinking of using these for the roof.

 

Once all the major building work is done 2mm MDF will be fixed to the front faces and a couple of coats of Henry Ford black paint added.

 

Think that covers most of the basics of the boards any more questions, fire away.

 

Ray

[Supaned]

thanks very much

[long island jack]

Made a bit more progress over the last week, coat of brown paint and real soil applied ready for the base grass(hanging basket liner)

 

Been making steel siding and a concrete dam for the main water supply for the foundry, the story goes the old wood cribbing rotted at the bottom, to save cost they added steel piling along the base, also they strengthened the bridge base.

 

 

Concrete bridge supports weathered, first coat of rust on bridge, trying to get that run down look, (jury still out on colour of river)all still to be fixed in place when happy.

 

 

At the other end all wooden cribbing filled with backfill and glue in place ready for basket liner grass base over the top

 

a small step forward, lots more to do!!

 

Ray

[long island jack]

Last night was grass laying and IPA test night

basket liner base

 

IPA testers, you can see which came out on top, more testing today and maybe some more modelling!!

 

Ray

[Talltim]

This is looking great. Love the cribbing and the bridge