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Highland Branch of the Florida Central Railroad


Chris Gilbert

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hmmm, should I include a removable continuous run too?  Must say the ability to have an occasional train rolling round and round seems like a no-brainer...

Hi all,

 

Having a continuous run is useful for lots of reasons!

 

1 - Laziness - nothing like sitting back and letting trains run whilst you work on something else

 

2 - Running in and setting up of locos

 

3 - Fun

 

4 - Showing off when visitors come to see you.

 

Thanks

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Thanks for the compliments guys. You are all very gracious. The dual option occurred to me later on. My favorite feature of this bridge idea is it gives a longer drill track. If Chris wouldn't want the drill track in front of the door, he just removes the turnout and replaces it with a curved piece. I remember the guys talking about how you should have a spare track next to the cement plant and it just seemed like a natural progression to me.

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Mike's plans are exactly the sort of thing I had in mind when I suggested going roundy-roundy.

I agree entirely with Phil's list above, too. When you're already going around all four walls, it's just logical to fit in that last link. ;)

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Working on the club layout scenics whilst trains run past, I can tell you it's very satisfying see a train running whilst you busy yourself with other projects.

 

As such, I'll vote "aye!" to the option of continuous run as well. :)

 

You could even - if you so choose - model a warehouse along that curve with the tracks running through it, and make the doors retractable. That way you could treat it as an additional spur instead of a continuous run during switching sessions, just by closing the door on the yard side of the building and using it as a view blocker when operating. :D

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Pity that B&Q stopped stocking the superior Knauf 'spaceboard' extruded foam blocks - that expanded beadboard isn't a patch on it really.

My loft layout is pretty much the same as this, albeit without the contiboard support - just Knauf boards & wood battens screwed to the loft main beams. "Over-engineered" is a good expression - portable layouts for Exhibitions need some strength to them, but I've often wondered why many Home layouts have baseboards you could safely stand on, when all they really have to support is some relatively light model trains. :scratchhead:

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Pity that B&Q stopped stocking the superior Knauf 'spaceboard' extruded foam blocks - that expanded beadboard isn't a patch on it really.

My loft layout is pretty much the same as this, albeit without the contiboard support - just Knauf boards & wood battens screwed to the loft main beams. "Over-engineered" is a good expression - portable layouts for Exhibitions need some strength to them, but I've often wondered why many Home layouts have baseboards you could safely stand on, when all they really have to support is some relatively light model trains. :scratchhead:

Possibly because fat blokes like me tend to lean on them after over exerting ones self  :umbrage:   Jordan, there are some O gauge items on eBay that a chap on Face ache is advertising - not sure if you would be interested: 

item#121318882050 Atlas O 2-Rail PS-4427 Covered Hoppers CNW/Chicago North-... 

item#121318898727 Atlas O 2-Rail Evans 53ft Double Plug Door Box Car B&M/Bo... 

item#121318909215 Atlas O 2-Rail ACF 60ft Auto Parts Box Car SOU/Southern #... 

item#121318918611 Atlas O 2-Rail ACF 60ft Auto Parts Box Cars CN/Canadian N...

These items end next Sunday - I will ship worldwide. 

 

Sorry about the thread hi-jack chaps.

 

Jez

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Hey Chris,

Wow those are narrow shelves. I didn't get a chance to put up this track plan Friday, but here it is. If you put the runaround track on the drop leaf across the door, you shorten your drill lead.

 

In my plan, I leave one track across the drop leaf and put the runaround on the north shelf. I added a runaround track on the north shelf to make getting at Preswick Bakery and Highland Citrus easier. Curved Walthers turnouts make it possible.

I also added an extra track next to the cement plant on the east shelf to make it easier to switch covered hoppers in and out of the Blackheath Cement Plant. This track is the truncated rest of the old branch line. I would maybe put a small washed out bridge piling here to show why the branch is truncated.

I would consider making the recycling company one track. If it's a recycling company, you may want to consider adding box cars to the mix of traffic for recycled paper (short lines are always looking for extra traffic).

 

13852155224_37f46e6fd5_b.jpg

 

13852159404_9a1f59ca10_b.jpg

 

 

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  • 11 months later...

Well now that Florida Springs is all but finished its time to get the Florida Highland branch up and running

A complete rethink has taken place, the old shelving has been removed

The track plan has been redrawn (a couple of times) and I've settled with this

 

post-7237-0-55321900-1427849787.jpg

 

I've removed nearly all the layout from the front windows and formed the layout in a U shape

 

The baseboards were covered in cork floor tiles

 

 

Then after a few attempts at using live frog Peco points I decided to go back to dead frog.

The first train successfully completed a run from the yard to the end of the line last night

 

 

 

More updates as they happen

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Andrew that's a very good question

Yes interchange/fiddleyard is on the right hand side.

The highway bridge will do two things

Break the interchange from the rest of layout, and covers the horrible 19 inch radius curve.

 

From the yard the first industry will more than likely be a team track or a something the receives bulkend flats or low gondolas ( so when any cars are spotted there they don't block the veiw )

They next spur lends it self to a distribution warehouse or bakery of some sort. Somewhere for boxcars, covered hoppers, and the odd tank car to be spotted.

At present the spur off the run around loop will be for cement delivery but I'm more and more liking the idea of a glass works with plenty of covered hoppers (I've done cement)

The last spur will be for chemical tank cars ( may be hazmat cars just to add interest)

The problem is the two 19 inch curves in each corner with not only look ugly, them limit the length of car I can run.

I can hide the RH one with the bridge but not sure what to do with the LH one.

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A or B would work because they are visually breaking up the curve. Wouldn't 22 inch curves work? If you can't run cars longer than 60 feet long, it's not going to be the end of the world. I did a quick sketch using 22 inch curves. Most of the longer freight cars can negotiate 22 inch minimum radii.

 

post-22448-0-05096700-1427997919.png

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I didn't like how the post above appeared. What I meant to say was more of a query if 22 inch curves would work. Paper and track laying are two different animals what looks fine on paper doesn't always translate to an actual layout.

 

That being said, the glass plant sounds very interesting. I'm curious to see how that plays out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Managed to get a few wires soldered, some sleeper grime sprayed and some Gaugemaster grey ballast glued in the staging yard today.

The tail track (is that what it's called?) takes 3x60' cars and a CF7

JUST !!!

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But I will need every inch of the shed

 

post-7237-0-40654000-1428865828_thumb.jpg

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This is beginning to grow on me.

 

post-7237-0-84594800-1428865867_thumb.jpg

post-7237-0-67048800-1428865881_thumb.jpg

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