GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Afternoon all, WARNING-Waffling inbound! A little while ago i made a topic about the grain elevator at Selby, SD. Unfortunately, i never carried through with making a layout based upon it. However, after looking at the beautiful countryside of South Dakota, i wanted a layout based there. Douglas creek is based in Java, SD along the spur off of the BNSF Aberdeen branch here. The story goes that in 1985, a small beverage company (Douglas Beverage Co.) set up along the tracks so it could get its supplies sent by rail and ship out its products. As the company grew, the spur had a switch installed at the end of it to cope with the rising influx of inbound supplies and that's how you see it portrayed on the layout. OPERATION. The layout is operated by BNSF locos delivering either 1-3 boxcars to the shipping warehouse (The building you see on the layout at the moment) and interchanging them with current cars there to their respective loading door. Shipments in include-Tropicana, Wooden pallets and Containers. Shipments out are-Bottled soda, recycled wood from pallets, glass cullet and advertising merchandise. HOWS IT BULIT? The layout is built from ½” MDF and is spray painted black and Ford Nordic blue is used for the backscene. It is DC powered and the point is operated by a seep point motor (After much cursing at it to work!). That's enough talking from me, onto the photos... This is how the layout was looking before lunch And heres my first weathered car. The cruel close up. I will update this thread as i work on the layout through the next couple of weeks. Any feedback is very welcome. All the best, Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 N scale I take it? And just the one point? I've had a fascination with Lance Mindheim's "One Turnout Layout" idea for ages. The thinking behind it is ... well, thought-provoking!! It takes great discipline I reckon to actually lay less track rather than the usual way of "how much can I cram in this space" as per most Track Plan books!! Go for it!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks Jordan, i was going to have very dense track work with lots of various industries but after reading Lances book "How to operate a modern era switching layout", i decided to try one point just to see if it really is enjoyable to operate. I did think of doing an inglenook like Portway center but after hearing comments to a poor chap who'd done a Union Pacific themed inglenook at a show i went to, i forgot the idea! Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 What were the comments? Dont let other people's negativity put you off a good idea - & the 3-spur Inglenook is a good idea!! I don't think 'Portway' would work as a 1-turnout layout, as it has no specific car spots. That idea relies on having an industry and particular car spots, & the longer the length of run the better too!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Lloyd - if you want something minimal but slightly different in N, look at the Winstondale Switcher on Carls Scrapbook page 84 http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-84-april-2009/#winstondale Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Whilst i was talking to the gent, comments of "Inglenook? Childs toy isn't it?" and "Just another shunting puzzle" We're flung across from what i can only describe as £%&*@% idiots. Nonethe less, he still helped me get bitten by the dark side bug! Jack, thank you for the idea. I frequent Carls website quite a lot due to the broad bu brilliant mix of modelling. My idea for this is that i can (As space/time allows) add to this layout by building other modules that will bolt onto the fiddleyard and eventually have an entire industrial spur that i can re-arrange into any configuration as and when i want! Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Lloyd - currently thinking about Jack Hills Newcastle Industrial Rail Road http://oscalewcor.blogspot.co.uk/, done as something like Winstondale in HO, but using a sector plate to replace a couple of turnouts, and using specified door spots Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Whilst i was talking to the gent, comments of "Inglenook? Childs toy isn't it?" and "Just another shunting puzzle" were flung across from what i can only describe as £%&*@% idiots. I think you've worked it out, there, Lloyd. Such idiots have probably never built one themselves, (never mind operated one) or built ANY layout - as probably their "dream" layout is something so complex that's why they've not started it yet .... never mind thought about how on earth they'd ever operate it to it's full potential. Your layout here will get a good sense of space, too - something the US is not short of. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 A "one point" layout could be enjoyable to switch..... for a while. Maybe the "plank" layouts only have a half life of six months because they don't have enough depth to be interesting for a longer time. Maybe you start looking for something new because the inglenook gets boring so fast. The bigger layouts have so many more things to do that there are more things to keep you interested. The small layouts are pretty much stuck at the car level of operation and rarely if ever get to the train level, let alone the subdivision or division level of operations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks Dave but in our semi-detached house, space for train level operation would be rather difficult. Furthermore, train level ops never really appealed to me. I prefer industrial spurs covered in graffiti and big concrete warehouses to intermodals rolling through the desert. In answer to the limited ops, if i change the soon to be company signage i can operate the layout somewhere in the UK with my royal mail stock so i can extend the ops. Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadoak Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Lloyd,Can I just say that in my experience one long siding works better than two short ones. IT is a good idea to bear this in mind at the planning stage.Simple layouts are more fun to operate than may first appear.Good luck with whatever you eventually build.Peter M Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks Peter, In theroy, there is only one siding. The curving spur is considered as the mainline and the straight siding is the beverage companys siding. Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks Peter, In theroy, there is only one siding. The curving spur is considered as the mainline and the straight siding is the beverage companys siding. Lloyd In which case you might want to turn the layout about; spurs turn off main lines, not the other way around. The spur needs to take the curve through the turnout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks for the info jordan, lucky theres two warehouses that are by the two tracks so i can flip the rail served warehouse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-59 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Lloyd - if you want something minimal but slightly different in N, look at the Winstondale Switcher on Carls Scrapbook page 84 http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-84-april-2009/#winstondale Hmm, that arrangement reminds me a lot of the, now abandoned, IC Forrest Park branch, which I always thought would make a good Lance Mindheim style layout. https://www.flickr.com/photos/36106399@N04/sets/72157630013881568/page3/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 First time I 've heard of corn syrup referred to as a "chemical". 8-) The tank cars would not be cleaned at the bottling plant. One thing that all these small layout do is a lot of respotting cars, which in the greater scheme of things isn't as common as modelers would like it to be. Its expensive for the industry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 In which case you might want to turn the layout about; spurs turn off main lines, not the other way around. The spur needs to take the curve through the turnout. Not always true (although its not really a mainline, but it is the through route as opposed to the spur, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Thanks Simon, there are three spots and one is for recycled wood only so only empty cars returning to Aberdeen can hold the spot. Bit of an update.... All basic soldering is done and point motor is rigged on short wires for testing its aligned. All of the track is finally laid/ pinned. Sorry there are no photos but my camera is recharging. Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I shall watch with interest. I do like Fork style layouts and have been wondering about making one for a while now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Thanks Dan, I had a day off today and had planned a whole day of finishing the warehouses, laying asphalt etc but family intervened! Oh well, theres this weekend to look forward to... Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Switching is what a railroad is about for me, so I'm with you there. I presently have an unfinished ProtoNook 'micro' whilst considering what my main layout should be. Looking forward to see if a 'fork' is interesting enough to operate as a home layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Thanks Switcher, Today i was ill so had a day off of college. Therefore, i had time to build the distribution warehouse. It does look a tad rough ATM but i'm cleaning it up and painting it after i've typed this post. The Tropicana car is my ebay bargain i got recently for £6 along with three concor piggyback lorry trailers. The trailers will be repainted into ones liveried for the Douglas Beverage Co after i find someone who will do custom decals All the best, Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Most distribution warehouses I've seen would have more, closer-spaced loading doors than that. https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=43.705395,-79.688017&spn=0.003133,0.004801&t=h&z=18 BTW. It would be hard to load that container as the door is at the near end of the trailer. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR88 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Hmmm thanks for spotting that Adrian! I took it apart to see how easy it was to disassemble and forgot to check what way round it was! I wasgoing to make closer spaced doors but i thought it looked better a bit more spaced out. Lloyd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Yes, those ConCor/Herpa container trailers are a bit strange - the trailer is a flatbed and the proportions of the container are a bit iffy. Of the other ConCor/Herpa trailers, the tanker and the standard van are ok for the '70s (more recent trailers are wider), and the flatbed is ok if you leave off the 'sides'. Microtrains, Atlas, Athearn, Trainworx, Deluxe Innovations, and Mini-Metals all make better van trailers of various styles (and Mini-Metals makes flatbeds too). Deluxe Innovations does 40' container frames and Kato does adjustable container frames (40-53'). Atlas also does some pretty awful trailers (the ones that come with their older piggyback flats). Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.