Mickoo's American Modelling Empire

[mickoo]

So the parcels duly arrived (thanks to all who assisted/facilitated) and I dug out all my domestic 53' containers.....I had more than I thought

The next step is to get a train made up and see what they look like. Rolling stock I have, train set I don't; so decided that should be the next frontier.

It must be 45 years or more since I laid track down so it'll be interesting to see if this is any better, all looks a bit grubby and messy so another task is to coat the scenery as it has a bad habit of molting dust. Yes I should have done that first but hey I was impatient to lay track.

The one downside is the big bridge, it's height was originally designed without foam road bed so it all needs jacking up 7 mm and this evenings task is to draw up and print some 3D pier shaped packers. Once that's all done I can finally assembly the structure and get some paint on it.

 

[mickoo]

Clearance check.....perfect.

Tomorrow, double stack high cubes, I may notch the top corner on the inside. I probably won't need to operationally I need to but it is a very prevalent feature on modern routes.

 

[mickoo]

Opened up the Kato triple 53' packs and took a handful for some clearance runs, in total I have 18 plus a couple of other 53' triple packs, enough for a 24 car consist at least.

Definitely need to notch the tunnel and jack up a touch as well, I didn't realise high cube double stacks were so darned high, quite a bit higher that triple deck autoracks.

Also need to revise the signal hard standing after looking at a few more real ones, also managed to level the bridge deck, add road bed and basic track; in total about 17-20' run now.

 

[richard carr]

That all looks good Mick, it's hard to tell it's not O scale.

Richard

 

[mickoo]

That all looks good Mick, it's hard to tell it's not O scale.

Richard

Cheers,

It's hard not to keep pushing stock up and down and mumbling choo choo Letting them roll all the way down the grade is fun too, just remember there's a big hole straight to the floor!

Regarding scale, sad to say many of these HO models surpass O for detail, the CN unit is just a beat up old SH model for visuals.

 

[Big Train James]

I've gone back a few pages and re-read posts about the layout and a few other things in between. I recognize that you're already halfway done, but I'll offer a few observations. No time like the present, right?

In post #535, there's a photo part way through for the sign vendor that had the highway signs at the St. Louis meet. It turns out that ScaleSigns.com is essentially local to me here in NW Ohio. The guy turned up at our Modelers Meet on the 5th, although strictly as a modeler. If I knew he was in this area, I would have invited him to attend the show as a vendor. Anyway, I'm sure I could get my hands on product either directly here or in July when I will be at the St. Louis meet again.

In post #554, you mention the steeper-than-desired grade coming off the long girder span. This is the better late than never part, there's no reason why your bridge couldn't incorporate a portion of the grade. Of course you would have to reset the track on both approaches as well as configure and print new piers. Something to do in your spare time.

We may have discussed this previously, I can't remember now, but generally I would expect to see some bridge shoes where the girder spans bear on the piers. Have you considered adding them? Or does this prototype not utilize them?

DPU on the bridge and looking up the grade, it's steeper than I wanted but the long flat water level section forces a steeper transition up to the old depot, from there it'll be a steady 2.2 - 2.5% grade hopefully.

In post #561, one of the things I like is your execution of the ground forms between the track and the river. The tracks aren't always in the foreground, which is what often happens on our layouts. I think it's much more realistic to have things get in the way occasionally. Having something besides trains in the foreground is on my list of better ways to do stuff should I ever get around to building a layout of any sort.

In post #563, you mention the landing for the signal. You have a photo in post #551 showing a retaining wall constructed of precast interlocking blocks, creating a landing for a signal and PTC antenna.

I'm seeing these types of structures popping up as modern replacements for older timber or sheet piling retaining walls. The styles around here are a different style of precast block, essentially a giant concrete Lego. It's surely just a regional thing, but the premise is the same, and of course you should use the type found in your area of interest. Yours seems like a pretty straightforward model and print job.

Whenever I see threads like this, I get the itch to start building something. It would be the most imprudent thing for me to do at the moment, so I always take a breath and let the urge pass. It doesn't help that the subject matter is modern everyday trains, which suits my current tastes. Maybe just a few modules, a nice photo plank, 16' or so might suffice.......

Jim

 

[mickoo]

Jim,

In no particular order....no change there ....

Bridge shoes, there is a small pad under the beams, yes it could be more detailed but will I? No, for one simple reason, I'm trying to get away (initially) from the anal detail and model a generic overall scene, an anti model to my day job so to speak. That's not to say at some point later my criteria will change.

Gradients, yes they're greater (4.2%) than you'd expect in modern railroads (typically 2.2% for extended grades with shorter 3.2%) but it's really only the short section up from the river to the helper station and thence from there a more steady grade. When you look across the bridge and see the consist sweeping down and leveling out it actually looks pretty darn good and I want that sort of grade variation that's often not modelled.

It's a shocking phone picture but I'll get one of the BNSF units out, some Bethgons and earth worm covered hoppers with a better depth of field tomorrow.



Besides the steepness of the grade will be partially hidden by a rock slide shed up in that far corner, which leads onto the scenery, as you note some is covered by scenery in front and more will be as the line winds up the grade. Even so, rock out crops with standing there's also a lot of trees to go in, so a lot of the wide open spaces seen now will have foreground blocking foliage.

One could argue that you'll end up covering all the trains and to a certain extent that's part of the plan, I want scenery with a train in not the typical train with a bit of scenery; in fact, it'd be kind to say I'm (planning) building a geographic model of the Pacific Northwest that by fortune has a railway line in it.

Signal hardstand is indeed a simple affair, a simply slab of concrete rather than the lego prefabs noted previously. I've done that for one reason, terrain, this area will be predominately rock and in situations like that it's usual to have an embedded structure tied into the rock, especially that close to a sloped rock slope to the water's edge.

There will be a hi rail crossing here so S&T can roll up and decamp to a gravel area and maintain the signal, probably a modern concrete sectional slab affair and there will be a railing around the hard standing, can't have S&T falling into the water can we, what would the Brotherhood say!

Building something...., you know my attitude and likely response but I'll repeat anyway, JFDI

This whole train set is not about finishing, it's not about uber accuracy (I get enough of that all week) it's about fun, it's about doing something, even if it all ends up a waste of time and ripped up in five years. I have in my mind scenery for the first loop so to speak, about 30% of the total run, the rest I'll busk and make up/cherry pick scenes as I go along.

If you want some photo plank or HO module inspiration then check out Pelle Keld Soeberg's work, you'll never view HO the same way again, changed my whole view on model trains, the perfectionist in less is more.

Not sure if you can see his FB page but here it is anyway. Pelle Keld Søeborg model railroad site

 

[richard carr]

I can only agree Mick, my P48 layout is about having fun and it won't look perfect as a consequence of that.

Richard

 

[mickoo]

Some more Pacific North West Railroading, finally got the first bridging section in and wired up, not pretty but functional and pretty much rock solid....as much as wood can be rock solid.







Ironically there's been no derailments at the joints but several on the (Shinohara) switch frogs, I'll need to look a bit closer later but after an initial swarm they seem to have settled down now.

Some running observations, 23 x 3 bay hoppers is a long train, one engine will not handle it but two will and a third DPU is a breeze.
I'm going to need to be careful with sidings, length and placements so that'll have an impact on scenery further up the line.













Second, all code 83 track is not code 83 Shinohara has a slightly wider base web, thicker to, so fishplates don't go on; I ended up grinding the web thinner and narrower where the joints fit to get them to fit in.

Third, I'm going to need a lot more track and foam underlay....lots more

So far I can almost do one loop, hopefully tomorrow I can get the lead switch into Helper and one, possibly both, lines laid a fair way through that section. I also need to extend the far end of the sidings section to accommodate the switch ladder and perhaps a spur off that 'may' go outside to fun along the fence at some point in the future.

Still playing with the phone camera depth of field, sometimes it works, others not, not yet worked out which bit's I'm pressing have positive and negative effects The last two are pretty good for depth of field, not perfect but workable; I did some video...less said about that the better, definitely work in progress.

 

[mickoo]

Poor video from phone but captures the lower section down the gorge and across the bridge, works for me

I've run the 'worm' and now the double stack up and down this steepest section and you need a 2 x 1 set up or you'll just stall. Tomorrow (work depending) I'll try the coal and oil but don't think I've got enough 'cans' for a full train length yet.

Train is Chicago - Seattle priority Z stacker.

Video looks best if you select the 4K quality setting.

 

[Dog Star]

"2 x 1" .... what does this mean? I noted a U-tub video of a rock train descending Cajun labelled as "4 x 2" with no explanation.

Rgds, Graham

 

[mickoo]

"2 x 1" .... what does this mean? I noted a U-tub video of a rock train descending Cajun labelled as "4 x 2" with no explanation.

Rgds, Graham

It's the disposition of the power units within the consist.

2 x 1 is two head end, one tail end DPU
4 x 2 is four head end, two tail end DPU
4 x 2 x 2 is four head end, two mid helper cut in (depending on consist weight or stock disposition), two tail end DPU.

MRL always cuts in four swing helpers over Mullan irrespective of train tonnage, they just like to keep them as quad sets. If the train is light then 1-2 or even three units will be switched out. Frequently in those situations it'll be the lead unit where the crew is that's switched out, primarily to reduce the noise levels and fume ingress; they still have to wear the respirators as the fumes from the head end rarely clear by the time the helpers enter the 'hole'.

I watched an autorack train ascend with a 2 x 0 which was more than enough for the tonnage, but the cars are lightweight and super long (90') so the quad helpers cut in 70/30% were there to simply spread the coupler stresses out and prevent stringlining or pulled knuckles.

Once over Mullan MRL will often double (not rejoin as each section is 100 cars) coal trains for the water level run to Missoula and I've seen 3 x 5 x 2 set ups.

BNSF run some mega 18K (18,000 feet long) Stackers on Transcon2 with some interesting lash ups, 5 x 3 x 3 is quite common.

 

[mickoo]

Just a little more on the PNW train set, several tracks in the yard laid out to give an idea of spacing and capacity and the start of the fascia boards along the scenic section.

The early baseboard style was a stepped approach, it worked of sorts for that section and the following section is mainly flat board but on a grade (Helper), the next section and probably the rest up to the summit will be skeletal as the ground is split above and below the track bed.

To cover up the stepped baseboard I opted to make the base of the fascia sloped to roughly match the grade as the rest is planned like through the next two designs.

 

[Pencarrow]

You're going to need a bigger shed Mick

 

[simond]

We all need a bigger shed. Even more than we need panniers

 

[mickoo]

You're going to need a bigger shed Mick

And where's the fun in that, trainsets are all about cramming as much track or scenery into our limited spaces whilst picking a scale much too big, why break the cycle

On the up side, there's about 80' planned visible track, that's more than enough for me to cope with

 

[Genghis]

We all need a bigger shed. Even more than we need black 5s

Better.

 

[mickoo]

Finally found a display case (O Gauge Model Train Display Case - Illuminated - 600mm O Gauge) that met my demands and duly ordered, sadly it initially started as a bit of a saga. The first one arrived with a broken lid but worst of all five holes in each end to mitigate condensation, the broken lid I wasn't worried about, mainly because it wasn't very neat on some of the joints and not square but the vent holes really miffed me.

I wanted a pure clear lid, no holes, no frame or injection mould marks and that's what the promo shots on the site showed so I was not a happy bunny. Anyway a quick call to the sales dept and some photos of the damage and poor joints elicited complete agreement that it had totally failed their quality control and a new lid was to be dispatched and as requested, without vent holes.

Needless to say it arrived today and looks great and the OMI SD70ACe fits a treat, sadly the Veranda with tender does not so I'll be calling back to see if they'll consider a bespoke unit 200 mm longer.

The track is fixed to what looks like roofing felt, it's not too bad but at some point I'll drop some scale ballast on it and give it a bit of weathering to tone it down.

I had kind of weaned myself off US O gauge but seeing this I really want to display more of them and have a big hankering for a CP SD70ACu, actually a couple but they don't exist in O gauge as far as I know, there is a SD9043 but they are rare and it'd need a lot of reworks which kind of destroys their factory rareness.









Just need to add a nice wooden shelf for it to sit on rather than the ugly London brackets.

 

[Brian Daniels]

Looks nice in that case.

Is this what you want? Not a lot of people know they had one on Swindon A Shop!

 

[mickoo]

Looks nice in that case.

Is this what you want? Not a lot of people know they had one on Swindon A Shop!

View attachment 243628

Cheers, I'm kinda warm & fuzzy about it too .

Oh that's nice, an OMI 9043MAC before CP and NS rebuilt them (some) to the ACu class.

There's two types of 90MAC (pure 6000hp block), those like yours with the 70M cab and those with the ACe cab and then there's a bigger production run of the 9043MAC (supplied with 4300hp block as the 6000 was unreliable) all with 70M cabs.

The ACu class rebuilds the engines and adds the ACe cab (or more accurately the later AH cab) as well as filling in that area under the raised walkway with the new inverter packs.

I'd hate to hack up a perfectly good OMI 9043 so the only real route is a scratch build (whince).

I've yet to unravel which units CP are rebuilding, their own or UP purchases.

Specifically I'm after the 6644, the D Day invasion tribute engine (not yet released in HO), but I'll take a 'Golden Beaver' as a good second.