A track plan for the upper level

I was asked if I have a plan for the upper level I could post.
I did find a plan, but are not sure if the upper level will look like this if I ever builds an upper level.
Click on the image for a larger plan.

More photos from the op-session

Nicholas is the engineer of the arriving freight.












The engineer and conductor plans the switching moves.













Do the crews of the freight and switcher disagree?














Hey, no comments from the non-operators!

The first operation session

Some weeks ago, when my friends in US-rails met at our house, – we had a short operation session. The layout is far from finished. There are just some functioning tracks in the yard, and the wiring is temporary, but still we could run a simple schedule and do some switching.
Here are some photos from the op-session:
















Tormod and Thomas plans their next move putting together the passenger train.














Looks like Jon Tore, with the Digitrax Zephyr throttle, enjoys being the engineer for the yard switching job.














Before the session started, some of the guys had to test and show their newest engines. I don't own a steam loco myself, but we did hear engines with sound from QSI, Soundtraxx, even their new Tsunami - It sounds terrific! - and a diesel with Digitrax sound.
We also got a demonstration of the LocoBuffer and DecoderPro.

Package from the USA

I won some auctions on an e-bay store some months ago. I do think they had a lot of fun when preparing to send me the package. I just can’t throw this box away.

Some thoughts on DCC and electrical

During the winter we have put down some track in our yard. The wiring is temporary as we wanted to run trains as soon as possible, But now it is time to do the more permanent wiring.
I have tested the shortproofing systembulbs similar to the 1156-bulbs Joe Fugate and others use and find that it works.
You can see a demonstration of his technique here:

We have bought our bulbs at BILTEMA – 12V/25W – part number 35-15325
We run our trains with Digitrax DCC.

Here is a schematic plan of the Phoenix Union Station - Mobest Yard - Glendale industrial District area - if you click on the plan, you can view it a larger verson:


I have postet a question on Joe Fugates forum on how many blocks and bulbs I need.

Sound

Some weeks ago I did my first sound-decoder installation by fitting a Soundtraxx DSD-100LC generic diesel sound decoder in a Life Like Proto 1000 F3B unit.

To make this first installation simpler, I bought an enclosure for the 25mm speaker. There was not enough room over the speaker to use the extension tube.

I made solder pads from bits of PC-card, and even soldered connectors as I want to have jumper wires between the units inn the ABB. This way more wheels will pick up power from the tracks.

Eivind is the proad owner of this set. The chassis comes from LifeLike, but the bodies is Intermountain F7 in Santa Fe’s warbonnet paint scheeme. They looks nice.

Now there is more locos demanding sound. But first we have to lay down more tracks so they have a place to run. As you’ll se in this picture, the B-unit was put in service immediately.

A plan for the lower level

This is the current track-plan for the lower level. (Click on the plan for a bigger image)
Since the middle of the room is needed for the sofa, I can’t build a peninsula yet.
I do not want long hidden tracks, so I have designed a one and a quarter helix/spiral so I can watch the action as the trains climb the 3 % grade to the upper level.
The grade starts in the curve just after the Wickenburg depot.

This view from 3rdPlanIt shows how this could look like.



I do have other options like a short peninsula, but for now, this is it.As mentioned, the benchwork from Phonix through Glendale is built, and I am working (slowly) with tracklaying here.

Dreaming and planning

I must admit that I am an expert dreamer. I am better on dreaming up a layout than actually building one. Of course I have dreams for this new layout too:

A longest possible mainline – point to point but include some continues running.
Long trains
Helper operation
Switching
Operation is the main goal – but this time I also want some basic scenery.

To achive this I plan for a double decked layout.
Starting south (timetable west) with Phoenix Union station, Mobest yard and Glendale combined to one yard and switcing area along two walls.
The section for this area is built, and I have laid some tracks here.

Next comes the crossing of the Hassayampa river and a combined Wickenburg and Scull Valley siding.
From there the main line has to climb a 3 % grade up to the upper level.
I hope one day to have a peninsula running down the middel of the room, like on this plan (which is not the current plan): (Click on the picture for larger images.)
But for now there probably will be a helix or spiral tunnel between the levels. Look for the current track plan in an upcoming post.
This is how the peninsula could look like:

The trains will then enter Prescott before running into the Ash Fork staging yard, representing points north (east by timetable).
I hope one day that I also could have a short branchline representing one of the mining districts outside or maybe Clarkdale.

Here are some more pictures of my dream layout

The picture above shows the Phoenix, Mobest and part of the Glendale with Ash Fork above.
The next picture shows more of Glendale, the Hassayampa river crossing with Prescott above.
The distance between the decks are 35 cm (13 ¾ '').


As you see, I love planning too. This has always been a hobby within the hobby for me.
Sheets of papers with trackplans fill my drawers and shelfs. Last time we moved, I disposed of a sack or two…..
The last years I have used 3rdPlanIt (http://www.trackplanning.com). The pictures and plans above are drawn with help of this excellent software.

All this might not be realistic, but I have started with the Phonix, Mobest and Glendale sections – the yard and industrial district. Then I will work on from there.
May be I one day fullfill my dream.

Benchwork sections

As mentioned in an earlier posting, we have built six sections for the yard. These sections are all 4' long, but the width varies between 45 centimeter (17 ¾ '') and 55 cm (21 ½'').
They are build of 18 mm ( ¾ '') plywood sides with 12 mm ( ½'') tops.
It might have been better building all to the same with of 50 cm.

One of the reasons for building the layout in sections, is being able to take the layout with me if we move. But it was also handy when we took them out in our garage for painting and gluing the roadbed; sheets of an asphaltimpregnated soft woodfiberproduct called “Asfalt Vindtett”. This is used to windproof housewalls, and we had some around.



26 feet (810 cm) of yardsections don’t have to take much volume. My youngest son Erlend helped me paint the sections. I chose to paint them a light sand color, and later the roadbed, to seal the dust from the wood.

The layout-room

The layout-room has to share tripple duties. It does not only house the layout, but is also a storage-room, and for the next few years it also has to be a TV-room for our sons.
The middle of the room is now occupied by a large L-shaped coach and a table which makes it impossible (just for now I hope) to build a central peninsula.

We have painted the ceiling (wood panels) and the lower part of the walls white. The upper part of the wall is painted a pale blue sky color. The concrete floor is painted.
We have build shelfes around the room, which support the layout sections.
I recommend doing this before moving stuffs in the room, as we have learned the really hard way how it works when all the stuff and mess are in the way and being able to do only half of the room (at its best) before we had to move things again.

Dimensions
The room is just 2,02 meters high (less than 80 inches). It is four dominos long (16 feet); 4,88 meter, and 2 2/3 dominos wide (3'8''); 3,25 meter.
There is some possibilites to one day build return loops or even a small branchlineterminal in a small room/hallway outside.

Norwegian ModelRailroaders

I have just added a link to Heine Pedersen's vast collection of norwegian MR sites. Heine, a great Z-scale modeller, has an interessting website and a lot of links to other norwegian modellers and organisations and even hobbystores.

US-rails

We are members of a very informal round-robin club we call the US-rails. This is a group of eleven men sharing an interest in US-prototype an model railroads. Most of us models in HO-scale, two build layouts in N and some even dabbles in more than on scale. I think almost every scale from Z to G and even larger are represented. Some of the members have operational layouts while other of us are building layouts.

In February 2005 the gang came over and helped me build the first six sections of the layout. I had done some preperation making “section-kits”, but with the help the sections came up fast.

Our oldest member, Thomas Langballe, who has served as the chairman of the Model Railway Assosiation in Norway, and also as the editor of their magazine, had brought with him his newest BLI sound-equipped B&O switcher which he wanted to test that day.

While I was busy hooking up my Digitrax Big Boy (the man to the right in the photo – Thomas to the left), the others found some flextrack and laid a long testtrack.

And as you see, he was quite pleased with what he heared and saw.

The pictures are by one of the other US-railsmembers.

Welcome to our new blog!

In this blog we will try to keep you informed about the new model railroad I am building together with my oldest son, Eivind: The Peavine and Santa Fe.

Although our model railroad has a prototype in the real world, it will not be a prototype model railroad. It is "protofreelanced" at is best, or as I prefer to say, it is "inspired by" the "Peavine", the nickname the old Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix got.

We started construction of the benchwork last year, and I even laid the first turnout and track on my fifty years birthday last autumn.

That's all for now.