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Spline Roadbed out of the yard leading into Aspen and Altamont, # 2 and #3, respectively. On the prototype thse are each over 1 mile long, 5,941 and 6,706 feet, respectively. Here they are abut 14 and 18 feet long. I created a linear equation to scale the 10 tunnels, so that they are not linearly proportional, but there is reason (at least to a mathematician) as to how long the models are. Starting with the shortest ones (#10) they get progressively longer and the longer they get the more the progression increases.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:31 AM•Views: 767
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Keith Browwnfield Jan 3, 2015 01:05 PM
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Beautiful concept but so very, very big that it will take a large number of people to operate, I hope you have a sufficient number to do that. The beginning scenery looks great and will enhance the layout by a lot. Keep up the good work. |
81 Progress 102913 31
This is the fascia fronting the Aspen and Altamont tunnels on the end cap. The "hidden" track appearing from under the other tracks through the tunnels (not visible here) comes from the distant side of the bench through its rear in a "mouse hole" which is just visible with the tracks also just visible snaking through it and toward the slot in the foreground fascia. (con't on next pic)...
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:31 AM•Views: 746
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82 Progress 102913 32
(con't from last picture)....Here is the hidden track angling down on a 2+% slope into a clearly hidden (nice description, huh?) track. This is the Oregon Short Line (OSL) branch to "Portland which will be staging under the main helix. The two tracks in the tunnel can be seen through the incomplete scenery. Access in case of a derailment in the tunnel is unfortunately an awkward reach through from the upper level aisle. We have yet to have an accident in this tunnel. the mouse hole that starts the OSL is through the curved blue backdrop but not quite visible here. the present position of the main helix it way down at the end of this bench, but as noted often before it will be moved when the last 3 benches are built.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:31 AM•Views: 704
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83 Progress 102913 33
There's the mouse hole for the OSL track through the bench. Look back at photo # 81 if you do nt follow this description. Another compass map is here to label the OSL, and the hidden track is visible in the former wire chase which still has some 10 ga bus wire in it. the blocks under the plywood are getting thinner as the track continues to fall in the down grade.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:32 AM•Views: 702
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84 Progress 102913 34
now the decrease in hidden track elevation is clear. It will continue under the lower level benchs to be built to end up in Portland which is staging under the Helix. The OSL junction with track 1 which is west bound, is at Granger, Wyoming and it is a desolate community way out in the nowhere. I imagine the few folks that live there like it, but that is the way it is. We are only doing a siding and 2 storage tracks there to simulate the small yard there. Our plan is to have a marshaling yard for coal from Kemmerer up the OSL, and thus more operational interest. Other than that, for us Portland is the source or destination of blocks of cars, most notably PFE trains, but also other freight in blocks of cars. Note all the storage under the hundreds of feet of bench.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:32 AM•Views: 693
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85 Progress 102913 35
the mouse hole of the OSL and its label and compass star with locations west and east of this point. Westvaco is trona (soda) mining, and Green River is a major yard and loco change place. Rock Springs will be mainly marshaling of coal cars from the Reliance mine. These three are on the new benches to be built soon, so for now Evanston is the loco change yard.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:32 AM•Views: 696
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86 Progress 102913 36
The end of the benches to date. Hanna will be on top with mines on the end cap where the helix now rests. Westvaco will be on the bottom. Both start their yards on the existing benches.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:33 AM•Views: 699
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87 Progress 102913 37
Hanna on top and Wesvaco on the bottom.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:34 AM•Views: 707
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88 Progress 102913 38
From the last picture if you step around the helix in its temporary location you step back up ontothe 17 inch high riser to the upper level. Here is Laramie in the center with the Medicine Box-Hanna bench attached to the helix to the left. The big panel is the turntable control panel and the small sticker is a compass star direction sign with "Laramie-Medicine Bow-Hanna" to the left (west) and "Dale Junction-Sherman-Granite-Cheyenne" to the right or east.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:34 AM•Views: 702
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89 Progress 102913 39
This is the Laramie aisle with a clipboard attached to the fascia with Velcro. There are 4 Block Card pockets here, and I would use them for Block Cards for the 4 available yard tracks to classify (sort) blocks to the 3 possible west and 2 possible east directions. Obviously, this makes Laramie a difficult yard to manage, but the Car Card and Block Card system of mine makes it possible for the Yardmaster there to send out his own train to clear out part of his yard if he has a loco and Locomotive Card and the agreement of the Dispatcher. Either one of his assistants or a road crew can run this extra train, depending on his and the Dispatcher's joint decision. Very flexible and very prototypical. I hope this car forwarding system of mine will eliminate clogged yards for whatever reasons that plague the sessions of other layouts I have operated on.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:36 AM•Views: 720
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90 Progress 102913 40
Across the aisle from Laramie is Medicine Bow which will have a combined station and freight room. Her is its stock yard, because Medicine Bow is at the heart of cattle ranching country. Next to it is the team track. That, and the historic Virginian hotel will be about all here. Ops, not scenery at least for the next couple of years.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:38 AM•Views: 679
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91 Progress 102913 41
This is the back of the Laramie roundhouse looking at the Laramie Tie Treating Plant. Coming from the east, right, is the map of most of this aisle showing both sides. This is the way it is drawn on the 3rdPlanIt program. On the next aisle on the far side of this bench I had to flip the the same drawing top to bottom and copy the lettering from this version to the flipped version pasting each set of words over the upside down ones. All that was done in Photoshop. Beside that to the left is a schematic of the 4 places where the trains have to change tracks to run right to left or back. This sign of over one of those places, the double crossovers that are the east yard limit of Laramie. The buildings of the Tie Treating Plant are left to right, the roofless for now 3 stall retort building, the narrow gauge engine house, the narrow gauge steam engine, fire house with office above, and to the very right just showing the incinerator and the sawmill. Stacks of untreated and treated ties are in two places.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:40 AM•Views: 671
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92 Progress 102913 42
Moving on east toward Cheyenne is the panel for the Dale crossovers and the Harriman Cutoff, Track 3 climbing up to them. Tracks 1 and 2 hug the wall, and Dale is a little lower track elevation that the summit at Sherman at the red oxide beam. There are 3 loaded coal cars on the Harriman, Wyoming coal track for the soon to be built (i'll bet!) coal tower there to coal the locomotives up the much longer route through Harriman to Laramie through Dale than Cheyenne to Dale to Laramie. There were 19 extra miles on Track 3 to Dale (and therefore to Laramie) compared to Track 1 which was the biggest part of the more gentle grade on that route (in addition to the 50 foot less climb. The map on the right hand fascia is of the 17 foot long Harriman siding and the coal track. Car card pockets are provided for the coal track The coal track is on plywood, but the Harriman Cutoff and the mains are on spline roadbed with cork on top of the splines. The grades are set by blocks of wood on the level benches.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:41 AM•Views: 665
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93 Progress 102913 43
This is the open area with red paint outlines of the benches to be built and of the final resting place of the main helix which is seen in its temporary location at the end of the bench on the left. Staging on the bottom level and the east end of Cheyenne yard are on the top right hand bench and Cheyenne on the top and Ogden is on the bottom of the far bench running across the room.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:53 AM•Views: 679
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94 Progress 102913 44
This is the same open space for new benches from the Cheyenne end of the room looking toward the main double doors, the kitchenette and the two rest rooms.
Capture Date: Oct 29, 2013 09:53 AM•Views: 683
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