With a new job and other commitments, progress on the CR&E has been rather slow up until recently. During the past couple of weeks, partly due to some vacation time and partly due to the pressure of getting something done before people came to see it again, I have managed to get a little done.
Just prior to NC Rail Run in September, I did a little scenery around John's Creek, approximately a 16 foot long section of railroad between there and the east end of Paint Bank, VA. About half of that got some puffball trees, and the entire section was ballasted. That's where things ended until early December, when I got started again.
I have done some very basic preparations in Paint Bank itself, such as inserting a tree line behind down using some blueboard "tree panels" left over from Version One of the CR&E. Just adding a tree line behind part of this area has added a lot.
West of Paint Bank, I carried scenic base downhill to Forester, VA, another 12 feet or so. Plaster cloth was draped over cardboard strips and then painted dark green to kill the snow-white look of the cloth. I also did some preliminary backdrop painting in this area to help out the scene a bit. I'm pleased with what has been started, but it is nowhere near finished.
Over the holidays, I'll have some additional free time that I intend to put toward the layout. It remains to be seen what I will do, but the beginning of the signal project is a possibility. CR&E management acquired the signal hardware needed for the railroad's CTC project in recent months.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
NC RailRun 2011
The CR&E was one of the participating railroads in NC RailRun 2011, sponsored by the Carolina Southern Division and the Operations Special Interest Group. Attendees were able to operate on 10 railroads located in the North Carolina piedmont and foothills regions.
On Sunday morning, September 4, 10 NC RailRun attendees and five of my regular crew members brought the CR&E to life. I'm happy to report that even with nine people here who had never been here before, the session went rather well. I'm hopeful that the amount of information I sent out prior to the session was helpful in keeping things under control, but I am absolutely certain that the involvement of the five regular crew members made it much easier for everyone.
Special thanks go to Todd Arnett, Tim Heckman, Larry Keller, Jeff Lindstrom, and David Ward for assisting the guests and for helping me answer questions during the session. Todd served as our Trainmaster, assigning crews using the lineup for the day's session. Tim Heckman, Larry Keller, and Jeff Lindstrom all roamed during the session to answer questions, solve problems, and take a few assignments when the Trainmaster needed crews. David Ward dispatched the first two hours of the session while Tim Heckman assisted our guest dispatcher during the last two hours.
Steve Benezra, Donovan Lewis, Kenny Mann, Chuck Place, Bill Raymond, Calvin Reynolds, Steve Roberts, Tony Sissons, Andrew Stitt, and Carl Wessell were the NC RailRun participants during Sunday's session.
We started the session where there previous regular CR&E session had left off. Normally our regular sessions are six hours long, but I ran only a four hour session last time to ensure that we would have enough trains to run by the visiting RailRun crew. As it turned out, we only ran 14 of the 20 trains planned in that previous session, so we had 26 trains available to operate during RailRun. Only 17 of those trains got started during RailRun, 16 of which were completed. I'm never worried about not running everything, but I do worry about not having enough to run. Thankfully we did not run out of trains during RailRun.
Regular operator David Ward served as our first shift East End Dispatcher. Bill Raymond was our second shift East End Dispatcher, working with regular operator Tim Heckman after sitting in with David for a little bit of the first shift. Steve Benezra worked as the Lewisburg Yardmaster, with Cal Reynolds spending some time as the yard crew and Chuck Place acting as the yard crew for the rest of the session. Carl Wessell was the K&N District Dispatcher/KN Tower operator, responsible for all traffic on the K&N District branches. Everyone else worked as a road crew during the session.
I only had a little time to take some pictures during the session, but here is what I was able to capture.
Steve Roberts wins the award for coming the greatest distance for NC RailRun 2011. Traveling all the way from the United Kingdom, Steve said that the CR&E session was his first ever US operating session. Here he is running NS 456 departing Catawba, VA, after meeting westbound train 457.
Donovan Lewis came from Florida to attend NC RailRun 2011. He is seen here with NS train 457 pulling out of the siding at Catawba, VA, after meeting eastbound 456.
Steve Benezra, editor of the OpSig's Dispatcher's Office publication, served as Lewisburg Yardmaster for the entire session. He is handling classification work at the east end of the yard as priority time freight 132 (with Soo line run-through power) rolls by on Main One.
Carl Wessell, who currently resides in Charlotte, took on the duties of the K&N District dispatcher and operator at KN Tower in Meadow Bluff, WV. Carl's job was the least defined during RailRun, as the procedures for handling the K&N traffic are still being developed. It looks like CSX's Rainelle, WV, based H804 shifter crew has just arrived at Meadow Bluff with a train from Raders Run on the Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier.
Kenny Mann of Conover, NC, has southbound K&N District C75 coming across the CSXT/NF&G diamond at Raders Jct, WV, with raw coal for processing at the Sam Creek Prep Plant on the K&N, as well as empties for the Ajax #1 loader at Meadow Bluff. The track crossing the K&N at grade is the NF&G's Raders Run Industrial Track, where CSX H804's pair of GP30's have just spotted the empties that arrived at Meadow Bluff earlier in the day.
Thanks to everyone for your participation in NC RailRun 2011 !
On Sunday morning, September 4, 10 NC RailRun attendees and five of my regular crew members brought the CR&E to life. I'm happy to report that even with nine people here who had never been here before, the session went rather well. I'm hopeful that the amount of information I sent out prior to the session was helpful in keeping things under control, but I am absolutely certain that the involvement of the five regular crew members made it much easier for everyone.
Special thanks go to Todd Arnett, Tim Heckman, Larry Keller, Jeff Lindstrom, and David Ward for assisting the guests and for helping me answer questions during the session. Todd served as our Trainmaster, assigning crews using the lineup for the day's session. Tim Heckman, Larry Keller, and Jeff Lindstrom all roamed during the session to answer questions, solve problems, and take a few assignments when the Trainmaster needed crews. David Ward dispatched the first two hours of the session while Tim Heckman assisted our guest dispatcher during the last two hours.
Steve Benezra, Donovan Lewis, Kenny Mann, Chuck Place, Bill Raymond, Calvin Reynolds, Steve Roberts, Tony Sissons, Andrew Stitt, and Carl Wessell were the NC RailRun participants during Sunday's session.
We started the session where there previous regular CR&E session had left off. Normally our regular sessions are six hours long, but I ran only a four hour session last time to ensure that we would have enough trains to run by the visiting RailRun crew. As it turned out, we only ran 14 of the 20 trains planned in that previous session, so we had 26 trains available to operate during RailRun. Only 17 of those trains got started during RailRun, 16 of which were completed. I'm never worried about not running everything, but I do worry about not having enough to run. Thankfully we did not run out of trains during RailRun.
Regular operator David Ward served as our first shift East End Dispatcher. Bill Raymond was our second shift East End Dispatcher, working with regular operator Tim Heckman after sitting in with David for a little bit of the first shift. Steve Benezra worked as the Lewisburg Yardmaster, with Cal Reynolds spending some time as the yard crew and Chuck Place acting as the yard crew for the rest of the session. Carl Wessell was the K&N District Dispatcher/KN Tower operator, responsible for all traffic on the K&N District branches. Everyone else worked as a road crew during the session.
I only had a little time to take some pictures during the session, but here is what I was able to capture.
Thanks to everyone for your participation in NC RailRun 2011 !
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Stuff happens ... deal with it!
Operating sessions are the times when we are rewarded by seeing our carefully constructed, well-thought out model railroads come to life in a thrilling display of realism.
Sometimes though, things don't go exactly as planned.
Take for example my latest operating session which, taking everything into consideration, was actually a very good session. The crew members had a good time, I had a good time, and we did move a decent amount of traffic. The railroad ran quite well from a mechanical standpoint. We accomplished the goal that we all have by bringing this N Scale world to life.
We weren't, however, rewarded with a perfect session. Yep, stuff happened.
First up was some failed communication between the dispatcher and the trainmaster/superintendent (ok, that would be me) when a heavy loaded coal train's engineer made a valiant effort to walk his black diamonds up the mountain east of Glace, WV, without the pusher crew that was standing by at Glace ready to push him. For some reason, the information didn't get to the dispatcher that the train needed a pusher, and neither the head end crew nor the pusher crew said a word about it. "A" for effort though, because the engineer darn near made it up the grade until he stalled between Anderson and Ridge on the steepest part of the grade. After some discussion between all involved, the pusher crew eased up behind the stalled coal train and pushed it all the way to Catawba, VA, as would have been originally required.
The result was significant delay to a westbound merchandise train that was in the siding between Ridge and Coleman waiting on what would have been a routine meet. The ripple effect continued when another coal train suffered excessive delay in the siding between Glace and Cove Mountain waiting for the pusher to come all the way back from Catawba, VA.
That second coal train became a thorn in the dispatcher's side when he had a relatively important eastbound time freight calling that they were ready to depart Lewisburg, WV, after doing their work. The dispatcher's plan was a good one, get the coal train started up the hill into the siding between Ridge and Cove Mountain, where the lighter and higher priority time freight could pass it.
Except....
That coal train, operating with a two-unit pusher and caboose and therefore being just a little bit longer than expected, was about a half of a caboose length longer than the siding between Ridge and Cove Mountain. It wasn't looking good for time freight 136, as they'd have to follow this slow-moving coal train all the way up to the top of the hill at Paint Bank, VA.
No worries though, because 136's engineer eventually called from Coleman saying that their lead unit, a Conrail SD60M, wasn't loading and they had stalled on the hill. The eventual solution to that problem was to have the pusher cut off the coal train upon arrival at Paint Bank and drift back down the hill to tie onto the ailing 136. With that accomplished, 136 finally got to Paint Bank just in time for the first shift dispatcher to take his last Tylenol and turn it over to another victim.
Things went pretty well for awhile from there, oh, except for the yard at Roanoke being full and unable to take 136. After discussions between the trainmaster and second shift dispatcher, it was agreed to tie that ill-fated 136 down between Red Sulphur and Catawba where a yard crew would take it over when there was a track available.
You might think that all of these complications would have led to a "bad time" at an operating session. However, everyone seemed to be enjoying the added operational interest. In fact, it was the idea of several of the crew members to actually handle their problems in a prototypical manner instead of using the giant hand from the sky to push their trains up the mountain or make other unrealistic moves.
We have to look no further than the railroads we are trying to replicate to find examples of days when whatever can go wrong will go wrong. It's all in the business of railroading. Sure, if things like this happened every single operating session, it would get old. But I was happy with the reaction of the crews when they decided to do it the "right way" and err on the side of realism.
Marcus
Sometimes though, things don't go exactly as planned.
Take for example my latest operating session which, taking everything into consideration, was actually a very good session. The crew members had a good time, I had a good time, and we did move a decent amount of traffic. The railroad ran quite well from a mechanical standpoint. We accomplished the goal that we all have by bringing this N Scale world to life.
We weren't, however, rewarded with a perfect session. Yep, stuff happened.
First up was some failed communication between the dispatcher and the trainmaster/superintendent (ok, that would be me) when a heavy loaded coal train's engineer made a valiant effort to walk his black diamonds up the mountain east of Glace, WV, without the pusher crew that was standing by at Glace ready to push him. For some reason, the information didn't get to the dispatcher that the train needed a pusher, and neither the head end crew nor the pusher crew said a word about it. "A" for effort though, because the engineer darn near made it up the grade until he stalled between Anderson and Ridge on the steepest part of the grade. After some discussion between all involved, the pusher crew eased up behind the stalled coal train and pushed it all the way to Catawba, VA, as would have been originally required.
The result was significant delay to a westbound merchandise train that was in the siding between Ridge and Coleman waiting on what would have been a routine meet. The ripple effect continued when another coal train suffered excessive delay in the siding between Glace and Cove Mountain waiting for the pusher to come all the way back from Catawba, VA.
That second coal train became a thorn in the dispatcher's side when he had a relatively important eastbound time freight calling that they were ready to depart Lewisburg, WV, after doing their work. The dispatcher's plan was a good one, get the coal train started up the hill into the siding between Ridge and Cove Mountain, where the lighter and higher priority time freight could pass it.
Except....
That coal train, operating with a two-unit pusher and caboose and therefore being just a little bit longer than expected, was about a half of a caboose length longer than the siding between Ridge and Cove Mountain. It wasn't looking good for time freight 136, as they'd have to follow this slow-moving coal train all the way up to the top of the hill at Paint Bank, VA.
No worries though, because 136's engineer eventually called from Coleman saying that their lead unit, a Conrail SD60M, wasn't loading and they had stalled on the hill. The eventual solution to that problem was to have the pusher cut off the coal train upon arrival at Paint Bank and drift back down the hill to tie onto the ailing 136. With that accomplished, 136 finally got to Paint Bank just in time for the first shift dispatcher to take his last Tylenol and turn it over to another victim.
Things went pretty well for awhile from there, oh, except for the yard at Roanoke being full and unable to take 136. After discussions between the trainmaster and second shift dispatcher, it was agreed to tie that ill-fated 136 down between Red Sulphur and Catawba where a yard crew would take it over when there was a track available.
You might think that all of these complications would have led to a "bad time" at an operating session. However, everyone seemed to be enjoying the added operational interest. In fact, it was the idea of several of the crew members to actually handle their problems in a prototypical manner instead of using the giant hand from the sky to push their trains up the mountain or make other unrealistic moves.
We have to look no further than the railroads we are trying to replicate to find examples of days when whatever can go wrong will go wrong. It's all in the business of railroading. Sure, if things like this happened every single operating session, it would get old. But I was happy with the reaction of the crews when they decided to do it the "right way" and err on the side of realism.
Marcus
Monday, July 18, 2011
Scenery!
I was determined to have at least one small scene looking presentable for NC RailRun 2011 coming Labor Day Weekend, and I'm happy to say that as of 11PM tonight I have met my goal.
It isn't much, but the basic scenery and vegetation around John's Creek Tunnel #2 is in place. Tonight I took a test shot of an eastbound caboose hop entering the tunnel.
There's still plenty to do to make this scene better, but I'm pretty pleased with the preliminary results. It felt good to be "planting" trees again.
It isn't much, but the basic scenery and vegetation around John's Creek Tunnel #2 is in place. Tonight I took a test shot of an eastbound caboose hop entering the tunnel.
There's still plenty to do to make this scene better, but I'm pretty pleased with the preliminary results. It felt good to be "planting" trees again.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Great experiences in model railroading
We've all had some memorable experiences in our model railroading careers, moments we've looked back on and will cherish forever.
I have, like many, had a number of these experiences. Meeting and building an operating crew, pulling off a first operating session, building a scene that I can enjoy watching trains pass through, attending an event with friends, and many other large and small moments can be memorable and influential to our hobby.
One of the most memorable for me happened in the mid-1990's when I finally got to visit the legendary Virginian & Ohio of W. Allen McClelland. The V&O had been at the top of my list of influential model railroads since I first glanced upon it in a video that I saw at a train show in the mid-1980's. At the age of 14, I received a copy of the "V&O Story," a book that I eventually wore the pages out of as I leafed through it and read it so many times to pick up ideas.
When Allen and his wife Sharon developed the V&O Historical Society in the mid-90s, I joined immediately. Members received newsletters and "inside information" on the V&O, but most important to me would be the promise of being able to see the V&O first-hand at an open house.
I drove to West Carollton, OH, from North Carolina for the first V&O Historical Society open house. For the first and only time, I descended the stairs and entered the basement that housed the V&O's Afton Division. I was at once completely consumed with the V&O and all of its greatness. During the tour, I happened to be standing next to Allen when he turned to me and asked, "Do you want to run a train?" Absolutely I did, and I took the throttle and ran a train pulled by two V&O RS11's from Jimtown to Afton. To this day, memories of that run are at the top of the "short list" of greatest experiences I've had in the hobby.
The Afton Division was eventually dismanted after a long and rich history, and Allen and his wife moved to a new house where he built the Gauley Division. That railroad's life was cut short, as it was dismantled when another move was necessary.
Just this past month, in June 2011, I was back in West Carollton, this time for business, as I began training for a new job. The company I will be working for is headquarted just 1.7 miles from the site of the V&O Afton Division. For old time's sake, I drove by the location of the original V&O on Walnut Street, remembering the time I visited and how anassuming the little house that held the legend of the V&O really was. I found myself wondering what the current owners had done with the basement, but I was sure that whatever it was is a total waste of such a great space.
I had the great fortune during my visit to attend a meeting of Division 3 of the NMRA. The Miami Valley Division is Allen McClelland's "home" division and it happened that he was giving a clinic that day on some simple tricks he learned in 60 years of model railroading.
Upon my arrival at the meeting with my father, I was immediately ushered across the room by a division member to meet Allen. I shook his hand and had a conversation with him that lasted a few minutes until the business meeting began. I was reminded again what a kind and generous person Allen is and how much he has contributed to the hobby.
The clinic Allen presented was both very helpful and extremely simple, sharing with the crowd some of the simple tricks he has used over the years to make the V&O better. From intense studying of black drinking straws and stir sticks available from hotels and restaurants across the country to painting and weathering trucks on rolling stock, the information presented by Allen was both entertaining and helpful. He shared some slides of the V&O, images that I had never seen before, and that was the program even more memorable and interesting to me.
I'd like to thank the members of the Miami Valley Division for allowing me to attend their meeting during my visit to the Dayton area. It was another one of those great model railroading moments I will not forget.
I have, like many, had a number of these experiences. Meeting and building an operating crew, pulling off a first operating session, building a scene that I can enjoy watching trains pass through, attending an event with friends, and many other large and small moments can be memorable and influential to our hobby.
One of the most memorable for me happened in the mid-1990's when I finally got to visit the legendary Virginian & Ohio of W. Allen McClelland. The V&O had been at the top of my list of influential model railroads since I first glanced upon it in a video that I saw at a train show in the mid-1980's. At the age of 14, I received a copy of the "V&O Story," a book that I eventually wore the pages out of as I leafed through it and read it so many times to pick up ideas.
When Allen and his wife Sharon developed the V&O Historical Society in the mid-90s, I joined immediately. Members received newsletters and "inside information" on the V&O, but most important to me would be the promise of being able to see the V&O first-hand at an open house.
I drove to West Carollton, OH, from North Carolina for the first V&O Historical Society open house. For the first and only time, I descended the stairs and entered the basement that housed the V&O's Afton Division. I was at once completely consumed with the V&O and all of its greatness. During the tour, I happened to be standing next to Allen when he turned to me and asked, "Do you want to run a train?" Absolutely I did, and I took the throttle and ran a train pulled by two V&O RS11's from Jimtown to Afton. To this day, memories of that run are at the top of the "short list" of greatest experiences I've had in the hobby.
The Afton Division was eventually dismanted after a long and rich history, and Allen and his wife moved to a new house where he built the Gauley Division. That railroad's life was cut short, as it was dismantled when another move was necessary.
Just this past month, in June 2011, I was back in West Carollton, this time for business, as I began training for a new job. The company I will be working for is headquarted just 1.7 miles from the site of the V&O Afton Division. For old time's sake, I drove by the location of the original V&O on Walnut Street, remembering the time I visited and how anassuming the little house that held the legend of the V&O really was. I found myself wondering what the current owners had done with the basement, but I was sure that whatever it was is a total waste of such a great space.
I had the great fortune during my visit to attend a meeting of Division 3 of the NMRA. The Miami Valley Division is Allen McClelland's "home" division and it happened that he was giving a clinic that day on some simple tricks he learned in 60 years of model railroading.
Upon my arrival at the meeting with my father, I was immediately ushered across the room by a division member to meet Allen. I shook his hand and had a conversation with him that lasted a few minutes until the business meeting began. I was reminded again what a kind and generous person Allen is and how much he has contributed to the hobby.
The clinic Allen presented was both very helpful and extremely simple, sharing with the crowd some of the simple tricks he has used over the years to make the V&O better. From intense studying of black drinking straws and stir sticks available from hotels and restaurants across the country to painting and weathering trucks on rolling stock, the information presented by Allen was both entertaining and helpful. He shared some slides of the V&O, images that I had never seen before, and that was the program even more memorable and interesting to me.
I'd like to thank the members of the Miami Valley Division for allowing me to attend their meeting during my visit to the Dayton area. It was another one of those great model railroading moments I will not forget.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
First ballast and first tunnel portal installed
The first bit of ballast has been glued down on the CR&E at John's Creek, VA. I'm mostly happy with the way the ballast profile turned out, but the color is a little darker than I expected. Future mixes of ballast will use some of Highball's natural limestone color to give the mainline a cleaner appearance.
I glue the ballast down by first soaking the ballast in alcohol, applied liberally with an ear wax removal dropper. Then I come back with a 50/50 mix of white glue and water, applied liberally again out of the glue bottle. I always soak between the rails first, allowing the alcohol and glue to soak into the ballast ledge, then carefully wet the outside of the rails along the tie line, then the base of the ballast where it meets the subroadbed, and finally in the middle of the ballast piles as necessary. I use quite a bit of glue/water mix so it will be good and solid when dry.
The first tunnel portal has been fixed in place. The west portal of John's Creek Tunnel has been plastered in, complete with ballast through the tunnel and a tunnel liner made of blueboard that I painted black. I'm pretty happy with the darkness of the inside of the tunnel and now I'm looking forward to seeing trains run through it.
In the top image, a westbound is emerging from John's Creek Tunnel. The signal at Johns Creek will be just in front of the lead CR&E locomotive. This angle is taken from the creek level.
In the bottom image, an eastbound clearance test train crosses John's Creek viaduct. Although I don't plan on running stacks on the CR&E, I have set my tunnel clearances to allow them in case I change my mind.
I glue the ballast down by first soaking the ballast in alcohol, applied liberally with an ear wax removal dropper. Then I come back with a 50/50 mix of white glue and water, applied liberally again out of the glue bottle. I always soak between the rails first, allowing the alcohol and glue to soak into the ballast ledge, then carefully wet the outside of the rails along the tie line, then the base of the ballast where it meets the subroadbed, and finally in the middle of the ballast piles as necessary. I use quite a bit of glue/water mix so it will be good and solid when dry.
The first tunnel portal has been fixed in place. The west portal of John's Creek Tunnel has been plastered in, complete with ballast through the tunnel and a tunnel liner made of blueboard that I painted black. I'm pretty happy with the darkness of the inside of the tunnel and now I'm looking forward to seeing trains run through it.
In the top image, a westbound is emerging from John's Creek Tunnel. The signal at Johns Creek will be just in front of the lead CR&E locomotive. This angle is taken from the creek level.
In the bottom image, an eastbound clearance test train crosses John's Creek viaduct. Although I don't plan on running stacks on the CR&E, I have set my tunnel clearances to allow them in case I change my mind.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
First scenery started!
I have finally started to do a little scenery on CR&E V2.
My primary concentration up until now has been to finish building the CR&E in phases, and I can thankfully say that 99% of the necessary construction is complete. I can finally turn my attention to other projects, like signaling (likely beginning in 2012) and scenery!
I'm being selective about the scenery I start, because I do not want to bury the wiring for stationary decoder and signal installation. The areas around controlled turnouts will not be started yet because I'd like to be able to have the open space for the wiring projects that will be required to get the signal system up and running.
John's Creek, which is nothing but a named point about midway between Paint Bank and New Castle, VA, was selected as the first scene to work on. There will be a set of intermediate signals there, but I didn't figure wiring for those would be that difficult. It is a narrow upper level scene that will feature two tunnels and a high bridge over John's Creek. I liked the way the track flowed, and I thought the high bridge would be a great place to stage some photos after I get the scene set to my liking.
I love doing scenery, but it has been a little over three years since I've done any of it. I find scenery construction to be relaxing and somewhat addictive, as I can spend hours dreaming up and creating a scene. Being a little out of practice, I've been taking my time to be sure I remember how to do scenery right, and I always want to improve upon the quality of my work.
My first step for this scene was to cut the profile of the eight foot long masonite fascia panel that would be attached to the front of the layout. Once the profile was drawn out and cut, the fascia piece was attached to the 1X3 benchwork with screws. This would give me the profile for the foreground scenery. I installed the fascia without painting it, as I wanted to get the plaster work done first. I am considering painting the fascia black instead of green, as that look has been very appealing on several area layouts I operate on.
I used Google maps, including the street view, to get an idea of what the scenery in this area looks like. Though mountainous, the scenery along Virginia Route 311 (which parallels the CR&E's freelanced route here) didn't look too dramatic. Therefore, except for the tunnels, I decided to keep the scenery more of a rolling terrain rather than cliffs, rock cuts, and so forth. This is truly in the middle-of-nowhere, with trees lining the right of way. I actually found an interesting clip of a motorcyclist taking Highway 311 from Paint Bank to New Castle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeS3jQjkZt8
I weaved cardboard strips for the scenery base and applied plaster cloth on top of it. I covered everything I could, not including the immediate areas entering the tunnels. Since John's Creek Tunnel actually goes through a wall, I sealed off the hole in the wall using a foamcore tunnel liner that I then wrapped plastercloth around. I thought it came out pretty decent. I tried not to attach plaster to the wall or to the fascia. I'd like to have the fascia removable if necessary for maintenance.
I want tunnels to be dark inside, so I painted everything inside the tunnel black, including the liner through the wall and part of the wall itself. I also fabricated an extended tunnel liner out of extruded foam and painted it black. That has not been installed yet, but will be after ballasting is complete. I also painted the plywood subroadbed, cork roadbed, and track black inside the tunnel.
Outside of the tunnel, I extended the black paint on the rails through the visible scene. The black will be the initial thin coat of paint to begin to kill the shine on the side of the rails. I'll follow up with Roof Brown paint as a second coat, hopefully creating some realistic color variation on the ties and rails. I painted the track with Polyscale water-based paints.
After I got the track painted, I test fitted the Johns Creek trestle. I still have to finish attaching the trestle bents, but the bridge fits where it should. I also added ties to fill in gaps between flex track pieces, and I painted one tie yellow where the gap is for the future signals at Johns Creek.
Next I will ballast the track inside the tunnel only. Once the ballast is dry, I will install the tunnel liners and tunnel portals, check clearances, and then plaster the portals in place. It will then be time to paint the plaster green and start ballast, water, ground cover, and trees.
Below is a view of the scene as it is now at Johns Creek. I'm excited to be working on scenery again!
My primary concentration up until now has been to finish building the CR&E in phases, and I can thankfully say that 99% of the necessary construction is complete. I can finally turn my attention to other projects, like signaling (likely beginning in 2012) and scenery!
I'm being selective about the scenery I start, because I do not want to bury the wiring for stationary decoder and signal installation. The areas around controlled turnouts will not be started yet because I'd like to be able to have the open space for the wiring projects that will be required to get the signal system up and running.
John's Creek, which is nothing but a named point about midway between Paint Bank and New Castle, VA, was selected as the first scene to work on. There will be a set of intermediate signals there, but I didn't figure wiring for those would be that difficult. It is a narrow upper level scene that will feature two tunnels and a high bridge over John's Creek. I liked the way the track flowed, and I thought the high bridge would be a great place to stage some photos after I get the scene set to my liking.
I love doing scenery, but it has been a little over three years since I've done any of it. I find scenery construction to be relaxing and somewhat addictive, as I can spend hours dreaming up and creating a scene. Being a little out of practice, I've been taking my time to be sure I remember how to do scenery right, and I always want to improve upon the quality of my work.
My first step for this scene was to cut the profile of the eight foot long masonite fascia panel that would be attached to the front of the layout. Once the profile was drawn out and cut, the fascia piece was attached to the 1X3 benchwork with screws. This would give me the profile for the foreground scenery. I installed the fascia without painting it, as I wanted to get the plaster work done first. I am considering painting the fascia black instead of green, as that look has been very appealing on several area layouts I operate on.
I used Google maps, including the street view, to get an idea of what the scenery in this area looks like. Though mountainous, the scenery along Virginia Route 311 (which parallels the CR&E's freelanced route here) didn't look too dramatic. Therefore, except for the tunnels, I decided to keep the scenery more of a rolling terrain rather than cliffs, rock cuts, and so forth. This is truly in the middle-of-nowhere, with trees lining the right of way. I actually found an interesting clip of a motorcyclist taking Highway 311 from Paint Bank to New Castle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeS3jQjkZt8
I weaved cardboard strips for the scenery base and applied plaster cloth on top of it. I covered everything I could, not including the immediate areas entering the tunnels. Since John's Creek Tunnel actually goes through a wall, I sealed off the hole in the wall using a foamcore tunnel liner that I then wrapped plastercloth around. I thought it came out pretty decent. I tried not to attach plaster to the wall or to the fascia. I'd like to have the fascia removable if necessary for maintenance.
I want tunnels to be dark inside, so I painted everything inside the tunnel black, including the liner through the wall and part of the wall itself. I also fabricated an extended tunnel liner out of extruded foam and painted it black. That has not been installed yet, but will be after ballasting is complete. I also painted the plywood subroadbed, cork roadbed, and track black inside the tunnel.
Outside of the tunnel, I extended the black paint on the rails through the visible scene. The black will be the initial thin coat of paint to begin to kill the shine on the side of the rails. I'll follow up with Roof Brown paint as a second coat, hopefully creating some realistic color variation on the ties and rails. I painted the track with Polyscale water-based paints.
After I got the track painted, I test fitted the Johns Creek trestle. I still have to finish attaching the trestle bents, but the bridge fits where it should. I also added ties to fill in gaps between flex track pieces, and I painted one tie yellow where the gap is for the future signals at Johns Creek.
Next I will ballast the track inside the tunnel only. Once the ballast is dry, I will install the tunnel liners and tunnel portals, check clearances, and then plaster the portals in place. It will then be time to paint the plaster green and start ballast, water, ground cover, and trees.
Below is a view of the scene as it is now at Johns Creek. I'm excited to be working on scenery again!
Monday, May 23, 2011
May update
It has been two months since I posted a blog update. In that time I've been busy on the layout at times, and haven't touched it at other times. Some of the accomplishments since my last post:
1) Completed all of the planned trackage, except for the sawmill spurs at Kessler, WV. There is also the slight possibility I will extend the Sam Creek Branch into a stub-ended staging track, but I haven't decided for sure yet.
2) Held a successful operating session in April, running the mainline extension between New Castle and Roanoke for the first time in revenue service.
3) Adjusted some risers in the Loops between Glace and Ridge so that a standard 25-car merchandise train can make the grade with two SD's. Due to some original miscalculations, the grade in this section became quite steep in some areas, limiting me to 20 cars with two SD's. There will no longer be a need for eastbounds to reduce tonnage at Lewisburg. Coal trains will still need a push due to extra weighting of the cars, but that's the way I want it anyway.
4) Tonight, 5/23/11, I slung my first plaster on Version Two of the railroad, getting most of the plastercloth in place around the Johns Creek trestle and tunnels. A few other small patches of scenery are anticipated before NC RailRun 2011. I am choosing areas that will not interfere too much with the signaling project, which is anticipated to begin in 2012.
As mentioned previously, the CR&E will be on NC RailRun 2011. You can register and check out details at http://www.carolinasouthern.org and at http://ncrailrun2011.blogspot.com.
Marcus
1) Completed all of the planned trackage, except for the sawmill spurs at Kessler, WV. There is also the slight possibility I will extend the Sam Creek Branch into a stub-ended staging track, but I haven't decided for sure yet.
2) Held a successful operating session in April, running the mainline extension between New Castle and Roanoke for the first time in revenue service.
3) Adjusted some risers in the Loops between Glace and Ridge so that a standard 25-car merchandise train can make the grade with two SD's. Due to some original miscalculations, the grade in this section became quite steep in some areas, limiting me to 20 cars with two SD's. There will no longer be a need for eastbounds to reduce tonnage at Lewisburg. Coal trains will still need a push due to extra weighting of the cars, but that's the way I want it anyway.
4) Tonight, 5/23/11, I slung my first plaster on Version Two of the railroad, getting most of the plastercloth in place around the Johns Creek trestle and tunnels. A few other small patches of scenery are anticipated before NC RailRun 2011. I am choosing areas that will not interfere too much with the signaling project, which is anticipated to begin in 2012.
As mentioned previously, the CR&E will be on NC RailRun 2011. You can register and check out details at http://www.carolinasouthern.org and at http://ncrailrun2011.blogspot.com.
Marcus
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Golden Spike
On Monday evening, March 21, 2011, at 9:32PM, track laying crews from east and west met east of Catawba, VA, and drove the Golden Spike on the CR&E mainline.
I'm happy to report that all mainline trackage has been completed, finally! It took a little over two years, but we have also been operating for over a year on the existing mainline trackage. The final 50 or so feet between New Castle and Roanoke, the section that was just completed, will add four industrial switching sites and a connection with the NS Christiansburg District (former N&W mainline) just west of Roanoke.
Switching on the new section will include:
Shenandoah Rock Quarry at Abbott
House Track at Catawba
Southern States feed mill at Catawba
Catawba Creek Branch east of Catawba (for offspot of a couple loads of coal for the Catawba Hospital)
I have to complete the industrial spurs and wire everything up. Then, the final tracklaying project will be on the K&N, where I need to lay out the Georgia Pacific sawmill and to extend the K&N mainline a few feet north to the CSXT/B&O connection.
Marcus
I'm happy to report that all mainline trackage has been completed, finally! It took a little over two years, but we have also been operating for over a year on the existing mainline trackage. The final 50 or so feet between New Castle and Roanoke, the section that was just completed, will add four industrial switching sites and a connection with the NS Christiansburg District (former N&W mainline) just west of Roanoke.
Switching on the new section will include:
Shenandoah Rock Quarry at Abbott
House Track at Catawba
Southern States feed mill at Catawba
Catawba Creek Branch east of Catawba (for offspot of a couple loads of coal for the Catawba Hospital)
I have to complete the industrial spurs and wire everything up. Then, the final tracklaying project will be on the K&N, where I need to lay out the Georgia Pacific sawmill and to extend the K&N mainline a few feet north to the CSXT/B&O connection.
Marcus
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
CR&E to participate in NC RailRun 2011
The CR&E will be operational during NC RailRun 2011, based in the Salisbury, NC, area. Although the schedule is subject to change, we are currently slotted to operate on Sunday, September 4, 2011, from 9AM until 1PM.
For more information about this exciting "op til you drop" event, please visit the NC RailRun 2011 blog.
To register for the event, please go to the Carolina Southern Division website and sign up!
For more information about this exciting "op til you drop" event, please visit the NC RailRun 2011 blog.
To register for the event, please go to the Carolina Southern Division website and sign up!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Eastward to Roanoke!
We began operations on Version Two of the CR&E with a test operating session in December 2009. Since that session, we have had six operating sessions while I've continued to build the railroad to make it what I want it to be.
During the test session, the railroad between Lewisburg, WV, and the Charleston, WV, staging yard did not exist. We used Lewisburg as the west end staging yard for this break-in session. By February 2010, when I hosted the NC RailRun N Scale Edition, the mainline was installed west to Charleston, including the junction with the Kessler & Northern District branchline territory at Meadow Bluff, WV. The branch itself did not exist during that session, except for a small stub track.
Our April 2010 session became our first "official" operating session with a regular crew. The K&N District was still a short time away, but would become semi-operational by the June 2010 session when rails reached a point just north of Kessler, WV. By August 2010, the K&N had reached Sam Creek, WV, and by the December 2010 session the entire south end of the K&N was fully operational.
With the K&N mostly complete, except for a few feet of track that will be inside the mole staging area inside the peninsula, I turned my attention to other construction efforts. By the February 2011 session, benchwork was underway for the extension of the CR&E mainline east from New Castle, VA, through Abbott and Catawba, to Roanoke. I found myself very inspired after that session and immediately resumed work on that new portion of the CR&E mainline the day following the session.
Now, two short weeks after the February session, the CR&E mainline has officially been extended another 40 or so feet from east of New Castle, VA, to a point just west of Roanoke. As of about 8PM this evening, the mainline was realigned so that, instead of heading directly into the staging yard after leaving New Castle, it now makes a run in front of the staging yard and around the peninsula before entering the Roanoke staging yard on the opposite end of the original alignment.
The new locations of Abbott and Catawba, VA, are along this route. Abbott will be home of the Shenandoah Rock Quarry, just as it was on Version One of the railroad. Catawba will be the location of the Southern States feed mill, another carryover from Version One, as well as a team track and a stub-ended track representing the Catawba Creek Branch to the Catawba Hospital. Southern States will be a larger operation than it was on Version One, and it may actually receive a dedicated unit train that will be delivered by the New Castle Switcher. The Catawba Hospital, a state facility, will receive an occasional cut of coal for the power plant.
The extension project is nearly complete as of this writing. The Roanoke staging yard ladder was removed today and will be positioned on the opposite end of the yard. Five of the nine Roanoke staging tracks were extended to the wall after the old ladder was removed, with track on hand to finish the remaining four. Track has been torn up at the other end of the yard to make room for the new ladder, which should be installed this week.
After the Roanoke staging ladder is reinstalled, the modeled portion of the railroad will be extended east another five or six feet to a new connection with the N&W west of Roanoke. At "N&W Jct," the CR&E will enter the double-track N&W Christiansburg District for the remainder of the run into Roanoke. I plan to install N&W color position light signals at the junction to give the feeling of entering another railroad. Once this alignment is complete, westbound CR&E Division trains out of Roanoke will come out on the N&W's mainline and then diverge onto the CR&E. I'm a fan of junctions, and this will allow me to have yet another one on the railroad.
I'm very excited to be nearly complete with ALL of the CR&E subroadbed and trackwork. After the mainline extension is complete, I will install the industry tracks at Catawba and Abbott. After that I will finish the remaining trackage on the K&N District and then put the tracklaying tools away! I'm eager to move on to different projects.
During the test session, the railroad between Lewisburg, WV, and the Charleston, WV, staging yard did not exist. We used Lewisburg as the west end staging yard for this break-in session. By February 2010, when I hosted the NC RailRun N Scale Edition, the mainline was installed west to Charleston, including the junction with the Kessler & Northern District branchline territory at Meadow Bluff, WV. The branch itself did not exist during that session, except for a small stub track.
Our April 2010 session became our first "official" operating session with a regular crew. The K&N District was still a short time away, but would become semi-operational by the June 2010 session when rails reached a point just north of Kessler, WV. By August 2010, the K&N had reached Sam Creek, WV, and by the December 2010 session the entire south end of the K&N was fully operational.
With the K&N mostly complete, except for a few feet of track that will be inside the mole staging area inside the peninsula, I turned my attention to other construction efforts. By the February 2011 session, benchwork was underway for the extension of the CR&E mainline east from New Castle, VA, through Abbott and Catawba, to Roanoke. I found myself very inspired after that session and immediately resumed work on that new portion of the CR&E mainline the day following the session.
Now, two short weeks after the February session, the CR&E mainline has officially been extended another 40 or so feet from east of New Castle, VA, to a point just west of Roanoke. As of about 8PM this evening, the mainline was realigned so that, instead of heading directly into the staging yard after leaving New Castle, it now makes a run in front of the staging yard and around the peninsula before entering the Roanoke staging yard on the opposite end of the original alignment.
The new locations of Abbott and Catawba, VA, are along this route. Abbott will be home of the Shenandoah Rock Quarry, just as it was on Version One of the railroad. Catawba will be the location of the Southern States feed mill, another carryover from Version One, as well as a team track and a stub-ended track representing the Catawba Creek Branch to the Catawba Hospital. Southern States will be a larger operation than it was on Version One, and it may actually receive a dedicated unit train that will be delivered by the New Castle Switcher. The Catawba Hospital, a state facility, will receive an occasional cut of coal for the power plant.
The extension project is nearly complete as of this writing. The Roanoke staging yard ladder was removed today and will be positioned on the opposite end of the yard. Five of the nine Roanoke staging tracks were extended to the wall after the old ladder was removed, with track on hand to finish the remaining four. Track has been torn up at the other end of the yard to make room for the new ladder, which should be installed this week.
After the Roanoke staging ladder is reinstalled, the modeled portion of the railroad will be extended east another five or six feet to a new connection with the N&W west of Roanoke. At "N&W Jct," the CR&E will enter the double-track N&W Christiansburg District for the remainder of the run into Roanoke. I plan to install N&W color position light signals at the junction to give the feeling of entering another railroad. Once this alignment is complete, westbound CR&E Division trains out of Roanoke will come out on the N&W's mainline and then diverge onto the CR&E. I'm a fan of junctions, and this will allow me to have yet another one on the railroad.
I'm very excited to be nearly complete with ALL of the CR&E subroadbed and trackwork. After the mainline extension is complete, I will install the industry tracks at Catawba and Abbott. After that I will finish the remaining trackage on the K&N District and then put the tracklaying tools away! I'm eager to move on to different projects.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Open Grid Benchwork Finally Complete!
Today, for the first time in quite awhile, I was able to dedicate several hours of solo work on the layout.
Arriving home around 3PM after making my rounds, including a run to Lowes, I banished myself to the basement for the next four hours. I didn't even go upstairs, preventing me from getting sidetracked by all of the usual distractions.
Finally, after four hours or so of work, I have completed...yes COMPLETED...the open grid benchwork construction and installation on CR&E Version Two. The final section of benchwork to be built was between Catawba, VA, and the N&W connection just west of Roanoke.
My next step it to readjust some risers that were installed between New Castle and Abbott, VA. Once the risers are adjusted, I will begin installing the subroadbed that I have cut for some sections between New Castle and Catawba.
With any luck, I'll be ready to put down cork roadbed beginning next weekend. An order of track will be delivered by then too, making the eastward construction push toward Roanoke possible.
Cutover of the new mainline extension through Abbott and Catawba will likely take place in April, due mostly to the complexity of reworking the Roanoke staging yard so trains will be able to enter and exit at the end opposite of what they currently do. This will require removal of the ladder at the current west end of the Roanoke staging yard, extension of the tracks to the wall, removal of track at the *new* west end and addition of the yard ladder there. When the yard is "flipped," wiring will have to be redone as well.
I'm looking forward to about 50 more feet of mainline!
Arriving home around 3PM after making my rounds, including a run to Lowes, I banished myself to the basement for the next four hours. I didn't even go upstairs, preventing me from getting sidetracked by all of the usual distractions.
Finally, after four hours or so of work, I have completed...yes COMPLETED...the open grid benchwork construction and installation on CR&E Version Two. The final section of benchwork to be built was between Catawba, VA, and the N&W connection just west of Roanoke.
My next step it to readjust some risers that were installed between New Castle and Abbott, VA. Once the risers are adjusted, I will begin installing the subroadbed that I have cut for some sections between New Castle and Catawba.
With any luck, I'll be ready to put down cork roadbed beginning next weekend. An order of track will be delivered by then too, making the eastward construction push toward Roanoke possible.
Cutover of the new mainline extension through Abbott and Catawba will likely take place in April, due mostly to the complexity of reworking the Roanoke staging yard so trains will be able to enter and exit at the end opposite of what they currently do. This will require removal of the ladder at the current west end of the Roanoke staging yard, extension of the tracks to the wall, removal of track at the *new* west end and addition of the yard ladder there. When the yard is "flipped," wiring will have to be redone as well.
I'm looking forward to about 50 more feet of mainline!
CR&E appears on YouTube
All,
A few clips from the final operating session on Version One of the CR&E have been edited into the first ever YouTube video about the CR&E.
I videotaped during the final dual session on CR&E V1. Larry Keller transferred the video to CD for me, and then Steven Johnson did some editing and uploaded this video to YouTube.
I sure miss the old layout's scenery, and can't wait to get started on some scenery on V2.
More to come later!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BftDUShjOZU
Marcus
A few clips from the final operating session on Version One of the CR&E have been edited into the first ever YouTube video about the CR&E.
I videotaped during the final dual session on CR&E V1. Larry Keller transferred the video to CD for me, and then Steven Johnson did some editing and uploaded this video to YouTube.
I sure miss the old layout's scenery, and can't wait to get started on some scenery on V2.
More to come later!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BftDUShjOZU
Marcus
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