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Roaring Creek Narrow Gauge
9 years ago
So some of you may have noticed a few photos I've posted and they are all relating to my present modeling project. A 18 inch by 5 foot mini model railroad layout.
Back in August of 2015 I took a trip up to Athens, GA to visit a friend. While I was up there I helped him to build a 4x8 model railroad for his step dad. After cutting my teeth on layout building I REALLY wanted to build one of my own! But I only have a small bedroom and very little space. But I did have a pair of modules salvaged form a defunct model railroad I had stuck under my bead. I was originally going to use them for an On20 (O scale on HOn3 gauge) engine facility with an On30 interchange. The problem there though was I could only have the trains move back and forth and through switches. But before I left Athens my friend gave me a deal on a brand new Minitrains F&C 0-4-0 engines. And with that I was suddenly inspired to make an HOn30 model railroad! Given the size and short wheelbases of HOn30 engines and rolling stock I could have super tight curves and continuous running!
Now keep and mind I am NOT changing scales or gauges, this is just the practice solution to my space constraints. And it will satisfy my model railroading itch. I have a track plan and I'll scan and post it shortly. O scale is my scale of choice, but I'm really keen on this project as this would be my true FIRST model railroad! As a cub I had a 4x8 I fiddled with with roll-out paper 'grass' and Bachmann EZ track, but I never truly was able to build land forms and such.
Okay so here's the concept, the name of the railroad is the Roaring Creek Narrow Gauge and it is set in the majestic Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The track plan has a pair of reversing loops at either end, but the line has folded over itself twice in order to lengthen the right-of-way and add some vertical scenery. The track is to be hand laid with code 55 rail and HOn30 #4 switches. There are mountains to either end of the layout and several tunnels with a river canyon in the center.
On the bottom 'level' there is a small town with a depot and a hand full of buildings. I have three town buildings so far and they are all Woodland Scenics structure kits. The Flagstop Depot, Pharmacy, Doctors office and Shoe Repair. The latter kit I want to re-purpose and make them into other places of business. I've also considered converting the Pharmacy into a Saloon/Hotel.
The station is VERY small and the kit comes with a passenger shelter to be attached to one side of the station. I'm omitting this entirely and using some of the parts to help make a detailed interior complete with office and waiting area, including a pot bellied stove. I also plan to add full interiors to all the structures at some point.
Unfortunately there is still a lot that needs to be done before I can actually start working on the layout itself. I still need to acquire pink foam board for the scenery base, a bunch of dirt for ground cover, a BUNCH of code 55 rail, and several tools to help me fabricate switches and such. Not to mention how to wire the layout with auto-reversing loops so that the train doesn't short out when running. So for now, to practice my scenery techniques I'm working on a small diorama. And that is what I've posted photos of already.
This is kind of a boring journal, but at least you have some context for the recent photos I posted.
Back in August of 2015 I took a trip up to Athens, GA to visit a friend. While I was up there I helped him to build a 4x8 model railroad for his step dad. After cutting my teeth on layout building I REALLY wanted to build one of my own! But I only have a small bedroom and very little space. But I did have a pair of modules salvaged form a defunct model railroad I had stuck under my bead. I was originally going to use them for an On20 (O scale on HOn3 gauge) engine facility with an On30 interchange. The problem there though was I could only have the trains move back and forth and through switches. But before I left Athens my friend gave me a deal on a brand new Minitrains F&C 0-4-0 engines. And with that I was suddenly inspired to make an HOn30 model railroad! Given the size and short wheelbases of HOn30 engines and rolling stock I could have super tight curves and continuous running!
Now keep and mind I am NOT changing scales or gauges, this is just the practice solution to my space constraints. And it will satisfy my model railroading itch. I have a track plan and I'll scan and post it shortly. O scale is my scale of choice, but I'm really keen on this project as this would be my true FIRST model railroad! As a cub I had a 4x8 I fiddled with with roll-out paper 'grass' and Bachmann EZ track, but I never truly was able to build land forms and such.
Okay so here's the concept, the name of the railroad is the Roaring Creek Narrow Gauge and it is set in the majestic Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The track plan has a pair of reversing loops at either end, but the line has folded over itself twice in order to lengthen the right-of-way and add some vertical scenery. The track is to be hand laid with code 55 rail and HOn30 #4 switches. There are mountains to either end of the layout and several tunnels with a river canyon in the center.
On the bottom 'level' there is a small town with a depot and a hand full of buildings. I have three town buildings so far and they are all Woodland Scenics structure kits. The Flagstop Depot, Pharmacy, Doctors office and Shoe Repair. The latter kit I want to re-purpose and make them into other places of business. I've also considered converting the Pharmacy into a Saloon/Hotel.
The station is VERY small and the kit comes with a passenger shelter to be attached to one side of the station. I'm omitting this entirely and using some of the parts to help make a detailed interior complete with office and waiting area, including a pot bellied stove. I also plan to add full interiors to all the structures at some point.
Unfortunately there is still a lot that needs to be done before I can actually start working on the layout itself. I still need to acquire pink foam board for the scenery base, a bunch of dirt for ground cover, a BUNCH of code 55 rail, and several tools to help me fabricate switches and such. Not to mention how to wire the layout with auto-reversing loops so that the train doesn't short out when running. So for now, to practice my scenery techniques I'm working on a small diorama. And that is what I've posted photos of already.
This is kind of a boring journal, but at least you have some context for the recent photos I posted.
you know the railroads had unofficial nicknames
SPSF - Shouldn't Paint So Fast
BNSF = Bad News Stupid Fools (ok I made that one up)
So I'm just going to go with the foam board and with the foam track bed I'm using should also help absorb sound. The other thing I'm pondering is how I'm going to support my track on grades....
Building your grade is an interesting point. I assume you are going to build up layers (like contour lines) and in-fill the grade ? One thing that comes to mind is a material used for filling the gaps in a patio (like between irregular flagstones) It looks and handles like sand...you pour it into the gaps and sweep it , then wet it and it sets up (like mortar) but is permeable and being for outdoor use it should last a long time. You might be able to sculpt it a bit too before it sets up. Another thought would be paper-mache.
Though one thing I want to do is fabricate a scale ruler. A rough one to somewhat help calculate grade. I have a 20' boxcar kit I recently acquired, though I have yet to build it. I'll use that to help make a 100' HO scale ruler out of paper. Then have a separate ruler made of card stock or something to work out vertical feet. So a 3% grade would be a rise of 3 feet after traveling over 100 linear feet, or something like that. I may have to go steeper still, depending on how high my tall bridge in the back would be. Or I may have to make a few adjustments.
my move to a smaller space in june of 2015 necessitated a smaller track gauge with tighter curves if i wanted anything more then a switching puzzle, which i did.
kept the larger scale though. no problem that, with my near future alternative world/post ecopocalypse setting. i've seen some wonderful examples of On18 industrial layouts on you tube. both from britain and other parts of europe.
Though to be honest I've had a long time interest in HOn30. When I first looked into modeling narrow gauge it was one of the first things I learned about and it was no where near as expensive as HOn3, of which most of the available models were of brass and thus VERY pricey. Even rolling stock kits cost a pretty penny! HOn30 was a reasonable compromise, or at the time it looked that way. Then when On30 started gaining momentum I jumped onto that band wagon and have yet to fall off. I much prefer the size and it allows me to really pack in some detail! Which you can still do in HO, just not as easily.
My friend worked out a deal with me for the Minitrains 0-4-0 and that's what really rekindled my interest in HOn30. And working in HO scale gives me twice the space, so to speak, as O scale would since the models are roughly half the size. That and the Woodland Scenics structure kits I have are very compact, perfect for what I want to do in this case. That and I would need somewhere to operate my new 0-4-0!
Have you tried googling or searching YouTube for an answer? There's a ton of forums and guys online who openly show their solutions to things like that. When in doubt I always go for Google or YouTube to find answers.
What goes for reverse loops: http://www.azatrax.com/model-railro.....erse-loop.html
This may helped you (at least it helped me) [would have put an emoticon here if I just knew how to make these damn things]