My "Southern Rwy & Graham County RR" layout

[Waldbahner]

Hello guys,

the next module is done. It's "Tulula Creek".
Here're a couple of photos. Now there's only the last module "Robbinsville" missing. For this module. I assembled all the structures and started ballasting the tracks. Soon I can start with scenerey here too.





And here're the structures for Robbinsville - engine shed, freigt depot and sawmill complex. I've no photo of the Fuel Dealers office yet.



Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Looking good Gerd!

[Waldbahner]

Thanks Mike.

Maybe I can do some progress on the layout this week. I've to many open projects at the moment and it's hard to handle them all together...
But I would like to get this layout "done" before summer time.

Bye, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello,

I use the time while the glue of the last ground covering action is setting and show you some progress photos of Robbinsville.

Last week I allready finished the rear section behind the tracks including the fuel dealer, freight depot and team track.
Here're a couple of photos. I guess next week I'll get finished with the basic scenery. All the fine details will be added within the next couple weeks. I'm still waiting for some orders with detail parts....

Now the whole Robbinsville module is covered with basic ground textures and I'll start with vegetation and first detail stuff later this day.

Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see you are making progress!

[Waldbahner]

Thanks Mike,

yesterday I did some more progress on the saw mill site. See photos below. Now I'm working on the wood chip loader, made from brass. I guess I'll get it done and installed today. The list of open tasks is getting shorter each day.

- Loading dock and scenery at the general store at Woods Furniture
- Interior and scenery for the general store at Woods Furniture
- Build and install wood chip loader with winch and scenerey
- Adding Lumber Carrier (3D-printed - files allready done)
- Installing the lumber stacks at the sawmill
- Interior and scenerey around the engine shed
- Interior and scenerey at the saw mill
- Pulpwood piles at Robbinsville
- Add more people

- Paint the module side walls
- New track plan sign at Robbinsville mit correct spot names
- Make and install a backdrop on the GCRR-Division

I started the layout with the construction of Topton in January 2011 and two and a half years later, the whole layout comes to an end, much bigger than expected in the beginning, but with many posibilities for operations, fun and model train service.

Once the major points from the list above are done, I'll make a new video, featuring the GCRR division. I hope that ordered detail parts are arriving soon.

[modelsof1900]

Gerd, looks great! A very nice "small" layout. Congratulation!

[Waldbahner]

Thanks Bernhard :-)

Yesterday I finished the wood chip loader except for some paint and weathering.
I look forward to get him finally installed this week, together with the lumber stack bunks.

Cheers, Gerd

[doctorwayne]

Your layout's coming along really nicely, Gerd.

Wayne

[Waldbahner]

Many thanks Wayne, I'll do my very best :-)

Hello all, here're a couple new photos, showing what was done the last weeks.

First of all, I installed interrior to the store structure at Woods Furniture. You can't see much of it in normal case, but the empty rooms behind the large windows were more worse.



Next I made some progress at Robbinsville. The engine shed get some interrior too and scrap piles. I'll install the water column next, followed by the coaling facility. Once I did some more weathering and add some more details, the scene around the engine shed is mostly done.


Now we come to the big progress around the sawmill. I finished and installed the wood chip loader. The lumber stacks are now placed on raised bunks. This bunks were cnc milled out of 2mm plywood.



Next I was looking for some Lumber Carrier to haul the lumber between the sawmills output and the storage area and loading dock. But I couldn't find any model of these. So I googled for some plans and photos of the Gerlinger style Lumber Carier, made a 3D-model and gave it to shapeways. Some weeks later, I got 3 tiny little lumber carrier. After the paintjob, I added a caboose brake wheel, driver and lumber stack to get them ready for the layout.




That's all for now. I look forward to get the engine shed scene done this week and maybe some more progress at the sawmill side.

Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice progress Gerd.

[Waldbahner]

Thanks Mike :-)

[Tyson Rayles]

I know in may not be important to you but for historical accuracy the reason the Murphy branch went out of business was because of the lack of a woodchip operation. When the papermill in Canton switched from pulpwood to wood chips the branch went from being a money maker to a loser. It would have cost in excess of a million dollars to build a chip operation that would be EPA approved. To make matters worse there is a tunnel in both directions and a woodchip car won't fit thru either one of em'. The Southern at that point filed for abandoment and the excursion RR that I work for came into being.

[Waldbahner]

Hi Mike,

thanks for this historical background. When I get the chance to come to the states the next time, I'll visit the prototype area for sure. But I guess it'll happen in a couple of years as earliest...
Well, what I do wounder on this background is, that there were woodchips send from Robbinsville for shipping by the Southern. I've photos with modern Southern woodchip cars on the GCRR. So how did they get handled them?
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Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Good question as there are no papermills or anything else that would use woodchips between those tunnels. Even if they were delivered to a truck transfer area how did they get the cars in there in the first place? Back when the Southern filed for abandoment that was one of the excuses they used for why the branch was no longer viable. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................................................................At least that was their story and they stuck to it. I think I know someone who might could shed some light on this, might be a few days before I can track him down though. I'll get back to you Gerd.