05-18-2012, 06:53 AM
After months and months (13) of thoughts and realizing what I wanted to accomplish vs what I would have liked to model. The final-final decision was made to model my layout in HO scale based in the summer1953. The layout plan will come from prototype engineering drawing acquired from Grand Trunk & Western Historical Society. The history of the Dequindre Line was gathered from Historical writings that went into detail the history and the activity of the “Dinky Line” as it was called. The Dinky Line was a little over 4 miles in length from the Brush Street Station and Detroit Yards to the Milwaukee Junction and the D & M transfer yards. The line was broke down into 4 zones with well over 50 industries to be serviced by rail.
The layout will consist of hand laid code 70 track and hand made #6 & #8 turnouts. for switching crews working the north and southbound industries.
The layout will be DCC with all manual turnouts. Facing, trailing and run a round movements for spotting cars are from the actual drawings. Authorized speed is set to prototype speed of 25 mph max for switch crews and GTW S.O.P for freight service. (Switch crews will have fun staying out of the way.) As you can tell, this is a total switching layout.
Scenery is plain and simple “Urban” with buildings and streets with very little vacant ground. Since Deciding to model the Dinky Line in HO, I have lost allot of the trackage to include the Brush St Station and a large amount of the yard and a mile of two holding sidings for inbound and outbound cars in N scale. The Milwaukee Junction is also gone from the picture which was at MP 4. N scale would have afforded about 3.3 scale miles and with the helix for the 2nd level 4 miles was obtainable.
What is to be modeled is still a ton of switching. My track plan is non existent at this time, since I will use the Eng Drawings and lay the track as paper and then transfer hand layed track in its place once I’m satisfied. The loss of length will be offset by DCC w/sound, and being able to read car numbers without the aid of Optivision’s for myself, grandkids, and guests. All in all it feels good to be back at modeling rather than thinking about it.
Start of benchwork and drywall
The layout will consist of hand laid code 70 track and hand made #6 & #8 turnouts. for switching crews working the north and southbound industries.
The layout will be DCC with all manual turnouts. Facing, trailing and run a round movements for spotting cars are from the actual drawings. Authorized speed is set to prototype speed of 25 mph max for switch crews and GTW S.O.P for freight service. (Switch crews will have fun staying out of the way.) As you can tell, this is a total switching layout.
Scenery is plain and simple “Urban” with buildings and streets with very little vacant ground. Since Deciding to model the Dinky Line in HO, I have lost allot of the trackage to include the Brush St Station and a large amount of the yard and a mile of two holding sidings for inbound and outbound cars in N scale. The Milwaukee Junction is also gone from the picture which was at MP 4. N scale would have afforded about 3.3 scale miles and with the helix for the 2nd level 4 miles was obtainable.
What is to be modeled is still a ton of switching. My track plan is non existent at this time, since I will use the Eng Drawings and lay the track as paper and then transfer hand layed track in its place once I’m satisfied. The loss of length will be offset by DCC w/sound, and being able to read car numbers without the aid of Optivision’s for myself, grandkids, and guests. All in all it feels good to be back at modeling rather than thinking about it.
Start of benchwork and drywall
Member of: GRAND TRUNK WESTERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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