Remaking of the Ridley Keystone & Mountain

[Schraddel]

Hello Tom,

smoothing out the changes of the slope rates, that's the very best way to avoid hassle in the future.  


Lutz

[tompm]

I had a chance to fiddle with the yard layout for the engine terminal. After several tries I finally came to something that is very close to what I am looking for. There are still some tweaking to do.

[tompm]

After some further thought about the layout I am coming to the conclusion I am not thrilled with the double tracked mainline. Since I don't think I would ever be running more than two trains on the mainline I am considering going with a single track with a passing siding or two. This will give me more room for scenery and yard tracks and industrial sidings. It will also present some operational challenges.

A quick thought on switches. I am not liking the PECO switches I have. There difficulties with connecting track to them due to the alignment of the ties. I had a couple causing shorts when I was running DCC. I am in the process of removing them. I am looking for simpler things not something that makes things more difficult. As luck would have I stopped in a local hobby shop and they had Atlas #6 Code 100 turnouts. I bought them out.

[cn nutbar]

Hi Tom---I like the look of your service yard.If I could suggest placing a water plug between the two mainlines opposite the water tower---I think it would complete the scene.

[tompm]

I could suggest placing a water plug between the two mainlines opposite the water tower---I think it would complete the scene.

I bought one the other day. Now I need to figure out where I put it and assemble it.

[tompm]

Frustration and annoyance are rearing themselves again as I try to figure out this engine terminal layout. The photos below show the latest attempt.

I am satisfied with the coaling tower and the ash pit track configuration. Currently I don’t believe they will change much in future. The Engine House appears to be in the right place although I wish it could be closer to the coaling tower.

The Water Tower could move some, but I feel it is almost in the best spot. Now the sand depot and fuel depot are the ones I am most unsure about. The biggest question I have in regard to them is bringing in sand and fuel to off loaded into the depot. The track behind them is my attempt at a solution.

I am not happy with the amount of real estate the track configuration is taking up. I know I need to remember this is a model railroad and compression is needed and accepted in many cases. I am just having some trouble getting my head around that concept at times. The other area I am hung up on is storing full/empty coal hoppers, gondolas for ash, hoppers for sand, and tank cars. I feel I am thinking too big when it comes to the number of cars that would be at the engine terminal at one time.

I am interested in your opinions and thoughts.

[doctorwayne]

I think that your ash pit may have a problem with that grade, as a car parked there to be loaded is likely to roll away.  If you could make the loading/unloading area level, (either at ground level or elevated) it would probably work just fine.

I made a fairly long grade to the dump pit at the Tichy coaling facility in Mount Forest...

   

but it levels out at the dump shed, and then continues on-level, where the ashpit hoist will eventually be built

   

As for the sandhouse, many coaling towers had the sandhouse as part of the same installation, and I'm surprised that it's not included with the Walthers kit.  The Tichy coaling tower has three supply pipes for locomotive sand, and I could easily add a couple more.

I used Walthers small concrete coaling tower at Lowbanks, as there's not much room available in that area.  It has only a single coal chute under the tower...

   

...and the track to the dump shed is steep, but levels out inside the dump shed and then continues a little further where I've added a small scratchbuilt sandhouse alongside that track.  There is no cinder dump, though...simply no room.
Here's the view from that side...

   

The sand is dried in the concrete shed next to the turntable pit, and is then sent, using air pressure, to the black tank affixed to the coaling tower.  Here's a view from the other side...

   

...and an over-all view of the crowded area...

   

Like you, I have the old Revell sandhouse, but not really any good place to use it.  I did use the tower for the fuel tank, but built a smaller tank, as the only diesel officially operating is "The BEE"...

   

After digging up the pictures (above) from photobucket, I've decided that the Lowbanks ash dump is located near the back end of the shop's crane runway...the portion that's theoretically in the aisleway.

Wayne

[tompm]

I think that your ash pit may have a problem with that grade, as a car parked there to be loaded is likely to roll away.  If you could make the loading/unloading area level, (either at ground level or elevated) it would probably work just fine.

The piece of foam there is temporary. I needed something under the track to keep it in place. The track will be level in the final version.

A quick question with your sand house. Where and how is the sand delivered?

I am beginning to think the sand depot and fuel depot are not going to fit into this plan. I have looked at some other sand houses and tanks.

[doctorwayne]

A quick question with your sand  house. Where and how is the sand delivered?

Well, to be honest, it's pretty sketchy.  In my post, above, the third picture from the bottom is the "delivery side".  Theoretically, a covered hopper (or maybe an open gondola) is spotted there, and the sand is either manually shovelled out of the gondola and tossed through that door, or a covered hopper, loaded with dried sand, is spotted near that door, which has a dump pit.  The hopper would be only partially unloaded, due to the limited capacity of the "steel" tank on the coaling tower. 
I'd guess that the covered hopper would be "company service" car, rather than from an outside railway, and it would be left in-place until emptied, then taken away to get another load of sand.

The Tichy coaling tower at Mount Forest gets its sand in the same manner, using the same dump pit as is used for coal.  Apparently, the real towers on which that model is based, had a method (possibly a gerber, as used in grain elevators) to distribute coal or sand in separate bins within the concrete structure.
 
After writing this, I've decided that sand for the Lowbanks elevator definitely comes in a covered hopper - no shovelling needed.  I'll have to look around for a small (and cheap) covered hopper...or maybe I'll scratchbuild one.

Wayne

[tompm]

Wayne you have given me some food for thought. I think I can still use the sand depot but I am going to need a sanding tower/tank or two to deliver the sand.

[tompm]

Last night was a tale of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is I think I finally figured out the engine terminal layout. I will post photos later.

The bad is one of my locomotives is now stalling on a switch. This is a loco that has been a workhorse with no issues and has run these switches many times with no issues. The problem is only happening on Atlas #8 left handed turnouts and only in one direction. I did not have the time to test other locos but did remove and replace one switch with no change.

The ugly is after struggling with the engine terminal for the last couple of months now I am question whether I want it or not.

[BR60103]

Tom: plastic or metal frogs?
You may want to check the pickups on that side to ensure they're all contacting the wheel on a metal bit.
Or upend the loco in a cradle and touch wires to each driver in turn.

[tompm]

Tom: plastic or metal frogs?
You may want to check the pickups on that side to ensure they're all contacting the wheel on a metal bit.
Or upend the loco in a cradle and touch wires to each driver in turn.

Metal insulated frogs. I have a couple of diesels that have one pick up truck that also have problems.

I looked at the bottom of the loco and apparently one driver, the first one has issues. On this loco there are little thin contacts that are connected to the bottom of the loco. At first I thought they were modeling the brake shoes. On the front driver one is missing and the other is bent and not touching the driver. I suspect this the problem because the loco stalls at slow speeds when the other three drivers occupy the frog. I checked and Bachmann does have replacement "underframes with contacts" for the Heavy/Light Mountain. I ordered three just to have a spare around.

[tompm]

I know it has been some time since I posted an update on the layout itself.

I made a drastic change to the engine terminal. I moved the location to the other end of the layout. I think this works better.

Things are not 100% done but I think this is close. I have several small kits to add such as water column, fueling station, sanding towers. I will be to finalize things more once I have the passenger station in place and some of the city/town done. I am currently working on the passenger station platforms.

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see someone making progress!