Filling in the Details - Deck 2

Well, it has been a month since the last post, so I am well overdue for another. Since last time, I have been slowly filling in details to the Tennessee Pass Plan. But also having some doubts. More on those later.

Below is the current Deck 2 Plan. Let's look at it in detail:

Click to see full sized graphic

Since the last version, I have worked in the roads and bridges. The line emerges from staging (on loop 4 of the helix) and crosses over the Gore River on a deck girder bridge, before ducking under I-70. I-70 is arranged so that mirrors reflect both ends of the highway, and the combination of the highway and curving around the hillside with a backdrop on the front as well as the back, prevents anyone from actually seeing the train come out of the helix. The line curves around the left end of the layout crosses a county road at grade and swings into Minturn.

I completely reworked the west end of the Minturn yard to make it more functional, but also included the Minturn station, used for MOW storage, and both the Crew Hotel and Turntable Restaurant. Each should be close to scale size, as I took the measurements from an aerial photograph. I have also included a lumber yard and a warehouse at this end of the yard. I continued to allow for the possibility of modeling the wye - which I probably would not put in place in this location (too constricting) but if the layout were to be shown, a separate module could hold the tail track.

The East end of Minturn yard was also reworked a bit. I moved the engine house to the right, reworked the work and snow train tracks, and added a RIP track. There is now a dedicated fuel track, and I think the area flows much better. I also added a concrete plant and a spur which will host two as yet undetermined industries. This actually gives me a fair amount of switching for the Minturn Yard job (~8 spots), in addition to making up a couple of locals, and adding/servicing helper engines. Leaving Minturn, the railroad crosses Ballpark Road and Cemetery Road at grade, so there will also be a park with a baseball diamond (or at least part of one) and a small cemetery.

Rounding the right corner, I added in another stretch of the Eagle River, before the line crosses under US-24. US-24 actually climbs a steep switchback on its way to the town of Gilman (located above Belden. Meanwhile the tracks enter the Eagle River Canyon, crossing another deck girder bridge at Rex, before entering the Rock Creek Tunnel. Exiting the tunnel, I decided to freelance a pair of through truss bridges due to the geometry of the crossing of the Eagle River. The line curves to the left as the canyon narrows, and disappears from sight. Once again, the rock walls and backdrop restrict vision of this part of the canyon and hide the opening to the 8th lap of the helix. The bridges should help draw the viewer's eyes back tot he foreground, but another mirror will suggest that the canyon continues around the curve. There is still some topography to do on this level, but detailing the design has moved to Deck 3. So far, everything in the plan still works and works well.

I'd love to say that this sign is true, but several factors have created a few doubts in my planning. First, my space may not be what I once thought it would be. The garage part of the layout space is looking like it will be more difficult or further off from being available. However, the layout also may not be crewable either. This layout would probably need a Dispatcher, a Minturn Yardmaster, a Staging Hostler, and 3-4 road crews, including a helper crew. That is probably the crew capacity. Even with single person road crews, that is 6-7 people, and I am not sure where to find the operators. And if I did - would this make things congested? The Minturn Yard job would operate on the bottom side of the layout, and the Staging Hostler on the top side. The Dispatcher would be elsewhere. That puts the four road crews at various points around the layout - and conceivably, in the event of a meet, 3 road crews plus another job (Minturn or Staging) all on one side of the layout at the same time. Four bodies and some tighter than I would like aisles. I could operate with fewer folks, even just by myself, but part of the "fun" would be orchestrating the meets and passes on the hill.

So, if a less dispatcher intense operating layout more the preference? With that in mind, I have been thinking more about some alternatives, including a Salida based layout featuring the Monarch branch, or a protofreelanced version strongly based on that type of operation. That would give me the ability to consider other options for operations, but still allow me to test out some of the design/construction principles I have in mind. This alternate idea could also resolve the next doubt.

Another concern is the width of the modules. I originally set the maximum width at 42", knowing that I have a 44" wide sliding door that I can carry those through. What I did not think about was whether I would have a 44" door to carry them back into at the other end of the move. Unfortunately, with the layout running from 30" to 90", I can't even turn them on their sides to get through a narrower door - say 36". And unfortunately, the Helix is a 42" wide module without much hope for width reduction. So, I have been trying to think about whether or not I could make the wider modules split vertically, at least if needed to go through a 36" door. I do not yet have a good solution - but I am looking for one. The helix is the chief issue.

So, these are legitimate concerns. And I think that they will ultimately require some other plans to determine how best to proceed. But these doubts have been nagging, and have at least pulled some of my attention away from the plan. In addition, I've been putting time into my shapeways projects. I've gotten a number of designs back on line and available after the repricing for many shapeways materials, plus I have been working on plans for a T gauge layout for the Central Railroad Club (which I joined earlier in the year). I have to admit, I've had a recent spike in T gauge interest after seeing a new exhibition layout depicting the Firth of Forth Bridge in Edinburgh.

A link to the layout is shown below. More on these ideas next time.

All I can say is WOW! What a model in T! The real bridge is 8,094' long, which is 18 feet in T-scale. The layout is therefore on the order of 24' long. Quite the layout!