2002p51
Well-Known Member
Back in post #135 I showed you photos of the staging/return loop. The plan was to not do scenery or anything back there. It was supposed to be "off site". Well, so much for that plan. One of the things missing from my layout was any excuse to run the iconic sugar beet trains. I've got three "beet racks", as they are called, but nowhere to run them to. I recently discovered plans for a sugar beet loader that were in the November, 2008 issue of Model Railroad Craftsman and that's all it took. So, where can I put a spur for one of those? Off the return loop of course!
Now understand that this loader design is based on one that stood in San Ardo, California. And there is no way I can put San Ardo anywhere near where it should be, geographically, on my layout. But I'm not the first model railroader that has moved whole towns and other features out of place just to make the railroad flow a little better. That's why my little version of San Ardo will be located more than 100 miles from where it should be, somewhere north of Watsonville. (Don't hate)
Here's a photo of the new spur.
And here are a couple of work-in-progress photos of my scratch built beet loader.
Now understand that this loader design is based on one that stood in San Ardo, California. And there is no way I can put San Ardo anywhere near where it should be, geographically, on my layout. But I'm not the first model railroader that has moved whole towns and other features out of place just to make the railroad flow a little better. That's why my little version of San Ardo will be located more than 100 miles from where it should be, somewhere north of Watsonville. (Don't hate)
Here's a photo of the new spur.
And here are a couple of work-in-progress photos of my scratch built beet loader.