Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR


Thank you fellows, nice to hear and your welcome.
Stay tuned for layout update announcement in a day or so. Maybe I'm not quite finished yet. Jim;)
 
Design Philosophy more:


Another healthy thought about our layouts is an ability to change them after we are finished. Why not? I'm a firm believer that if something is finished and I have this nagging feeling that I could have done better then I'm willing to give in and make a change.

That said, I am quite pleased with the layout as it is today. Really it doesn't need a make over after being a month old, but here is what happened. I purchase a Bmann 4-4-0 DCC & sound. I did it more out of curiousity more than anything else. All my locos are DCC only. First time I put it on the track I was hooked. I sounded great and even the CFO liked it! After a few runs back and forth, (no turn arounds on the layout) I felt I needed to have this loco running around the layout.

So the plan began forming because I spent $200 I really couldn't afford, but I'm really happy I did. I thought for a couple of weeks how I would get a loop on this layout. I didn't know, but expected to loose the waterfront scene! Sure, I could sell it, or even throw it away, which is more my style, or I could figure out how to keep it. During my open house I asked a group of guys how they might do it. I got three or four different ideas, none of which I could live with. Finally, one fellow said that he would move the waterfront scene in near the watertower and built the loop on the vacated space. I liked his idea. He said you can make a good sized loop and make it come into the room more and I could leave my work desk alone. I liked it! So here is the new plan:

IMG_3654.JPG

This will allow me to simply have a loco pulling normal freight cars and a caboose around the layout while I fit in operations with the other locos. More fun operations and I get to hear my new loco sometimes. Plus I get to build more layout scenery! Best of all worlds for me. I will finish this later. Jim:)
 
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Jim, I got bit by the sound bug 2 years ago - there's just no turning back!!!! :D
You won't really want to! Sound adds a dimension of realism that's hard to top!

And sir, I need to say again, what a masterpiece!! :)
 
I like it...
Now go to your train room.

Cant wait to see more of your awesome skills being applied to this... keep us posted as usual....
 
Thanks fellows. Joed2323 can't get in there to work yet I have a Z scale layout I'm doing for a fellow and it takes up all the floor space. Also, I have another layout tour in July so I can't start until mid July.

So I looked through the thread and noticed I didn't post any photos of the affected area or even a long view of that side of the layout. So here is what will be gone:
IMG_3655.JPG


If you look about 3 inches below the upper track on the left down to the fascia I will cut all that away. I'll store the trees. The waterfront scene will be moved back to begin about where the orange bush is below the watertank and the fascia. I will do some construction on the benchwork allowing a 15" minimum curve returning from the middle level track to the lower level track. Might be tight running by the engine house but I'll just move track around until it fits. No computer track plans on this remodel.

I may have a reach issue on the upper left track, but my two-step stool should take care of that. I'm also looking seriously at lowering that upper track so my grade will drop from 6.7 degrees to around 4 to 5 degrees.

So basically one third of the layout will get a make over. i can't wait to get started. Jim :)
 

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I like what you're trying to do. The lack of a loop was the design issue that I encountered in looking at your original layout plan. I'll post in the Layouts soon what I'm mentally working on. I like the layered look of the uphill part and think I may be able to do something along those lines.
 
Thank you Mike, and joed2323.

Railrunner, I think this reconstruction will be fun and turn out quite nice. As I'm primarily a 'runner' the loop will be nice. The PCM&T was designed for mining and some small operations. Even in real life my locos would have only gone back and forth. I now can understand why even with the best modeling intentions that someone (me) could want something more.

In fact I gave my Heisler to a fellow at the hobby shop yesterday to put in a Tsunami Logging Loco decoder and speaker in it. I've heard a comment or two in my time about sound. It is tinny in Z, less than perfect in N, and more than acceptable in HO and larger scales. I like it! However, one thing I hear about sound is that when it comes out of more than one loco at a time it can be distracting. I'm spending enough money to find out for myself! I will report back later.

As far as the reconstruction goes I will get a chance to work with Stucco Patch and nylon netting again. I will try to build this new section with a bit more 'rock' and pinnacles in it. Maybe a small stream and waterfall. Trees will be fewer because of more 'rocks'. Should be fun. Jim:)
 
HOexplorer said:
Thank you Mike, and joed2323.


In fact I gave my Heisler to a fellow at the hobby shop yesterday to put in a Tsunami Logging Loco decoder and speaker in it.
. Should be fun. Jim:)
Click to expand...

Uh Oh Jim
Prepare to be hooked, as you may know, the Tsunami logging decoder is "fun" :D
 
GS, Thanks for dropping by. I've never heard the logging decoder sound so I'm looking forward to it. I have the Bmann 4-4-0 small steam sound and I really like it. Got to make somewhere for it to go. Jim:)
 
Just an update on the Tsunami Logging loco sound chip. Doing the math I'm thinking that one is very wise to purchase the loco fulling equipped with DCC and a sound system if you want sound. I got my Heisler off epay. I thought I got a good deal. It was DC, but they didn't come any other way that I noticed.

I saved some money and sent the loco off to get DCC'd. No sound. Big mistake! Had I know better I would have had the fellow add sound for me as well and sold my two cats to make up the difference. No such luck.

Now I'm going to have to pay for new chips, sound and speaker. Bummer. I figure because I didn't do it right the first time I'm going to pay an extra couple of hundred bucks for my 'good deal' epay bargain. Lessons learned. Jim:eek:
 
NWP, Thank you. I hope you spent some time going through this thread. Pictures are nice, but words are good as well. While my stuff may seem very good, you may be surprised at the time I spend looking at the work of others. I look to enjoy and learn. Jim:)
 
Folks are still looking at this thread so here is another photo for this weekend. What you see is a photo of an area that will disappear in a month or so. To get this shot I had to do some stretching. This area from the front of the photo to about the last ore car will be in the garbage. Progress! Featured is my new Bmann 3 truck Climax. I sent them an old 2-truck Climax DC, and they kept it and sent me this brand new DCC equiped Climax. Nice. Jim:)

mine cars.jpg

If you look closely you can see the derelict loco on the upper track. If you squint you can see just a smudge of the watertower. I like this scene but it has to go.
 
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Fantastic shot! I like how the lower track looks as if it was cut into the hill. Maybe it's the bushes that create that illusion, I don't know. That grass growing between the tracks is really neat too.
 
Railrunner, Thank you. "tracks cut into the hill" This type of track laying is as old as model railroading itself. One of the missing elements of model railroading design is simply, 'If they cut the track bed into/through the cliff/hillside where did the dirt/rock/debris go?'

Even I'm guilty of leaving out this obvious exception to the 'rules.' I actually have put rock debris in but not to the prototypical amount. I guess we can all be excused for two reasons. First, is virtually all railroads are built above the surrounding ground. Can't have flooded track! So debris is simply shoved over the side or transported for fill elsewhere. Second, on the photo above I simply use the excuse that the debris is still there it is just covered with plant growth and is not easily seen! Simple! Who's to say this isn't the trackbed cuts made by another company fifty years before the PCM&T Co. layed down new track?

So, the moral of the story is that it is all good. No obvious debris from trackbed building? No problem. Use your wits and make the story up as you go along! That's what I just did.... Jim:D
 
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