Building the Quanah Acme & Pacific RR, along with the Frisco, DRGW, BN..............


gjslsffan

Well-Known Member
Like the title says this is a thread on the building of the current project unfinished. When I started the MRR I was into the D&RGW/SP, but I have always liked the BN, then I kinda reconnected with my roots, and got into the Frisco with particular interest in the Quanah Acme & Pacific RR (QA&P). My Grandfather was a Engineer for the QA&P and took me for rides when I was very young, of course that ruined at an early age on railroading.
This is the 4th MRR I have started, 1 in a spare bedroom, 2 in house trailers that I subsequently sold, one is still around less than 3 miles away from me.
This monstrosity is in a 30ft x 50ft metal building, purposely built for the MRR. Been working on it for about 8 years now. I lost a bunch of build photos along the way but saved a few. It is a DC outfit, with 150+ locos it will be some time before I get into that. I set it up with enough blocks and power to run all the units I want on any train, and can run more trains than I can keep track of LOL. All power is Athearn or Athearn clones. Why? Cause thats what I started with, 30+ years ago LOL, they still work just fine. I still enjoy building, detailing and painting them.
Anyway a couple photos along the way.
Please post your comments and questions.

This freelance MRR starts off at 54" above the floor climbs to 74" at the entry door. One direction out of the main yard (timetable East) is a 1.5% ruling grade but is fairly long like 200' to the summit Quanah. The other direction starts off at 1.5% but levels for a bit then goes into a 2 1/2% climb to the summit all in all around 200' that way too. I will never get done with it.. The main yard will hold around 300 cars, Quanah around 75 cars, other yards and sidings off the main will hold 40 cars total. 2 staging yards holding 200 cars each. main yard has an operating hump, so yea it is kinda big I guess. I know that I will never take on a project like this again, not this complicated anyway, next time if there is one will be single track main with sidings and easier to access staging yards. we usually run 50-65 cars on a train probably 40 ft in length is average. 20-35 car locals. A couple reversing loops to keep stuff even more complicated to dispatch.
I am soooo lucky to be fortunate enough to build something like this once in my life, but I think once is enough :eek:.

before scenic divider.jpg 00014.jpg 00015.jpg 00012.jpg

I will add more photos in another post.
 
Thanks Toot, Sherrel and Dave, I am glad to be here, and you guys can stop by anytime we will turn some wheels :):).

And thanks to the moderator that moved this thread to the HO forum for me. I messed up and posted this build thread on the loco and rolling stock forum. Glad it is here now.
 
This is some hard shell scenery Hydrocal over screen wire, used real pebbles and dirt, the rock molds are molds made from lump coal. [000493].jpg

This shows a culvert I made from a plastic 3/4 inch plastic pipe, cut in half the threads rounded, the hard shell scenery proved to be too messy and laborious for the size of the project I was doing so I went with a resin paper over cardboard webbing system. Very fast and very clean scenery BTW. This fill is using the paper method.
020.jpg
This shows the resin paper down with cheap (very cheap) painter caulk applied liberally at the seams. The next step is to paint full strength water based glue over the paper, I used Elmers carpenter glue, as it resists subsequent water based applications a little better than the White glue does. This is very inexpensive and fast.00018.jpg
After that dries a little or a lot I painted on dirt colored latex paints, while still wet sprinkled the various ground foams and screened dirt, added brush trees and stuff. The dead tress in the background, were meant to show where a fire was in the past, and vegetation beginning to grow back. Still need to ballast that section of track.
011 (2).jpg
Thanks for stopping by!
 
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TOM- Your fill scene with the culvert is very good. Just the right amount of brush and debris showing.
You're going to have to elaborate a little more on the resin paper for me. I have not heard of this: Cost? Where do you get it? and How sturdy is it?
Will it hold up to Grandkids? Probably not ... A manhole cover has a tough time!
 
Great looking layout Tom!
Love that culvert scene too, I just finished my styrofoam base where I'll be doing a similar scene.

Thanks guys,

Rico, I got lucky, those type retaining wall are all over the DRGW.

Roofintrash, Thanks, that culvert was those cheap grey plastic ones, i like cheap when it works, lol.

Sherrel, I will get a post on this soon, it really is simple, light weight, flexible and fairly strong, but not grand kid strong.
 
Tom - I too like the culvert scene. I have also had some time to view some of your videos. It looks like you have a pretty neat layout going. I said in another thread that I also really like the the paint scheme of the Frisco locos. I used to watch them all the time when they were around. While I loosely model Santa Fe, I have an interchange with SLSF where I have a single Frisco loco and caboose...runs 8' in each direction! It's my only non-ATSF power.

Willie
 
Sorry I have been gone so long guy just been busy.
Had an op session yesterday, caught an east bound QA&P train climbing the 1.5% grade. In the second segment where the filming is from atop a hill you can see the train almost stall then pickup speed when it reaches the summit.
Sherrel, I will did up a post on the paper method and post it here,
Thanks for all the comments guys I appreciate it.


https://youtu.be/3TPfFyrprJk

thanks for looking
 
Thanks Sherrel!!
As you well know, never enough trees, you may also notice many of the trees you so graciously donated planted in a few of these scenes.
Thanks my friend!
 
Really enjoyed the video. I must have been sleeping or something as this is the first time I have seen your layout. Quite impressive. You seem to have quite a nice plan. Looking forward to see more of your layout.
 
Thanks for the reply Willie,
My Grandpa was an engineer for the QA&P RY (Owned by SLSF) and they interchanged with the ATSF in Foydada, in my world the QA&P interchanges with ATSF, SP and goes thru to El Paso.

Tom - I too like the culvert scene. I have also had some time to view some of your videos. It looks like you have a pretty neat layout going. I said in another thread that I also really like the the paint scheme of the Frisco locos. I used to watch them all the time when they were around. While I loosely model Santa Fe, I have an interchange with SLSF where I have a single Frisco loco and caboose...runs 8' in each direction! It's my only non-ATSF power.

Willie
 
Thanks Chet!

Really enjoyed the video. I must have been sleeping or something as this is the first time I have seen your layout. Quite impressive. You seem to have quite a nice plan. Looking forward to see more of your layout.
 



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