Logan Valley
- Thread starter montanan
- Start date
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
Don't know which ones you want a photo of, so here's what are in this part of the layout.
The first one is a Genisis F unit
This Sw unit has been around so long that I forget who makes it. I have a couple of them.
The next is a Stewart unit
The last is an old Athearn unit that has been totally reworked. It is about 25 years old. At the time there were no decent or accurate F-7's available so I started with an undecorated shell and custom painted it and used Microscale decals. Details were then added sich as the horns, winterization hatch, spark arrestors, lift rings and such. The old sintered iron wheels were replaced with nickel silver wheels and a can motor replaced the original motor. Constant lighting was added and the front marker lights were drilled out and replaced with fibre optics and they do work. Layout constrution was slow waiting for orders to come so I was working on rolling stack and locomotives while waiting. It is still one great smooth operating locomotive.
Hope that answers you request.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
I like the closeup pics of your locomotives. Thanks for posting them!!!!
Chet , is there a track diagram of your layout anywhere . I really like the switching activity you have, and the pics and videos are wonderful. I don't have a real understanding of how a real railroad works , so while I am in the design stages I thought it might be helpful to see a diagram and then a picture ( kind of put a face with a name sort of thing ) to see where things are starting and ending and why your different options are where they are . Thanks for any help you ( or anybody for that matter ) can offer.
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
I never had an actual track plan, but I did have a plan of what I wanted to do. I'll try to give you an idea of how the layout operates.
It is a point to point layout which was designed for switching. There is a yard and engine facilities at each end of the layout, plus staging tracks which will allow continuous running, but I don't use this option very often.
I'll bring a train in from either end of the layout from the hidden staging tracks. Normally this inbound train simulates a train coming in from either the Northern Pacific at Logan, or the Milwaukee Road at Gallatin Gateway. The train is broken down in either yard and then this inbound freight is taken to one of over 20 industries on the layouts 4 towns on a local freight train. This local also picks up either empties or loaded freight cars and they are taken to either of the 2 yards. These cars are made into an outbound train which will then be taken to the hidden staging tracks as an outbound train.
A railroad need a purpose to exist. Serving customers along its line is the reason. I try to not only send freight cars to the hidden staging (off stage) but also to other industries along the main line. Cattle pens take livestock to a packing house. This generates outbound reefer traffic. I have a small log loading deck which takes logs to a lumber mill. This furnishes lumber to a lumber yard and a furniture factory on the layout as well as shilling them to ponts beyond the layout. There are grain elevators which will take grain to a flour mill on the layout. This generates outbound hopper cars or box cars taking the flour to points beyond the layout.
Inbound freight cars bring need commodities from hidden staging to freight stations. Many people don't realize how important freight stations were. Back in the 50's, there was no UPS or FedEx. In rural areas the local freight station was very important to towns. Anything from food and clothing to tools, appliances, farm equipment, and other basic staples were handled by the freight station. REA, or Railway Express Agency offices were in these freight stations and their trucks would deliver these goods similar to todays UPS. Over the road trucng also wasn't around back then. Sometimes small local trucking companies would work with REA to pick and and deliver goods. Fuel is also brought into distributors to supply gas stations, farmers and industries.
Having grown up in the 50's and also having relatives working on the railroad is probably what inspired me to build this kind of layout. I can remember trips to the freight stations to either pick up or drop off items and seeing the REA trucks all over the place growing up. This is a different type of layout as it focuses on the rail customers. Picking up one or two freight cars at rail customers and transferring them to major railroads to destinations across the country is what railroading is all about.
I am a lone operator as there are no other model railroaders in my area. It would have been nice to have a longer main line run but after a while watchig trains run in circles can get a bit boring for me. A typical operating session can take a coup[le of hours to service the industries on my layout. Thsi is good because as I get older, my attention span isn't what it used to be.
I'll send my freight cars off stage and they'll show up on a long train on a larger layout up in the sky.
I have operated on huge home and club layouts using DCC and having dispatchers just like the real railroads. I really enjoyed this, but due to space limitations and not being independently wealthy, this is the route I took.
They're trains and I enjoy them and try to accomplish what a smaller railroads would have done back in time. Makes me happy. Hope I didn't bore you.
It is a point to point layout which was designed for switching. There is a yard and engine facilities at each end of the layout, plus staging tracks which will allow continuous running, but I don't use this option very often.
I'll bring a train in from either end of the layout from the hidden staging tracks. Normally this inbound train simulates a train coming in from either the Northern Pacific at Logan, or the Milwaukee Road at Gallatin Gateway. The train is broken down in either yard and then this inbound freight is taken to one of over 20 industries on the layouts 4 towns on a local freight train. This local also picks up either empties or loaded freight cars and they are taken to either of the 2 yards. These cars are made into an outbound train which will then be taken to the hidden staging tracks as an outbound train.
A railroad need a purpose to exist. Serving customers along its line is the reason. I try to not only send freight cars to the hidden staging (off stage) but also to other industries along the main line. Cattle pens take livestock to a packing house. This generates outbound reefer traffic. I have a small log loading deck which takes logs to a lumber mill. This furnishes lumber to a lumber yard and a furniture factory on the layout as well as shilling them to ponts beyond the layout. There are grain elevators which will take grain to a flour mill on the layout. This generates outbound hopper cars or box cars taking the flour to points beyond the layout.
Inbound freight cars bring need commodities from hidden staging to freight stations. Many people don't realize how important freight stations were. Back in the 50's, there was no UPS or FedEx. In rural areas the local freight station was very important to towns. Anything from food and clothing to tools, appliances, farm equipment, and other basic staples were handled by the freight station. REA, or Railway Express Agency offices were in these freight stations and their trucks would deliver these goods similar to todays UPS. Over the road trucng also wasn't around back then. Sometimes small local trucking companies would work with REA to pick and and deliver goods. Fuel is also brought into distributors to supply gas stations, farmers and industries.
Having grown up in the 50's and also having relatives working on the railroad is probably what inspired me to build this kind of layout. I can remember trips to the freight stations to either pick up or drop off items and seeing the REA trucks all over the place growing up. This is a different type of layout as it focuses on the rail customers. Picking up one or two freight cars at rail customers and transferring them to major railroads to destinations across the country is what railroading is all about.
I am a lone operator as there are no other model railroaders in my area. It would have been nice to have a longer main line run but after a while watchig trains run in circles can get a bit boring for me. A typical operating session can take a coup[le of hours to service the industries on my layout. Thsi is good because as I get older, my attention span isn't what it used to be.
I'll send my freight cars off stage and they'll show up on a long train on a larger layout up in the sky.
I have operated on huge home and club layouts using DCC and having dispatchers just like the real railroads. I really enjoyed this, but due to space limitations and not being independently wealthy, this is the route I took.
They're trains and I enjoy them and try to accomplish what a smaller railroads would have done back in time. Makes me happy. Hope I didn't bore you.
Last edited by a moderator:
Alan Curtis
Member
Yours sounds like my ideal layout! I would love to live near you, instead of a few thousand miles away
I'm hoppin' a plane now mate, would love to operate on your layout.
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
A little more work has been done in the town of Logan. It is slowly coming together. While in Florida I managed to pick up some scenery items and some Evergreen styrene items to replenish my hoard. Before I continue
, this is a picture of the space just as the town was getting started. For years the piece of plywood where the town was going to be was a catch all for anything and everything. It was finally cleaned off and a rough plan was started, not on paper, but on plywood.
The white package with the number 8 on it, a pair of latex gloves, was a reference point, showing where the passenger station was going to be. Everything was worked into the space from there. Instead of drawing a track plan and trying to get the track to fit the plan, I laid the track down to fit the space. Maybe not the best way to do things, but I am Polish, so I do have an excuse, Polish engineering.
The next picture shows the latest update to the area. A bit of an improvement. A few more sage brush trees were put together and planted, one garage was built and a fence was put uo around the yard area to separate the homes from the yard.
Here are a few more pictures of the area from different angles. There are still a number of details to be added, such as light poles, 1/87 scale people and more.
Looks like Barney Fife is at the cafe getting a doughnut.
Slowly moving ahead. Many projects and not enough time.
, this is a picture of the space just as the town was getting started. For years the piece of plywood where the town was going to be was a catch all for anything and everything. It was finally cleaned off and a rough plan was started, not on paper, but on plywood. The white package with the number 8 on it, a pair of latex gloves, was a reference point, showing
where the passenger station was going to be. Everything was worked into the space from there. Instead of drawing a track plan and trying to get the track to fit the plan, I laid the track down to fit the space. Maybe not the best way to do things, but I am Polish, so I do have an excuse, Polish engineering. The next picture shows
the latest update to the area. A bit of an improvement. A few more sage brush trees were put together and planted, one garage was built and a fence was put uo around the yard area to separate the homes from the yard. Here are a few more pictures of the area from different angles. There are still a number of details to be added, such as light poles, 1/87 scale people and more.
Looks like Barney Fife is at the cafe getting a doughnut.
Slowly moving ahead. Many projects and not enough time.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
Nice layout pic's, Chet. I am about 1/2 Polish and so it is not a surprise that I use a similar approach, however I make a half way drawing. Must be my non Polish half.
Hawkesburytrain
Well-Known Member
I love every pictures of your layout
I know what you mean by so many projects and so little time
Seems like my layout is not progressing, even thought I'm putting so many hours
Very impressive
Thanks for the pictures
I know what you mean by so many projects and so little time
Seems like my layout is not progressing, even thought I'm putting so many hours
Very impressive
Thanks for the pictures
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
I haven't really added anything to the layout recently. A lot of prep work is going on, but I did make another can view 1080p VIDEO with the yard area ground cover down and trees up leaving Logan heading to Churchill. The video again ends at the entrance to the hidden staging area because the camera won't fit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiL7SgH6Wbw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiL7SgH6Wbw
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
Nice cab ride, Chet; I am glad you posted the link!!
Alan Curtis
Member
Excellent video and a great look at the railroad
