Two Steps Forward, One Back

Allegheny Eastern Trackplan

The helix has been designed, but once again I have put the cart before the horse. While the materials to build the helix are at hand (5mm plywood underlayment on sale at Lowes) the track required for the helix will be a long time coming. 128 feet of code 55 flex is about 52 thirty inch long sections. At over $4 a pop it'll cost over $200. Aside from price considerations, the annual Christmas "deadline" is looming. The trains need to be operating before the grandkids visit over the holidays.

For the time being the helix will be bypassed by a straight and level, but temporary, connection between Gallitzin and East Altoona. I won't elevate any trackage until the helix is set in place sometime in the future. Because of the realignment there is a bit more running room in this area, but not the scale mile the helix will provide.

Altoona Benchwork

 I incorporated Dave Smith's yard design into the Allegheny Eastern track plan as best I could. It still needs some work but I have a general idea of where the main lines will run on the new extension. The passenger mains still run separately from the yard, although they have been relocated to make room for some "scenery" to separate Altoona from The Curve.. The yard is separated into two "halves" on either side of  the freight mains. I was also able to tuck the engine terminal, caboose, MOW and RIP tracks into a corner. All of this will be finalized after the mains are relocated and trains are running again. The bench work under Altoona has been extended by building a 15 foot long bookcase to support the tabletop. I recycled the cheap bookcases from my office/library/spare bedroom. I laid the bookcases on their side and stacked them. Some extra particle board shelves were added at either end. Pressure treated 2x4's (cheaper than untreated) were used to build a base and bring the height up to match the rest of the benchwork. I didn't bother to mount the bookcase on casters, the total weight of all my books would make the thing immovable even with wheels. The bookcase will house the rather large amount of railroad related literature I've collected including several decades of  Model Railroader and Rail Model Craftsman. It will also serve as the location for the main control panel for the layout.

Altoona

While the Altoona extension adds only a additional 12 inches to the width of the layout, that's quite a bit of real estate in N scale. The available space for the yards is now about 24" wide and 15 feet long. The photo to the right shows the extent of the new section. The freight mains have yet to be relocated to the new route. The passenger mains will be realigned further to the left. The  The area in the foreground is "East Altoona", now wide enough to accommodate the engine terminal where it actually belongs. There still isn't enough space for a full circle roundhouse like the prototype, but it will still be a fair size installation. Something equivalent to the PRR roundhouse at Crestline, Ohio.

"West" Altoona

The extra width also allows expansion of the city portion of Altoona at the west end of the yard. Since the passenger main will move further "south" from its current location the city scape can be expanded a few blocks in that direction. The realignment will also provide additional room for the Altoona freight house and adjacent tracks. The prototype installation handled quite a bit of express and LCL freight and should add some interesting operation to the layout. I'm hoping that I can also extend the Altoona & Logan Valley traction lines to East Altoona.

Gallitzin

The main lines have not been relocated just yet, and there is new track to be laid between Gallitzin and East Altoona. This is the "temporary" connection until the helix is complete. I also need to reconnect the relocated section "east" of Tunnel Hill to the main line coming off the west side of Horseshoe Curve. I'm hoping to have the work completed and resume operations in the next week or so. It won't be complete by any means, but the grandkids don't seem to mind. Their eyes will still get big as saucers watching multiple trains making their way around the garage. Their happy faces have rekindled the wonder of this hobby for me more than anything else.