More Progress

Didn't want to post until I had some substantial progress to show. I've been working on the cardboard "matrix" that supports the scenery. I've been able to rough in quite a bit of the layouts terrain...

Average

The "hills" at Average are a bit taller than I had envisioned, but the higher elevation was required by the addition of the separate two track loop. One unexpected result; the additional height creates a view block between Average and the rest of the layout. Makes it seem larger without having to resort to the backdrops I want to avoid.

More serendipity. I had to buy a 4' x 8' slab of 2" thick foam for a home project. Part of the leftovers found a home in Owertown...

Owertown

Some of the terrain I've been working on includes creeks and other water courses...

Ower Road Bridge Over Tacannee Creek

Another chunk of that slab went to Alpha where the Average Eastern crosses West Llanerch Creek...

West Llanerch Creek Bridge

East of Alpha the AE follows Iriquois Creek to Lake Elsinore...

Iriquois Creek and Lake Elsinore

The railroad runs along the shore of the lake and crosses East Llanerch Creek on a combination stone arch and steel girder bridge before entering Quotidian...

Girder Bridge Under Constructon

I pasted a new drawing in place on the Quotidian slab. Although I don't currently have the turnouts constructed I still laid track at various industries...

Quotidian

Just east of Quotidian the AE travels over and parallel to the four track tunnel...

Four Track Tunnel

Before reaching East End the little line passes Carbon Point and runs above the two track tunnel...

Carbon Point

Two Track Tunnel

I haven't done much work to East End, but I have been building up the mountain where the two mainlines cross. The empty inside suggested a natural name for it...

Hollow Mountain at Average

Making the two Class 1 mainlines generic gives me the opportunity to model a variety of railroads. My locomotive roster includes two bare DL109 mechanisms. I was able to buy a set of these ALCo shells off E-Bay...

DL109 Shells

The goal is to paint two of them for the New Haven and run them on the two track...

Future New Haven Units

I would like to use the other shells to create models of a very rare ALCo freight unit. In 1945 the company built an A-B-A set of  demonstrators. Although officially designated DL-202 (A unit) and DL-203 (B unit) the set got nicknamed "Black Maria" because of the rather somber paint scheme...

Black Maria

The locomotive was tested on the D&H, the New Haven and the Bangor & Aroostook. Before the tests were finished, ALCo introduced the FA. The FA went into production in 1946. The three demonstrators were scrapped in 1947.

That's all for now.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Average Eastern Railroad