This has nothing to do with model railroads per se, but I couldn't help myself. Saw this in the parking lot when attending my granddaughter's dance recital...
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| Ford COE |
High "cool quotient" in that ride. Not sure of the exact year but '39 to '41 seems close enough.
As for the layout, the more I deal with these construction methods the more I like them. I don't have to be afraid of tearing up and redoing a section. After the first loop of track was permanently fastened down I encountered serious derailment issues. There were two sections of roadbed that were definite trouble. One was at Clark's Summit where a defect in the roadbed caused the super-elevation to become excessive. The Erie test unit kept flopping over. The other problem occurred inside Hollow Mountain. I used 1" thick Styrofoam when I revised the roadbed and it doesn't flex as well as I like. The result was not a smooth sweeping curve. I redid the roadbed using laminated 1/2" strips...
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| Revised Roadbed In Hollow Mountain |
Of course to get at the curve I had to peel away the mountain. A few quick slices took care of that. I also cut away the roadbed in the tracks above. They're as easy to replace as the mountain itself.
This modification also allowed me to realign the approaches to the tunnel through the mountain. Based on a few influences, like the Pennsy's penchant for twin tunnels, I used two bores at each end. I was able to provide smooth curves at both places...
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| Four Track West Portal |
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| Four Track East Portal |
As for the problem at Clark's summit the only way to resolve it properly was to make sure the roadbed was level. While I was at it I went over all the roadbed for the four track spreading a viscous mixture of gypsum with a brush...
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| Resurfaced Roadbed, Clark's Summit |
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| Resurfaced Roadbed, Average |
Once the gypsum dries I'll check the roadbed and make adjustments. The cork will then be glued in place and track relaid. A test train will be run as the track goes down to make sure things are what they should be.
Regards,
Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget
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The Average Eastern Railroad
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