Owertown Transit and Other Things

Going in several directions at once. I'm adding colors to the scenery. I mix Rit dye into the drywall compound rather than using paint...

B&O Sharks Rounding Clark's Summit

CNJ Babyface Along the Split River 

The colors are very subtle in the images so it may be hard to see any difference. Rock faces are gray, balance of scenery is green or tan. "Real" scenic materials like grass, dirt and rock carvings will cover this base. Thinking of cutting down that peak towering above the train.

I'm working on wiring turnouts using sub-mini DPDT switches. I've been doing this at the workbench. The idea is to create an assembly I can drop into place...

Switch Throw Wiring

Switch Throw Support

The turnouts in the photos are Atlas, but most will be hand laid. The plan calls for over 40 so the cost of "store bought" turnouts would be prohibitive.

Freight cars are readily avaible since they can originate from any road. I need more local equipment from the modeled roads. The AE suffers from a dearth of more passenger equipment. The cars on hand are lettered for Illinois Central, AT&SF and Burlington. I stripped most of them so they can be repainted for LV, PRR, B&O etc...

Passenger Equipment

That jug in the background is brake fluid. I've found that on this batch I can leave them soak for days without damaging the plastic. I don't warm it up as some suggest. The fluid has been reused over and over and over.

I got a chance to paint some equipment for the Owertown Traction Co. The "expansive" roster includes a PCC car and a Transit bus. The PCC is a lowered Bachmann. The bus is one of Brian Federoff's excellent resin models...

O'Town Mockup

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Average Eastern Railroad

Update

Rather than spend so much time writing about it, I thought I should spend more time actually building the layout. Hence the long delay since my last post.

Quite a few things have happened over the intervening interval. The Average Eastern has "downsized". A problem arose in accessing some of the garage storage and the narrow aisles finally got to me. I shaved off two of the tables, reducing the overall size from 15 x 15 to 15 x 9. The plan went from this...

Previous Version

Downsized

While I lost a lot of real estate quite alot of the character of the layout survived. The east end was reduced dramatically. There is still an interchange, but it's suggested rather than functional. The change enabled the addition of a fairly large colliery and a second turntable. The industrial section of Quotidian remained intact. The yard, howecer, has been rlocated to Owertown. Owertown itself is about half its former size but still retains all of its industries.

Presently all of the scenery is roughed in with all the land forms in place. Rather than talk you to death I'll just post some images with captions.

AVERAGE

Unchanged from its previous design, Average is still the main facility with a functional interchange and engine facilities.

Average Eastern Equipment. 2-8-0 #12, Gas Electric #4 and sundry Cabeese

Reading Peddler Passes Through Average

#12 Backs into the Enginehouse While #4 Waits to be Turned

Same Scene From Behind #4

Overall View of West End of Average Yard

OWERTOWN

Arch Bridge Over Split River, Looking Towards Clark's Summit 

Owertown Yard and Sidings

Owertown Transit Crossings

Bridges Over Llanerch Creek

QUOTIDIAN

Quotidian is rather flat and there's not much to show. Sidings are in place, but no turnouts or structures yet.

Quotidian Grade and Bridges

Quotidian, Split River Side

ALONG THE SPLIT

Previously the Split River was inferred by the aisle. Now the Split runs between the two railroads with tracks following the course of the river. It's a little hard to see but you may get the idea.

Looking East Along the River

Looking West

EAST END / CARBON POINT

After tunneling through Gateway Point, the Average Eastern reaches its eastern terminus, the yard, interchange and colliery at Carbon Point.

Carbon Point, Interchange at Left, Colliery to the Right

There is now enough room at East End for a second turntable. Motive power will be turned for the westbound trip.

The DCC bus and controls are installed. The electrical bus is also in place with feeder every five feet or so. Turnout polarity and position will be controlled by sub-mini SPDT switches.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Average Eastern Railroad