New Portage

One of the "features" of the redesigned Tunnel Hill area is the bridge that carries the eastward mains over the New Portage branch. The branch was originally part of the New Portage Railroad constructed in the 1850's by the state of Pennsylvania. At that time the Allegheny Portage Railroad used incline planes with tow ropes to surmount the Alleghenies. The New Portage Railroad bypassed the inclines and provided an rail route over the summit. The Pennsylvania purchased the New Portage and used it until its own route over Horseshoe Curve was completed. The New Portage was abandoned in 1857. The right of way was reopened in 1904 as a bypass for freight traffic. The route had its own 180 degree curve similar to Horseshoe, called Muleshoe. The branch was abandoned for the second time in 1981, this time by Consolidated Rail.

New Portage Branch

Part of the latest revision to the Allegheny Eastern is  the inclusion of the New Portage branch (or at least the suggestion of it). This required the construction of a set of stone arch and girder bridges and a grade to get the eastward trains over the branch. In the photo to the left a class AS16 hauls a MOW car on the branch while a EP22 hauls a local the wrong way on the eastward main. Nothing is running right now, the shot is staged. I was checking clearances under the bridge with the Alco and the boxcar. Vertical tolerance is tight to keep eastward grade down to 1.5%.

Eastward Grade Roadbed

The grade itself is constructed of laminated strips of extruded foam covered with ballast strip. The entire assembly is held together with tacky glue and then weighted and clamped into position until the glue sets. This is the eastward freight main. The ballast strip directly adjacent on the right is the location of the eastward passenger main which is now in place and setting up. The the eastward mains are carried over the branch by two separate but identical stone and steel bridges. The real bridge was a single concrete span and quite a bit different. I used some Atlas viaduct and bridge kits I had on hand and got creative.

Wide View of Tunnel Hill Area

The wide view on the left shows the progress on the revised area. The branch runs under the eastward mains and connects to the westward mains via a wye switch. The second eastward main runs adjacent to the first with a slight separation at the bridges. Beyond the wye switch will be the west portals of the twin tunnels. The curved foam piece just beyond that is a template for the helper loop. It will run uphill to join the eastward mains where the white box sits. Way off to the far left is the future location of the Gallitzin "industrial area". Between the helper loop and the branch will be Tunnel Hill and the town of Gallitzin itself.

As I mentioned earlier the eastward freight main is in place and I'm waiting for the glue to set up. I hope to complete the grade and install the remainder of the ballast strip for the mainline over the next few days. Track will be laid and there is a good chance trains will be moving again later this week.

Morphing Yet Again!

While working on the layout today I realized that maybe there is a method to my madness. The Allegheny Eastern is constantly in a state of flux. I try out new ideas as I go along and if I like what I see I apply it to other areas of the layout. The design evolves as I work on it. This morphing is possible because of the construction methods used. The sub-roadbed is 5mm plywood and gives support and stability to the half-inch extruded (blue) foam. Both the foam and the plywood can be cut with a utility knife. The blue foam is glued to the plywood with DAP acrylic caulk and can be easily removed with use of a wide blade putty knife. The ballast strip is then attached to the blue foam using "tacky glue" used in scrap booking. The glue is similar to what is used on post-it notes. It holds the ballast strip firmly in place but still allows me to pull it up and relocate it. The track is held in place by mechanical means, half-inch wire nails inserted every 4 inches or so. This wire nails are easily removed whenever necessary and are really a temporary fastener. When the track is ready to be affixed permanently, the ballast and glue will secure it.

Long sections of track can be pulled up and relocated rather quickly. Laying it down takes a bit longer, especially if I have to add new sections and pre-drill the holes for the nails. Even that goes rather quickly. A few hours work and the track is relocated and fastened down firmly enough for trains to run again. It's rather like relaying sectional track on a table top, just a little more sophisticated.

You might think this would be a bad way to do things, Normally a person might build a layout and learn some lessons and techniques they can apply to the next layout. The next project incorporates the lessons learned and the result is a better model railroad. This takes several years and a number of layouts. The All East works pretty much the same except that it's "one" layout. The lessons learned don't wait for the next layout. They are incorporated into the current project. The layout "morphs" as the design crystalizes.

The recent rework is a prime example. After running trains for a while I saw things I wanted to change. That's when the 8' x 5' extension came into being. By using more of the garage I was able to add space for a huge helix and more operating possibilities. By adding an extra foot of width to the Altoona area I was able to redesign the yards and include the East Altoona service facilities.

This redesign of Altoona led to still another improvement. After creating the sweeping curves for the mains in this part of the layout, it occurred to me that I could realign all the curves on the layout and increase the minimum radius. I had wanted to do this after I noticed that some of the longer diesels and eight coupled steamers didn't seem to operate as well as they should on the tighter curves. This realignment doesn't require any drastic benchwork revisions. It's simply a matter of adding a few inches to the radius of some curves and relocating others so they "flow" better. I'm also taking the opportunity to widen Horseshoe Curve, making sure it doesn't interfere with the helix by placing the mockup in position on the benchwork.

Tim Muirs Virtual Pacific Electric

I'm also able to incorporate design ideas that I have stumbled upon from unsuspected sources. While I have track charts and photos up the wazoo, there are just some portions I couldn't find enough information on. Then about a week or so ago I was surfing for screen shots from the various train simulators. I use them as screen savers on my computers. The guys who create these "virtual" layouts are artists in a whole 'nother media. Many of them resemble paintings and in some cases I have had them framed as artwork. The screenshot on the right was taken from Tim Muir's Pacific Electric. The layout was created using Microsoft's Train Simulator.

Trainz Layout of Glen White Branches

Anyway, a fellow is modeling the same section of the PRR I am, but using the Trainz Simulator program. I don't know his name but he uses the handle "cascaderailroad" and claims to be 95 years old and living at Vostok Base in Antartica! The pictures of the track layout he posted clarified quite a few things I had been wondering about. He has modeled the Glen White branches that ran up either side of Kittaning Point. None of  the photographs I have of this area shows this arrangement as clearly as this virtual version. It's easy to see how the two branches through Burgoon Run connected on the west side of the curve. The track on the east side is the Baker Run branch and includes the spur to the old coaling station at Kittaning. Even the depot, interlocking and freight station are shown!

Virtual Altoona Freight Station

He has also modeled the freight house yard in Altoona with its paired tracks and platforms. I have a photograph of this area but it doesn't really show the orientation of the freight station and tracks to the main line. Here it's very clear. The Altoona train shed appears in the upper center of the picture.

The simulator can model the entire PRR installation at Altoona and that is what has been done. I found screen shots of the yards, the interlockings, tower locations and a myriad of other details.

Looking East From Tunnel Hill

One area I really couldn't visualize is Tunnel Hill. There really isn't any camera view large enough, just bits and pieces showing individual details. I learned more from the one view at the right then I had in months of research. The eastward and westward tracks are at different elevations. Westward trains can use either tunnel and the "New Portage" branch (Hollidaysburg) passes under the eastward tracks. I've been dissatisfied with the east approach to the twin tunnels since I first laid them out. Now I'm in the process of modifying this area of the layout too.

Tunnel Hill, Reimagined

I completely rebuilt the "west" end of the layout tore up all the track and ballast strip and laid a new top and foam. Then I started redesigning the area based on the new information. The curves are wider on all tracks. I moved the twin bores further apart and shortened the planned length of all three tunnels. I also included the New Portage branch, though I still have to work out the exact position. I plan to elevate the eastward mains and a stone and girder bridge over the branch. The branch will be long enough to store a short train. There is also some room to build a siding for an industry.

Gallitzin Loop

One other place I'm wasn't satisfied with is Gallitzin. for one, the helper loop was actually two tracks. On my track charts from the 30's the tracks are labeled for Altoona and Johnstown. Helpers were working in both directions and turned on this loop to return to their respective bases. I don't intend to incorporate the helper operations on the west slope, but I would like to suggest they exist by modeling the second track. Perhaps I could park a dummy K4s on the Johnstown loop. Those additional sidings look tempting too. The signal and tower locations are also details I would like to incorporate.

Gallitzin, Revised

On this side of Tunnel Hill I kept the westward mains separated. They come together just as they begin to descend the planned helix. The helix will actually run under part of the section shown in the photo at right. The helper loop is further "east" than it formerly was. and will have two tracks.

There is also more room in this area than before. I plan to add industrial sidings in the lower right hand corner. I may also consider "industrializing" the area between the mains. This would add local freight trains to the scheme of things. This should complicate operations enough to make things interesting.

"Portage" Branch

The New Portage branch will pass under this bridge (after the mains are elevated) and stop at the end of the benchwork. There are no plans to expand it, I'm out of garage. In a kind of staging operation a train will hold on this track periodically to simulate traffic up and down the branch. I'm mulling over the idea of placing an industry in this corner. Eventually the helix will be in place and this entire area will be elevated six inches or so above the benchwork. For the time being, however, the world is flat and that bridge will be the highest point of the layout.

Modeling Altoona

PRR Standard Roundhouse

With the general arrangement of the mainline complete in other parts I started to revise the Altoona section of the layout. I laid out code 55 flex to get the new locations of the mains and yard tracks. I also began mocking up the service facilities in East Altoona. There is no room for a full 360 degree roundhouse so I thought I could get away with a 180 degree building like the one at Crestline. I made copies of the PRR standard and cut and pasted (the old analog way) together a 25 stall facility. Unfortunately the prototype tracks to each stall are about the same length as the turntable. The resulting semi-circle requires too much real estate. The building will fit on the layout, but only by moving the mains back towards Horseshoe Curve. Some separation between these two areas was part of the reason for the layout expansion so this would have been a step backwards.

East Altoona Roundhouse

I revised the roundhouse plan by creating one from scratch using Microsoft Visio. I spaced seventeen tracks at 10 degrees. By using some of the dimensions from a plan of the Crestline roundhouse I ended up with this freelance design. I shortened the tracks to each stall considerably. The roundhouse fits better due to some "selective compression". Somehow, however, I got the dimensions wrong front to back. The building is too "shallow", measuring only about 60 feet or so. It should be at least 120 feet deep, about the same length as the turntable.

East Altoona "Mock-Up"

In the mock-up this is readily apparent by the fact that none of the 2-8-2's or the 4-8-4 fits within the building outline. The turntable itself will be just long enough to hold the 4-8-4 (and maybe someday a 4-4-4-4).  The roundhouse is currently located in such a way that stalls 7 thru 11 (counter clockwise) will be "cutaway" and open to the viewer. The edge of the layout cuts across at this point. Since East Altoona is the part of the layout most folks will see first I may have to do some interior detail. We'll see what happens when I get around to constructing the roundhouse itself. 

Glen White Shay

The actual roundhouse will be built large enough to actually shelter the bigger engines. Only the Glen White Shay fits within the lines of the building in the drawing. You can see this limits the use of these stalls to short switchers. Those Mikados on the left and right are dangerously close to going over the edge and hurling 700 scale feet straight down. One thing for sure, there will have to be a clear acrylic "wall" in this area. Besides the danger of running an engine off the layout, there is always the chance of little fingers going astray.

Diesel House?

To the  right of the roundhouse I plan to model a diesel house and service facility for all the "growlers" on the property. Although there was no such animal at Altoona, I'm invoking artistic license. Many railroads built brand new structures for the repair and maintenance of their "cutting edge" technology. The first generation cab and hood units were still new and shiny and railroads tried to keep them that way. In front of the diesel house I plan to model a fuel facility. If space allows I may even include a place to wash the grime off.

Altoona Yard Layout

I had laid out the yard tracks earlier to find out exactly where the main lines would run. There are five tracks for the eastward yard and five for the westward yard. The freight mains run between the two and are elevated on foam ballast strip. The two passenger mains run to the right of the eastward yard, also elevated on foam ballast strip. After laying out this section of yard I was able to see for sure that there was more space available between the yard area and the approach tracks to Horseshoe (under all those freight cars). Once I had established the locations of all these tracks I shifted my attention to East Altoona. I needed to make sure the tracks would flow smoothly between these two locations.

Freight Main & Roundhouse Approach

With the engine terminal in place I created a sweeping curve into the yard on the eastward main. Both freight mains will follow this line while the passenger mains curve tighter to the right towards that jar of ballast in the distance. Once again I wanted to make sure that there was a certain amount of separation between this area and Horseshoe Curve (also under all those freight cars).

The track immediately to the left of the main is the "bypass" track. This enables locomotives to get to the service facilities without using the turntable. You may be able to see that it skims the pit by a just few feet. Most model railroads don't include this feature and I thought it was a good idea. Locomotives don't always need repairs, just coal and water. Eastward and westward locomotives will be able to use this track when accessing the service area.

Altoona Yard Looking East

Another view to the left shows how the mains will look from about the center of Altoona yard. You can see the foam ballast strips that support the mainline. Everything else in this area is at "ground level" directly on the styrofoam and will be ballasted with cinders. Because of the extended benchwork it is now possible to put some scenery between the passenger mains and "The Hill". I'm hoping I can squeeze the A&LV through there too. The trolleys stopped at East Altoona for shop employees.

M Class Being Turned at East Altoona

These last couple of pictures are just for fun. To the left an "M1" is being turned to stall 17 for some much needed work on its superstructure. A DCC equipped Bachmann 4-8-4, the locomotive will receive the boiler, trailing truck and other parts from a Trix K4s. The tender will be modified into a PRR long distance unit. The L2s in the stall is a Model Power unit and also needs work. Not sure what will become of it just yet...it's a poor runner for several reasons. I may modify it so it bears a closer resemblance to a real Pennsy L2s and use it in helper service.

Oops!

Not all has gone well with the layout expansion. Witness this wrecked wreck crane! The poor thing was minding its own business over in West Altoona when a huge 2" x 4" slammed into the table. I was reconstructing the shelving in the garage and managed to drop the lumber on my wreck train. The crane and a tool car are both damaged. Bunk car to the right of the busted boom survived unscathed. Despite this accident the garage walls are now open on all sides to a height of 90 inches. Next comes prep and sky blue paint. Yes, I do know most people would have done this before building the layout. My techniques are a bit unorthodox, but some things occur to me gradually. I really cannot visualize all this stuff ahead of time. It just sort of happens as I go along. Regardless of all the labor involved by redoing things I find it works for me.

L1s

L1s lounges in roundhouse stall 1 while another Mikado rests in stall 3. The other 2-8-2 (#3303) is a Kato model waiting for its GHQ conversion. Layout construction has taken precedence over modeling and there are several locomotive conversions on the back burner. Besides the M1 a BP20 and a BF15 are also in the works. There is also a slew of freight and passenger cars slated for repainting and backdating.

No rush, this is a hobby after all. Only deadline is to get the mains back in service before grandkids Audrey and Jonah show up in a few weeks.

Half a mile of bookcase

Expanded Altoona

At 15 feet, the new bookcase under Altoona yard measures a scale half mile long. The yard area is now 24" wide. I relocated the mains by cutting the foam roadbed and moving the entire assembly onto the expanded benchwork. The track alignment seen at left is only temporary, however, so trains could be run for grandchildren. You can see that there is now quite a bit of space between the passenger mains and the mainline approaching The Curve. The freight  mains are currently near their final location through the center of the yard. This entire area is currently being reworked to fit the latest track plan. The foam roadbed you see here has already been replaced and will be the subject of a later article.

Latest Track Plan

The new yard is quite a bit different from Dave Smith's plan, although I did try to adapt the idea of separate receiving and departure tracks. The yard is now split into two sections separated by the freight mains. Left of the mains is the "eastward" section. To the right is the "westward" section. At the lower end of the yard (east on the layout) is the East Altoona roundhouse and steam locomotive service area. The three tracks to the left of the roundhouse are a proposed diesel house and service facility. The full circle roundhouse used at the real location will be replace with a semi-circle patterned after the facility at Crestline, Ohio. The helix showed at the lower right will not be completed for some time. Gallitzin and East Altoona are "temporarily" connected by a straight section of four track main.

I had thought of widening The Curve somewhat but the space between the yard and the helix prohibits any adjustment  in that area. I  would like to realign all the curves to an 18" minimum on the inner track, but that may not be possible.

Trains were running for Christmas, although they were very short "test" consists (locomotive an caboose) on all four tracks. My grandsons Lucas and Andrew didn't seem to mind. Once I told Andrew that the Glen White Shay was a logging locomotive like Ferdinand (from Thomas the Tank Engine "Misty Island Rescue") the little sidewinder became the star attraction. Andrew is the biggest railfan in the family (next to me) and like his grandfather is obsessed with the Iron Horse in any form. Lucas, while not as rabid as Andrew and I, still loves trains and likes to watch them run. Despite the unfinished state of the layout, it was still a hit and we spent a couple hours watching them run over the mainline.

The track in the yard area is now torn up and the new roadbed has been laid. The mainline should be open for operations again by the time the second wave of grandkids visits later this month.

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.

Helix!

World's Largest N Scale Helix?

In our last discussion I was ranting on about grades and helixes and what not. The only real way to see if this idea would work was to mock up the beast shown at left using some foam board I had purchased for backdrops. With a 30" minimum radius this massive construct is almost six feet across. You can see that it takes up most of our family room. Fortunately the garage is a tad larger. The wide curves were necessary to produce the 1.6% grade I feel my locomotives can handle. I won't actually know if this is true until I lay track and run a few trains up that slope. My quartet of Baldwin "sharks" are typically assigned a twenty car train on level track. Hopefully they can make it up the hill with the same train.

Allegheny Eastern Track Plan

You can see from the floor plan to the right that the helix is a major component of the layout. The green lines represent the "east slope" of the Alleghenies and the scenery will reflect that. Gallitzin and its helper loop are level trackage and are shown in black. The red lines indicate the west slope (the helix) between Gallitzin and Cresson and points west. On the layout these tracks actually connect to the east end of Altoona and as such represent connections to points east. The helix tracks are long enough to serve double duty as staging tracks, but there is no plan to use them as such. Trains may "hold" on the helix while traffic through Altoona clears the tracks but only temporarily. I know staging is recommended for realistic operation, but I have opted to try another idea. A possible staging solution used on yet another N scale "Horseshoe Curve" based layout can be found in the October 2011 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist. Currently, I don't see the major difference between staged trains and the "orbiting" trains I'll be using on the Allegheny Eastern. Staging does allow each train to be unique in consist and the use of prototypical consist for a particular train at a given time. Unfortunately, only so many staging tracks can be provided. Either way the layout runs a limited amount of trains per operating session. I want to create the impression of a large number of trains passing over the hill, not necessarily duplicate the exact car and consist of each train.

While reading the July 2011 issue of  Model Railroad Hobbyist, I came across an extensive article on building "helixi". The helix in the article by Art Houston is quite tall. Way back when I thought the All East would be multi-level I could have used it as is. The construction technique can be used for any height helix. I like the idea of the laminated and staggered joints, but the "wastage" caused by using quarter turns of plywood goes against my grain.Still, the article caused me to rethink my own design. The trapezoid panels waste less lumber in one sense because they are straight. On the other hand the design makes them larger than what is actually required to carry the track.

By splitting the loops into ten 36 degree sections I was able to get the entire helix on one 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. I tried smaller trapezoids in several redesigns but wasn't satisfied. Each section still required too much width and required multiple sheets of plywood. I followed Art's idea of curved sections, but stayed with 10 per loop. I was able to get all 20 sections required for the entire helix on one sheet. I wasn't planning on using Art's overlapping joints, however, because the plywood at Home Depot run's about $20 a sheet. Serendipity stepped in at that point...I found the 1/4" plywood underlayment on sale at a local Lowes for about $11 a sheet so the redesigned helix will be laminated with staggered joints. The real helix will cost less than the mockup!

With the laminated panels the helix is 1/2" thick, more than strong enough to support the N scale trains and scenery. There is still 2 1/2" of clearance between loops making it easy to access the track and trains in the event of a derailment or repair. A major cost will be the track itself. The price of code 55 flex track has risen since I started the layout and is now about $4 or so for a 30" section. The four tracks in the helix will require over 100 sections! It might be possible to save money by using code 80 on this part of the layout, but it doesn't look promising. Last I checked the code 80 was just as expensive.

Changes in the Offing

Work on the Allegheny Eastern has been at a total standstill. Life keeps getting in the way. This hasn't been a total loss, however, because sometimes these long pauses allow time for better ideas. Two major design elements have been modified.

THE HELIX

Helix

The minimum radius has been changed from 18 inches to 30. There are two reasons for this. The primary purpose is to allow enough trackage to provide a gentler grade between Gallitzin and East Altoona. Grades are measured in percentage. a 1% grade rises 1 inch vertically for every 100 horizontal inches. A 2% grade is pretty steep in railroad terms and the design engineers goal is to stay below that. This is also true for model railroads. I want the grade of the helix to be less than 2%.

The problem with a helix is not just the total climb between end points. Since the loops of the helix are directly above each other there needs to be space between each level to allow the for the height of the sub-roadbed, the roadbed, the track and any trains that use the helix. In N scale you could figure 2 inches or less for this clearance. I prefer to add some additional room for easier access to the track and trains. So on this helix I set the vertical clearance to 3". By using a 30" radius I am able to reduce the required grade to about 1.6%. The helix will climb a total of 6 inches using two loops 188 inches in length. This is a total of 356 inches or about 31 feet (almost a mile in N scale at 1:160 to 1). Not only do I get a gentle grade, I get an extra scale mile of main line run. The wide curves also make for better performance for my passenger trains and long freights.

The second reason for the wide curves is purely esthetic. An 80 foot passenger car looks a lot better rounding a 30 inch curve. If I had the space I would set all the mainline curves to a 30" minimum radius.

ALTOONA

Altoona

I wasn't satisfied with the overall design for Altoona until I discovered David Smith's plan for Ridgely Yard. His idea looked more like what I had envisioned for the yard area. I like the fact that the separate freight yards give me the general "feel" of the Altoona freight yards. I modified Dave's plan with additional tracks for the passenger mains.  By flipping the plan around I was able to keep the engine terminal between the passenger and freight mains in East Altoona. The result will be a fair sized roundhouse and facilities. I'm hoping to create an overall impression of a large Pennsy installation.

This redesign requires the Altoona side of the layout be extended 12". I had originally thought I would just extend the benchwork another foot on cantilever supports. Having had some time away from the project it occurred to me that this wasn't the best idea. One of the things I wanted to do with the layout was create a place for a rather extensive collection of railroad related books and magazines. I was going to create shelves or something below the Altoona area for this purpose, but never really decided on a solution. Now the plan is to create three 60 inch long bookcases about 48 inches high that will support the Altoona extension. This will look much better than just 2"x4" legs with some shelves. It will also provide a space to display my railroad memorabilia and other knick-knacks. The main control panel for the layout will also be located in this area.

All in all the lack of progress allowed me to work out a few details and come up with improvements. Maybe it's a good idea to walk away from the hobby every now and then. Maybe you get too close to a thing. Whoever said "you can't see the forest for the trees" might have been a model railroader.