QuoteGreat looking trestle, Mark.  Can that tiny Rio Grande engine really pull all those wagons?

Thanks, Jeff.

To be honest I don't know yet.  Probably on the flat.  The wagons are quite light and extremely free running.  I would imagine the 4% grade might be a little taxing.  I was looking at how I could do away with the loop, make the layout point to return loop, and lower the gradient to around 2.5%.  It is possible (although a hell of a lot of messy, double handling work) but it kind of creates as many problems as it fixes.  It also means there would be about 6" less vertical displacement.  In the end I decided to carry on with the 4% grade.  Geared locos, shorter trains.  Perhaps trains will need to be pushed up hill and pulled downhill to stop runaway derailed wagons.  I can tell you from testing my trackwork with a short rake of cars - they sure do get up some serious speed!

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteBeautiful work on the trestle Mark...that's going to be quite a scene. The complexity of the benchwork is certainly intriguing as I try to envision the dramatic scenery to follow.

Thanks, Cuse.

I'm planning on having the river split into two streams coming under the trestle.  The river that flows to this point will have to be lowered.  At the moment I have 16mm MDF screwed (but not glued) to the top of the joists for the riverbed.  In order to allow enough height for the Micro Engineering tall towers to fit under the higher track (just past the spur to the snowy river battery) I need to lower the MDF to be flush with the top of the joists.  A bit more cutting and fitting to do yet.  The river then falls about 3 inches to the lowered section that the trestle sits on.  I carefully plotted out the position of all the piles and set my plunge router to the correct depth and routed slightly larger holes for the piles to fit into.  It was a mare to get the piles into all those holes (40, I think) and so I have attached the track to the bridge at both ends and will try to scenic around the bridge in position.  We will see how that goes.  It was a super elevated bridge on a 28" radius curve at a 3% grade.  You can't build them much more difficult that that!  To be honest I'm amazed it fitted as well as it did...

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteHello Mark, what great progress you are making on your empire. You have a lot of mountain building to do, can't wait to see it.

Thanks, Jeff.

Yes - it will be nice to get into forming up the mountain scenery.  Hopefully I will get to some of that later this year.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi again...

Photo 5 - shows a heisler and two of the hoppers mocked up on the bridge.  I used Micro Engineering code 70 bridge track.


Photo 6 - shows the view through the bridge to the Builders in Scale Silverado mine.


Photo 7 - is looking down on this section of the layout.  There will be a tunnel mouth just to the left of the bridge, and at the right the gradient flattens for the passing loop at Malcolm.


Photo 8 - shows the view through the bridge to the track snaking its way to the Silverado mine.  This track is now laid too.


More soon, cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

So I bought some more Australian, New South Wales rolling stock.  These are about ten years too modern for my period, but 'oh well'.  They come in four packs and these sets are always limited runs and always seem to sell out.  I bought two 10 packs of coal hoppers and was planning to get one more ten pack with hungry boards and they all sold out.  Such a shame as I really wanted that random look of a few here and there with hungry boards.  So I got five cattle wagons, four sheep wagons and three dairy wagons.  Here are three pictures of the train in the passing siding at Ellery.  I have laid the track work and installed the turnouts through here now.  All curved track is cantilevered.  The photos should show a nice flowing curve - I tried hard to get one!






Here is the second bridge for Shadowlands.  This is the one I had to partially rebuild after Wilbur escaped from his crate in the middle of the night and among other antics, knocked over the table on which my bridge was being built.  My original plan was to have a micro Engineering tall steel viaduct with height extensions, but when I got to the track bed stage I discovered I didn't have anywhere near enough height.  I lowered the baseboard as much as I could and the river bed is now directly fixed to the module bearers.  I have plans for the tall steel viaduct elsewhere, but without the height extensions. 


More in a sec, cheers, Mark.

QuoteGreat modeling here, my friend. I agree, the ridge cap is perfect.

Thanks, John.

It is fiddly.  On my third corrugated roof for this complex I had to have two attempts as my first one went a bit skew whiff!  There is no rescuing those kind of fragile double sided tape pieces and I had to make up a new ridge capping.  All went well the second time around.

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteHello Mark, I'm very impressed with all of the progress you are making on this very interesting complex. I realy liked the walkovers- some fine modeling there

Thanks Jeff!

The roofing takes ages - as I'm sure you know - and although I've been pottering away at it progress is slow, especially at this time of year (autumn).  I've also been spending time getting into the track laying.  There is a lot to do!  I have now bought 5 boxes of Peco code 75 flextrack.  So far I have laid one box.  The point work really slows me down!

Cheers, Mark.

Looking great, Jeff.

Scuppers and downpipes for the flat roofs with parapet walls might be a nice detail to add.  All the different roofs look awesome.  Variety is the spice of life, as they say.  Fences came out nice and rustic.  The posts look the same thickness as the palings to me - which might make them 6x6's?  Anyway - no matter.  Enjoying your updates.

Cheers, Mark.

Cool!

Looking forward to watching this develop.

Cheers, Mark.

Looking good, Rollin.

You should have fun with that 2022 kit.  Will be good to see it made up.  I use the same process when kitbashing, except I print off 3 copies of each wall and then take to them with scissors.  You can cut and sellotape together to your hearts content and the walls remain brand new until you are happy with your design and you have a clear plan of attack.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi Cuse.

Pretty rough - but I think it shows what I mean.  Any confusion, just ask.  I imagine the howe truss bridge still being as you have it on the other side of the mountain.  The river is separate from the coast line.  The coast line is interrupted with the fascia going quite high as a cross section of the mountain.


Cheers, Mark.

QuoteI can maybe make a little mockup of the landform to help any interested viewers get the idea ...and definitely help me see if my idea is workable.

I'm sure we would all like to see this - but more importantly it will be helpful for you.

QuoteI definitely respect your layout design, so if I'm misunderstanding - please use tiny words for me  before I make a big mistake.

I'm afraid my tiny words would probably still not explain what I mean!  I'll print off one of your images and then use it to help me do a sketch of what I see.  It might be helpful or might not.  I'll post my image on your thread, but I wont be at all offended if you take it down again.  I think it splits the area far more distinctly into two separate scenes than what you currently have planned - but I'm not entirely sure of your imaginings.  I had noticed the tunnel portals.

Cheers, Mark.

Its an interesting layout, Cuse.

I still can't quite imaging in how those two very different scenes are going to come together.  Have you thought about extending the tunnel on the lower track right out to the high bridge and having the hillside come out to the fascia?  Kind of split the scenes into two distinct areas?  You could just attach 3mm MDF to the side of the existing pine, taking it up much higher between the river gorge and the harbour.

I'm steeling that scene off the Dolly Varden lines for my layout too.  So cool.  And the prototype is already selectively compressed for a model railway!

Cheers, Mark.

Enjoying watching the engineering of this kit, Jeff.

Looks nice and solid with all those interior pieces.

Cheers, Mark.

Looks superb, Jeff.

The dry brushing really makes a difference.  I think the fact that the windows aren't quite perfect (like a Tichy window would be) gives them a real one of a kind look.  More like white metal windows.

Cheers, Mark.