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While
Ed was working on the wiring, other members were busy with various
projects. Larry Tuttle built this swing bridge A to connect the BN
Gateway Sub or "Highline" to the lower level Siskiyou
Staging. This new bridge was built to match the other
bridge B which Larry built
last year to connect the older part of the railroad with the Klamath
Falls District's Keno Loop. For our club op sessions, bridge A will not be used since the railroad will be operated in a point-to-point fashion. |
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Ed
Kleinman shows off the details of some of his wiring. He's
holding soldered connectors to be attached to a terminal strip.
These will power a pair of signals on the SP main. His right hand
is resting on a section of sub-roadbed. The green plywood in the
upper left corner is Lake Ewauna which has been slid away and will be
repositioned adjacent to the subroadbed. Note the furring strips
supporting the subroadbed above the lake bed. Also note the DCC
bus runs, two inches apart and stretched taut. |
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All
of us were glad when Ed got the wiring far enough along so we could
permanently attach the plywood and get going on the low backdrop.
We arrived at a height of 15" above the sub-roadbed as a good height to
screen the opposite side of the railroad for average height
people. Rather than frame up a wall with 2 x 4's and lose
valuable layout space, we elected to use 3/4" MDF, firmly attached to
the framing, with four sections glued and biscuit joined into one
continuous 31' backdrop. Here Dave is sanding one of the
joints. Obviously this needed to be done before trackwork could
start. February 28, 2009 |
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A
view from the west end of the clubhouse looking down the Klamath Falls
District. The BN cab hop is on a girder bridge "place
holder". In time a scratch built model of the BN's Lake Ewauna Lift Bridge will be
constructed and replace this prop. From this perspective, the cab hop is heading towards the P&E yard to the right. It's coming from the BN yard in the distance to the left of the white backdrop. Track has been laid out on the approximate alignment for the SP main, which the wye off the bridge will tie into, again just like on the prototype. February 28, 2009 |
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This
image shows how the SP and BN trackage will be arranged. The SP
main has been mocked up with loose flex track. The curved section of backdrop by the water tower was another challenge. Obviously 3/4" MDF could not be bent to fit the required curve. Larry came up with a solution of using three 1/4" pieces of MDF glued, screwed and clamped overnight. Once sanded and painted it's impossible to tell this didn't start out as 3/4" material. February 28, 2009 |
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At
this end of the layout, a lot is going on. The SP yard ended just
to the right of this photo and continues west (right to left) as a two
track line. The MAIN
(far track, mocked up with flex track) continues under Hwy. 140 and curls up inside the Keno Loop (P&E main between
Klamath Falls and Summit) as a staging track. The MODOC Line (red trace) curves
towards the camera and continues on the outside of the Keno Loop,
eventually returning on the far side of the layout as a continuous run
loop. The BN yard ends just of the letters BN and curves to cross the swing
bridge A (closed to rail traffic)
as the High Line. Note how this bridge tucks into a recess,
partially covered by scenery, so as to maximize the aisle and not snag
clothing, etc. Except for Sunday's it will stay in this
position. This area resembles Texum with Hwy. 140 and the High
Line being pulled into the scene. It also solved problems on how
to incorporate two show running options (loops) with real scenes and
how the SP and BN exit the modeled parts of the railroad. |
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Meanwhile,
across the lake, the P&E has its major yard and engine
terminal. The BN unit sitting on a mostly white slab is holding
down the location of a two stall engine house. Power beyond
it is on the fuel-pad-to-be. The blue structure is the car
shop. The track going off into the lower left hand corner
represents the line into south Klamath Falls which serves a propane
dealer. We'll move the propane outfit to the corner seen
here. February 28, 2009 |
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In
this view across the middle of the yard, with Hwy. 140 mocked up on the
right, we're experimenting with the backdrop. Our goal is not
just to replicate trackage, but also scenery. To this end, we're
using photos taken in this area and basing our scenes and
backdrops. Compare this picture to the one below. February 28, 2009 |
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Here
is our scene again, taken in October, 2008, standing next to the Hwy.
140 bridge over BN's White Yard and Lake Ewauna. The red box
denotes what's been pasted to the backdrop in the above photo. |
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From
left to right, John Powell, John Gerritsma, E. Don Pettit and Dave
Spakousky survey the cleaned up Klamath Falls District and
mockups. February 28, 2009 |
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The real life view of this scene, standing
on the Hwy. 140 bridge. The red circle is around the lift
bridge. |
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Looking
the other way, towards Keno, there's a preliminary layout of track for
Modoc Lumber and Columbia Plywood. The two main tracks of the
P&E thread their way between the mills. Photo by Don Terrell, March 1, 2009 |
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Finally,
there's this scene where the P&E main dives under US 97 and starts
up the hill. A little farther along than the view in Part
1. February 28, 2009 |
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Progress continues through cork roadbed, track a little wiring and the first test train. |
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Photos and text copyright © 2009 by the Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club