PRR/Conrail Juniata Division Engineering Report

[Ian MacMillan]

What?? That gives you six weeks to model. Get on it, man!

Thats what I was thinking.

[Dave V]

Yeah, I know, it sounds like a lot of time!  Unfortunately our weekends are pretty well committed until then, and weeknights are full of soccer and Cub Scouts (I'm a Wolf Den Leader).

Now, if I extend that "bridge piece" to 3' long, that makes the overall footprint of the layout 8' by 6' 8".  In order to allow a 2' margin along exposed sides, the overall room dimension can be as small as 10' by 8' 8".  A typical small room is of order 10' x 10'.  Arguably, the way it's set up now, it requires a larger room.  The layout footprint is 6' 8" by 8' 8", and because of the big view block, requires access on 3 sides, and so allowing for 2' of access all around, requires a room size of 8' 8" by 12' 8", so nominally a 9x13 room.

The revised "pit" design not only improves operations and adds running distance, it substantially reduces the necessary room size.

[wm3798]

Keep it simple, yes, but a simple scene of a station a'la Duncannon/or Marysville, where the town would be behind the viewer, saving scads of expensive buildings...  But one of the Brick Shithouse PRR stations...  Oh my, how that would set the scene, no?

Dammit.  Coming up empty for images... Okay, I'll steal one.

[chessie system fan]

Welcome to the area!  I live in Milton part of the time.

FYI, if you like to use 2 in. blue/pink insulation foam, you better stock up while you can.  I can't find it anywhere around here.

[Dave V]

The scene I have in mind is here:

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qqxk748kdwxm&scene=22782760&lvl=1&sty=b&where1=Duncannon%2C%20PA

This is CP CANNON.  Looking south (railroad east) toward Enola, one would have seen this in 2009:



Just past the signals is Sherman's Creek bridge:



Looking north (railroad west) toward Duncannon and the rest of the Middle Division:

[wm3798]

Here's a view of the bridge. 

and the model that Jerry built...


I'd leave the road out of it, and do the bridge maybe a little short by a barrel or two, but otherwise accurately if you can...

Lee

[Dave V]

Okay, so now looking at the existing layout, I have the coal mine:



Viewed in context:



I own the power plant kit, just haven't assembled it:



I don't have the substation or high tension poles, but they can be had.  Here's the deal: the power plant will fit where the mine is.  I'd have to rework the area to ensure there's a coal offloading trestle of some sort along the road side of the plant, because as it is, I'm not sure I can squeeze the plant and the track in the space I have without crowding the road.  One other concern is that high tension poles might bring attention to the abbreviated mountain height.  However, I'm willing to entertain this idea.

Thoughts?

[wm3798]

Area's too constricted for a big facility like a power plant.  I'd add another warehouse business, or a lumber yard...something that would make sense in the town setting.  Big power plants are typically near a river for a ready source of water.

Back to the drawing board!

Lee

[Dave V]

I was thinking it might be too big for the space...  I'd be interested in something manufacturing-oriented.  Would love a destination for my scrap gons, so maybe a scrap yard would work.  I'm not sure how it would look in the shadow of the mountain.  Something I did think about doing was combining a few industrial buildings...  Candidates include Walthers Paragon Heating, a narrowed Allied Rail Rebuilding, Dayton Machine Shop, etc.

You know what would be good, also?  Some sort of limestone plant for covered hoppers.  But then it might look as out of place as the mine.

Decisions, decisions...

[DKS]

A small asphalt plant would not be out of place in that space. The calcinator would be an opportunity for some subtle animation.

Of course, the power plant building doesn't have to be a power plant. It could be most any sort of manufacturer. But it is a rather large building for the space.

[John]

Area's too constricted for a big facility like a power plant.  I'd add another warehouse business, or a lumber yard...something that would make sense in the town setting.  Big power plants are typically near a river for a ready source of water.

Back to the drawing board!

Lee

There is the Capitol power plant in DC ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Power_Plant

[John]

some sort of steel manufaturing facility .. with an overhead crane ..

[Bob Bufkin]

A plant which makes bottles and cans would not take up much space.  Loads of sand or sheet metal in, truck and boxcar loads out.  Hayes Brothers also makes a great glass cullet load for various hopppers which would also make an interesting addition.  As for steam plants, they didn't always make electricity.  My late grandfather worked as the local college in my homedown.  He was a boiler/steam/heat worker.  The college had a steam plant to head the dorms and classrooms.  Coal was provided by the PRR at the time.  He took me there once and the hopper was unloaded inside the building, one car at a time.  Also a fairly small footprint for a steam plant.

[Dave V]

I like the steel fabricators idea...  What sucks is that the perfect kit for this is the old Vulcan Manufacturing kit by Walthers, but that's been out of production for a decade and now retails for over $100.

I can always take a page from Lee's book and scratchbuild.  Something to start with:



OR...  Traincat's larger offering (would love to see pictures of the model):

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Have you looked at the Opsig's industry text files?

http://www.opsig.org/industrydb/
Specifically: http://www7.infoharvest.ca/mark/opsig/industrydb/OpSigEST.txt

I think we, as modelers, often fall into very preconceived notions about what railserved industries are (usually, based on what Kalmbach or Walthers tells us). Take a look through the files and see all the non-stereotyped options that are out there.