The Little Rock Line

[dmidkiff]

The area looks great Allen!

You've got the right idea with having the river under the right two spans of the deck bridge.

Between your sketches and Chris', the abutment will look much better.  The thickness of the wingwalls at that height would probably be about 18" at the top if you want to proportion your MDF cuts.  You can lay back the slope of the cut as well from the face of the abutmen to the end of the wingwall and then protect that slope with some riprap. It will look just right.

Doug

[Bendtracker1]

Very nice work on the bridge, piers & abutments.

The area looks great Allen!

You've got the right idea with having the river under the right two spans of the deck bridge.

Between your sketches and Chris', the abutment will look much better.  The thickness of the wingwalls at that height would probably be about 18" at the top if you want to proportion your MDF cuts.  You can lay back the slope of the cut as well from the face of the abutment to the end of the wingwall and then protect that slope with some riprap. It will look just right.

Doug

Thanks guys!
Yeah I wish I would have thought about cutting the tops of the abutments down first, but oh well.
I will when I start the scenery.

On other news a buddy stopped by yesterday and I got the PSX units installed and working properly.  Together we figured out how to program them with their own ID and adjust the sensitivity.
So I can now mark that job off the "To-Do" list.

[soo]

It's always great to mark off a item off the never ending list of things to do. Can't wait to see the finished scene.
Cya
Y-it

[Bendtracker1]

You betcha Y-it!
The list is getting smaller every time I go downstairs it seems like these days!

I can't either!  But I have a bit more track work to do first unfortunately. 
 

[Bendtracker1]

Well it's been awhile since I updated because I've been real busy with several personal projects.

The 18th of last month we held the 13th ops session where I implemented several new things.
First I got my DCC specialties PSX CB's and 1 PSX-Ar installed.


http://thelittlerockline.blogspot.com/2017/01/psx-circuit-breakers-installed-and.html

I added four new trains and created a Train Schedule to keep the trains spaced out so we didn't have traffic jams.



Tracks are numbered 1-8 from the left, then skip two tracks, then 9-16.



We had a new visitor stop by to join us, rodsup9000 and his wife.
Also added some fresh power for the four new trains I added.





Two of the trains has replaced my single Amtrak.  Several months ago I wanted some more Pig trains in the lineup.
But yet still wanted some passenger action.  What I settled on was two short mail/pig trains that have two to three baggage and/or coach cars trailing the Pigs.

Recently I acquired a few more coaches and another baggage to round the equipment.  But I'm not sure what I'll do with the dome?



I need to get another couple of projects out of the way and I'll get back to more track re-alignment projects.


   

[SSW7771]

Very cool!

[Bendtracker1]

With three of the four KATO corrugated cars I acquired from a buddy: a coach, a pullman and baggage, I also scrounged up two more KATO coaches. Along with these I also found two of the Wheels of Time express baggage cars and a Walthers smoothside baggage, all factory painted for Rock Island. The last car I got was one of the REA converted troop cars, this I got from Skytop Models who made the custom resin mold.

Last week I got the couplers replaced with the updated KATO couplers, got the decals made and applied and finally got them weathered.  This should add a bit more operation during our sessions.

Here's a video I made for the blog.

A link to the blog page.

[Bendtracker1]

After a few more personal house projects finished, I got back to the realignment projects again.

This time it was between Haskell and Winnfield.  In this pic you can see the two sections of 11" r snap track starting just to the left of the SOO hopper and the second one ends just past the backdrop.  The large Peco turnout is attached to the end of the second section of snap track just past the backdrop.  It looks tighter than it really is.



This was some of the first track that was put down.  Back then I hadn't planned to run Auto Racks and TOFC's, so the tighter radius and small "S" curve worked fine.

I started playing with a new alignment

Haskell


Winnfield


I came up with this, but I still need to add the feeders.

Haskell


Winnfield


I still need to make the connection in Winnfield for the continuous run track.  I'm also contemplating relocating the spur for Union Scrap (existing) and thinking about adding another spur for a pallet company, just enough room for a single car?

[Bendtracker1]

Tonight I finished up the last of the major track realignment on The Little Rock Line.

The track between Haskell, AR. and...



Winnfield, LA.
(If you look closely, you can see the pencil lines where the old track was.)



An overview of Winnfield, LA.



In the last picture, the ICG trackage is on the left, the old Rock Island Main is on the right.
The spur on the right is Union Scrap and the spur on the left is reserved for the new Boudreaux's Bayou Pallets

During the sessions the cars that are sitting on the old Rock Island main now are there for storage and it is the job of the Winnfield local to exercise the journals of the cars stored there. Which means it needs to pull all the cars from the track, move the last car to the front of the line, then replace all the cars to the EOT as part of it's daily duty. These cars are simply removed between sessions if I decide to run trains by myself or if I'm breaking in or testing locos.

As always, there's more on the Blog

[Philip H]

Given that we have an infamous governor from winnfield, will the Edwards name grace a. Holding?

[dmidkiff]

I like the realignment Allen.  One thing that always struck me with your layout is how your continuous track looks like an interchange on the Winnfield side, it does a great job to hide what it truly is.

I'm wondering if the hopper tracks at Riceland are too close to the new curves. I'm sure they are ok for clearance, but it looks a bit crowded in there. I don't know what Haskell looks like in real life, if it's urban industrial or somewhat rural. Would it be possible to move the elevator and loading bay to the right as you are looking at it?

It may also be a neat detail to add some old ties at the end of your Mobilgas spur, make it look like there used to be a wye there and they have ripped out the switch. The leg of the wye is now re purposed for an industry. My prototype has this situation and it looks like a great detail.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parker,+AZ/@34.1412414,-114.2841022,586m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80d1830127f1e51d:0xf8e550e83a59eddc!8m2!3d34.1500162!4d-114.2891177

Doug

[Bendtracker1]

Given that we have an infamous governor from winnfield, will the Edwards name grace a. Holding?

Probably not....I'm about sick and tired of anything to do with politics at the moment, sorry.

[Bendtracker1]

I like the realignment Allen.  One thing that always struck me with your layout is how your continuous track looks like an interchange on the Winnfield side, it does a great job to hide what it truly is.

Thanks Doug!
What my intentions are is to have the yard leads somewhat camouflaged behind a row of dense trees so a train coming or going from the yard slips out of direct sight as it rolls through that scene. I also want to hide the hole through the backdrop as well.

The layout is set at 52" so if I can get the trees high enough to hide the tracks then I can access them from above by standing on a stool.

I'm wondering if the hopper tracks at Riceland are too close to the new curves. I'm sure they are ok for clearance, but it looks a bit crowded in there. I don't know what Haskell looks like in real life, if it's urban industrial or somewhat rural. Would it be possible to move the elevator and loading bay to the right as you are looking at it?

We're on the same track Doug.
My next project, if you read the blog, is to re-do the three turnouts leading into Riceland.  While I'm doing this I will probably re-work the elevator tracks as well as they are a bit closer now than they were before with the single track.
As with everything on the layout, as of right now with the exception of Malvern, nothing is set in stone and can be moved fairly easily.  All of the remaining tracks are just tacked into place and will remain so until I commit to a final scene.  I just hate having to rip up tracks and scenery, then re-working everything.

It may also be a neat detail to add some old ties at the end of your Mobilgas spur, make it look like there used to be a wye there and they have ripped out the switch. The leg of the wye is now re purposed for an industry. My prototype has this situation and it looks like a great detail.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parker,+AZ/@34.1412414,-114.2841022,586m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80d1830127f1e51d:0xf8e550e83a59eddc!8m2!3d34.1500162!4d-114.2891177

Doug

Again, that is exactly what I'm planning to do with that scene!  Except those large tanks won't be there and the name of the company will be Frump Gas and Supplies.
If you look at the before picture, that leg of the Wye did line up with the single track when I originally laid them.
I actually planned to use the Wye in the beginning but decided for operational purposes, it would be better to use it as a industry as you suggest.
I might go back and relay that leg of the Wye so it lines up like it did before or I might even move it closer to the backdrop so I have a bit more room for the industry within the Wye?  We'll see how things play out.

I appreciate your input Doug, thanks.

[Cajonpassfan]

Looking good, Allen!
Enjoyed the soundtrack, too....who is it?
Otto K.

[Bendtracker1]

Looking good, Allen!
Enjoyed the soundtrack, too....who is it?
Otto K.

Thanks Otto!
The song in that last video was by Chris Joss, the name is Tone Down.
It was used as one of the opening soundtrack to Better Call Saul