Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Santa Fe Guy]

Lots of good info there Bob.
Rod.

[Scottl]

No progress of late due to travelling, but I am finishing a great trip to BC and many layout-related activities.  I had a chance to drive the Thompson-Fraser Canyons earlier in the week and stopped for many reference photos at Skoonka along with a requisite visit to Cisco.  Lots of maintenance on the line so I saw a CP potash train and little else.  The rain and mist were not conducive for good photographs, but the reference photos will be of great use as I embark on the next stage of my layout.











I also had a great visit to Tehachapi BC with @GaryHinshaw.  The progress since my last visit is remarkable and his gadgetry makes for fun operations.

I've been rethinking my yard for some time and this trip has stimulated a lot of ideas about the directions I might take.

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Great photos. They should help you a lot.

[Kevin C]

I agree. Some additional scenes that if added to your already superb bridge model, will make it one excellent layout when complete. I am looking forward to see what you do next. I am a dedicated follower and fan of your layout build.

Kevin

[Scottl]

Thanks guys.  I'm contemplating rejigging my yard into something more interesting.  As it stands, the turnouts are buggy and all I use it for is for staging trains.  I'm thinking perhaps to hide the staging a bit and to develop a new space for modelling some of the Thompson River canyon like in the photo above. It would also be an excuse to upgrade my turnout situation and overall running reliability. 

[Santa Fe Guy]

Some cool pics Scott I am very envious of you guys who live so close to all this neat stuff.
Here's an idea, make your layout look like the pics and have it look like it is raining with all the scenery wet. It looks neat.
Looks like you had a good trip.
Rod.

[Scottl]

Not much to report.  After returning from a few weeks on the road including some inspirational visits in BC, my ideas and plans for rejigging the yard area of the layout are advancing.  I think I will replace the yard with a semi-hidden double ended staging yard along the back to hold 5-6 trains, and then have a new mainline at the front to depict the Thompson River Canyon around Skoonka near Spences Bridge BC.  This will be an interesting area to model with a number of tunnels, rock sheds and other related structures including a swinging maintenance access bridge.  The lack of trees in this area will also be a welcome change.  This will give me the opportunity to lay the mainline with ME code 55 track with concrete ties and to improve the turnouts for reliability.  It will also be an excuse to put switch machines on all of the turnouts and build in proper block detection and control for some future semi-automation modeled after @GaryHinshaw and his Tehachapi BC layout (he has ruined me ).

I have some decisions about turnouts and other matters, but that will wait until the new year.  In the meantime, I had some fun with a photo session yesterday and solved some lighting issues that were causing double shadows.  This prime lens continues to amaze me with it's speed and detail.  This picture is an off take but what astounds me is that it is taken from almost 5' away. 

[GaryHinshaw]

What astounds me is the level of detail in your bridge!  Glad to hear that your plans are firming up and that you're ready to geek out the layout.  You'll have fun with it. 

[Santa Fe Guy]

Looks like the trip has created a desire to get cracking on the RR again. Looking forward to seeing your progress Scott.
That lens is doing a fine job too.
Rod.

[Scottl]

A new year and hopefully lots of progress on this layout.  I had some fun today with a mini tripod for my phone and tried some interesting angles not possible with the SLR.  Here are a few shots, but they reveal the need for some kind of backdrop (and a few trees need to be straightened)!





I have been working on a plan to redo the rest of the layout.  My thinking is to remove the yard and create some semi-hidden storage for five trains.  In the front I will locate the mainline though the Thompson River canyon.  While the track plan is fairly straightforward, I have decided to prepare the layout for future automation by installing Tortoise turnouts and setting them up for DCC control.  As I use the NCE Power Cab system, I plan to use a NCE Mini-panel unit to  set up a control panel to run the turnouts and to receive signals from block detectors.  This will drive the NCE Switch8-MK2 board to operate the turnouts. 

As far as I can tell, this will allow me to operate the turnouts and get positive point pressure to improve operational reliability, and it will also allow me to use either a panel to control the turnouts or my handheld DCC unit.  Ultimately, this system could be used to automate trains- I'd love the ability to have multiple trains do a loop or two while I sit and enjoy.  That would require rock solid reliability but is something to aim for.  I'm not sure if I am missing something, but any advice is welcome!

[C855B]

Breathtaking as always, Scott. Even with the open door in the background.

[Scottl]

LOL, it is the furnace room and it keeps it nice and warm if I keep the closet door open   

I wish I could get the SLR under the bridge like my cell phone camera, but before I try that, I need to figure out a portable backdrop for the alternate views.  That view up under the bridge is one of my favorites.  Maybe a blue screen and Photoshop something in?

[Cajonpassfan]

I have been working on a plan to redo the rest of the layout....... While the track plan is fairly straightforward, I have decided to prepare the layout for future automation by installing Tortoise turnouts and setting them up for DCC control.  As I use the NCE Power Cab system, I plan to use a NCE Mini-panel unit to  set up a control panel to run the turnouts and to receive signals from block detectors.  This will drive the NCE Switch8-MK2 board to operate the turnouts. 

As far as I can tell, this will allow me to operate the turnouts and get positive point pressure to improve operational reliability, and it will also allow me to use either a panel to control the turnouts or my handheld DCC unit.  Ultimately, this system could be used to automate trains- I'd love the ability to have multiple trains do a loop or two while I sit and enjoy.  That would require rock solid reliability but is something to aim for.  I'm not sure if I am missing something, but any advice is welcome!

Beautiful work!
Since you're asking for advice, for what it's worth, I also use an NCE system with (mostly) Tortoises and Switch-its and Switch-eights on my layout. I love it, but what I like most is NCE's "macro" feature which allows me to string together up to ten commands. This pretty much eliminated the need for panels (and diagrams) in that to get all turnouts lined properly to say Track 82 all one needs to do it use the cab to do "Macro 82 Enter" and voila, it's done. The pic below is a sample of my "panel" controlling Terminal Tower in my LA staging yard...
Just another way to do things.
Following your work with great interest,
Otto K.

[Scottl]

Otto,  thanks(!), and I appreciate you sharing your experience.  What you are describing is pretty much what I am aiming for- select a staging track and the turnouts line up.  You do this just with the Switch-8 boards, nothing else from NCE?

[Cajonpassfan]

That's right, for staging and other complex trackwork, I use the macro feature on my NCE cab and the Switch-eights (8 turnouts) or its (two turnouts). This works great at Towers and interlockings and such. Out on the main, engineers use the "normal" and "reverse" commands to enter and leave sidings. (Of course, my prototype and era, before CTC, had head end brakemen jump off the train to line switches into sidings, so it's prototypical; your approach may vary).
The pic below represents a typical siding "panel" attached to the fascia. Also shown is my standard high tech uncoupling tool
Hope this is useful as you think your needs through...
Otto K.