Well things have been on a bit of a roller coaster lately and over the past little while since my last post in the previous thread some 'major' changes have happened with the layout.
Firstly:
I've decided to go with HO scale.....reasons?
-I couldn't really convince myself that I'd achieve what I wanted with the N scale plan, fitting working markers and other details to the locos (of which 100+ would have been 'required') was proving to be more difficult than it was worth the effort. I was having trouble accepting that 1000km of mainline could be well represented in my space that would have also had to accommodate long ore trains and the large yards and facilities that goes with that. That was really the major stumbling block for me.
-Geographically with a continuous run nolix the real topography that is well known of the area couldn't be well represented either. Between the end points there are 2 mountain ranges one at each end (both go up then down) and a large section of mostly flat (as in rolling plains flat) in between, this doesn't work with a continuous climb no matter the scenery, I just couldn't fool myself.
-The ore hoppers were a sticking point also, the design I was using was too light even with a lead floor to work reliably with a rotary coupler and it was giving me real fits trying to get everything to work and work well. With several billion (I counted eleventy billion, or so it felt) of these rotary couplers needed that also had to perform flawlessly I put that idea in a cannon and shot it into the sun, it just wasn't going to happen no matter how hard I tried. Time spent building the layout > time spent building rotary couplers.
Now I'm as much a collector as I am a wannabe modeller so I'll be keeping my N scale stuff and slowly work thru having it all painted and detailed as the original plan was and it'll go on display in my cabinets and I'll probably even build a small diorama to make use of the power shovel I also got. Now on to the HO.....
Going with HO I went to Mr Painter/Detailer Brian and we've got a plan on doing some USDM locos (oh which will end up being completed, I may need to email you Brian). These however won't be the actual locomotives used for the layout although they will be run from time to time as and when I need a Murika fix. The roster has changed to Australian domestic locomotives and so far I've got a couple that will form the basis of the roster.
Size vs the SD70ACe:
There's more coming (waiting on a kit and also have others on pre-order) but that's the start of the Australian stuff.
As for the layout?
This is the entrance to the layout, it's a duck under about 1800mm above the ground so more a stoop under than a duck under (I'm 187cm tall so it's comfortable for me).
Looking under the duck under along the 'outer' section of the layout, on the right is the start of the climb from Charters Towers to the upper level (there are 3, the duck under being part of the upper level) and on the lower left is the Lolworth Creek Coal Mine branch and above that is the upper level dropping back down to the lower level. This will be a staging yard also and I'll be looking at using rods that pop up between the track to keep rolling stock from going on a high speed joy ride (locos obviously won't move).
From the other end looking back towards the entrance duck under. On the left there will also be a short branch (on steel sleepers) to another coal mine that'll branch off the left side of the duck under. The idea with the steel sleepers is that the line will have an axle load restriction and only be serviceable by certain locomotives.
Where I was standing for the last photo, this is the doorway seen in the second and it will be blocked off and crossed by the Lolworth branch and the staging benchwork.
And now the entrance to the 'main' layout area, both a swing gate (for the lower/middle level of the nolix) and the upper level crossing by way of duck under.
The swing gate closed. Not 100% happy with this and may rebuild it.
The gate open.
From the other side. On the right where the ply is is the western end of Charters Towers yard and the junction to Lolworth Creek. The now middle level crosses above this. Whilst that short section looks like a steep grade it's on 2.5% or so (no grades go above 3%, most are 2%) and will probably be a little less once I've got a layer of foam on top and the roadbed roughed in.
Bit more to the right of the previous shot, this shows the short steeper bit then the rest of the climb. The majority of the middle level climb is ~2%. I actually like the idea of some steep bits here and there as in general most grades are not a constant gradient in the real world. All three levels are also visible here.
Further along to the right.
To the right again, this is the back wall. There's another steep section just to the right. The other side of the benchwork joining the entrance duckunder can be seen (it's the upper level).
This is probably the steepest section of benchwork, the track however will not follow this exactly and will be kept to 3% max thru this 1m or so stretch.
There will be a section of benchwork added in here that will include a coal processing yard below the upper level. Locomotives will be based at Charters Towers that will solely be used to move empties and loads between this yard and the mines, once enough loads are collected a train will be made up and that train will run with other locomotives to Townsville for unloading and back.
Where the coal processing yard will be.
This is where the steel sleeper branch will come off the mainline to head off to the left of the shot.
The layout will represent the GDRMCo line from Charters Towers and up the western side of the Great Dividing Range giving the almost backwards operation of loaded trains going uphill and empties going downhill. Operations may include adding helpers for the climb up but I'm undecided on that currently, it may be mainly DPU operations.
As for track I'll be using Peco's Code 75 line that includes concrete tie flextrack and turnouts (shown below) and they also do steel sleeper flextrack that'll be used for the upper level branch.
Think I've waffled on enough now....
