Summer Progress and Planning

As I make my way through the summer heat here in Vegas, I have been plinking away at different projects. I have a few more articles off to N Scale Railroading, they should be in the next few issues. I've been working on some freight cars for a friend (pics are coming soon), I've added few small details to the layout, and I'm planning for a year away.

As many of you know, the NMRA convention was this last weekend in Kansas City. I didn't make that show, but I am planning on being at next years show in Salt Lake City. The plan is to bring the entire Skally Line up to join in the MASSIVE FreemoN layout. I think the layout is already scheduled to be about 110 feet by 110 feet. To make the full scale ops work better, I am planning a few additional modules. I have already started prep work and I will pick up lumber next week.

The first module planned is Pine City. I will have the Depot, the Snake River Bridge, and a small MOW siding.

The next module is the South Siding Switch in Hinckley. This will extend the BNSF side of my interchange modules. I would like to get the BNSF siding up to 10 or 12 feet long for the show so it will be a good spot for meets.

The weather is cooling off already and I would like to take advantage of that for module construction. 

Silicon Valley FreemoN at NSE

I had the great pleasure at NSE of hanging out with and running trains with the Silicon Valley FreemoN and Sacramento FreemoN groups. I had been planning on brining a couple of modules, but the space they were given at the show was pretty limited, so I will take the Skally Line to NorCal next time. A special thanks to Steve, Ryan, Rick, Spuds, Eric, Lawrence and the rest of the crew. A fantastic group all around.

 From Lockhart, Texas with it's cool operating crossing gates to Wye Knot, the layout looked great.

My eldest sister should get a kick out of the construction site by the CalTrans Station. Cool mirrored buildings!

 Passenger trains ruled the day, but there was a fair amount of freight traffic too.

The scenes varied from scenic to urban and they all flowed well together.

 I wish my photos did the layout justice.

Again: thanks to the FreemoN guys for the great hospitality. I'm looking forward to meeting with them all next time. Check them out at http://sv-free-mon.org/ or search for them on Facebook.

Rush City v3.1 Part II

Benchwork is done, and the old Rush City is half demolished. I've got part of it carved up to become Rock Creek, a signature photo op on the Skally. That will also be my new photo module for engine projects.  Here is me mocking up the Rock Creek bridge over Hwy 361. The jig saw would tear the old Rush City module up a few minutes later.

I've got the main line and track H1 (the passing siding) laid out. Most of the sub road bed is down and I just received my shipment of PCB ties from American Tie & Timber. Here are the new Rush City modules getting cork and more layout marks.

Here's what the benchwork looks like under each half. I added the curved pieces to give me more backing for the facia.

D.I.A.B (Electonics Stuff)

I'm not a wiring guru. I can wire things, but I'm not a tech genius. As I look forward to expanding the Skally Line I decided to simplify my life. I am going to copy the N-Land Pacific FreemoN groups wiring. They have come up with the "District In A Box" or DIAB for short. You can see more about it HERE. I figure if they can run large layouts by plugging these in, why wouldn't it work for the Skally? And then when I hook my modules to theirs, I have once less hurdle to overcome. I've got the box build and have started collecting the electronics. I need to get a coat of paint on it and it should be up and running by the time I lay track on the new modules.

MN FreemoN RiverCentre Track Plan

Happy 2014 everyone! I hope it is off to a great start for you!

Here is the awesome track plan PK put together for the RiverCentre show. It was a blast to run on, good operations, good sidings, the Skally as a branch line, who could ask for anything more?

This also shows off the versatility of FreemoN. There are no limitations to module length (other than what you can haul), angles, junctions... as long as the minimum radii are met (22") you are good to go.

The Skally Line at the RiverCentre

In the previous post I over-viewed the whole MN FreemoN Layout. I also wanted to talk about the Skally Line. The layout was designed so the Skally could be set up and operated like it is in real life. This helps me see what I need to add or build next. There hopefully will be some video coming in the next few weeks too! First the photos, then the revelations.
Here is another overview shot of the layout, this one is from the opposite corner as the last. You can see where Hinckley branches off just to the right of the closer corner.

Looking from Hinckley South you can see just how straight the Skally is. While that is how it sits in real life, it does makes things a little odd from a modular stability standpoint. I ran out of code 40 track, so the spur to the Hinckley Depot got cut short for now, but it still gives me a spot to park a tank car.

Right now the Hinckley (HIN) interchange track and the Rush City Yard track are one in the same. I will fix that in the month to come.

The North side of the Horizon Mill. While I tried to operate the line realistically, one operator in particular kept bringing incorrect cars to the line. Once we get the car card operations up and running it will take care of that issue.

Looking North at Rush City. This scene is coming together well. I am making progress on the buildings and I have the crossing gates to install for the next show.

Down in North Branch I got some ground cover down, but I didn't make much in the way of structure progress there. Next time I have spare time I may put some ballast down on the green sections. The

As Zinpro is a South facing spur, I had to build a short layout extension so it could be switched out. At only 2 feet long, this kept it so operators had to plan how many tank cars they were going to pull and how they were going to use the buffer car.

So here is my list of revelations:
1) Progress is coming along nicely. All the track work is working well, so that is good.
2) I need to switch Rush City (RUS) over to the keyed switches that are used for turnout control on the rest of the layout. I like the look and feel of them better. Currently RUS is digitally controlled switches. The keyed switches will allow someone with a Utility Throttle to operate the line.
3) I need some separation. I'd like to add a scenic section between HIN and RUS, I have a couple spots in mind, one is a small culvert outside of Beroun.
4) I need to build corners. Not that they are on the Skally, but for stability and options in a future home layout or at shows it will be helpful. A 36 foot long straight peninsula has a little more vibration than I would like.
5) Once I add the extra trackage, the run around track in North Branch will be a must do for operations. I can't be doing shoving moves for 20 feet, I need options.

There were more things, but I think that will cover it for now...

MN FreemoN at the RiverCentre

I am exhausted today. This weekend was the big Choo Choo Bob Train Show at the RiverCentre in Saint Paul. MN FreemoN made its largest layout to date, measuring in at 65' by 35'. I'll get a layout plan posted as soon as I can get it. My rough math puts our main line between 5 and 6 scale miles long.

I want to say it was awesome getting to meet those of you that frequent by blog this weekend. I think it really is the people that make this hobby fun, so thank you all for tracking me down. For those that didn't make it, I'm going to split this topic into a couple of posts. In this one I'll overview the layout we had, the other will be more Skally specific. MN FreemoN is not a "club" per say, we are a small group who build our modules to the FreemoN standard and then bring them together for shows like this.

Here is an overview shot of the layout. I'll start the tour on the module right in front of the camera. That is the coal loop, built by our youngest member, Joe B. It needs a little tuning, but our trains get around it.

Moving down the line we get to one of our anchor yards. Chris K. built Valley Park, based on the UP yard in Shakopee, MN. This yard is great for flat switching, building trains and having meets between trains. It also includes a small engine service are and a couple of industries to switch out.

A short train ride through the countryside brings us to University. Chris also owns this module set. This is the largest Wye on our layout. It also includes the large elevator on the left. This is a great representation of the popular railfanning location in N.E. Minneapolis. It also gives us the ability to have a branch line or just turn engines and trains as we did this weekend. The passing siding here is also a popular spot to plan meets.

Around the bend from University is Imperial Paper. Here there is a small passing siding and a couple of industries to switch out. Imperial Paper gives us plenty of business moving boxcars. As you can see we had a nice mix of freight and passenger service over the weekend. The passenger trains are always a hit with the younger model train fans who like to see things moving briskly down the main lines. The switching action seems to keep the attention of the operations minded model railroaders.

After Imperial Paper you come to my Hinckley, MN module. This weekend it was the junction onto the Skally Line (as it was built to be). I'll show more of the Skally pics in a later blog posting.

The corner brings us to Chris's Bender Grain module. This rural elevator supplies grain in small cuts to the large elevator at University, which in turn supplies wheat trains to the Skally Line.

South of Bender we roll past my old MN Transload module (now owned by Chad S.) an into Oakland California, where Peter K. is recreating (exactly to scale) Jack London Square in a 30+ foot module set. Like the Skally, this is a work in progress. Peter just finished hand laying some #12 crossovers for the ends of the large siding here. This double track section really helps keep traffic moving.

 Here is a shot of a skyway Peter just mocked up.

And here is a close-up of his signals and some of his building work. Each building is being CNC'd in styrene to to an accurate representation of the prototype.

After leaving Oakland, we pass Ted M.'s Beaver Lumber, one of the main lumber customers on the layout this weekend.

The final corner brings you into the Roseville Yard. This gi-normous yard is our other anchor and has 14 tracks of fun that let us hold trains up to (and over) 20 feet in length. Here you can see most of the MN FreemoN crew, well worn from a weekend of running trains. An hour after this picture was taken, the layout would be packed up and out of the RiverCentre.

This is a great bunch and I am glad they let me run with them. The layouts have certainly grown in the couple of years I've been hanging with the crew. If you didn't make it this week, parts of this layout will be on display in Eagan in March, hopefully we'll see you there!

Happy Holidays!

Sorry I haven't been posting more this month. I just finished a big road trip for work, and now Christmas is upon us. We all know what that means, more time on the road, getting caught up with family and all that jazz.

I have been making progress on some projects. The Hinckley modules are ready for the big show next weekend at the River Center in Saint Paul. You can check out more of the details at: http://stpaultrainshow.com/. Our FreemoN group is looking at a layout about 35 feet by 65 feet. It should give us some decent room to spread our wings.

As an offshoot to the FreemoN group, some fellow modelers and myself are starting a DMIR themed set of modules. Earlier this week we built 10 five foot long modules to get the project going. I'll post more details about that as we progress.

The day after that I helped my friend HK with his 6 foot long FreemoN module that will represent Osceola, WI. We were hoping to have it in next weekends show, but the switches didn't arrive in time to pull it off.

I've been working on another locomotive build article. It is coming along nicely, I'll give you a couple teaser shots:

You'll be seeing more of that one later...

In preparation for the train show I also sat down today and speed matched all my engines. It may seem like a small task, but ti was nice to get the JMRI up and running, and to get that done.

On that note, Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you all enjoy the season and have safe travels of your own!

Hinckley Part 4

It has been almost 3 months since I posted any real layout updates. With a little time to spare over the holidays, I'm getting the modules ready for a big show in St.Paul the last weekend in December. I got Hinckley set up in the garage and I went to work. I finished the facia, wired the track (I still have the frogs to wire up, but you know how that goes), got the switch machines in and wired to the keyed switches. I laid a little more track, got some ground cover down and ballasted a little more track.
Here is a shot looking South. The BNSF Hinckley Sub is in the foreground, the Skally is away from the camera. You can see the keyed switches in the not-painted-all-the-way facia. All the ground cover on the closer module went on today.

Here is a little BNSF section house I made. I did paint it after I took this shot. Hopefully tonight I can find my BLMA A/C units and get those installed. I'm also working on some awesome Showcase Miniatures MOW trucks that will be stationed here. Keep an eye out for those in the next week or so.

This is looking North (NE by compass) on the BNSF line. The ballast is still wet in this shot. The track behind the section house is the north end of the Skally Line. I transitioned that to Micro Engineering Code 40 track. That line will terminate at the facia for now. Other than a bone yard, there is a LPG dealer that can take one car. For now I will spot that LPG car toward the edge of the layout.

Here is another shot North. The un-green area will get a road with grade crossing and a gas station. I hope to have more of the smaller details ready by the big show. So you can see progress was made. For the show the Skally Line will be set up as a branch line to the main FreemoN layout. That will let me test out the operations and help me decide what I want to build next.

Hinckley Part 3

More progress, and BAMM! I'm stuck. Let me explain, I got the BNSF main line through Hinckley laid, 3 #10 LH turnouts. This shot is looking "North" on the BNSF side. The first switch is for the boneyard by the Hinckley depot and Lakes Gas, I'll model those someday later. It will get code 40 when I lay the curve, just for good looks. The second switch is the NSS Hinckley, the third is the switch to go south on the Skally Line.

The Skally turns through the swamp (static grass is down. This is a 36" radius corner. I got all the track I had laid painted up and even got some ballast down.

I put a couple engines and a car on the curve to give it a little scale. In the background you can see the old NP main.

Here is where I ran dry. The North End Skally interchange switch. I cannot find a #10 right hand switch to save my life right now and Atlas doesn't have any due for months. I don't feel like investing in a track making jig for one switch. Do I spend the time and build one freehand from scratch or hunt on for a pre-made switch. I have a couple weeks to mull it over. I'm open to suggestions...

Hinckley Part 2

More progress here too. I got the roadbed down and I started the contouring for the ditches and swamps and such.This shot is looking SW down the BNSF main. The first switch is the Skally Line, the second is NSS Hinckley and the third is the switch to downtown Hinckley.

This is looking straight north on the Skally. At the very bottom of the shot is the start of the Skally Interchange track. The main line curves off to the left. The cork going straight of the edge of the module is the old NP main. Hinckley was originally a diamond for the GN and NP. BN eliminated the diamond and added the switches. The old grade still exists, so I figured I would give my little not to history on that one.

FreemoN Fun

I have been building the Skally as a set of FreemoN modules. For those not familiar you can see a little more about the Minnesota version of the standard here: MN FreemoN. This weekend our group was able to get together for a private event. We put together a very impressive 24' x 44' layout. I would ballpark our mainline was over 6 scale miles long. The layout was our first as a club in 6 months, we had a few bugs to work out, but after that the running was underway. Here are a couple shots from the event:
One endpoint was PK's massive Roseville Yard. Besides being great for staging, it also has a nice flyover for continuous running when necessary. Our second yard, CK's Valleyview Yard, can be seen in the upper right corner of the shot just past Tiller Corp. It took quite a while to drive the transfer job straight from one yard to the other.

On the far end was the other reverse loop, JB's Coal Loop, with a radius loadout track for unit coal trains..

In this shot you can see both of the wyes utilized in the layout. University wye in the center of the shot turned south to MN Transload and Rush City.

Here is another shot of the impressive Roseville Yard. It has 10 yard tracks and two long runners for turning even the longest unit trains. Our longest train this weekend was over a scale mile long.

Here is a scenic shot of the UP transfer heading though PK's Yolo module.