Large Scale Central

MY large N scale layout

I had modeled HO from the time I was about 10 years old and switched to N scale in 1977 at the age of 20. I knew that when I built my dream layout that is would be set in the early 50’s. I have built a few small layouts and also a set of N-trak modules that was 24 feet long. In 1984 we( the exwife and I) purchased 22 acres out in the country and moved our 14 X 70 mobile home on to it. Later that year I bought a 14 X 52 mobile class room building for $500. It was all open except for the furnace. So I started drawing up track plan and started building a layout. In 1993 we purchased a new modular home and I moved the old 14 X 70 and set it beside the layout room. I gutted to old home and left the back bedroom intact for a storeroom So the layout room was 28’X 52’. I spent about a year drawing a basic track plan for the area. The layout would have code 55 track on the all visible parts of the layout and the helix and staging would use Atlas code 80 with Peco switches. I wanted # 10 or larger switches on the main and #6 in the yards. We got a divorce in 1997 and I walked away with my tools and trains. I always wanted to build my own house so after the divorce was settled I started looking for property to start building. I had the track plan all drawn up for the 28 X 52 and with a few modifications I could get it in a basement so that is the size of the house. I drew up a plan for the upstairs and started building the house in June of 1998. Took me till Thanksgiving of 1999 to finish the house doing almost all the work by myself. I was so burnt out of building that I didn’t start building the layout till the February of 2001. Having the track plan already, I needed to figure out what I wanted to model. Being a big UP fan and having bought a lot of locos and rolling stock in UP paint, I was going to model Sherman Hill but there isn’t a lot of switching there and I wanted a lot of operation. I looked at Donner Pass and it didn’t offer much in the way of way freights either. While at a train show I found a book on Feather River Canyon and bought it. After studying it for a few weeks I made it fit to my track plan. With all the UP equipment that I already had and didn’t want to start over, so I backdated the UP buyout of the SP WP and Rio Grande to 1952. So on my Feather River Canyon layout you will see locos and cabooses from from UP, SP, WP, and Rio Grande. The layout uses CVP’s EASY DCC with 8 wireless and 8 wired throttles. For powering the layout I use 6 CVP"s 10 amp boosters (this is enough power to power most large scale layouts)

Here is the track plan. It is a mushroom design with the the layout at 53" at the lowest point. The staging yard is 90" off the floor. The helix is 9 1/2 turn that rises from the 53" to 90" at the staging yard. The grade is just a little less than 2% on the helix. On the layout the grade is about 1 1/2%. The sidings will hold 60 car trains. This is what I call the lower part of the layout.

This is the upper or the mushroom part.

Over the next few days and weeks I’ll be posting photos on what I have done so far.

We will start the tour with the staging yard. It will hold 10 100 car trains. There is over 500 feet of track in the staging yard and the helix.

(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8438/dscf1390o.jpg)

(http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6784/dscf1397c.jpg)

(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4517/dscf1392g.jpg)

This is where the train exits and can go on the helix or go back around the the other end of the staging yard. In this yard I have a loop to break locos in beside getting on and off the helix.

(http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9653/dscf1393e.jpg)

This is the heart of my layout. With the helix I’m able to run the layout as a contentious loop, run loop to loop or staging yard to either end of the layout.

(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7395/dscf1403r.jpg)

(http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/8660/dscf1405w.jpg)

That stool will be for the staging yard operator when I get the control board built. We call it the eagle’s nest. That is it for now. Rodney

Rodney,

You’ve lost your freaking mind…

Sincerely,

Fellow Insane Person

Robbie
YES I LOST IT.
At Ric’s I told some about the layout and wanted to get some photos of it posted.
Rodney

Good grief! Quite the set-up.

Holy cow! That’s amazing.

Dang, Rodney… utterly fantastic… I hope you keep the pictures coming… :slight_smile:

Nice, Rodney. I have a hundred or so N coal hoppers, and a bunch of modern diesels. I want to have SOME kind of N layout, probably an “around the shop” shelf layout no more than 8" deep or something…

VERY nice.

N? N? Never model something small enough your dog can swallow.

Oh wait… I just bought some Japanese N scale stuff… uhh, nevermind :smiley:

One of our exchange students sent me some early German N gauge rolling stock. Noe when she has a child I’ll send it back with a few additions.

paul

THATS FREAKIN SWEET!

Holy mackerel! I’m surprised you find time for LS. Or is LS to relax your eyes? :lol:

Now… how long will a train spend in that helix and did you consider using that as additional staging?

I’ve got a few N-scale items on the wall, in the basement… :slight_smile:

Andy Clarke said:
I've got a few N-scale items on the wall, in the basement.... :)
Yes but you don't know where they are as you can't see them anymore! ;)
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Holy mackerel! I'm surprised you find time for LS. Or is LS to relax your eyes? :lol:

Now… how long will a train spend in that helix and did you consider using that as additional staging?


HJ
It take about 10 min to run from the bottom to the top. And yes the helix is set up for part of the staging as in
holding a train before going out onto the layout.
When I get burnout working on the big stuff I will go down and work on it for awhile.

Rodney

Here is extra 1413 with 62 stock cars on it. As you can see in the helix, it is as long as one loop in the helix.

(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/5919/dscf1439n.jpg)

Here we are coming off the helix

(http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2220/dscf1440c.jpg)

We are getting ready to come into downtown Oroville

(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1773/dscf1441y.jpg)

Coming through downtown Oroville The building are not in permanently yet

(http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/5586/dscf1442j.jpg)

(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6971/dscf1443p.jpg)

Almost to the Oroville yard

(http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2324/dscf1444hz.jpg)

(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7052/dscf1445c.jpg)

(http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/1613/dscf1446f.jpg)

Oroville yard I’m in the process of rebuilding the yard here cause it did not operate the way I wanted it to.

(http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5048/dscf1447.jpg)

(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4816/dscf1450zo.jpg)

(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1496/dscf1451y.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5043/dscf1452s.jpg)

(http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/87/dscf1453x.jpg)

(http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8273/dscf1454q.jpg)