Building the Mtn. Div. on the NMNRR

On up the mountain… I had set the right of way, and drove the pilings this spring. I chose to use pilings instead of bents as they have a rougher look and it gives the Mtn. separation from the rest of road. Here is the route from the bridge onto the actual mountain. Looking West, and up grade.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-044.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-043.jpg)

Looking E. from the tunnel portals on the Left. Down grade.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-045.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-047.jpg)

And where the switch will be.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-049.jpg)

Reset the alignment and the grade to 3.6%, got the stringers glued and pined to the pilings.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-052.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-053.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-051.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-059.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-055.jpg)

And the switch.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-054.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-060.jpg)

and the look

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-063.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-061.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-062.jpg)

Time to start bending some track!

Deleted_User_2918 · August 8, 2012, 2:14pm

I saw your track running so close to the street and I admit for a split second I though “Does he know what’s going to happen when the plow comes by”?

Love the trestle work.

jake3404 · August 8, 2012, 2:16pm

Very nice look, Dave. In all your problems dealing with the city on your building project, were you able to get permission to build a fence to keep the rif-raf off the layout? It is awful close to the road and sidewalk.

JRad · August 8, 2012, 3:08pm

Looks great Dave. I can’t imagine how you work on that hillside without causing damage. Obviously you have it figured out, bit if it was me there would be landslides happening all over the place

Doug_Arnold · August 8, 2012, 5:33pm

That’s one serious mountain! It looks great. I was lucky I already had a fence before the layout was built. I spotted one county building official awhile back but he hasn’t returned.

Dave_Taylor · August 8, 2012, 7:44pm

Thanks for the good words guys. This has been a couple of years worth of labor to get to this point.

@Doug - The mountain is currently at 7 ft. high. It has settled about 8-10" sense I last topped it off. I’ll most likely add some more once I have the track and mine settled in. It, like the rest of the layout started out as flat land, and I raised the bed 24" with the retaining wall for most of the mainline. It also provides us with a privacy barrier for the new patio from the street.

@Mark - Snow Plow? I’m in the High Desert. We get 5-6" of moisture a year (snow-rain). 2 years ago the city got it’s first snow plow, a 3rd-4th hand plow for a pick-up truck from the county. If we get 3 inches of snow school is closed!
If you don’t water it, it dont grow.

@Jake - The city doesn’t know it yet but they will change there rules and let me have a short fence along the street side. I’m working on my city counselor, she doesn’t know it yet, But I have planes for her…

@Jon - The hill side is pretty packed and settled. I have learned from others to have build in stepping places to get to the top, and access the Mtn areas. After this weekend the old knees let me know that I hadn’t used them like that in a looooong time.

Dave_Taylor · August 15, 2012, 3:35am

Stole some time and got some track bent… two 8’ lengths of aristo 8’ stainless flex track.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-068.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-067.jpg)

For the area from the switch into the upper tunnel I’m at the limiting factor on the Mtn. div. Right at 24" R. I really don’t want the big stuff up there, and this forces the opps sessions not to try to run K’s into the mining district. It is the mountain district after all.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-066.jpg)

I’ll still need to tweek some of the curves, but progress is a comming. Dave

Doug_Arnold · August 15, 2012, 1:05pm

I would say the width of that tunnel portal will also limit the engine size.

Keep up the good work!

Dave_Taylor · September 22, 2012, 3:27am

Stole some time yesterday and tonight and got some track bent for the top of the mountain. The mountain will be a loop on top with a connection between the two sides for reversing and switching the mines, and this loop will have the connection track down hill to the main line, the loop will have a tunnel on one end (West). Heres looking from E to W. Up hill on the bottom, mine loop on top.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-071_zpsf1b553e9.jpg)

Looking to the East from the tunnel and the switch for the connection to the loop.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-070_zpsd7ab8dbe.jpg)

Track and switch looking down on the South portal of mtn line and lower main line.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-073_zpse5c870c9.jpg)

Looking down on the North portal of the Mtn line. The switch is for the reversing loop. the line will go on around the hill.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-074_zpsa9c4673f.jpg)

And the view from above the upper tunnel looking E. You can kinda tell where the track will end up.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-069_zps88fb9634.jpg)

I’v got one long (8 ft) and two short pieces of track to bend and I’ll have it done after setting the mine switch in the crossover for the loop.

snowshoe · September 22, 2012, 10:48am

Thats looking great so far. It will look nice watching a string of ore cars rolling through.

JRad · September 22, 2012, 11:35am

That’s pretty impressive. Can’t wait to see it operational.

Dave_Taylor · October 4, 2012, 3:48am

Got some time over the weekend, and got the track on the Mtn, all bent, and aligned, added the new spurs, and got everything to fit up. Looking E. from top of tunnel. South side of Mtn. It actually looks like switch backs.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-083.jpg)

Looking back to the W.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-088.jpg)

Looking W. At the switch for the reverse crossover. And the spur to the the mine at the top of the W. hill.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-086.jpg)

Looking Down from W. to E. Shows most all of the top loop, and the reverse crossover.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-082.jpg)

Looking W. back at the tunnel, and the reverse crossover.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-091.jpg)

Looking at the E. end, and the new mine siding, The final bend to get around the hill was wayyyy to tight, so I made it wider and added the switch and siding in the cut out space. Yet another opps location.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-089.jpg)

Floating track, from widening the curve. More timber work to come.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-090.jpg)

Eye level view from the South Street side.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-078.jpg)

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-079.jpg)

Eye level view from N. Patio side.

(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff403/dave2-8-0/NMNRR-092.jpg)

Ran my Davenport around the top loop. It stopped 6 times before it made it around once with lots of help from both my 0-5-0 helpers. I had no power feeders at all, only the track rails, from 50’ down the grade, and thru a switches points. After several more helped around the loop tries, and some track cleaning, it ran well around the top and up and down the grade. Whaa Hooo! Next up, Pull the track up, put some pilings in, finnish the grade, run some feeders, Final assemble of the the track, and run some trains…

cncrr · October 4, 2012, 3:38pm

Looking good Dave!!!