Large Scale Central

Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's back yard

General Discussion
#441

It’s alive. After several months of acquiring components and very careful wiring and following manuals my first self made battery/ RC install in a trailing battery car was taken out for a spin on the Little River RR. Fortunately nothing exploded or caught fire and none of the wiring was reversed……….the locomotive actually ran!! What fun.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05969_zps23c4165c.jpg)

Here are a couple of shots of the green battery car powering LRRR locomotive #1 through the mountains of East Tennessee.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05967_zpscd5a57b1.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05968_zps34bfb292.jpg)

Now #1 can join its coal eating cousin #2147 doing the work of the Little River RR.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05970_zps53b71639.jpg)

A special thanks to Del Tapparro’s G Scale Graphics for its very well designed Rail Boss components and very well written instructions that allowed me to do a “first” in my model rail road career. Tom

#442

Looking good.

Is your battery/rc engine pickups isolated from the rail so you can run it and track power at the same time?

I burned out the rc unit on my rail bus because I was told it was isolated. It wasn’t!

#443
Doug Arnold said:
Looking good.

Is your battery/rc engine pickups isolated from the rail so you can run it and track power at the same time?

I burned out the rc unit on my rail bus because I was told it was isolated. It wasn’t!


Ya… same happen here one time. We now tell them to make sure there Batt. trains are not in anyway able to pick up track power at the same time they are running on batt’s.
We do run both at the same time, but one draw back is Batt’s oper. do have to watch the Track Signals to or there trains may go for a swim.

And nice layout Tom…

#444
Doug Arnold said:
Looking good.

Is your battery/rc engine pickups isolated from the rail so you can run it and track power at the same time?

I burned out the rc unit on my rail bus because I was told it was isolated. It wasn’t!


Hi Doug,

The electrical pickups were disconnected and the track wipers, “skates?”, were removed. There is no track power on this layout. It is all battery powered. If I can ever afford it, a steam powered shay would be a lot of fun. Thanks for your interest.

Tom

#445
Noel Wilson said:
Doug Arnold said:
Looking good.

Is your battery/rc engine pickups isolated from the rail so you can run it and track power at the same time?

I burned out the rc unit on my rail bus because I was told it was isolated. It wasn’t!


Ya… same happen here one time. We now tell them to make sure there Batt. trains are not in anyway able to pick up track power at the same time they are running on batt’s.
We do run both at the same time, but one draw back is Batt’s oper. do have to watch the Track Signals to or there trains may go for a swim.

And nice layout Tom…


Thanks Noel. I am learning a lot from you seasoned veterans.

                                   Tom
#446

I’m going to be running a battery powered Shay at the same time as the track powered are running. Either I keep watch for other trains or build a ram for the front of the Shay!

#447

Admirable…

I think you should invite the local boy scouts (or GRR clubmembers) over to help you get all those rocks in place! I have a rockpile or two or three … lost count… of my own. It exhausts me just to look at it all. :o

#448

Hi John, Yes there are a lot of rocks on the layout. In the past 1.5 years I have moved and dry stacked 12 tons of limestone rip rap rock and placed these over an interior of about 4-5 tons of concrete block.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05971_zpsf0a0e950.jpg)

I elected to dry stack the rocks because I wanted to have drainage for the forest floor and trees that I would place on the mountains.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05972_zpsdd2ae598.jpg)

I have started covering the rocks with topsoil and mulch and have started to plant the forest that hopefully will become the Smoky Mountains through which the Little River RR will run.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05973_zps059bed5d.jpg)

I have been buying a lot of the $6.98 Dwarf Alberta Spruce and Dwarf English Boxwoods at the local Lowes to plant on the mountains.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05974_zps816d14f0.jpg)

Much like my old HO logging pike this outdoor logger soaks up a lot of trees. Tom

#449

(Edited to add): Oh, those are some nice pix you just posted!
(This written B4 seeing the pix above): Doc - You may also find it profitable to have a look at this beautiful 4’ aluminum/steel bridge listed on UK E-Bay, esp the 2 detail pics. A bridge like this could be used either as a thru girder or a deck, of course… Looks to me as if the builder used the same stuff as we’ve been discussing here, doubling the L beam at the top. Look carefully and you’ll see he used square tubing or solid for the verticals. All cause for further cogitation…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-Foot-model-girder-bridge-/160888656652?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item2575b6130c

#450

Moving Colonel Townsend’s Cadillac. With the Autumnal weather changes coming to the Smoky Mountains, Colonel Townsend decided it was time to leave his summertime mountain retreat in Elkmont and head back to his valley home in his namesake town Townsend Tennessee. In addition to the usual personal and family possessions previously moved over his logging railroad the time had come to move his precious Cadillac. With all of about 1-2 miles of ruts in the Elkmont town limits most of the workingmen muttered about the vanity of hauling a Cadillac up in to the wilds of the woods in the first place.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/1808LogTrainElkmont-1.jpg)

However they were grateful to have jobs as the economic depression tightened its hold on the men who logged the forest and they did their best to please their boss. So a special train was made up to carefully move the prized possession back to civilization. It made it without a scratch.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05989.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05982.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC05991.jpg)

Tom

#451

Winter House Move

Much like the logging outfit of Shawn Viggiano ,way up North in the Kittatinny Mountains, the Little River Rail Road takes its logging “set out houses” (skid shacks) down to the shops for the winter. There damaged wood is replaced and the shacks given a fresh coat of the Thompsons treatment. Time does come to move the houses back out on the line for the upcoming spring logging season.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC06234_zps0e7db372.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC06235_zps91fe1ec7.jpg)

The trusty AH&D loader is moved in to place .

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/loaderwithletteringforLRRRonFlatcar.jpg)

The comfy little shacks are put in place at the Tremont Landing.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC06236_zps3445628d.jpg)

The welcome mat to the shacks is still coming and spring time in the Smokies is just around the corner. We can only hope.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC06237_zps27450079.jpg)

Tom

#452

Great shots. The Kittatinny guys finally saw the grass for a few days and was hoping to do the same with the bunks. That was until it started to snow again and cover everything up. Looks like they will have to wait a little longer before they do some repairs.

#453

Shawn Viggiano said:

Great shots. The Kittatinny guys finally saw the grass for a few days and was hoping to do the same with the bunks. That was until it started to snow again and cover everything up. Looks like they will have to wait a little longer before they do some repairs.

I was pleasantly surprised that the loggers cabins held up pretty good for the past year out in the elements. The one that did the best was the one I built with foam insulation board covered with wood boards (veneer?). The Thompson’s Water Seal worked very well.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DSC04643.jpg)

Tom

#454

Wow, it has been 1.5 years since I last posted on this builder’s thread.

With the cooler fall weather I was in the mood to further expand the Little River Rail Road in the backyard.

Here is an overall shot of the layout so far. In the corner of the photo where the Mazda CX 5 is parked is where the spur tracks to the Townsend Mill have been laid recently.

Here is a close-up view of the new trackage.

Wilfred, a new hire firemen, is on board for the maiden test run over the new bridge and trackage. He is a bit nervous.

A film crew got in on the action filming the movement of Little River Rail Road number one with a work train out on the new tracks to the Townsend Mill.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/EJyB9H4FHuQ[/youtube]

Hope you like the progress report.

Doc Tom

#455

Doc, I’m sure its a fine video, but I just want to watch it, not edit it.

#456

Steve Featherkile said:

Doc, I’m sure its a fine video, but I just want to watch it, not edit it.

Sorry Steve. I think I got it right now. Doc Tom

#457

I really like the sepia color, it adds character. Now add in some grain and those hole punch film end things and it will be just right.

#458

Steve Featherkile said:

I really like the sepia color, it adds character. Now add in some grain and those hole punch film end things and it will be just right.

Thanks Steve. I better stop here. It took me about 10 edits to get the You Tube video embedded in the post…so much to learn. Thanks for looking. Doc tom

#459

Nice photos, stories and old timey movie. I like your shacks but I think they need smoke stacks and woodstoves unless you don’t trust the crews with fire?
Love that long curved trestle, I’d be nervous as the new hire going over that.

#460

Todd Haskins said:

Nice photos, stories and old timey movie. I like your shacks but I think they need smoke stacks and woodstoves unless you don’t trust the crews with fire?
Love that long curved trestle, I’d be nervous as the new hire going over that.

Right you are Todd and Winter is coming on. Need to make some retrofits to those shacks. Good eyes.

Doc Tom