Large Scale Central

Potlach and Bovil RR Construction Log

Track and Trestles
#1

Track Diagram - No Scale. The area is roughly 100 ft by 100 ft.

The turntables will be simple affairs, at first. Galvanized Lazy Susan mechanisms supporting 48 inch 2X6 Redwood, sufficient to turn an Aristo mallet. Near the apple cold storage warehouse will be a roundhouse/engine service area that is raised at roughly belly button level for easy access. The other two TTs will be 1-2 feet AGL. The grain elevator is in SWMBO’s garden, hidden behind the corn patch. I thought that was appropriate. Maybe someday I will sneak in a loop, but not now. There is a yard with 6 tracks at 40 inches or so at the GN/SP&S interchange for the old fharts to put their trains on the track without getting their knees dirty. Power by battery/RC or live steam. The folded wye to the NP/MILW interchange will be built last because I may not have enough track. :lol: Nothing is final, this has a lot of fermenting to do, yet. The way I see it, logs will arrive via interchange with NP/MILW or GN/SP&S, be transported to Potlatch Forest Industries (PFI) for milling, then wood products will return to interchange for further shipment. Similar traffic for the other industries. I may even (eventually) have a lumber outfit provide logs to PFI from my woods. Comments? Suggestions?

#2

Well, it looks …interesting…:wink:

Lots of possibilities with 2 interchanges…

#3

What are you going to do with the 50 or 60 feet between BF and PFI? Lawn, flower bed or railroad use?
Ralph

#4

Steve,

My first thought is that I’d sure like to operate on that! I am concerned that it’s a large layout to start with.

What’s your concept? Do you plan to operate? How many operators? How many trains? Do you enjoy switching? Shortline? How long will your trains be?

Are the turntables to be used as the run around?

There’s not a lot of track at each end. I imagine bringing a train in. I’ve got to use the turntable to run around it. Now, if I’m picking up cars, do I pick them all up? If so, it’s not too bad to pull the caboose and use the run around track to start to build a train. Once that’s built, I guess I’d deliver the first train up the the industry?

Personally, I’d like to see some more switching opportunities at each end, or even along the runs, with perhaps trailing and facing point switches…but that might be hard to rationalize.

This should be an interesting discussion.

#5

That’ll be an interesting road to operate. I assume there’s a bit more to the yard areas than is illustrated?

#6

Well, ya got to start somewhere. There will be more operating possibilities at Potlatch and at Bovil as time and money allow. The TT is there for runaround. I enjoy operating and switching. I have no idea how many operators this layout will support as it stands, now. With one or two more passing sidings, there could be as many as 6 trains on the layout at any one time. To answer Ralph, Yes, all of the above, lawn, plants and railroad. Perhaps another town/industry. Next year. :stuck_out_tongue: This is modeled after a shortline, the Washington and Idaho Railroad, running on ex GN/BN/BNSF track. I’ve taken a bit of liberty with time and location, but essentially, place and time are pretty close. The yard area at the GN interchange looks like this. The idea was stolen fair and square from Richard Smith, including the warehouse. On the 2 tracks nearest Gunny, if you look closely, there is an escape for the locomotive from track 5 to track 6.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Bovil-3.jpg)

For Bruce’s concern that this is a large layout to start with, this is my 4th large scale layout. Hopefully, I won’t make the same misteaks again. :stuck_out_tongue:

#7

Steve,
I didn’t realize that was based on a prototype. I don’t know how much you have changed, but that should give you all sorts of neat possibilities.

I had forgotten you had that much done, as well. And, being elevated, you should not have as many problems as you would on the ground; so your maintenance shouldn’t be a problem. I envy you those long sidings!

Do you have some views of the lawn - so we can see where all this stuff goes?

#8

http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=9510

The last pic is in the Potlatch area.

#9

I’ll get more pics tomorrow. It’s raining heavily, now.

#10

I didn’t know there was going to be a test. :wink:

#11

I like the track plan… Seems to me, it could handle maybe 3 operators for freight movements…

1 could take a “unit” train run out to bovil fuels and back…
1 could make a run out to Potlatch Forest Industries, and work that, then stop and work the Elevator as it heads back to the yard…
1 could work the yard area and work the transfer run between interchanges, and pulling cars from the “storage area” out into the yard…

Also, with a Railbus, or an RDC, or a small passenger train, you could run a ““tourist”” special…

Seems to me, like it has a few operating possibilities…

#12

Sorry, Steve.
At my age and with my aching creakin bones, I gotta have a loop. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:
jb

#13

The August, 2008 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman has a article on the Washington and Idaho Railroad in it. The W&I is the latest iteration of the WI&M of the early 20th century. It makes an interesting read. It also contains track plans of Palouse, WA, Potlatch, ID and Bovil, ID, as well as an overall track plan of the railroad and how it fit into the scheme of things. I decided to change the track plan a bit, doing away with the wye in the middle. It just didn’t seem to make any sense. This new track plan corrects some mistakes that I had made, relying on a 40 year old memory from my college days. Probably had too much Holy Water to remember much. Anyway, the NP and GN interchanged at Palouse, WA, and the MILW interchanged at Bovil. Now, it’s the BNSF at Palouse and the St. Maries River RR at Bovil. The W&I no longer goes all the way from Palouse to Bovil, but if the market turns just right, the roadway has not been abandoned, so with a bit of work and money, it could again. At Palouse and Bovil, I put in some track for operating, based on what has been there in the past, but who knows how long it will take for me to build all the necessary switches to make it happen.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Layout_Diagram.jpg)

Notice BS JUNCTION on the track plan. Below is a photo of BS JUNCTION looking toward Grizzly Turn that goes off to the right toward Palouse.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/BS-Junction.jpg)

Below is a photo taken from Palouse, looking back to Grizzly turn towards BS JUNCTION. At the point where the photographer is standing, the roadbed will be about waist high. It will take a 2% grade from Grizzly turn to reach waist high at Palouse, but it will be worth it. Palouse itself will be level. The engine and caboose will be turned by roundtable.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Palouse.jpg)

We have completed our business in Palouse, leaving interchange for both the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific from our major customer, Potlatch Forest Industries, and have headed back down hill, arriving back at BS JUNCTION. We can either take the turnout to the right toward Potlatch and the barn, or continue on to Bovil.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0019-1.jpg)

We decided to go on to Bovil as we have interchange traffic for the Milwaukee. We head downhill to Hunter’s Turn, near Copper’s Hill.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0014-1.jpg)

This is a view of Hunter’s Turn and Copper’s Hill, with Bovil in the distance. Again, Bovil will be waist high, with a roundtable, possibly a roundhouse. (Not this year, though.)

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Coppers_Hill.jpg)

I may have to rethink the central wye. Without it, operators will have to retrace their path to Palouse, turn their trains, and then return to BS JUNCTION, before returning to the roundhouse for the night at Potlatch. I dunno, what do you all think? I suppose we could justify it by picking up empties at Palouse and returning them to PFI before tieing down for the night in Potlatch. On the WI&M, the Roundhouse and shops were in Potlatch. Below is a pic of the entrance to Potlach.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0023-1.jpg)