2327 Wabash # 2327 2-8-0
working a yard somewhere.How To Paint Brick Buildings.. CLINIC #1
Recent Work - Completed this year (2005)
TOURTake a guided tour of the Wabash Model RR
Some other pics from around the layout.
Now that the ceiling/lights are in, it's time to get cracking on the yard and terminal.
Is it possible to install a ceiling and track lighting above existing benchwork?
What do you do when your place of business closes during Christmas '98?
2327 Wabash # 2327 2-8-0
working a yard somewhere.
2508 Wabash # 2508 2-10-2
2803 Wabash # 2803
4-8-2 on a bridge crossing Lake Decatur
2820
Wabash # 2820 4-8-2 Full head of steam.
2821 Wabash # 2821
4-8-2 with another passenger train.
700 During WWII
Wabash received permission to rebuild 6 of their 2-8-2, 3 cylinder
locomotives in order to support the increased passenger traffic
that the war generated. # 700 was the first of 6 using a 4-6-4
wheel arrangement and a slight hint of streamlining. By 1953 the
Wabash had completely `dieselized' and all 6 of these hudsons
were scrapped (as were all of the other steam engines on the Wabash
line). I have personally seen photos of this engine steaming through
Del-Ray junction in Detroit heading the Wabash Cannonball (named
after the song) in its' heyday. The ghost train you see in the
background of these pages, is #701.
MORE Also you will find Diesels and Stations.
Wabash Model RR, affectionately known as the money pit, is my representation of what it would be like if the Midwest and New England settings were somehow combined with a little bit of the Colorado west thrown in. The time setting is during the Post-depression and PRE-fabulous 50's era. Just at the beginning of mass dieselization but at a time when steam power was still king on the American rails.
This Layout is basically a folded loop to loop scheme with a branch line, a small division point, a major passenger terminal, and a major freight yard complete with full facilities (Steam and Diesel). The major power represented is the Wabash RR. One interchange is represented for the Nickel Plate Road. More and more this layout is becoming a planned diorama that can be operated as a real railroad. You can click the image above and get a full view of the track plan as it stands.
Construction
The layout is constructed entirely of Hand spiked track and hand made turnouts in all visible areas. Mainline track is code 100, yard, terminal, secondary, and industrial track is code 70. All hidden track is code 100 flex track. Bench work is open grid mixed with some table-top type construction. Road bed is Milled Basswood glued or screwed to 1/2" plywood. The ties are of the store bought variety. There is no significant staging.
Control
The layout is controlled by an 8 amp Digitrax Chief using a PM4 module for power distrubution. I originally started with the Empire builder when they first were released but soon discovered that the EB wouldn't keep all the locos refreshed as it's limit is 22. I have in the neighborhood of 100+ locos. Originally, this layout was going to be cab control with one of the cabs being the digital throttle. After experimenting with the digital, I decided that wiring the block switches was something I just didn't want to do. Turnouts are all driven by Tortoise switch motors. All signaling will be done automatically by detection, there will be no CTC.
Operation (updated Mar 2002)
This layout was originally intended to be able to run in 3 different schemes. Circle, Out and Back, and Point to Point. The definition of a circular layout being 'let a train free-run', the circle didn't happen. If you were to use your imagination you could call it a point to point. Physically, it's an out and back arrangement. The mainline itself is a loop to loop arrangement (both being reverse loops). The trains enter and exit the mainline via the bottom loop. That loop has the one and only passing siding on the layout. The way the main is set up, to look like a double track main, run around operations are possible there as well. 90% of the time, I am running the layout myself, and I'm perfectly happy to do so. When there are more operators there are more trains on the mainline. Simple.
At the beginning of each session a random list is printed out. That list will have a number of trains, depending on the number of operators. The yard operator will make up each train on the list, one at a time. The freight trains, all being local freights, consist of anywhere from 5 to 15 cars. The random list is based on industry orders from a previous session. We'll look at Old Fuddy Duddys as an example. OFDs is a factory capable of producing goods from many different materials, wood, metal, textiles, etc. Their current production will determine what types of cars are delivered. If they are producing furnature, such as upolstered chairs, they will need wood (flat or box cars), Finishing products (Tank or Box cars), fabric (box car) and the shipment car (usually box car). The shipment car will depend on who the customer has consigned to transport the goods from the factory. OFDs being a midwestern factory is centrally located and gets orders from all over the country. They are a thriving business so they can easlily justify full car load service. They've ordered hardwood from the mill, laquer from the chemical plant, and fabric from the textile mill. These 3 cars are waiting in the yard to be delivered, 2 box cars and a tank car. They have 4 cars to be picked up. OFDs has a freight platform capapble of accomadating 2-40' cars but their spur will handle 4. The 2 cars to be placed at the platform are the outgoing shipment box car and the car loaded with the wood. As it happens, the customer has chosen the same carrier to transport the finished product that was used to deliver the fabric. Therefore the box car used to deliver the fabric will also be used for shipping the finished furniture on the next go around. That's not always the case but this time it is. So, part of the out going train will be the 2 box cars and a tank car. For simplicity, it doesn't matter which ones. The only criteria is the road name and the size of the car. The train orders will say....
Similar orders will be issued for other industries. The yard operator will grab 2 40' Wabash box cars and one Chemical tank car and place them, together, in the train. There is no passing siding at OFDs so all P&D must be done on the return trip from Metropolis (lack of a better name for main city right now).
Scenery and Structures
Scenery will be constructed using Hydrocal and other proven methods. As long as I can't smell it, I'll use it. Structures will all be either scratch built or heavily kit-bashed. I don't want my layout to be an advertisement for some manufacturer. Upon completion the most noticeable feature will be the heavy use of detail, people, old advertisements. With very few exceptions, there won't be any ad signs for currently available products or name brands. I some cases it will also be very politically IN-correct.
Lately some scenery planning has been done using graphics programs such as photoshop. It allows me to see what a scene is going to look like before I put it together. I usually have a general idea of what I want but, my talents for scenery work are not yet at the level of my track work, or other areas of the hobby. Probably because most of my layouts never make it to the scenery stage. Follow this link to see an example of what I mean.
For most of the more involved structure scratch building projects I have drawn plans. Some are completly free lance while others are based on photos of either prototype or models. For an example click here and here. It may take a several seconds to get there and back.
Every once in a while I'll just start putting parts together and see what I come up with. Sometimes it ends up a mess and others the results are quite pleasing.
One of the most ambitious undertakings has been a 20" tall 60" long wood bridge and trestle. The new trestle, 72 inches long, has been completed.
This page was created by Jeff Siladi
Latest Update April 11, 2008
Email at rolleifix@rolleiman.com
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