Chair-Borne!

I injured my back somehow last week. That has curtailed my layout work, but I was able to catch up on some writing and design projects. CHAIR-BORNE!  (for you former paratroopers.) 

I wrote three articles that seem to have been accepted by the editors. So hopefully we will see them pop up in the magazines at some point. One of the articles was for a new magazine for me, a non-model railroad magazine.There is quite along lead time from article submission to publishing, so it could be a while.

I did shoot some new photos for the articles including this shot of Battery Schaefer. Prior to the layout expansion, this shot was obscured by trees. Now, the trees are no longer in the way and we can get a look at a train coming north past the battery.

Another project I could do from my chair-borne position was a track plan design. A model railroad club in Ogden, Utah obtained access to a store for a semi-permanent layout. Some of their members asked me if I could help with the layout design. They wanted something that featured scenes from the local area, had crowd pleasing features, but also allowed interesting operation. They had sketched out a basic foot print for the layout, so all I had to do was fill it in.

I have rail fanned this area several times so I was familiar with some of the signature scenes. On one trip we caught a UP steam train heading up Weber Canyon. I did a short youtube video on that along with some help from Brian and Jake.

I came up with a rough draft plan. We will see how it evolves and if they use any of my ideas.

LDSIG Panel Discussion - What would you do differently?

 I was a panelist on a Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG) on the subject of "What would you do differently." There were six of us on the panel. We each had a chance to do a short presentation on our layouts with respect to the above question. 

I structured my brief presentation as a summary of how I got where I am and what I would do differently.  The image at the left, with apologies to the Talking Heads, is a rough outline that I followed. 

I described the layout space I had available, the layouts I tried to build before the Aquia line, and how the Aquia Line evolved and grew. 

I presented a short list of things I would do differently if I was starting over, all from a layout design perspective. I post the list here without elaboration. 

• Build an integrated design. The iterative/phased process resulted in sub-optimal design
• 36” Minimum radius with 30” only in alcove
• Longer sidings and longer trains
• Prototype length bridge at Potomac Creek
• Track elevation in accordance with prototype terrain
• Master switch for the layout lighting
• Buy a different house

Finally, I showed a quick sketch track plan of how I would redesign the Aquia Line RR if I were starting from scratch. This was the LDSIG after all. The main difference is that I flipped the railroad. Aquia Landing is in the crew lounge while Falmouth passes the current location of Burnside's Wharf and extends into the home office. Putting Aquia Landing in the crew lounge area allows the track to climb after it leaves the river, just as it does in the prototype. 

In this redesign, about 25% of the railroad would require only minor changes from the current plan, but the rest would have extensive rebuilding. This railroad satisfies all the items I listed above.  Will I do this? I highly doubt it. But it was a fun exercise.

The LDSIG will make the recorded talk available on line for viewing. I will update this blog with the link when it is available. 

Meanwhile, the spackle is drying on the new coved corner by Stares Tunnel. I should be able to start painting backdrops tomorrow.

All Mocked Up and No Place to Go

 Thanks to everyone that commented on the previous post. Here are some more of my thoughts on the scene. I hope to install the water level plywood soon, so I need to sort out the design.

I cut some cardboard to mock up the fascia. The exercise proved illuminating.

First, I determined that I should add some more lateral distance between the fascia and the track, i.e. make the layout benchwork wider. This is mostly so that when I take photos or shoot video, I have a little more terrain to work into the scene. But it also improves the scenery to the track ratio, making the layout more realistic and visually pleasing.  This goes against some currently fashionable layout philosophy to have minimal bench width so one can maximize run. But in this case, I have plenty of room to grow the width of the scenery since I already have maxed out my linear run. The extra width will be infringing on a generously sized crew lounge where a few less inches of space is not critical. 

Second, the mock up shows that the vertical bump in the fascia isn't really that effective as a scene divider. Plus, I surveyed the rest of my layout and determined than I have eight other locations where I have terrain higher that the track between the fascia and the track. But, I have only four places where the terrain at the  fascia is lower than the track.  So I need more below grade terrain. Below grade areas also make better photo opportunities. 

The desire to break up the scene to make the run feel longer is not as imperative here as elsewhere because the run from Stoneman's Station to Falmouth is the longest I have on the layout -  about about 50 feet with 16 feet in the Stares Tunnel. It takes about 3 minutes of run time at track speed.  It's true that in model railroads, the length of run can never be long enough, but this is getting close, or at least as close as I can get in this basement without going to a double deck layout design.

The only image of Accokeek bridge I have.

Third, one of the common features of civil war era railroad construction is the use of trestles over undulating land versus excavation of cuts and fill. Before bulldozers and dump trucks, cuts and fills were more expensive, at least in the short term, than wooden trestles.  And ante-bellum railroad builders aimed for fast and cheap. The USMRR followed this philosophy even more on lines they built.

In the case of the Aquia Line, the USMRR built over an existing roadbed, so the grading was largely complete. But, there was a long low trestle over Accokeek Creek. Haupt says it was about 150 feet long and 30 feet high. I only have one image of this bridge and it is a quick artist's sketch, not a good photo.  Not much help there. I don't have room for a scale 30 feet  of height, which would be 7 inches, so I need to aim for a lower style bridge. 

Bridge Number 2 City Point and Army Line

Fortunately, the USMRR built many bridges like that and we have photos of several of them. The USMRR City Point and Army line has several examples of low trestle bridges like this.  Bridge number 2 was a modest one, while the bridge over Hatcher's Run was much longer.  The USMRR built extensive trestle work at Aquia Landing to connect Burnside's Wharf to the mine line. So there is ample prototype precedent. 

Fourth, I think a long low trestle would look really cool.   Gary Hoover has an impressive low trestle on his new N&W layout. Paul Dolkos has one with a swing bridge on his new layout.

In conclusion, a long low trestle is a typical USMRR construction feature, it would amplify the narrative of mid-century railroad construction and  it would look cool.  I will use some foreground trees to help break up the scene, but the trestle will be uninterrupted by a cut and fill. 

One Versus Two Bridges?

I installed the benchwork and roadbed for the expansion as the track departs Stares Tunnel. The curves are 36 inch radius minimum, though the curve just as the track departs the tunnel is mostly eased to a much greater radius. The flow is nice and smooth. Turns out the grade in the tunnel is greater than in this visible section, so there isn't that much more to worry about. 

Now I need to decide if I want one long trestle or two smaller bridges separated by a short section of cut through a hill. 

I did two concept sketches using Photoshop to show how both might look. The comparison photos are below. Which do you like better- one long trestle, or two short bridges with a short cut in between?How about both, that is have the long trestle, but have some trees in the marsh in the middle foreground. The trees would help break up the scene, but still allow the long vista.

The compromise solution - long trestle with a slight rise in the middle with some trees.

Track Plan Tweaks and ebay

Work continues on getting my basement back in shape. I am taking this opportunity to cull the herd. So I am selling some of my excess rolling stock on ebay. If you want to see what I have for sale check out, this link.  

Meanwhile, I made some tweaks to my track plan. I decided the engine terminal at Aquia Landing needs to be in the foreground to make operating the turntable easier and to allow better views of the planned machine shop. I plan to detail the machine shop with a bunch of tools so I want them up close to the viewer so the detail will be appreciated. I also widened the benchwork by the Stoneman's Station. This will give more room for scenery and help protect the legs of the operators as the TV unit shelf extends out past 12 inches in this area. 

 I have mocked up the extended peninsula to see how it affects the room's feng shui.  I like it, but Alicia says it's too cluttered. Fortunately,  the basement is one place where I can overrule her.

Back to the grindstone

This was Victoria's first visit to the Aquia Line

The flood and drainage contractors have completed their work. We now have 5 pumps in two separate sumps, new drainage pipes for our down spouts and pump exhausts, and have a new french drain to catch the run off from my neighbor's driveway.  I think the most important change we made was to reroute the sump from the backyard to the front.  Now we need to see if it will help. We may find out soon as rain is forecast. Meanwhile, we spent the day trying to get the basement back in normal condition. I took the opportunity to cull some of my stuff. I threw out a bunch of books, got rid of an old dresser, and donated my collection of music CD's to the Salvation Army. The new sump reduced some of the storage space in my HVAC closet so I  decided to get rid of the urban modules I was storing there. Luckily, Mat Thompson offered to take them to use in a new small layout project he is planning for next year. He and his wife stopped by today to pick them up.

The first room I got set up was my office. I moved my desk to the east wall. This seems to create a more spacious feel and creates ample space for my HO layout. Since we didn't have to upgrade our electric panel, there is room for the HO layout.  I also got a new computer and monitor. I traded in my old iMac (Apple gave me a great price for the trade in)  for a MacMini and a 49 inch Dell Ultrasharp monitor. This is a great set up as it allows me to open several applications at a time with ample screen space. So far I am really loving it.  This monitor will allow me to run both my mac and PC laptop with the same mouse and keyboard. That feature will come in handy when drawing for the laser cutter. The south wall will house a long narrow strip of bench work on top of my 12 inch deep IVAR book shelves. I would build a new Stonemans Station in this location. The former location of Stonemans Station will become the new Potomac Creek Station.

The new monitor inspired me to work on a new track plan for the Aquia Line. The plan requires that I delete the Burnside Wharf tracks and move Aquia Landing about 6 feet to the east. Then I would trim off some of the water of the wharf scene and replace it with the new Falmouth. Thus I would have a two-sided peninsula in the room with the opposite ends of the railroad on each side of the sky board.  

With this plan I would have all the stations of the prototype line. Brooke will be the only station that could not hold a design length train. The mainline gets a nice bump to about 215 feet, which is almost 2 scale miles in O scale. The expanded main line might allow enough running room to have a third crew, assuming we ever get back to op sessions.

The draw backs to the plan are that I lose the sidings at Burnside Wharf, the crew lounge gets a bit smaller making the gaming area a bit tight, and there would no room for the ironclad Passaic. But I did add sidings at Aquia Landing to make up for the lost switching. So the crews should stay reasonably busy at Aquia Landing.  On the plus side, I would not lose the big storm cloud that I painted on the backdrop by Burnside Wharf.

Sprezzatura and Shibui

A scene that exhibits my intrepretation of Sprezzaturra and  Shibui 

While we wait for contractors to begin work on improving the flood resistance of our basement, my thoughts have been drifting to other subjects including among others layout designs, flood control and layout philosophy.

For a while there was the possibility that we might have to clear out the basement to do flood repair and mitigation related work. Instead of dreading that, I took it as an opportunity to think about what would I do if I had a clean slate.  I discussed this with Marty McGuirk  and he suggested if that was the case, I should have the contractors move the walls and HVAC to make the basement more useable for a model railroad.  

Having thought about that briefly, I couldn't think of any better arrangement that would not involve a major shift of the HVAC, plumbing and electrical components. Moving the toilet and HVAC would be major expenses, as we would have to jack hammer out the rough in pipes that are buried in the concrete.

Anyway, that is now moot as it looks like the Aquia Line will survive.  The old sump, which is located under Brooke, will be replaced and improved without the need to remove that section of the layout. The new sump will be placed in the HVAC closet where we have easy access to water pipes and not interfere with the layout.  Thus, we can add a water powered back-up sump pump in this location without too much difficulty. That will give us a bit of redundancy if the electrical power goes out.

The water powered back-up is looming larger in importance as my plan to add a natural gas powered generator is bumping into resistance from the city's zoning noise ordinances.  They require generators to produce no more than 55dBa at the lot line. Most whole house generators produce about 65 dBa at 20 feet.   Since my house is only 8 feet from the lot line on the east and west sides, it will be hard to meet that standard. We just don't have the space to create a sound buffer. 

I found the city's noise requirement curious because the air conditioner compressors that everyone here has are quite noisy. So I walked around my neighbor hood with my iPhone sound meter and determined that most of the air conditioners in this area violate that standard.  Also, there are other folks in my neighborhood with whole house generators that obviously violate this requirement.  Oh well. 

Back to thinking about the layout. So moving walls and baths is not feasible. What other layout would I like to build if I had to start over? I have been known to change layouts like fashion models change outfits. But, the Aquia Line has been here for 12 years, which is a record for me. Obviously it has been a satisfying project.  It must be satisfying most of my model railroad desires.

One of the features of the railroad that I really like is its simplicity. But it was not simple to build. With very little commercial support, nearly everything had to be scratch built. The layout exemplifies the concept of sprezzatura.  This concept was first coined in 1528 by Baldassare Castiglione to 

"Avoid affectation in every way possible . . . and  to practice in all things a certain Sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it."

This is an elegant way of describing my own layout design philosophy.  A simple track plan with lots of open country running between stations is what I prefer and fits in nicely with the concept of sprezzatura.

Over time sprezzatura has taken on some ambiguous and perhaps negative connotations, especially with regard to insincerity.  To avoid those, perhaps I should describe my style more like Shibui, the Japanese aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty.  

Shibui objects appear to be simple overall but they include subtle details, such as textures, that balance simplicity with complexity. This balance of simplicity and complexity ensures that one does not tire of a shibui object but constantly finds new meanings and enriched beauty that cause its aesthetic value to grow over the years.

That seems to fit my layout style too, especially in the use of texture.  I have included texture everywhere in the layout from the textured paint on the fascia, to carved rocks, natural gravel,  and the static grass. I often walk into the layout room and rub my hand along the fascia feeling the rough texture.  I have noticed that visitors often feel compelled to touch the static grass and the resin water. It's the texture that is so alluring and it complements the visual appeal.

Model railroaders love clutter and detail. But I believe it can be overdone. I make sure that scenes with lots of clutter on my railroad  are realistic and have empty space around them to help accentuate and enhance. For example,  a tool shed would be filled with tools and clutter, but around it is natural space. One of my layout visitors made the remark, "everywhere you look there is a mini  scene."  But, you have to look for them. I was very happy to hear that comment as it reaffirmed my philosophy. 

Perhaps these ideas help explain why the Aquia Line has survived as long as it has. I am looking forward to getting my basement back in order so I can continue work on the layout and other projects too. 

Still Waiting

We are still waiting for the contractors to return to our house to finish the repairs to the basement. Last week they tore out the baseboards and drilled some holes in the sheet rock to dry them. But they won't be back until next week to finish up the repairs and clean up. Thus my basement has been left in a state of disarray. 

Since my model building shop and most of my Aquia Line expansion is not accessible right now for construction work, I decided to do some benchwork building in the garage for the HO layout that will reside in my office.

I built two 58-inch long by 30-inch wide frames with a 10 inch wide section that is recessed for  water front to hold the ship models.  These frames started out as game tables.  I converted then to my module frames. They don't have legs as they will sit on some IKEA shelves that I have in my office. 

Ten out of 30 inches might seem like a lot of real estate to devote to the ships that could be used for track. But displaying my ship models is one of the prime objectives of this mini layout/module. It will also be a show case for Alkem Scale Models products.  And reaching in 30 inches to uncouple cars is not good. So the track will be along the front with the ships in the rear. 

I had an idea to put a staging yard off the to the left. But now I am not so sure I will bother.  I need to come up with a track plan that is more self contained.  The track plan below shows  what I was thinking.

One issue I will have is maintaining access to the electrical panel.  In fact, I have had several foundation water contractors look at my house in the past few days to get quotes on how to reduce the flooding in the basement. Several have suggested the need for a separate circuit for an additional water sump pump That means my main panel will need to be expanded. Last year I added a secondary panel in my garage with 220V and 60 amps. That secondary panel used the last open spaces in my main panel. 

I also want to add a whole house surge protector as we have had problems with lightning damaging the capacitor on on air conditioner.   

The bottom line is the HO layout will need to be removable or at least not interfere with access to the panel. So no coved backdrop in the corner of this layout. I'll probably go with a hand painted sky and some cut outs. 

m

Hamlet and Analysis-Paralysis

To bridge, or not to bridge, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to simply

Model a scene of pastoral beauty,

Or to create a massive canyon

And by opposing bridge it. To chop—to bang,

No more; and by a banging say we end

The debate and the thousand second guesses

That devils us: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To chop—to bang;

To build, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:

For in that blank sheet what dreams may come,

When we have driven the last spike,

Must give us pause—there's the respect

That makes deciding so hard.

For who would bear the wise guy quips and scorns of time,

Th'doubter's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of opportunity lost,

The creeping doubt, and the worry

That something better could have been,

When he himself decided 

With an open heart? Who would stringers and beams bear,

To grunt and sweat over a steamy swamp,

But that the dread of something after deciding,

The undiscovere'd country, from whence 

Something else could be built, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ideas we dream

Than stay with that we have decided?

Thus indecision does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pitch and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action.

Dedicated to all of us with analysis paralysis.

With apologies to the great bard, if you haven't figure it out, this morning has me pondering what to do with the scene before Falmouth. Do I go for a simple pastoral scene or the mega bridge?  Decisions- decisions.  No need to decide right away, but it was fun to bend Hamlet to my task.

Activation energy

The sparks created by striking steel against a piece of
 flint provide the activation energy to initiate combustion
in this Bunsen burner. The blue flame sustains itself after
the sparks stop because the continued combustion of the flame
is now energetically favorable. Catalysts can also lower
activation energy.

Activation Energy is the energy which must be provided to a system with potential reactants to result in: a chemical reaction, nuclear reaction, or various other physical phenomena.

Let me start with a short story.

When we had our last flood last fall, I bought an Ecobee smart thermostat to replace the one in the dining room that was getting old. Some of the LCD crystals on the old thermostat had failed and it was impossible to read the settings.  The new Ecobee sat in its box for several weeks as I internally debated whether I should install it myself or hire out the task. I gave in and decided to called Geek Squad to do it, as I figured they would know what to do and get it done quickly without breaking anything.

They dutifully arrived at my house on the appointed time in their humongous, gaudily decorated truck. Two guys spilled out of the cab, one was yawning as he came up the walkway. They donned funky booties to protect our floor as they entered. After fiddling with the thermostat for a few minutes, they announced that they were not qualified to install this product, despite my purchasing it at Best Buy, their HQ. They left promising me that Geek Squad would refund my money.

As they left, my neighbor spotted the Geek Squad truck, and started to give me me a hard time. "Why is the MIT guy hiring Geek Squad?" he chided.  Now my neighbor is a sweetheart. He is a retired English teacher, who was well regarded by his students, but he is  not technically inclined. He and his wife are frequently asking me for help on house hold projects and repairs. So after years of techno-rescue by me, when he got the chance to find a chink in my techno-savvy armor, he drove right in.

I went inside suitably humbled. But the delay and then my neighbor's gentle harassment had raised my energy level above the activation threshold, and I did the job myself. It did require my having to add a power adapter inside the furnace, but the enclosed instructions were clear and was able to do the wiring and get it working.

Unlike when I installed my Ring video doorbell, the software on this item worked the first time I tried it. The unit has a nice control panel and it has Alexa voice integration. My wife was ecstatic when she tried playing with the thermostat. For the record, in the 23 years we have been married, she is the master of the thermostat. I never touch it. Anyway, she said to me, "If it was so easy to install, why did you wait so long to install it?"

My answer was, "activation energy."

And so, that is how we get to model railroading. I have been thinking about and designing expansions to my layout for several years now. But I haven't been able to overcome the activation energy needed to start. Then yesterday, Paul Dolkos, John King, Ken Lehman and Mat Robinson stopped by to see the layout. They were operating at Paul's and wanted to see what I was up to.

In the process of running a train out of Falmouth, I noticed that the curved turnout at the turn back curve was broken. One of the stub point solder joints had failed. This turnout has been blue flagged for several years because the tight radii there do not allow reliable operation. So I was surprised to see it had failed.

So now there are two broken turnouts at Falmouth. Will this be the catalyst to lower the activation energy to start the layout expansion?

It very well might be. I am supposed to host operations sessions for the ACWRRHS in September. With all of us having to stay home, this could be a perfect opportunity to start work. I just need to be able to get some lumber.  I have all the other necessary supplies on hand.  Most likely, the expansion will be a narrow shelf along the two walls of the crew lounge. But what if I wanted to do more?

I had sketched up a quick look at a large peninsula in the crew lounge. Then I took some curve templates and used my gaming table to mock up what a second peninsula would look like in my crew lounge.  I like it. But nobody else does. My gaming buddies want me to keep the game space. My wife doesn't like the expansion with the peninsula. Even the four guests expressed reservations.

So I suppose the best course of action is to start with the two narrow shelves along the walls. If that fails to scratch the expansion itch, I can always add on the peninsula.


After my guests left, news and health updates made it apparent that further guests to the house would not be a good idea.  So, I'm on my own down here. But that is nothing new. Now, to find a lumber store that is open.

By the way, once the thermostat was installed, I sent my neighbor a text saying "After Geek Squad gave up, I installed the thermostat myself. I hope my reputation is salvaged."

He replied, "not just salvaged, but further glorified."

The Model Railroader Kiss of Death?

Mock up showing the height of the benchwork
\under the bridge.

Paul Dolkos stopped by today in part to see how the flood recovery was coming along.

We discussed plans for the Aquia Line expansion. Paul agrees with Alicia that the Aquia Line expansion should have minimal impact on the crew lounge. He suggested a narrow shelf along the east wall (the wall where the couch is now) instead of the big bridge scene.

The problem with the big bridge scene is that the bottom of the bridge would only be 28-30 inches above the floor. That makes placing the couch in under the bridge a problem. The photo at the left of the bridge mock-up illustrates the problem. Another concern is that the the river level under the bridge will be lower than the Potomac River at Aquia Landing on the opposite side of the room. That might cause some geotechnic confusion when once can see both scene at the same time.

To address those concerns I modified the plan. Instead of the large trestle, I would instead have an open country scene along the east wall. Part of that scene would have the track paralleling Clairborne Run, as it does in the prototype.

To satisfy my desire for another bridge, I would put a low trestle in the north room where Falmouth is now. There was a long low trestle at Accokeek Creek on the prototype, so having another trestle would be very plausible.

After Paul left, my advance copy of the September 2019 issue of Model Railroader arrived. The issue features a photo of the Aquia Line on the front cover.  I have had my modeling featured on the cover of several other magazines and catalogs, but this is the first time my work has appeared on the cover of Model Railroader.  I had a spot reserved for it on my Wall of Lost Layouts, so I framed it and put it up.

Now it is a well known phenomena that when one of my model railroads get published in the model railroad magazines, the layout is doomed. Can the Aquia Line be the exception and survive?  I hope so. It did survive the great flood of 2019.  I hope if stays around for a while longer.

The Layout Formerly Named PoLA

Ready for the tile contractors

   The crew lounge has been purged of all vestiges of PoLA in preparation for the tile contractors. I hope that process goes smoothly. They start tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I plan to expand the Aquia Line, but not until after November, when we are set to host Northeast Interchange. That is an event we have been hosting in conjunction with model railroaders from northern New Jersey for the past several years.

Mock up of Port of Beaumont. I need to make sure the room lights are the same intensity and color temperature

In the meantime, I have been looking at a small HO layout for my office.  I mocked up the Port of Beaumont (PoB) layout to see how things would fit. I used some of the Ikea shelves leftover from PoLA. One constraint is the electrical fuse panel on the far left wall. I must maintain easy access to that.   This is a relatively simple layout that shouldn't take too long to build.

This plan gives me a nice place to display my HO ship models, allows me to switch my HO scale cars, in particular, the DODX cars that I produced via Alkem Scale Models. Having an HO layout also acts as a test bed for me to develop new HO products, such as my chain link fences.  Plus, I can enjoy looking at the layout when working on my computer in the office.

Since PoB will be small, it will allow me to finish it with lots of super detailing, including lights, cranes and maybe even animated road vehicles. I also plan to make the layout in easily separable sections in case I need to move it.

Nouveau espace trouvé

In cleaning up after the flood, we have undergone a massive purge. We've filled nine trash bins, made one trip to the Salvation Army and three trips to the dump. Gone are all my old film cameras,  about a thousand slides, slide projector, almost all my old magazines, two teak/particle board bookshelves, about 15 linear feet of books (mostly pdf files printed off the internet and used in researching my Kalmbach books),  camping gear, excess house painting tools, doll house supplies, and other assorted stuff.

I still have a lot of N Scale modeling supplies and rolling stock. I also have several tubs filled with boxes for HO freight cars that are on the layout.

After this much purging I have discovered a nice ten-feet long wall in my home office that is begging for a model railroad. At MIT we used to say, homework expands to fill available time. The model railroad corollary  is, "layouts expand to fill available space."  What should I do with this nouveau espace trouvé?

I could expand the Aquia Line into this area. But,  other than bringing Burnside Wharf into this space as shown at  the left, I don't see too many good options.

Perhaps a small shelf layout with a completely unique theme is in order.  Some ideas that come to mind.

A On30 WWI layout depicting the US sector in 1918 using the new Bachmann 2-6-2T engine, and a Dick Kerr gas petrol kit that I have on hand. I also have a bunch of 1/43rd scale miniatures I purchased a while back.

Continuing in the O/On30 realm, a small rendition of the Wisscasset Waterfront.  I have most of the stuff I would need for this project too,

Another possibility is a small modern port layout based on the Port of Palm Beach. I have much of the stuff I would need for that, even after I sell PoLA.

A third possibility is to install the Washington DCC modules I was building as a small switching layout. That was to be set in WII.

Another WWII theme would be a NY/NJ harbor scene with a pier and Liberty ship similar to the plan I published in my Model Railroad Goes to War book.

Finally, back to the modern era, a rendition of the Beaumont Waterfront where the DoD maintains a military port facility. That would create a nice showcase for my DODX freight cars kits and use a lot of the modern stuff I already have.

It's nice to have choices. Now, if we can get a flooring contractor to help rebuild the basement, that would be great.

Tunnel Motors as Investments? Limited Runs and Layout Designs

A shiny new Athearn DRGW SD40T-2 makes a test run on POLA

I have been thinking about what the next big step for my model railroad projects will be.  My original plan was that POLA would be a temporary project that I built primarily for my book, "Waterfront Terminals and Operations." It would be replaced with something else.  But, POLA has been a big hit with my operators and so it has lasted nearly 4 years.  I even added an extension to the original plan, which remains a Work-in-Progress.  Nonetheless, I do plan to remove POLA and do something different.  I thought about a POLA expansion, but decided against it as  container traffic it would include didn't seem that interesting to model and operate.

A scene from my N scale Soldier Summit layout that I
had to tear down as we moved from that house.

One of the ideas that has been floating in the back of my mind was a redux of the Soldier Summit layout, but in HO scale.  This plan would include the yard at Helper, the climb up the Price River Canyon, past Willow Creek Coal Mine to Soldier Summit. The tracks would then head west and  down hill via Gilluly Loops to another yard, notionally Provo. There would be a large steel mill and Union Pacific interchange. The Utah Railway would also be included via a partial double deck section under Soldier Summit. I had a rough track plan sketched out a few years ago and it looked interesting. But it had been mostly an academic exercise.

Climbing on the last SD40T-2
left in DRGW paint

The feasibility of the concept became much greater when both Athearn and Scale Trains introduced beautiful renditions of the DRGW SD40T-2 tunnel motor- my favorite diesel locomotives, and the primary loco needed for the Soldier Summit concept. I ordered one of the Athearn tunnel motors to evaluate. When the loco arrived, I put it on the layout. It ran well and sounded great. It needs some tweaking with momentum and sound volume, and it could benefit from a keep alive, but otherwise is a nice loco. The see-through screens on the rear are a nice touch.

Now, here's the bad news. The locos quickly sold out since they are limited runs, which is the standard method of marketing in the hobby these days.  Since I wasn't really paying attention, I missed the boat, or should I say locos. I got this one via ebay. Some dealers have a few in stock, but they are not easy to find. (Note - I just learned that Intermountain is also planning to release a HO Scale Tunnel Motor with improved tooling. Maybe this isn't as dire as I feared.)

Now, I really don't plan to do any drastic changes for a few years. But if I wait, the engines will be long sold out, torpedoing any chance of building the Soldier Summit layout.  To be safe, I would have to buy the motive power I would need now, and store them until needed. But, what if I never build it? I could sell them, but that ties up cash that could be used elsewhere until they are sold. If they could be sold at a profit, that would make them investments. But I suspect that is not a likely event.  I guess it all depends on how serious this idea is.

In the meantime, I've been toying with plans for expanding the Aquia Line. When I visited Don Ball, he lobbied for putting in a turn back loop where Falmouth is now to take advantage of the area.  I really resisted that idea as one of the objectives of the Aquia Line expansion was to get rid of the tight curve at Falmouth. But,  I do like the idea of maximizing the use of the space.

I did a little surveying and concluded that I could follow Don's advice by using 30 inch curves.  This only adds 8-10 feet of visible run to the layout, but is all "country running."  The run past Worthington Farm and an expanded Clairborne Creek would make for some nice scenic vistas.

There would be choke points in the aisle at the south end of Stonemans and in the closet. These choke points aren't deal breakers as the aisle by Stonemans is no longer a major switching area. Yes, the closet access will be constricted, but that wouldn't impact operations, just my access to stuff stored in the closet.

Most importantly, the crew lounge remains open. And if it doesn't work, I can blame Don!

The Butterfly Effect

A switch stand, a switch stand, my kingdom for a switch stand

Jeff learning the Stanton throttle 

Herba nd Bill work Falmouth

John goes solo on PoLA

Meet at Brooke

A happy Steve switching Aquia Landing

I hosted Op session number 20 on the Aquia Line and number 25 on PoLA today. John Swanson ran PoLA solo, while Steve King, Herb Biegel, Bill Mims, and Jeff Mutter ran the Aquia Line. The op sessions went well. We started at 0900, so we ran trains 3, 4, 5, and 6 on the Aquia Line. The session ended about 1230, whereupon we walked to the Italian Restaurant around the corner for lunch.  I think I like this paradigm of hosting a morning operating session rather than hosting the afternoon session, as it leaves a good part of the day open for other activities.

The session went well and the crews did a good job. The Stanton throttles did not run out of battery. That tells me I have a bad USB hub or cable, vice worn-out batteries in the throttles.

There was a problem left over from the last session that I chose not to fix, that was the broken switch stand for the double slip switch at Falmouth.

That switch was one of the earliest I have built. I made the switch stand with laser cut acrylic and brass parts. After ten years, the acrylic housing just wore out, and then the brass rod snapped in my ham fisted attempt to quickly fix it. At first, I thought it would be simple matter to swap out the broken switch stand with one of my photo etched new versions. But, then I realized that it wouldn't be that simple. The repair would require my pulling the point rails and building new bridles, as well as re-gauging the switch. Since the switch was functional, as long as the brakeman/conductor help the points off center, I decided not to fix it.

There is also another switch stand in this area that is close to failing. This is a Precision Scale cast brass harp-style stand.  It also dates to the start of the layout.

These issues have me seriously thinking about moving up the rebuild date on Falmouth.  Why spend a good amount of time on repair, when I plan to relocate Falmouth as part of the expansion before the end of the year?

At the same time,  my wife and buddies are lobbying me to keep the full scope crew lounge. They argue it allows me to have space for my guests and grand kids (if and when they are born, I hope that happens before I am gone), allows me a space to set up a game table and also build modules and other projects as the mood fits.  Their  lobbying is working. I am now leaning that way too.

This means an expansion that looks a lot like Plan 21, but  it would add the bean pole trestle.  So this is a new plan, 30b in the sequence of things. 30b provides a big space for the crew lounge without having to rebuild Aquia Landing.  See track plan 30b below.

Note, Plan 30B also has a slight addition at Burnsides wharf where I would trim the wharf and extend the water a bit to allow for a ship in the foreground. The ship would due reposition-able for op sessions.

Track Plan 30b