Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR


The more I see of it the more beautiful it looks. You'd be a rich man if 35-40 yrs. ago you built layouts. But I'm glad I got the oppurnity to let you build mine. Lee Barry
 
It's like a bad haircut Jim. It'll look so much better when it grows back.
You can't make an omlett without breaking a few eggs. The loop operation will make it all worth it.
I've spent considerable time on the web looking up loco's and rolling stock. Found a couple of things that might help kitbash some little logging loco's. Walthers has trucks and the 2 cylinder engine from the Keystone shay in parts. Also the little Bachman GE 45 ton might be a usefull mechanism. Also found some cheap 44toners. I have used these parts a bunch.
I can't believe how expensive these models are getting. I also can't believe how nice they are and what a great selection there is. Of course, everything seems to be "limited run" and you have to do a bunch of searching to find what you want. Good thing that the web makes this a bunch easier.

Steve
 
J&A, Good one. I put that building there so it would suffer more damage than it already looks like it has.

Lee, I was too busy climbing mountains that far back. No time. I had to wait until I was sixty.

Steve, Hopefully it will grow back. I thought this redo was going to be no problem, but the original was really good so I will have to pull out all the stops on this one. Jim :)
 
At my open house someone asked where will I keep my trees. Since these trees are delicate they can't be stacked on each other or laying down. I went to my spare wood pile and found some old 2"x2"s I never threw away. Voila! Instant tree storage. Drill some holes and that's it. My trees are safely in my closet. Jim :)

IMG_3875.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You should have told them in the damn woods you idiot,, ha ha ( a joke) Thats' what my dad would have told 'em.
 
I love the switchbacks. What kind of grade are they? How's the performance on them? How long are the stub tracks and the sections between the turnouts?
 
Loud Music, Thanks for the compliment. That steep grade is 6.7 degrees. My Riviossi Heisler has to issues on it. The Bmann Shay and Climax struggle a bit. I'm lowering the upper track an inch and making the incline longer so I figure the grade will go down to about 5 deg.

The track on the top level left of the turnout is long enough for all six of my 70 ton ore cars or 21 inches. Jim:)
 
This job was harder than I though it would be. I forgot about cutting the drops from the rails. I used a Woodland Scenics long 'exacto' blade and rail nippers for the wiring. Jim:)

IMG_3879.JPG


This was a bigger hole than I thought it would be.

IMG_3882.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jim,
I used to have one of those Makita Right angled drills. It's like everything else it got away from me too. I also had a Milwaukee one that used 110 V. They sure are handy in tight spaces. When do you think your gonna have it back together. Keep sending the pictures. I know what cut a hole in your roof and put in a skylight, a clear one and before you put the cover over take some pictures ofthe whole layout and post it. Lee
 
Hi Lee, I've used the Makita right angle drill for most of my life. Could live without it and wouldn't own a tradition 'gun' grip.

I'm not in a big hurry. I work on it an hour or two a day. Mainly because this is my last layout and project. Jim:eek:
 
Steve, I remember that quake. I think Anchorage got rearranged a bit.

Below is a a photo of how I had to separate the 'rock' cliffs from the roadbed I'm going to lower. Lots of hammering and not a single piece of stucco patch broke off.

IMG_3883.jpg

Here is a shot of the upper track lowered with the gap. I've nailed in the risers and the roadbed is stable. Now I have to fill in the gap. Jim:)

IMG_3884.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That's some fault line Jim.

I just noticed the end of track stop you have on that line. I don't remember seeing this in any of your previous picture. Could you take some pictures of the stops you have on that layout, please.

I'll be watching the progress of the 're-build'.
 
waltr, Yes and it's hard on the back bending over to do the pounding.
You asked about 'end bumpers.' As always I try to build this layout the way the miners and loggers would have built things back in 1931. Even though they would have had a welder or two I doubt in this situation they would have fashioned one of those cool welded bumpers. Also the welder could have simply welded a piece of rail across the end. I tried that and didn't like the 'look.'

So in the photo below I've built a simple prototypical bumper any mining operation could have built. Two rails driven into the ground and some lumber stacked up. Simple. I have a pile of boulders on the end of the upper mine track. And the same rail and lumber at the mining camp siding. This is my best guess as to how it would be done. Jim:)

IMG_3885.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the close up pic of the bumpers Jim.

Mt layout is around 1900 and a mix of short line with an interchange to the PRR main in central Pennsylvania. Bumper designs were something I have been contemplating and yours seem to be good. Just hadn't seen the their details.
Thanks again for sharing.
 
waltr, Thanks. Not enough folks model 1900. Too bad. That date is is right up with 1950 for multiple examples of different eras running on North American railroads. Good for you and folks should click your link. Jim :)
 
Here is a longer photo showing the slight down/up on the upper mine track. Too hot today to get to work filling the gap today. I have to position the backdrop back into it's original position first. Not easy be cause I had to remove the left fascial board that was the anchoring points. I can't use it right now, maybe not ever, because I will probably have a roadbed coming out of a tunnel there. Jim:)

IMG_3887.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top