Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR


Drew good to see you back, thanks.

You read through the whole thread so you must remember I build bridges after laying track, which this photo shows. I just have about 18 inches to finish and I'm on to ballasting and bridge building: another small culvet, a cliff bridge over my desk, and this one. Jim :)

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PS These bridges don't really carry any load to speak of. I will show how I build the bridge on this creek. I haven't really shown the technique I don't think?
 
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Many wonder how I do all this so quickly. Well, it is just my wife, two cats, and I in the household. My wife works and I don't have anything to do except model railroading and senior softball. My best advice is not to fall into the trap that many do. Namely, when you are letting something dry, usually a water product, or in my case track and ballast, do something else while all that stuff is drying. In the last two days I did more work on the layout than I have in the last month. I'm almost finished with the redo already.

While my 'water' was drying yesterday on the other side of the hill, I build some of my piers to keep the track on the cliff, or desk as the case may be. Also note the track is still pinned down drying. So essentially just by being in the trainroom I'm sort of doing three things at once. Don't take time off waiting for things to dry. Add scenery, build things, get the job done. Too many modelers never finish their layouts anywhere close to how they wanted them to be in the first place. Time management! Jim :)

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I notice the tunnel entrance here. Are you planning on shoring it up with lumber or is the rock considered strong enough on its own?
 
RR130, Funny you should mention this tunnel. While stuff, water, ballast was drying yesterday I did build a frame around the this tunnel entrance. The rock is strong enought not to be braced up but I'm going to build some rock fall protection. Jim:)
 
The first framing was drying over night. Finished this up this morning even with rocks on top. I still need to add weathering, but here is 'desk tunnel.' Jim:)

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You need to drive over to my house and help me work on my layout :).... I can dream I have a layout that looks that good one day :) .. Thank You again for posting so much information and helping all of us!!

THANK YOU! and that "desk" pic is priceless!! Awesome Job!!

Dan...
 
k0, Where do you live? Thanks for the gracious comments. Glad to help out.

Toot, I'm getting there. I will repost this photo when all is done. Cheers. Jim:)
 
Here is the photo of the 'desk' tunnel as promised. Since it is only a couple of feet away from me I will keep adding stuff as I go along. Jim:)

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Contest Notice. I mentioned after the aborted first 'contest' that I would have another one at 50,000 views. We just passed 49,000 so this is the first announcement.

Also, many of you have said publicly and privately how much this thread means to you. Thank you and you're welcome. Use what you can or want it is all free. Jim:)
 
Mini Big Issue

To show I'm human I will admit to three days of trying to get my modern 4-4-0 around this particular curve. I'm track tuning and saved the most difficult/impossible for last. This morning I gave up and decided to rip up about 34 inches of track. Had to. Here's the first view:

Sorry, but photobucket lost photos for this thread page. Jim 12/26/17

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And the curve. Problem area was at rail joiners next to the rock outcrop. The pilot wheels came off at that spot up or down. I added weight to the top of the pilots (lead) no joy.

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To make the curve broad enough using flex track I have to go up a bank and cut out some land. Bummer. Look what is left.

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This hole on the edge scenery is not to be desired. Generally it means plaster cloth again, which I'm out of right now of course, so I will use another way. Next post. Jim:)
 
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You sharp eyed viewers can see that the layout is nearly finish at this point. I have to make about 4 more Caspia trees. Speaking of trees. Working on this project working around the tree behind the engine house is not fun. Better testing of the track and train before scenery would have been very handy.

Anyway, we have to fill this hole. I will use this product: Sorry, but photobucket has lost these photos. Jim 12/26/17


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In this 'fill the gap' scenary pay attention to how I've made a small 'Tootsie-roll' size piece of foam putty. Lay the roll into the gap and spread up the hill first with your thumb. Next spread onto the plywood, in this case, and make sure it sticks. Then you can smooth the middle of the roll.

I find that this foam putty is the most useful product. It does everything. In fact I will make a small pile of it where the old road bed was and when its dry I will cover that with stucco patch and make a rock outcrop.

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In this last picture I decided to fill in the subroadbed deformities and make it all smooth. You can see two patches. Hope you learned something.
Jim:)

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Small suggestion- If that spot is just plain not usable, you might want to consider putting a stop at the end of the good part and "bury" the bad section in the weeds- like it's an abandoned section.
 
Steve, Correct. Always should be having fun!;)

RR, This is the finish of my mainline loop. If it dead ended then all this work is for not. I'm going to glue the track down today and give my 4-4-0 a go tomorrow. No scenery this time until it works. Jim:)
 
Lounging around this AM I saw some good light coming in through the skylight and just using my desk lamp I produced this photo.

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Something for the computer wallpaper if you want. Jim:)
 
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Thanks fellows. Steve, it was shot outside.:D

Remember the pond? Here is a photo of the pond all dried and ready to serve. Using ground covers as a base for ponds and lakes has some good merits. Jim:)

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Another update. Here's the view of the weights on the last of the ballasted track. My 4-4-0 goes around the engine house curve with no problems.

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About all I have left is making a dam around the blue board and pouring water. Another trip to my LHS for water! Also, some more track tuning. Seems like everytime I run the 4-4-0 around the loop something else goes wrong.

Tomorrow I will post a photo of the prizes for the 50,000 views I promised. The contest will be correct this time. :eek: Basically the same as last time. Something will be different. You have to tell us what it is. Jim:)
 
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