Ground Breaking on SP's Portland Teminal


FoamersNW

The Chief
Well this week marked the official ground breaking of the SP Portland Teminal HO railroad that will be housed in my garage, or well half of it at least. Here are the specifics of the to-be layout:

Name: SP Portland Terminal
Scale: HO
Size: 10' x 23'
Theme: Industrial Portland, OR
Locale: Portland Lake Yard - and surrounding docks and industries
Era: Fall 1958
Style: Single deck with hidden staging
Minimum radii: 18"
Minimum turnout: No. 4
Benchwork: Open grid and tabletop
Height: 54"
Track: Code 85 and maybe some 55
Control: DCC

History: Enter the modelers license. Lets go back to 1954, Northern Pacific Terminal (Portland Terminal) entered into an operational agreement with the Southern Pacific to operate its yard and associated interchange locations around the Portland, OR area. I picked 1958 because the SP was utilizing both tiger stripe and black widow, and newly painted grey and scarlet scheme was coming out.

The main yard will represent Lake Yard with a 74 car capacity 6 track classification yard with an adjacent 54 car 3 track arrival and departure yard that is independent of the main line. Also at the yard will be caboose tracks as well as RIP and a small open air diesel servicing facility. There will be a 6 track hidden staging yard under Lake Yard accessible by an around the room track that sneaks off from the viewed area and allows for continuous running.

Staging Yard
Track 1 - Eugene and South
Track 2 - Seattle and North
Track 3 - SP&S interchange
Track 4 - UP interchange
Track 5 - Staging
Track 6 - Through track

The layout will be designed for a max of 5 operators; Yardmaster, West trim, interchange trains, Terminal West switch, Terminal East switch.

Industries on Terminal West will include;

Warehouse A - 1 car
Bulk oil dealer - 2 cars
Freighthouse - 8 cars
Warehouse B - 2 cars
Warehouse C - 1 car
Refinery loading - 6 cars
Grease dock - 1 car

Industries on Terminal East are much larger and would require 2 switches;
Intermodal deramp (SP Overnight trains) - 12 cars
Ice dock - 7 cars
Fruit packing - 4 cars
Cold storage - 4 cars
Warehouse A - 5 cars
Flour mill - 4 cars
Scrap yard - 2 cars
Team track - 4 cars
Grain export - 16 cars
Warehouse B - 3 cars
Pier warehouse - 7 cars.


The dynamic track plan is the work of Ted Curphey who I gave some initial input on my parameters, and general idea. After only one revision, we had the plan set. A big thanks to Ted for his help on the plan!

The SPPT will be a railroad model that is designed to move traffic as I will be utilizing a car forwarding system similar to the one in use on the PSMRE. As for a stable for the power for the line, I already have ready to go a fleet of SD9's, NW2's, 70 tonners, a couple of F-units, and a quad of Alco switchers. For steam power you may see a cab ahead mallet stomp in and out of the yard once in awhile. As for interchange power, a set of SP&S RS-1's will bring transfers to and fro.

At any rate, here are some photos so far of the space that the layout will occupy, drywall and closing it in should be next week - stay tuned.

I hope to have the trackplan in a mode to show it on here as well.
 
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Oh Yeah Robert GO, GO. GO!! I was at this stage awhile ago man it's exciting.

Keep us posted

Ken.
 
That's going to be a great room Robert and the plan sounds fun as well, i have no doubt that the finnished layout will be superb with your's and Ted's influence. If you have not looked at Ted's web site, take a look @ http://www.icehouse.net/funnelfan/
 
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