Layout tour part two


Soo

The everknowing one,LOL
Well here we go...grab a drink or a snack,, but pay attention. There will be a quiz at the end.LOL

The Layout is called the Wisconsin Belt Terminal Railway. Set in circa 1980's.
Seeing as my favorite road is the SOO, I choose to model that, but also with the Milwaukee Road and the CNW. I choose the CNW for the reason that when I left the US Army (7 years) I was hired on by the CNW as a brakeman/conductor working out of Proviso yard. But since the UP swallowed up the CNW, I was low man on the pole, so I was let go.

I guess you could call my layout, freelanced. I tend to make up silly names, or use the names of good freinds , such as Major Tony Hammes, Doug Andreasen, Tim Blackwell, and other to many to mention.

I operate using DCC from CVP products. I have used analog in the past, since learning about DCC and getting great tech support from CVP, it has been a relitivity painless journey. For uncoupling there are between the track , and under the track magnets for uncoupling. I have tried the radio shack mags and also some that I found at a hobby lobby. I use a pik when I feel like it. The crossovers on the main are controled by tortoises, as are the turnouts that can not be reached. Brewer yard is all tortoise with bi-polar LED's showing indication of direction throw.

In the future I plan on using a computer generated switch lict program for ops sessions. Right now it is a one for one swap. Sounds fairly easy, but me and my diabolical mind have come up with some things not to make it so easy,LOLOLOLOL

Here is a shot leaving Brewer yard in Milwaukee,Wi. heading north, but westbound in railroad speak.
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Also in the pic you see the buildings to the left and rear. That is what I call Menomonee Falls, Wi. In MF there is a manufacturing plant, 4 car spots. A petro-chemical reclemation center, 3 car spots. The Co-op you see is in actaully Brewer yard limits. L&W co-op can handle 30 cars.

Here is the area I call Richfield, Wi. RF has 4 industries.
1. Hammes bakery, the building on the left with the white silos. Named after Major Tony Hammes who has become a freind and endless stream of operational ideas and thoughts. He is the one that had the influence on the staging area. He knows his stuff when it comes to operating. 4 car spots there.
2. In the back corner you see Andreasen Machine parts. It has two tracks with room for 3 box cars each. The idea when switching is that you have to line up the car doors on both tracks. So the employees at AMP can put platforms between the cars to drive the fork lift through.
3. To the right in the pic you have two industries next to each other. Fox valley AG supply , 3 car spots. Then a lumber company that has 3 spots also.
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As you leave RF you come to Fond Du Lac, Wi. / North Fond Du Lac, Wi. This was the first section made as I got back into N scale . It is 19"x96". There was no track plan, I just laid track to what I thought would provide switching work, and plenty of it.

There are 9 industries and 1 yard in the FDL/NFDL area. The yard is called Lombardi yard which can handle 27 cars. In the picture you can see the concrete silos, that is the demarcation line for FDL/NFDL. FDL left, NFDL right.
1. The green flat on the backdrop is DimWit manufacturing, has two tracks, for total spots for 7 cars.
2. We have Valley lumber supply, has room for 5 cars in front of the sheds and a overflow track for 2 cars.
3. Next to Valley lumber we have, S&G transfer that can handle 5 cars, it is a bulk material, team track and what ever else I want.LOL
4. Polish eagle concrete and aggreagte company. Room for 3 spots, using short cars such as the 3000'cft covered hoppers, or 90ton hoppers.
5. The last industry on the FDL side is, Brauer warehouse, the get everything that comes or goes in box car. Room for one car.

On the NFDL side we have 4 industries.
1.The blue building is Badger paper, room for 4 cars, but you can squeeze 5 in there.
2. Behind Badger is Lee King Plumbing. It is served with two track 3 car spots per track.
3.The white bulk storage tanks you see is Blackwell Industrial liquid manufactures. Spots for two cars are allowed, with a third being sqweezed in once more.
4. The plant in the front and to the right is Packerland Manufacturing. Spots for 3 cars are allowed there.
akg.jpg


You continue westbound, you leave the FDL/NFDL area and you proceed to Appleton, Wi. Or you can take a crossover move to the track closest to the backdrop. That will terminate you in westbound staging which is called Green Bay, Wi. Appleton is a branch line, I thought that idea would make a ops session a little bit nicer. The only destination is a rural farmer's co-op. Brown country co-op , has room for 3 cars. I usaully put one covered hoper and two box cars there. Appleton is the termination of visable westbound trackage.
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You can see the low backdrop, hills and trees in the above pic. That conceals a staging area. There are a total of 7 tracks. 3 for westbound traffic , 1 run through, and 3 for eastbound traffic. You can see the trains by using a mirrior hung from the ceiling.
akd.sized.jpg


alh.sized.jpg


Now when you travel eastbound from Milwaukee you come Oak Creek, Wi. OC is home to Wisconsin pipe and steel, called WIPS. And also Centralia aggreate company. WIPS has the capabilities to handle 17 cars. those range from 50' gons to 65' mill gons, flat cars, coil cars, bulkheads , and other cars that are not steel specific.
akk.jpg


Centraila can handle 12-14 cars to serve the major aggregate company. They also take products and bag them, so box cars are required also.
ajr.jpg


As you leave Oak Creek, you terminate in eastbound staging , or what is called Janesville, Wi.

Here is one last pic. You see the total size of Brewer yard, which has capacity for 95 cars. You see the only sceneic'd portion also.
aki.jpg


Whew this has been alot of typing. I am a welder/ carpenter, not a typist,LOL

Hope ya'll have enjoyed this. You have any questions fire away.

The quiz ? is,,,,,, what state is the railroad in?LOL Told ya to pay attention.LOL

Adios Wyatt
 
:cool: **AWESOME!**:cool:

I really like the way you've used false-front buildings, you've given me a few ideas for how I'll do mine when I reach that point (still under construction).
 
SpaceMouse said:
I thought of using a mirror for my staging, but Grande's success talked me out of it. Now...

Heck, I thought about using a mirror too. :cool: Problem is, two of our staging yards are stacked on top of each other and the third is down a basement wall where we couldn't have seen the mirror from the operating area. :eek:

If you can get by with a mirror, go for it! Otherwise, you'll need a little electronics... ;)
 
What about CCTV?. Closed circuit TV would be the way to go. You have the monitor(s) located with the dispatcher.

I think Jim Hediger (sp?) did a article in MR about it.

Thanx for all the comments guys. I am the process of planing a new layout that will fill a 21 x 23 garage. It has been fun to show ya'll the layout. Eever sinced I moved I have not been able to work or run trains on the layout ( long story). So just showing it, made me feel a little bit better.

Adios Wyatt
 
Fantastic Wyatt. Nice trackwork too. I dig they way you combined the 'mine' and 'rock quarry' kits(mind if I borrow the idea?). Keep up the great work. And post more shots please.:D

Johnny
 
Awesome layout! I also like the false front industries as well as the bigger structures.

While my little staging area (2 tracks) is tiny, but it is going to be hidden behind a mountain and flush against a wall, so I have test mounted a cheap webcam hi up on the wall looking down on the area so I can monitor it on my laptop. Nothing great but I will be able to clearly see whats going on. Just a bit cheaper than cctv for a small operation like mine.
 
You can find good cheep webcams coming out of Korea, and other Asian counties on eBay, I paid $10 plus $4 shipping for mine, and it works better them most of those $100+ Logitech ones that are at the "top of the line". No zoom features, and manual focus, but if you put it somewhere well aimed, then you have no worries about it needing a zoom or refocus.
 
This site has a lot of home security cameras. I used several on my river property, but now use one for my hidden staging yard. You have to use a TV monitor of some type or a reg. TV that has the monitor capability. They even have one that is battery powered that if you take it out of its enclosure you could mount in on a loco. http://x10.com/home.html?443e7c3236e5051543aa3853
 



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