enjineerbill
Avid People Watcher
Well after a long period of unpacking, searching, arranging and other things that go along with buying and moving into a new house, the MadCoW has begun.
I suppose a refresher is in order, as I have been absent for a while. The Madison Central, called the MadCoW by those who admire her, is a spin-off of the CNW in the early 1970's. It operates lines radiating out of Madison Wisconsin. The majority of traffic is grain, ballast, paper and lumber. Typical mid-west granger stuff. The models are HO scale. It is a DCC system. This layout will be double-decked in a walkaround style.
I like to think of myself as the frugal modeler. My wife calls me cheap, but at least she gets my name right. So it is with frugality in mind that I present you with the progress of the current MadCoW.
Trackplans? Why, they're for folks who know what they're doing. I haven't a clue. I go until I run into concrete, then turn one way or another. It may not be the norm, but hey, it works for me. Some of you have already seen the dioramas constructed with the layout in mind. They were designed for what I thought would be a much larger space. I've made them work in the space I ended up with.
Here are the high bridge and quarry dioramas married for the first time. Beyond the quarry, to the right, is a shortline with interchange for sand(ore jennies) and grain. This is dead-end to a wall and will have a tunnel(cosmetic) at it's end representing 'beyond'.
A betterview of the shortline area. Notice the recycled foam from previous layout.
To the other side of the shortline, are the mainline and siding extending east from the quarry. This will have a view block about 6 feet from edge of layout as these tracks lead to the staging tracks, helix and second level. In this shot you see the lines for the curves which I will ignore later when laying track.
This view looks down the main, across the high bridge and towards the quarry.
Looking railroad west, we see the difference in benchwork elevation to fit the high bridge diorama in. This area will have additional foam applied and carved to blend the benchwork edges.
Another view. Wanna talk frugal? The plastic ice-cream bucket is full of ballast that came off the old layout. Sifted, ground apart in a blender, and dried in the oven(don't ask) just like I opened it new.
Coming off the high bridge, the track makes a 26" radius curve towards the towne of Dachshundville. This area will also have a view block going from rugged rockwork to gentle hills of farmland.
Nobody likes a pesky furnace. And this one is no exception. Ask me in January and I bet I'll say differently. Because of the lack of room here, this area will get number 4 switches and be restricted to being switched by four-axle units.
And that's as far as benchwork is for now. If I build any further and start to run trains, I will NEVER get the scenery done. My way of keeping me in check. So now it's time to 'create'.
After these were taken, more progress has been made, All the track is in and I'm currently testing and re-testing it for any flaws. Then on to the buss/feeders and so on. I will post more when I've taken them. To all who have inquired I thank you.
Enjoy the MadCoW, but from a distance...................
I suppose a refresher is in order, as I have been absent for a while. The Madison Central, called the MadCoW by those who admire her, is a spin-off of the CNW in the early 1970's. It operates lines radiating out of Madison Wisconsin. The majority of traffic is grain, ballast, paper and lumber. Typical mid-west granger stuff. The models are HO scale. It is a DCC system. This layout will be double-decked in a walkaround style.
I like to think of myself as the frugal modeler. My wife calls me cheap, but at least she gets my name right. So it is with frugality in mind that I present you with the progress of the current MadCoW.
Trackplans? Why, they're for folks who know what they're doing. I haven't a clue. I go until I run into concrete, then turn one way or another. It may not be the norm, but hey, it works for me. Some of you have already seen the dioramas constructed with the layout in mind. They were designed for what I thought would be a much larger space. I've made them work in the space I ended up with.
Here are the high bridge and quarry dioramas married for the first time. Beyond the quarry, to the right, is a shortline with interchange for sand(ore jennies) and grain. This is dead-end to a wall and will have a tunnel(cosmetic) at it's end representing 'beyond'.
A betterview of the shortline area. Notice the recycled foam from previous layout.
To the other side of the shortline, are the mainline and siding extending east from the quarry. This will have a view block about 6 feet from edge of layout as these tracks lead to the staging tracks, helix and second level. In this shot you see the lines for the curves which I will ignore later when laying track.
This view looks down the main, across the high bridge and towards the quarry.
Looking railroad west, we see the difference in benchwork elevation to fit the high bridge diorama in. This area will have additional foam applied and carved to blend the benchwork edges.
Another view. Wanna talk frugal? The plastic ice-cream bucket is full of ballast that came off the old layout. Sifted, ground apart in a blender, and dried in the oven(don't ask) just like I opened it new.
Coming off the high bridge, the track makes a 26" radius curve towards the towne of Dachshundville. This area will also have a view block going from rugged rockwork to gentle hills of farmland.
Nobody likes a pesky furnace. And this one is no exception. Ask me in January and I bet I'll say differently. Because of the lack of room here, this area will get number 4 switches and be restricted to being switched by four-axle units.
And that's as far as benchwork is for now. If I build any further and start to run trains, I will NEVER get the scenery done. My way of keeping me in check. So now it's time to 'create'.
After these were taken, more progress has been made, All the track is in and I'm currently testing and re-testing it for any flaws. Then on to the buss/feeders and so on. I will post more when I've taken them. To all who have inquired I thank you.
Enjoy the MadCoW, but from a distance...................
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