Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR

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Jim, ever since I've gotten to know you and followed your tread, you have always come across to me as a creator and even an innovator. Not so much as an operator. You have even said so much, that you enjoy the building and creating rather than the operating a layout. So the announcement that the present layout is coming down comes as no great surprise. You love the photography of the hobby and your pictures are some of the best I've ever seen, have you ever considered writing a "How To" book? Well what ever comes next, we'll be here to follow your progress. Take care - Chris.
 
Chris, Thanks for all the good comments. Did you know that I've climbed first ascents on mountains around the world? Did you know I sailed my 42 foot sloop around the world in six years and visited forty-two countries? After all those endeavors I've been asked are you going to write a book? You and others have mentioned the same thing. I never did any books for those great events. Instead, I gave lectures and slide shows teaching all the way. I realize a book is teaching too, but I've had more fun giving programs and meeting folks and answering questions. I've never been in anything I've done to make money more than I've needed to survive. In fact my wife gives me twenty dollars a week spending money because if I had more I would most likely give it away to some needy person. So no books. I'm actually a pretty good writer, but prefer to remain low key and help out where I can. At this stage of my life it seems to be in this thread. I am giving some thought to going through this thread and making a table of contents but will accept any volunteer to do it for me! Thanks again, Jim:)
 
Sometimes in our building layouts we think we may be finished. I've found that on most of my layouts there is something that bugs me. It may have been an honest oversight or something worse. Let's put it this way, if something is bugging you about your layout and you keep thinking about it my best advice is to FIX IT! Case in point was the workbench/trestle corner on the left side of the layout. From the time I took the first photo and didn't get the 'shot' I wanted I knew something was wrong. Other things got in the way but for months I've let this corner bug me. So to make it all look right and photograph better today I've made the first steps toward correction.

This photo shows the problem area:

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Next some simple 1"x2" supports:

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Next is some webbing attached with hot glue:

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Then some plaster cloth:

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Next up the last of the Scultamold. Jim :)
 
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Here is a photo taken a minute ago. The Scultamold is still drying and I put in some ground cover. The rocks show some striping but when it is dry the colors fade a bit and will look more natural. Jim :)

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PCM&T Co. layout is now officially finished. For you math guys I began the Southern Division on October 1, 2013. That is about 10 1/2 months. Here is the Official Finished Layout Photo. Jim :D

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Totally awesomely work, Jim. Put a couple small platforms on that trestle with some water barrels and buckets of sand on them ... I think three would look nice!
 
Thanks Sherrel. You bring up something I've long wondered about, namely water barrels. I know I sort of follow my own drummer on most things and I'm not sure a water barrel in the desert in 100 degree temperatures is at all practical. Evaporation is one issue, simply filling these barrels is quite another. This side of the layout is many, many, miles from the nearest water source. Even one of those little maintenance cars or a hand cars could not carry the load. Who could ever get to these barrels to fight any kind of a fire? Murphy's law states that any 'fire' will be exactly between two barrels or be at the farthest point away at best. How many buckets have to be there to fight a raging trestle fire? I hope you get my point. I'm pretty sure that fire barrels became passé around 1880. Certainly there were folks back then that figured out they were as waste of time an effort. This layout portrays 1941 so let it burn baby! Jim :eek:
 
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Hmmm, burn. Visions of Gomez come to mind.

Come to think of it, that might be an impressive picture during teardown. But met'inks you'll wish those barrels were handy.
 
Thanks fellows much appreciated. This morning I couldn't sleep so thoughts turned to the next layout! Don't worry it is a ways away. I haven't had any open houses yet and I haven't taken my photos I want yet so we'll see if this can last at least to next Spring.

You all can help me out by asking questions and getting any model railroaders you know to come here and take a look. I like questions and if I don't know the answer I will make one up! Teaching is teaching and I'm always willing to help. Next up here will be the posting of layout photos.

Next Contest at a Quarter Million Views. Not far off actually. I see big prizes for that one. Jim :)
 
Hello Kyle thank you.

Stoker, Yes, I saw this photo back in the day. It is probably the culprit. I'm not buying this however. It was on a shortline popular with tourists even in 1901. I don't doubt the platforms and barrels were they when this bridge was first built, or do I? At any rate, the comments were good and I forgot about the platforms being a 'safe haven.' I once knew that and wrote about it! If this trestle was 50 miles from the nearest settlement I doubt there would be platforms for firefighting. I've also be informed that wood burners threw out cinders that could catch a trestle on fire. First, back in the day there were screens covering most wood burning smoke stacks just for this 'fire' reason. Seems like of tough job for a cinder to escape the screens, fall down 12 feet to the trestle deck, and then start a fire; all the while the train is long gone and around a curve or something. Jim :D
 


Stoker, What I meant by culprit was that some modeling company back in the day used this photo for all subsequent trestles used by model railroaders. Coal kept locomotive caused fires down to the point that by 1890 virtually all locos were running by coal. Oil was soon to follow. Back in the mid 1800s for sure these locos caused fires. Not many I'm guessing, or there would not be a forest standing by the advent of coal burners. I would say the cause of trestle fires before 1910 and after coal burners would have been caused by arson, the odd cig thrown out the caboose, but the chances of a loco causing a fire on a trestle would be infinitesimal. IMHO Jim:)
 
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