Currently in the planning/design stage of my Death Valley Railroad... a narrow gauge point to point from Death Valley Junction to the Ryan Mine, 20 miles away. I'm have a corner of the basement, with the short leg being 72" long from the corner, and the long leg being 126" long from the corner. Currently using a 6'x30" table for the short leg and a 8'x30" table for the longer leg (see picture below).
I have SO many questions but I think my first issue is that I'm hung up with how to run the point to point using steam, because I don't know how to get the Wye's on either end to work/fit. I'd love to stick to as prototypical as I can, knowing I'm already NOT following the true proto mindset by using standard N.
A few more details... will be running DCC. Have all Kato Unitrack and not switching to anything else at this point (too much $$$ invested!). Running 2-8-0 and 2-6-0 steam locomotives (2-8-0 being prototypical), with 6-8 70 ton ore cars, 1-2 flatbed and/or boxcars, and an old wooden caboose. Where the mine is I intend to have that area 4-6" above grade, so the train can pull under the borax loaders, where smaller Z scale ore cars will be loading from above.
I've attached a few documents I found that show the actual layouts on both ends, as well as the historical route of the railroad. Note that on the map Colemanite and Devair are the actual Ryan Mine, and the spur that leads to Ryan is actually the Lila C mine. When servicing the Lila C, they would pull straight in with the locomotive first, and then to return to Death Valley Junction they would simply run in reverse, as there was no wye or loop.
I'm looking for any suggestions, questions and thoughts any of you fine people would have to help me get this project rolling. I'm super excited and it SEEMS like a "simple" idea for some awesome desert scenery and old western mining style things, but I can't seem to get the first foot planted.
Thank you!
I have SO many questions but I think my first issue is that I'm hung up with how to run the point to point using steam, because I don't know how to get the Wye's on either end to work/fit. I'd love to stick to as prototypical as I can, knowing I'm already NOT following the true proto mindset by using standard N.
A few more details... will be running DCC. Have all Kato Unitrack and not switching to anything else at this point (too much $$$ invested!). Running 2-8-0 and 2-6-0 steam locomotives (2-8-0 being prototypical), with 6-8 70 ton ore cars, 1-2 flatbed and/or boxcars, and an old wooden caboose. Where the mine is I intend to have that area 4-6" above grade, so the train can pull under the borax loaders, where smaller Z scale ore cars will be loading from above.
I've attached a few documents I found that show the actual layouts on both ends, as well as the historical route of the railroad. Note that on the map Colemanite and Devair are the actual Ryan Mine, and the spur that leads to Ryan is actually the Lila C mine. When servicing the Lila C, they would pull straight in with the locomotive first, and then to return to Death Valley Junction they would simply run in reverse, as there was no wye or loop.
I'm looking for any suggestions, questions and thoughts any of you fine people would have to help me get this project rolling. I'm super excited and it SEEMS like a "simple" idea for some awesome desert scenery and old western mining style things, but I can't seem to get the first foot planted.
Thank you!
