My layout, based on the Camas Prairie Railroad. Will keep updated.

[OldGettysk]

Neat can't wait to see them finished !

 

[NIevo]

Well heres a quick little update on what I've been up to. As you can see in the first photo I added a little storage shelf over the layout. I am going to run some lights under the whole length of it.

Most of my time lately has gone into building up my roster (eBay is going to be the downfall of me). I am going to try and get a running list added to this first page of my engines and cars. Here you can see my new Athearn GP35 and a Proto 2000 GP38-2 with a long string of log cars. The switcher on the sidetrack is a Proto 2000 SW9 with a string of woodchip cars from E&C. As you can see I have almost finished laying the track on this side of the layout except for a small bit closest to the bottom. All the mainline and the spur along the edge is finished though.

This one is just cause I like the picture...lol

Here you can see the log unloading spur on the left of the photo. I used thin strips of cardboard for the roadbed as I wanted it lower then the mainline.

 

[UP2CSX]

Looks like things are coming along nicely. If I can make a suggestion, don't use cardboard for a roadbed. It will get wet when yuo lay down ballast and wrinkle up and make the track look a little more poorly maintained than you had planned. You can sand down some cork roadbed to make a transition and then lay the track right on the foam. Most industrial spurs are either buried in ballast or have the ties sunk in the mud anyway so that small roadbed difference won't really show. It's easy to lay the track on foam using some latex caulk.

 

[jbaakko]

Better suggestion then Sanding all that cork. Just use N scale road bed, its half the height.

 

[suprduc]

Nice start NIevo, looks very similar to what I am working on at the moment too. Switching yards seem like a good place to start to me.

 

[NIevo]

Looks like things are coming along nicely. If I can make a suggestion, don't use cardboard for a roadbed. It will get wet when yuo lay down ballast and wrinkle up and make the track look a little more poorly maintained than you had planned. You can sand down some cork roadbed to make a transition and then lay the track right on the foam. Most industrial spurs are either buried in ballast or have the ties sunk in the mud anyway so that small roadbed difference won't really show. It's easy to lay the track on foam using some latex caulk.

You know, I thought about that but couldn't really think of anything else to use instead. Think I'll just go right on the foam next time or try the n-scale roadbed.

 

[NIevo]

Another quick update. Got the layout mostly cleaned off and started on the rest of the roadbed/trackwork. The riser is where its going to start climbing for the future logging branch or Headquarters line on the prototype.

Last picture shows 2 of the 3 overhead lights installed. Amazing how much a little light can help!

 

[d_sinsley]

camas praire railroad

Yeah, I know that area. Right by the Konkolville sawmill I believe. You think that trestle is impressive, have you ever been on the road between Lewiston and Grangeville? Trestles like that everywhere you look. Maintenance on that line was huge.

the lawyers creek trestle isnt that the name of the big one just before the top of the hill? that one is imoressive, that whole canyon is a railroaders paradise. I am just beginning a layout myself based on the Saint Maries River Railroad.

 

[d_sinsley]

your mill out feed tables

what are you mill out feed tables. are they part of a kit or something you put together I am doing a scratch built HO mill

 

[NIevo]

the lawyers creek trestle isnt that the name of the big one just before the top of the hill? that one is imoressive, that whole canyon is a railroaders paradise. I am just beginning a layout myself based on the Saint Maries River Railroad.

No, I think you are referring to the Half Moon trestle. The Lawyers Canyon one is steel and up on the prairie.

My transfer tables are the ones that came with the Walthers Sawmill kit. Keystone Locomotive works also makes some.

 

[NIevo]

Well all the roadbed and track is down! All thats left is adding the ground throws and finishing some of the roadbed under the switches. Here is a shot toward the sawmill area.

This is a shot with the 4th sub branch to Headquarters on the left. The spur to the right is going to be a oil company.

 

[jbaakko]

Wow, looking good, much better then my layout!

 

[NIevo]

Wow, looking good, much better then my layout!

Thanks, now I can actually start working on some scenery.

 

[NIevo]

Well alot has happened since my last update. I am in the process of tearing apart my current progress and better planning for incorporation into a future large layout. This is what I have come up with so far. It is based on the Potlach Sawmill/Paper Plant in Lewiston, Id. Let me know what you guys think. Overall size is 7'x15'.

 

[kjd]

The drawing above looks good as a Layout Design Element or part of a larger scheme that would support switching the mill. I grew up in Lewiston and am familiar with the place you are trying to model. By itself, the lead into the mill is too short to do much with. After the cars get out of the mill where are they going to go? If you could put part of the Lewiston yard on the left or at least some staging and maybe some staging for the upriver traffic on the right you could do a lot more with operations. The log trains would come in from the right and drop their trains in Forebay then the engines would go get serviced. The switchers would push the logs into the log yard to get unloaded and take any other cars to the Lewiston yard for downriver trains. Later the serviced engines would come back, collect the empties and take them back upriver. Trains would come into (or start in) the Lewiston yard with empties and chemical loads for the paper mill and other upriver traffic. The switchers would break those trains down and put together trains to go up the river and cuts of cars for the mill. I think the mill was switched a couple or maybe even 3 times a day so you could cycle through lots of cars. The switchers also took care of downtown Lewiston and later the Ports of Wilma and Lewiston so they were quite busy.

 

[NIevo]

Yes, this is just a start and all I have room for right now. It will be built in stages. The 3 tracks to the right are the log unloading and the tracks to the 1st, 2nd, and 4th subs. The 3 on the left will head into the Lewiston yard and on to the 3rd sub. I will add the plans for the future expansion down the road, eventual plans are for a layout at least 20'x30'.

I lived in Lewiston for 5 years and spent about 15 in the Kamiah/Kooskia area on the 1st sub so I know the railroad and the area pretty well When did you live in the area? I sure do miss the UP/BN consists!

 

[kjd]

I moved there from near Cd'A in 1983 and left in 2003. I was in grade school and didn't realize how cool it all was until about the time the 2nd sub was shut down.

 

[NIevo]

Lol....thats funny, I live in Hayden right now and we are trying to move back to be closer to family. I hear you about not realizing how great a railroad it was till it was too late. We used to always see the 1st sub trains in the Kamiah/Kooskia area and I always paid attention but wish I would have taken lots of pictures

BTW: Some very nice models you have there on your webpage!

 

[kjd]

My cousin manages one of the golf courses in Hayden and I have an aunt and uncle that live there. My boss at my last job has a summer house there. I have family from Cataldo to Spokane but haven't seen them in years. In elementary school, if I stood on top of the slide and looked over highway 3, I could see the UP's Kellogg turn or whatever it was called. A friend that lives in Rathdrum and works for the UP said at one time that was the most profitable branch on the UP and now it is a trail.

I have often thought of modeling the Camas Prairie. You saw CsP 3 on my website? I have a model of #1 as well. The RR is small enough you could do the whole roster without any trouble, especially in the Railnet days. I think if I did it, it would either be when the NP and UP GP9s were there or just before it was sold with UP GP38-2s and whatever 4-axles the BN sent. Occasionally throw in an SD50, or C30-7 for the downriver trains. It is easy to wrap your brain around. Right now I am mostly modeling BN/MRL in 1995 but I like coal and intermodal trains. I think the ideal scenario is if MRL took over the Utah Belt as sort of a bridge between the SE and NW. I imagine all sorts of things but the reality is I don't have time or space for something real elaborate and always come back to the CsP. I saw you are also a member of the Yahoo group. The Jims, Chris, Matt and the other guys there are great resources.

 

[NIevo]

I am modeling the mid 70's to early 80's which enables me to run both the GP9's and GP38's as well as some SD40's for the Ayers turn. I am currently debating switching to N-scale which would let me capture some of the incredible scenery better.