Half a Tunnel ???

Something that has been bothering me for a while was the proxsimity of the Dalecarlia tunnel to the River Road sidings.  On the prototype the tunnel was about a 2 miles from River road.  On my model it is about 2 feet.  That would place your train in the tunnel while switching the oil storage sidings in River Road.

So instead of trying to force fit the tunnel into this space lets see what it looks like if I eliminate the River Road side of the tunnel entrance all together. First lets cut off  the Dalcarlia side of the tunnel face and save it. Then add a view block made from 3/4" foam.  Lets use some scrap Masonite to temporarily  form the front fascia.  OK what do you think?

 By doing this I gained about 16 inches on the River Road side of the tunnel.  The opening in the view block can easily be hidden with trees and a few buildinds can be placed between the edge of the layout and the tracks.  This should give the illusion of the train disappearing down the tree lined right of way as it leaves River Road, just as the prototype did.

Below is the Dalecarlia Side of the view block with the Dalcarlia Tunnel.  I will have room to place a building flat against the foam divider to represent the rear of the Army Map building.  That and a long winding set of  wooden stairs down to a loading platform just outside the tunnel will set the scene.

Now when you sit in front of the railroad you really feel the separation between the two area's. Of course the valance will need to be remade but I think this is the best approach for now.

Dalecarlia Water Treatment Sidings

Today I completed the tracks and roughed in the scenery for the Dalecarlia water treatment plant.  The treatment plant employed an overhead delivery system that carried materials several hundred yards away from the tracks.  All of the overhead piping and supports will be scratch built. A row of chemical storage tanks will be placed next to the tank cars with a chain link fence around the delivery track.

Below I have the lower valance removed to finish up the wiring.  In the background the tracks curve behind a small hill to hide the entrance onto the bridge across the windows.  Sorry for the grainy pictures.  The new camera broke so I am back to using the iPhone.

Lighting & New Deck Complete

With the final upper deck plan in place I decided to buckle down and complete the lighting on the railroad. This pictures shows the effect of the lights with the room lights turned off.  Near the two bricks on the upper level you can see the fold away bridge in its stored position.

This photo shows the edge of the new deck (foreground left) I built for the junction. The notch is for the bridge. On the upper deck in the background is Bethesda. Below on the lower deck is Dalecarlia Tunnel.  In the background you can see the left side of the removable bridges in front of the windows.

Below is the new deck for the junction with the bridge in place.  The bricks are holding the foam in place while the glue dries.  Under the new deck is Landey Lane with Briggs Filtration siding (right) the Hot Shop's warehouse siding (middle) and the warehouse siding (left).  This area needs a lot more work.

Below I am trying out the macro function on the new camera.

Below is the hide away bridge in its operational position.  Beyond the bridge near the bricks will be the E.C. Keys sidings. In the background you can see that I have turned the corner and extended the layout up to the edge of the windows.

Switching some covered hoppers in Bethesda.  Look, no brackets on the underside of the upper deck !!

The Bridge

I started tinkering with bridge designs and put this together from parts I had on hand. I shot a short iPhone video to explain how it works.

Revised Upper Level

After many mock-ups it became apparent that I was going to have a reach in problem over part of the lower level, the area that protrudes out like a triangle. The only way I could see to simplify the area above the triangle was to go ahead with the node under.  Staging will be moved to the very top level above Bethesda.  E.C. Keys sidings will be placed as shown on the plan to keep operators on each level separated.

The node under will be a swing out bridge section that will fold into the front edge of the railroad when not in use. To hid the track when stored I have planned a removable Styrofoam section of scenery that will cover the bridge track when stored and be used as a filler when the bridge is deployed.

The new area will have the Interchange and team track next to the B&O main line that will sit in the background.  Cars for the interchange can be brought onto the layout via cassette as shown in the plan.  Cassette's will be stored under the lower level.

I will continue the helix upwards to the third level above Bethesda.  Staged trains will be visible with small mirrors placed in the corner of the ceiling.  I have decided to push all trains toward Georgetown as the prototype did so no run around in staging will be required.

I have already built the new shelf for the interchange and I am working out the bridge detail.  I will post pictures in a couple of days.