SPECIAL ISSUEPAGE 37a - MAY 2005, ©2005
Carl Arendt |
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Ian Holmes, from Princeton, Minnesota, is progressing nicely on his Purespring Watercress Tram, modeled after English narrow gauge farming railways. The Gn15 track plan, measuring 30x16 inches (750x400 mm) is a simple oval of track with one siding. Ian's scenery is particularly effective, and his operating plan will make the little line lots of fun to run. Notice the detailing of the workshop inside the shed! For more photos and information, visit Ian's website.
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Chris Schmuck, who lives in Warren, Ohio, has
resurrected a 3x2 foot On30 layout that he started buildling six years ago. Somehow
it got shunted aside in favor of a large N-scale pike, and was stored in his shed
for most of that time. Recently, influenced perhaps by this web site, Chris got the
little pike out again (at right). Due to wear and tear, he has now started
a rebuild, again handlaying his track with four spikes per tie (at left). |
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Up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jim Jones is also
building an On30 line using the versatile Bachmann Davenport loco. Construction
was held up for nearly a year as Jim unsuccessfully tried to buy or build a small
wagon turntable for the industrial line. Then he accidentally stumbled upon the small
Kibri turntable shown here ... it's inexpensive, about 12 cm in diameter (4.75 in),
and it's listed in Walthers catalog so should be readily available. |
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Three-year-old Cooper Pettit, from Sydney, Australia, drives yet another Bachmann Davenport for a test run on the circular layout a-building by his father, Steve. A gold medal goes to Steve for his nerves of steel, allowing operation at such great heights with no safety net! The little line, called Bad Altitude Moonshine, measures 3x2 feet and will be taken around to exhibitions in Oz when it's finished. Steve's building it as a "time out" from his On3 freelance west coast logging line. Stay tuned for more pictures as things develop! |
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TRRRIPLE
TRRRIPPING |
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Jonathan Scott, a transplanted Aussie currently
living in Santa Rosa, California, discovered that he could make an elegant three-times-around
circuit using standard Peco N-scale 9" and 10" radius curved track sections
(left photo). There's not an inch (or a centimeter) of straight track in this
Pizza Hill layout, which measures 24x24 in (600x600 mm)! |
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TRRRIPLER 2: IT'S A TOUGH CLIMB TO THE TOP! ![]() At the start of operations, one train is hidden in the tunnel at the top of the plan, just before the portal leading to the visible trackage labelled "Ground Level". The other train is in plain sight on the Ground Level track, and starts its tortuous hill climb by entering the tunnel at the lower right (by the arrow). Follow the train's progress up the hill, disappearing and reappearing as it struggles through a series of tunnels, moving ever higher. Sound effects would be very helpful here, to show off the growling power of the locos. Finally, the train reaches the mountain top and disappears on to the descending helix. As the top train begins its concealed descent, the second train moves out onto the Ground Level track, ready to start another dramatic ascent of the steep climb. What a showcase for the drama of mountain railroading! For exhibition purposes, this whole sequence could easily be automated, to provide continuing drama during the day. Note: there are no turnouts in this layout. The tracks shown inside the mountain are entries and exits for the central circular helix, which is used only by descending trains. One addition you might want to consider, if you're building this layout, would be to add a passing siding on the helix, to accommodate a third train in the mix! |
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