Joomla extensions and Joomla templates by JoomlaShine.com
Modeling Valley Street PDF Print E-mail
User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 
Written by Ian MacMillan   
Wednesday, 30 April 2008

Image
Valley Street Trackplan 3'x17'
I have finally got a chance to get working on the new track plan on the layout, and things are coming along well. Benchwork is up and the newest section for trackwork and scenery to start on is Valley St. Up until the 1980's the B&M served this branch that paralleled Valley Street its entire length. Serving 5 industries in just under a mile, the branch is very interesting to switch.

Image
B&M 1970 Track Chart
While the simple track plan alone is enough to keep an operator busy for a while, it was built for simplicity as all the industries are served by facing point switches. A train would reverse up the track, shoving its cars first. To make this operation a bit more interesting, I decided to add a trailing point spur into Cohen Steel. With the lack of a run around on the track, the operator has to either run his locomotive in the middle of the train with facing point cars front, and trailing rear. Or, make several moves running back to the run around track that is at the interlocking on the Portsmouth Branch. Either way adds some operational interest to the trackage, and keeps operators thinking...especially when there may be more cars than spots, and streets can not be blocked.

Image
Valley Street Industrial meets the Portsmouth Branch (Left)
Scenery is urban industrial, and the buildings and track show it. This area of Manchester is home to several former mills, many run down, while others become modern tech parks. The track is horrid, covered in weeds, runs through several grade crosses, and consists of what the B&M considered "ballast" during the years of deferred maintenance...River Run Gravel. This stuff looks like nothing more than dirt, because that is all it is. Run down lots, and busy streets help with the look. Building kits from Downtown Deco are perfect for this scene. They fit the run down Northeast perfectly, and capture the feeling of Valley St.

Image
Downtown Deco's Addams Ave 5
The train makes this part of the layout, but so do the details. Streets, turning lanes, telephone poles, working traffic and street lights, grade crossings. These fine scale details will help to draw the person into the scene. The benchwork is up and the track is just about complete. Next are streets, some kits from Downtown Deco, and A LOT of Silfor for weeds.
 
Next >
[ Back ]
Free Joomla Templates by JoomlaShine.com