Santa Builds Benchwork

The week before Christmas, and the days right after found a great deal of time to make a concentrated effort on completing a majority of the benchwork on the railroad. We implemented a few new techniques on the upper levels and found these to be very effective. Next up, all the Masonite: spline, fascia, and backdrops.

Fields: The passing siding at Fields is the main attraction, apart from the mountain scenery, and the scene is very narrow, average of 9 inches along the wall. Taking this into account, we opted to use as much material that we had on hand, opting for simple wooden brackets similar to those used by Bill Decker on his Cascade line.  These tie directly into the studs and for the most part seem to hold up extremely well.

The corner of the room and end of the Fields siding is much deeper, so we reverted back to our original construction utilizing a 1/2" plywood wall plate and 3/4" supports held together with steel brackets. While this method is extremely strong, the amount of hardware used is immense.

Continuing up the hill the grade begins to kick up again and the stretch between Fields and Cascade Summit is true mountain railroading with a tall trestle and numerous tunnels. Similar methods were used on this portion of the climb as before, taking into account trestle and tunnel locations, as well as mountain scenery. Spanning the window was a necessity and a nearby window in the workshop offers escape opportunity in case of emergency.

Crew member Pete Tomko gets ready to install benchwork on the run to the summit.

Can see the rise in the benchwork as grade climbs upward. Scenery to ceiling in this area.

Low head clearance here, but solid support for Fields.

Approximate location of Noisy Creek trestle.

Finally we decided to rework the support for the peninsula, as our original idea of 2x4 supports were not sufficient enough once we tried to attach supports. In addition, the area is more complex then initial inquiries revealed as it must support four different levels of track. Our new design should support the railroad in a more efficient fashion.

Compare to early photo. Can clearly see the 4 levels and where supports will go.

Stay tuned for continuing progress into 2017!

Late 2016 Post: Year in Review

Well it has been a very long time since the last post and life has been equally busy. Despite the craziness, still found time to get to the basement out of the summer heat and subsequent winter cold, and get some things accomplished on the railroad. Starting this project, I really didn't have a general idea of how fast things would move and how far we would be in roughly a year, but we have reached that point and I am actually quite surprised. Yes, only, Eugene staging trackwork is complete with wiring almost fully in place, not to mention benchwork is roughly 50% done, but mentally the project is further along. Initially I was concerned as this is my second railroad and is substantially more complex and involved than my previous one, but getting over major hurdles has been great for the morale of the entire crew (me, myself, and I, and not to mention a few family members).  Don't get me wrong, there is still a long way to go and we are nowhere near where we want to be or where we will be, but we have made a great start. Without further to do, here is a summary of the summer and few days ths Christmas break in the Cascades.

Eugene Staging:

Work at Eugene staging is furthest along with all of the benchwork, cork, track, and 75% of the wiring complete. Earlier in the summer I finished all the turnouts, east and west ends. Fasttracks make a great product--handlaid track is hard to beat financially and operationally. Finished laying track earlier this week, dropping feeder wires as I go to save time later. Was able to mount 4 of the 5 Tortoise machines on the west end and all 4 on the east ladder.

Wiring has begun in full force. All the detection blocks are wired as well as the common rail. Splice tap connectors made the work go by very quickly and zip ties make life clean and neat. Wire for tortoises is en route and will be wired into the DS64's before the new year.

Pictures:

Wiring of west staging ladder

East ladder trackwork

 Stacked reversing loops

 Looking west

 East ladder tortoises

 Zip ties and wire clips

Splice taps and zip ties

Westfir to Oakridge:

Benchwork installed for the run out of staging into Oakridge. Spline is on the project list for this week. Run will include a spur (undetermined use still) and a tunnel before making the turn into Oakridge. Scenary along this stretch will be simple with focus on the right of way, drawing visitors to the trains and the explore further into the railroad. Operationally this stretch is singletrack, look for meets at the outskirts of Oakridge and the local out of Eugene to service this mainline spur.

Pictures:

Grade from Westfir into Oakridge. Spline coming

Oakridge:

Work is yet to start on the town of Oakridge, but look for benchwork to commence in the new year for the major operational hub of the railroad. Pope and Talbot Lumber Company (no longer exists on prototype) will offer a chance for switching with a dedicated switcher and yard. In addition, Oakridge will serve as the line's MOW facility and will in turn have dedicated trains running the line making repairs in the summer and plowing operations in the winter. Though no longer in service, Oakridge will be HQ for manned helper operations and most trains will stop on the long siding to tie on helpers before going over the hill.  Definitely a spot of interest and activity adding the feel of big operations and lengthening the run of the small railroad.

Oakridge to Salmon Creek:

Wall supports are in for Salmon Creek area, which will serve as the entry way into the mountains and the helix.  Horizontal supports to come next, an easy install.  Here trains will be hitting the 2.5% grade right out of town and into Tunnel 22 before emerging on the other side of the helix, Tunnel 20.

Helix is almost complete, just need to complete wiring and scenic the top level. Huge milestone to get passed. Special thanks to my uncle and grandfather for their hard work this summer to get that complete.

Picture:

Cascade Summit will sit atop the structure itself.

Wicopee to Fields:

The heart of the Cascades. No true work has been completed here, should begin in a few weeks. Narrow shelves along the walls for most of this stretch featuring 5 tunnels. Fields is home to the only passing siding on the line which will be a great location for trains to meet, or MOW crews to get off the mainline.  Many, many trees and rock formations for the area. Should be a major factor in transporting guests to the region.

Fields to Cascade Summit:

After the 1.25% grade of Fields, the slope kicks up again to the summit, a total 77 inches off of the floor. The single track run will feature 5 more tunnels and a trestle across Noisy Creek. Expect mountains formations to stretch almost to the ceiling and trees to touch the tiles. No benchwork done yet, but looking forward to working on this stretch.

Klammath Falls:

Benchwork complete and cork complete. Trackwork and wiring to come.

Pictures:

Looking east, downhill

Klammath reverse loop, directly above loop in Eugene.

To-Do list:
1. Install Spline from Westfir to Fields
2. Finish Eugene Wiring
3. Benchwork from Wicopee to Summit
4. Klammath Falls and Oakridge

Happy Holiday's!