Eugene to Oakridge: Cascade Sub Update

Our train sits ready for its short trip to Oakridge on Eugene Staging Track 5. Our train consists of Gevo 5450 and three cars. Above our train the wiring and benchwork for Oakridge yard can be seen. The unconnected feeders are for the yard which is still unpowered. 

On the (very) new JMRI panel, our train can be seen in the occupied (yellow) block. Turnouts are aligned and we are ready to roll. The panel is a work in progress and will eventually control both staging yards and the mainline. Signalling is in the works, the electronics are on hand, just not installed. 

Our train enters the modeled portion of the layout after crossing the lift bridge spanning the entrance to the room. This area is the most recent edition to the Cascade Sub, and will be one of the first seen when entering the layout room. The spur nearest the aisle has yet to be laid. 

Our train moves in the siding at the north end of Oakridge. This track was wired and laid in the past week. The track is left over from an old layout. Working with the track hasn't been as graceful as working with brand new track but works, and saves cash. 

We roll past the yard at Oakridge. The local switcher sits on the cork of the engine track. Turnouts are on order. The yard is next on the list of projects. 

Our engine comes to a halt on the south end of town before the grade turns upward. This is where work on the mainline ends, and will resume in a few months. 

Over the course of the past few weeks, the railroad has finally progressed out of staging and into the modeled portion. Additionally, all of the major benchwork is complete, the only major woodworking projects left being the spline subroadbed, fascia, and backdrops.

The most time consuming aspect of the build thus far has been the wiring. With detection and soon signalling, the process has been tedious, and I have spent hours running wires for each detection section, soldering feeders, and making connections to the BDL 168. The staging yard was the most time consuming, but I now have a good process down to efficiently bring Klammath Falls staging to operation. With wiring, I have also made a foray into JMRI and a panel to bring the railroad to life. For now I am just using a temporary panel on PanelPro, but will eventually set up a modern panel on using CATS. 

This will be the last progress post for the winter work session. Look for more work to come later in the spring as we complete Oakridge, push the mainline further uphill, and continue with the wiring and electronics of the empire. 

Building Westfir-Part 1

Travels naturally cut this project into two phases, and I wanted to share some progress of the Westfir area of the railroad, before continuing work in a few days. To provide some brief background, Westfir is located to the north/east of Oakridge, and is the first modeled portion of the railroad. Benchwork for the area had been built a few years back, but the area has sat dormant since that time.

Beginnings of subroadbed. Was planning on doing spline in the area, however had 1/2" ply leftover and decided to make use of it for Westfir. In the bottom of the photo trains enter/exit the layout to/from Eugene staging and travel uphill to Oakridge. This section along the wall is 10 feet long and has a continuous 2.5% grade throughout, before leveling off in Eugene 44 inches off the floor. 

The area has received cork roadbed on the mainline. Where the subroadbed bulges is a short spur (facing point from Eugene). Operationally this will be a team track of sorts, maybe will use for MOW operations. Provides some flexibility as well as some scenic interest. Just beyond the siding the main will enter a short tunnel. In this photo cork has been laid to the start of the passing siding at the edge of Oakridge. 

This is the subroadbed for the curve into Oakridge itself. The radius is somewhere in the ball park of 27-30 inches, my main focus on keeping everything smooth and transitions negotiable. This scene will of course highlight the railroad infrastructure of a control point, but also allow me the most room to set the scene of Oakridge itself. In the foreground will be Commerce Road, a small two lane road that parallels the mainline, as well as a small home or two. In the background, I will paint the surrounding hills on the backdrop, and transition forward using trees, fences, backs of homes, etc. This corner will be an essential spot for capturing the time and place of the railroad. 

Same scene with mainlines corked. 

Last turnout installed in Eugene, along with switch machine. 

Part two of Building Westfir will see the completion of the trackwork, with a detailed look at the spur, as well as the wiring and electronics involved for the area.