What About the Name?

One of the first things we did in planning our model railroad empire was to consider what to call it.  It turns out, this wasn't all that simple, even though the final result now seems a little obvious to us.  We started by building a list of possible names, mostly having to do with the area in which we live.  That list grew quite long, around 30 possibilities if memory serves.  After building the list, we took a vote on the 10 names each of us favored the most.  Our wives were included in the voting.  Based on the voting, we identified those names that garnered the most support.  Our final selection was made from that list.

It might have been an obvious choice to select North Fork & Crooked Run Railway for our model railroad, despite the fact that it took that convoluted route to get there.  You see, Jeff and Norm live about an hour apart from each other.  Jeff lives near New Market, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.  The North Fork of the Shenandoah River flows within a mile of his home on its way north to Front Royal, where it joins the larger South Fork and becomes the mighty Shenandoah River that in turn empties into the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. 

Crooked Run is less impressive, but notable in its own way.  It wends its way back and forth across U.S. 17 just north of Delaplane, Virginia, in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Norm's home.  Crooked Run is a small stream that joins the larger Goose Creek near Delaplane, which in turn flows north to empty into the Potomac River.

So the choice of this name--North Fork & Crooked Run Railway--is a way of joining together our two home locations in a single title.  It symbolizes the joint effort that is making this dreamed-of layout become a reality.

Norm

Getting started...a lot to think about and learn!

In getting started with planning our layout I was a little overwhelmed with the variety of topics that I needed to know more about. I enjoyed doing scenery construction with my kids 25 years ago and the basic approach for that hasn't really changed much over the years but the whole electronics area is completely different. The whole change from DC (Direct Current) to DCC (Digital Command Control) is mind-boggling! In addition to scenery and electronics there is locomotives, mobile and stationary decoders, coupler types, layout operations and design, etc, etc, etc, etc!!

In my former life, before retirement, I was a research scientist for the federal government. I decided that the best way to approach my current situation was to collect some information and begin to research each of these topical areas. My next few blog entries will be about how I approached some of these areas, starting with putting together a design for our layout.

Some of Norm's and my earlier posts mentioned the criteria for our layout. I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted a woodworking theme which meant logging area, sawmill, lumber storage and I needed to combine this with making it fun for the grandchildren to run the trains. This meant a track where they could just continuously run a train without stopping plus areas where they could move a train and hook-up and/or decouple cars. I also wanted a lot of interesting scenery that they could help build.

I visited a couple of hobby stores and looked at the track layout books but I just didn't want to copy a track plan out of a book. I also wasn't really interested in any one particular real-life (prototype) railroad to emulate. Therefore, I started to browse the internet looking at layouts that other people had done with an eye towards specific components – logging, sawmills, ponds/rivers, continuous loops, reverse loops, mountains, sidings and yards for switching. I ended up printing over 20 layouts that I used as a guide for sketching out an initial design.

I knew that the space in my workshop was going to be in a corner so looking for L-shaped designs helped to reduce and focus my research. There are many online resources which include the Model Railroader Magazine website track layout database, Google search images, Pinterest, Model Railroad Academy among others. By moving cabinets and clamp storage racks around in my woodworking shop my plan was to make the L-shape with one leg about 8 feet and the other leg about 10 feet long. Given these constraints I came up with a 'first draft' drawing.

My next post will address starting with this drawing and converting it into something tangible using a software program called AnyRail.

The Plan for the the NF & CR Ry. Layout

Our concept for the layout, as Jeff said, is to combine the ability for continuously running "through" freight trains with local switching action in the yard, in town, in a logging camp and a sawmill area.  To that end, and within the constraint of available space, we designed a layout plan that we feel will reach these general goals.  Adjustments will be needed as we actually lay track.  The town area will undoubtedly get some industry-serving sidings and the logging area may undergo some adjustments.  But this plan outlines the needed benchwork and will serve as the basic plan for the layout.

Norm

The plan for the NF & CR Ry.  Red dots indicating reversing loop points.  Grid squares are 3 inches.

Why a train layout?!

     Why a train layout?!

     A few months ago my wife, Ellen, and I were commenting that when our kids were the same age as our grandchildren we had a model train layout in our basement.  As our kids grew older the trains and layout structures were packed away and grew dusty.  Maybe it was now time to get everything out again and put together a layout for their children....our grandchildren.  We had taken them to see 'Thomas the Train' and that was also one of their favorite TV shows.  Aiden is now 7 years old and his older brother, Anthony, is now 10 years old.

     I am a 'semi-professional' woodworker and have a 1000 sq. ft. shop so I have the space to dedicate a corner to a new layout.  We thought about having a layout in the house but with eight cats it would never survive!  I also have a very good friend, Norm Reid, that is very interested in model trains and also had train layouts as he was growing up.  Norm also shares my passion for woodworking and we are also avid photographers.  I asked Norm to help and he jumped at the idea!!

     One of the first things that I did was sit down and make a list of Goals and Drivers for the layout.  I knew this was going to be a large undertaking so I wanted something to help guide our initial planning.  I thought I would post the goals and drivers as my first entry into our new blog.

     Norm and I are both excited about creating a blog and take our followers along on this journey.  Through pictures you'll meet Norm, Aiden and Anthony, and I expect I'll end up in a few shots as well.  The text will give you our thoughts on the layout as we move from one stage to another.

     We all hope to have a good time...which is all that really matters.

Jeff

HO Model Train Goals and Objectives

Goals

• Layout for grandchildren to run trains
• Grandchildren can help with scenery construction
• Build realistic scenery for photography close-ups
• Woodworking theme
• Not based upon prototype railroad but enough operational realism to keep it interesting
• Share the experience with my friend Norm

Drivers for layout design

Electrical

• Automatic reversing loops to change train direction
• Powered turnouts with toggle switch control for grandkids
• Multiple throttle controls for multiple operators
• Run multiple locomotives/trains at one time
• Signals/crossing gates at road intersections in town
• As much animation (sound and operations) as possible
  • Switch activated controls for grandkids

Scenery

• Logging area
• Sawmill area
• Town area
  • workshop
  • Burning house/building
    • firetruck with siren
    • house with lights & smoke
  • roads with crossing gates
• Lake/river
• Wood Trestle bridge
• Tunnel with brick/stone facade
• multiple levels of grading so layout is not flat
• Photographic realistic landscape and structures

Operations

• Steam engine era
  • Locomotives should have both sound and smoke
• Ability to locate rolling stock around layout and in a yard and then build trains
• Traverse from logging area to sawmill to workshop in town
• Run multiple trains
• Have route that can run continuously while industry areas are active with other trains

A New HO Scale Empire is Born

On May 27, 2018, we began construction of a new HO scale model railroad layout.  We are Jeff Fleisher and Norm Reid.  Though we live miles apart, the layout will be housed in a corner of Jeff's woodshop, where we--along with his two grandsons--will operate steam-era trains.

The space where the layout will be positioned

Our work yesterday was focused on building benchwork using the grid system.  We had purchased a number of 1 X 4" pine boards because they were straighter than the big box store fir.  We purchased it at a large lumber company for about the same price as the fir.  We also bought 2 X 2 boards for legs.

The lumber for the layout

In about 5 hours of work, we were able to assemble about half of the gridwork for the layout.  We glued each joint with wood glue and fastened them with drywall screws countersunk before sinking the screws. 

Assembling a section of the gridwork

The first section of the gridwork completed!

 

The first half of the gridwork assembled

 The assembly is lightweight--we had no trouble flipping it after attaching the legs--but it should be more than sturdy enough for HO scale operations.  We attached leveling feet under the legs so we'll be able to perfect the leveling once the gridwork is complete, though a brief check showed things to be pretty level already.  Another session is planned for later this week when we will attempt to complete the gridwork.

The first half of the gridwork in position, with much more to come!