Ogden and Cache Valley, Part II

[Onewolf42]

Givens/Druthers for the new layout. I also show the current loco roster farther down.

Givens are hard requirements/limitations.

Druthers are preference choices.

Givens

HO Scale
DCC control
Fit in the available basement space

Druthers

Union Pacific (large investment in UP locos/rolling stock)
Late 1950s Era - Plausible for large steam engines, Gas Turbine engines, First generation diesel engines
Single track mainline
Long mainline run
40" radius curves on mainline
Ample space between 'towns'. I don't like having the front of train in town A while the rear of train is still in town B.
Passenger train - station, service
Continuous run possible
One pass per scene
36+" wide aisles
32" max benchwork depth for lower level
24" max benchwork depth for middle level
#8 turnouts where large locos must traverse
#6 turnouts for yards, service spurs

Current Design

3 level mushroom
Lower level is at 40" nominal (lower return loop is 36", city above lower return loop is 43")
Middle level is at 60" (until the nolix which climbs to 80" for upper level)
Upper level is at 80" obsolute, center platform is 28" so the upper level is at 52" relative.
Almost all mainline curves are 40+". Exceptions: 36" curve on lower level entering helix. 36" on upper level entering upper return loop
525 ft mainline between lower and upper return loops
1120 ft for full loop
One train can run continuous without intervention
Climbs 44" from lower return loop (36") to upper return loop (80")
Climbs 51" from lower return loop (36") to upper city branch line (87")
Narrowest aisle is 40", most are 46"-48"
Deepest benchwork depth is 30"
Freelance model of Ogden, Oregon Short Line, and Cache Valley Branch

Roster Info

Current Passenger Trains

Union Pacific
(2) Lightweight (BLI E7A/E7A/E8B sound, Athearn Genesis F3A/B sound)
Heavyweight (BLI and Lionel Challenger Greyhound) sound
Santa FeLightweight Warbonnet (BLI F7 A/B sound)
Southern Pacific(2) Daylight - BLI E7A/E7B (sound), E7A/E7B(dummy) sound
California ZephyrDenver Rio Grande & Western (Rapido PA1/PB1) sound
Western Pacific (BLI F3A/F3B/F3B(dummy) sound

Current Loco Roster

Steam

(2) Trix Big Boy (No sound) (getting sound installed very soon)
Rivarossi Big Boy (No sound)
(2) Lionel Challenger (sound)
(2) BLI Challenger (sound) on order
(2) Rivarossi FEF 4-8-4 (No sound)
(2) Athearn FEF3 4-8-4 (sound)
(5) Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 (3 sound, 2 no sound) 3 will be UP, 2 will be Utah Railway
(2) BLI 2-6-6-4 (Sound)
(2) BLI 4-6-4 (Sound)
Mantua 4-6-2 (No sound) Not sure the use case - Maybe excursion/heritage in 1957?

Diesel

Sound
BLI E7A/E7A/E8B sound - UP
BLI F7 A/B sound - Santa Fe
BLI E7A/E7B sound - Southern Pacific
BLI E7A/E7B(dummy) sound - Southern Pacific
BLI F3A/F3B/F3B(dummy) sound - Western Pacific
Athearn Genesis F3A/B sound - UP
Rapido PA1/PB1 sound - DRG&W

Non Sound - UP

Atlas Alco S-2
Atlas Alco S-2
Kato EMD NW2 Phase II
Kato EMD NW2 Phase II
Kato Alco RSC-2
Kato Alco RS-2
Kato Alco RS-2
Proto 2000 GP9
Proto 2000 GP9 II
Proto 2000 Alco FA1
Proto 2000 Alco FB1
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Stewart Baldwin VO-1000
Walthers Mainline Alco RS-2

Non Union Pacific

Atlas Classic RSD-4/5 (Utah Railway 301)
Atlas Classic RSD-4/5 (Utah Railway 300)

Gas Turbine

Athearn Gas Turbine Gen1 54 (sound)
Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 61 (sound)
Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 65 (sound)
Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 71

[Onewolf42]

I started building the benchwork for the lower level return loop. The lower level return loop will be at 36" elevation and the city of Ogden will be above this at 43" of elevation. There will be 7 tracks in the lower return loop with radii from 42.5" to 28.5". The outside loop is considered the mainline and the 6 inside loops are for staging. This represents UP mainline headed east from Ogden towards Green River/Cheyenne.

I was able to reuse 4 sections of 1x4 open grid modules I salvaged from the prior layout.

[Onewolf42]

I got my large load of lumber delivered just before my work’s holiday break. Great timing.

It had rained for several days leading up to the lumber delivery and I was (rightfully) concerned about their ability to deliver onto the basement garage patio. But we were able to get the lumber delivered (and he helped me move the 44 sheets of plywood into the storage rack).

[riogrande5761]

Glad to see you back at it. Hopefully this time it will stick!

[richhotrain]

Did he have any idea what you are building?

Rich

[Onewolf42]

Next I started working on the 80" tall stud walls for the center platform. The center platform is about 16ft x 12ft and the floor will be elevated to 28".

And then I built the stud ‘walls’ that connect from the center platform to the wall next to the entrance door.

Floor trusses for the center platform. They are spaced to allow storage between them.

[DouglasHO]

Very nice.

[Onewolf42]

Establishing the center of the helix.

[Onewolf42]

Nice storage under the center platform floor.

[Onewolf42]

After installing the 1/2" sanded plywood walls for the center platform. Eventually I will install the 4" tall piece around the bottom.

I installed 1/4" Luan plywood around the wall between the center platform all the existing room wall. I will caulk and paint this the same as the wall color.

And built stairs up to the center platform.

[Onewolf42]

I started working on the support columns for the helix structure. The helix will be a double track (radius 37.5" and 40") and allow trains to go between the lower level at 40" and the middle level at 60".

The upper return loop will be above the helix at 80" elevation. I have installed the sub-roadbed 3/4" plywood to help stabilize the helix support columns.

I installed wall support beams to replace the temporary 2x2 legs along the lower return loop area.

That is my standard procedure: initially build benchwork with temporary 2x2 legs and then come back and install wall support beams (and remove the 2x2 legs).

[Onewolf42]

Building 1x4 benchwork around the alcove. You can see on the left how the benchwork steps up as the mainline (return loop) climbs from 36" to the default lower level 40".

And the benchwork along the 42ft long wall. This will be the main classification yard and locomotive service area.

[Onewolf42]

The blue tape represents where the turntable/roundhouse steam locomotive service will eventually be located.

[Onewolf42]

Benchwork along the 32ft wall (with windows). The yard leads, reefer icing station, passenger station and service will be located.

Before I build the middle level benchwork (60" elevation) I will decide how to deal with the windows. On the previous layout I blacked out the windows with 2" foam insulation and 5/8" plywood.

[Onewolf42]

Some wider angle views of the infrastructure/benchwork progress I made in the first 2 weeks. Being off work for 12 days for holiday allowed for much progress. It will slow considerably as I go back to work full time starting today.

The next several months will be dedicated to building benchwork.

[Onewolf42]

A collection of some of the wires I will be using.

[Onewolf42]

I finished the open grid 1x4 lower level benchwork that wraps around the outside of the center platform. I just have 2 more support struts to install. Much of the lower level will have 5/8" plywood and then 1/2" homasote or foamular rigid foam. I used homasote on the previous layout and it has a lot of positive attributes, but it was NOT flat and it required a lot of patching/leveling. That’s why I’m thinking about possible using 1/2 foamular instead.

I think I will start on the upper level benchwork next as I don’t have any questions/issues as I have with the middle level benchwork. As a bonus the upper level benchwork is much smaller in size then the middle or lower level so I hope to knock it out quickly.

This is the narrowest aisle at 40" wide. The other aisles are 46"-48" (or wider).

[Onewolf42]

I cut/installed the 3/4" plywood helix base pieces today. When I am ready to start building the helix I will put 16 riser blocks on the helix base. These riser blocks will establish the 4" rise for each revolution of the helix. There will be 4 1/2 revolutions to the top of the helix. I build the helix roadbed with overlapping 7/16 sanded plywood (so 7/8" thick).

I cleaned up and did some organization of the layout room this week.

[Onewolf42]

I started work on the upper level 1x3 open grid benchwork. Keep in mind that the outside edge will be supported from the ceiling.

I need to find/buy some better quality 1x3s to build the screen walls down from the ceiling. The 1x3s I have for building the open grid are pretty sketchy. They range in width from 2.5" (expected) to 2 7/8" (yeesh). I may have to start ripping them down to 2.5" on the table saw.

A reminder of the upper level design. The mainline track comes across the aisle from the middle level nolix and makes a circle around the center platform before entering the upper return loop (and staging tracks).

[Onewolf42]