One area where I have really taken freelance “liberties” is the passenger train traffic. I will have two UP lightweight passenger trains (BLI E7A/E7A/E8B, Genesis F3A/B) (very plausible) and one UP heavyweight passenger train powered by double headed Challenger Greyhounds (slightly plausible 
). And then I pretend the passenger trains from Salt Lake City went to Ogden instead. The gets me Southern Pacific (BLI E7A/E7B/E7B/E7A), Santa Fe (BLI F7A/F7B), and California Zephyr. The real California Zephyr switched power in Salt Lake City going from Denver & Rio Grande to Western Pacific (and vice versa). I have D&RG Zephyr (Rapido PA1/PB1) and Western Pacific Zephyr (BLI F7A/F7A/F7B) passenger trains.
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Ahh, yes, Rule 1. Most of us take liberties with our layouts.
Rich
the 8500HP GTEL’s are one of my favorite locomotives…
I have decided to draw a hard line at 1957. The Gen3 Big Blows did not show up until 1958. Coincidentally this saves me about $1000.
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Nice…
I’ve read that the Big Blows were generating 10% of the UP’s ton-miles in their heyday. My recollection was that production deliveries of the Big Blows were delayed for a couple of years.
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Onewolf, for some reason I can’t see any images. Not sure if it’s my computer or an image sharing problem.
Yes, when I made the post the images showed up, but a minute or so later they were replaced by empty links. Trying to figure an efficient way to post a bunch of photos…
My plan was to start working on the shelf bracket mounts which will support the middle level around the outside walls, but while waiting for the weather to cooperate (temp/wind) to spray paint the shelf track and brackets outside I decided to start working on the backdrop and coved corners around the lower and middle levels of the center platform. The backdrops are made with 1/8" masonite/hardboard. It is flexible enough to be curved for inside corners, however it is not flexible enough for the six outside corners of the center platform. For these six corners I use Formica/laminate panels which is flexible and strong enough. The backdrop/coved corners requires a lot of drywall finish technique (mud/sand/clean/repeat) which I am not great at.
Coving the middle level where the exit of the helix will be. Coved corners look far better than square corners once track and scenery are done.
Coving the corners of the lower level where the track does a 180 from the center platform over the to wall on the left.
Coving the middle level
Theorizing/mocking where I want the transition from 1/8" masonite to laminate to cove the 6 outside corners of the center platform.
After installing the laminate coved corners and beginning to patch/finish the backdrops. Also shows where the entrance/exit of the helix will be located.
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A whole lot of patching to get done… And then priming paint, and then hazy light blue to start the backdrop.
Using 14" chop saw to cut the shelf track into ninety 6" pieces. After this I used the bench grinder to clean them up. And then I used the drill press to drill the holes needed to mount them on the wall. And then I painted them black.
90 of them ready for hole drilling
Painted flat black
Initially I painted the shelf brackets outside, however after waiting 3 more weeks for the weather to cooperate again I decided to paint the rest inside.
Beginning to install shelf brackets. This wall has actual wood studs so it was easy to mount the shelf brackets. This is the only wall with wood studs. All the rest of the walls are metal stud.
Spray painting shelf brackets inside.
Shelf tracks and brackets.
Installing shelf brackets on the wall with the windows. I have 1/4" aluminum ‘U’ channels that I am going to install on the inside edge of the window framing that I will use to slide down 3/16" masonite panels to block out the windows.
These sections of 1x3 benchwork were salvaged from the previous layout and they are just sitting on the shelf bracket, not permanently mounted yet.
More shelf brackets. This is the beginning of the 42ft long wall.
More progress on the 42ft wall.
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Quite an undertaking, Onewolf42!
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You can’t be big unless you think big!
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Updating with progress over the last couple of months. Progress on the layout has slowed as real work has been very busy (I have been named technical lead for the next big project/release and that takes up a lot of of my time).
Starting to work on the 3/4" subroadbed for the lower return loop. The outside track is considered the mainline representing east of Ogden. There will be 7 staging tracks inside the mainline track.
You can see the middle level benchwork coming down the left side. The middle level nolix climbs from 60" elevation to 80.75" elevation where it will cross over the aisle up into the upper level. The nolix is a constant 1.72% grade.
Still (slowly) working on the coved corners around the center platform.
I stepped up the middle level benchwork to provide more space/height above the city below. The top of the blue tape represents the level where the city base will be. The lower return loop will be hidden under the city. I also marked where the middle level mainline nolix track will be above the middle level benchwork.
Middle level benchwork steps up 4" on the left side.
On the left side the lower level will be loco service and classification yard. The middle level will be a canyon wall with the nolix mainline climbing up to the upper level.
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I installed the aluminum C channels on both side of the windows and I slide 3/16" masonite to block out the windows.
With the upper piece in place. I will paint the masonite with my ‘sky’ blue backdrop color. The masonite will be removable for access to the windows for maintenance purposes.
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Nice progress, Onewolf42! Thanks for posting the photos.
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Thanks for the update @Onewolf42 . Good progress.
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@Onewolf42, that’s outstanding! Keep up the good work, and thanks for the update!
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The answer is always NO!, of course… 
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Excellent progress. Well done. Thanks for posting.
This might already be on this thread somewhere, but what scale is your layout?
HO Scale
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