Progress

 We have had  winter storms for the past two consecutive weekends. The weekend of January 23rd we had an ice storm that dumped freezing rain and sleet on us, followed by a week of sub-freezing temperatures overnights that kept the ice around for a while.

All told it wasn't as bad as it could have been. We got about a quarter inch or less of ice, we never lost power, and I was able to clear the driveway and sidewalks during the daytime before it could re-freeze, so all the ice that was left was on the grass.

This past weekend we got powder snow. We were forecast to get between 5 and 7 inches, but all through the day we were in a snow-free corridor that stretched from South Hill VA south to the coast between Wilmington NC and Myrtle Beach SC. When the corridor finally closed, like a zipper from north to south, we ended up getting about 3 inches or so. Since it was powdery snow I was able to clear it from the driveway and sidewalks very easily.

What that means is I had a lot of time to spend on the railroad. The benchwork has been completed for a while now, but it was covered with construction materials and tools. Last weekend I got it cleaned off, so this past weekend I was able to get some track planning done and put some cork down.

My new layout is going to have four distinct sections. The yard will be along the north wall to the left as you walk in the door. The Nodaway Valley section is along the east wall and the track plan is basically what I have on my 2x8 layout right now. The coal washing plant will be on the south wall and will have standard, narrow, and dual gauge. Finally, the narrow gauge Path Valley section will be on a peninsula jutting out from the west wall. In its entirety the layout will be in a reversed G shape. 

I have almost all the track planning done.. The only thing left on the standard gauge is the yard which I still haven't decided what to do with. I got the cork entirely laid down on the Nodaway Valley section this weekend, including the turnouts to the yard at the north end and the coal washing plant on the south end. 

The lead to the coal washing plant will be dual gauged so that it can be used as one of the legs of the narrow gauge turning wye. This will require the building of five dual gauge turnouts, including a curved one that will have to be built on site. I'm thinking of building them all on-site so they can be code 55 rail instead of the code 40 that is used in the Fast Tracks dual gauge jig. I also have a handful of narrow gauge turnouts to build, but I can use the Fast Tracks jig for those since it is for code 55 rail. The rest of the track work will be Peco Code 55 for both standard and narrow gauge sections.

I have the narrow gauge Path Valley track plan almost all figured out as well. It is being built as a heavily modified Woodland Scenics Scenic Ridge layout. I have single-tracked the hill section between the loops and as such I have created two turnaround loops, which will require some special wiring. The only question left is where I am going to put the turntable and round house.

I have a Peco 6" turntable that I am going to modify to narrow gauge, and I have an old wooden kit for the Nevada Northern roundhouse. I have the kit for the two added on stalls as well, but I don't think I will have the room for them. I have just about decided that it will go in the lower right corner as you look at the plan on paper. There should be just enough room for the turntable and the four stall roundhouse.

I am going to automate some of it using an Arduino to control the loop turnouts. To further complicate things, I am also going to automate the turnout leading into the turning Y at the coal washing plant. There will be a sensor on each loop and one on the wye that will cause all three turnouts to change as the polarity on the main is switched. I will be able to run it as a point-to-point from the coal mine on the upper loop to the coal washing station wye and back, or as a continuous run around the upper and lower loops.

I am waiting on insulated rail joiners for the Electrofrog turnouts, and then I will be able to lay some track. That might be a while though because I have the show in New Bern coming up this month on the 21st and I have a couple of modules that need attention before then.

I don't know how much I will be able to get done during the month of February, but my workplace will have a shut-down in March, so (depending on whatever plans The Management has) I should be able to get some more done then. I would like to get some track laid this month, and maybe build some turnouts as well.

If it all works the way I have imagined it, it should be awesome.