Canyon Mtn N-gineers Layout

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Most of the track work has been laid for the lower level staging area that will serve as Burns, Oregon; Nampa, Idaho; and Boardman, Oregon (coal fired electric plant)/Powder Basin, Wyoming (coal mine). It is a lot to cram into a small area--even in N-scale!
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
I haven't posted progress pictures on this forum lately although slow and steady progress if being made. I hope to get some time to post some pictures here soon; however, there are some recent pictures of the layout included in MY PHOTO GALLERY (after my signature) if you want a preview.
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Ontario, OR

This is the most recent photo of Ontario, Oregon, on the layout.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Nyssa, OR

Most recent picture of Nyssa, Oregon, with its Amalgamated Sugar Plant.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Layout Thread Revisited

I thought that I would check out this old thread with the thought of updating it a bit, only to find that I could not edit the old posts since the forum has been upgraded. Links in the first post on page one were either dead or out of date. Perhaps by posting revised links here, you can still navigate to the old threads....

I have become involved with the planning and construction of three N-scale layouts since 2000. For want of a better name, I'm going to call the modular layout the Oregon Western Lines Modular Layout. (More about why I plan to call it the Oregon Western Lines Modular Layout later.) This is an N-scale layout made from modules that we have taken to train shows such as the Great Eastern Oregon Train Fair in 2004 and 2005. It is more portable than the Canyon Mt. N-gineers layout (that has some modules, but they have become more permanent than portable).

A second layout that I helped develop was built with the purpose of it becoming a interactive display for the customers in the John Day Dairy Queen. It was patterned after the Oregon & Northwestern Railroad which was a railroad in the local area until the early 1990's.

There were no boxcars for the Oregon & Northwestern Railroad, so I commissioned Micro-Trains to produce a special run of them for this railroad. That special run got me started on the Oregon Western Lines Collector Series. There have been 6 cars in the series to date (ONW, Union Railroad of Oregon, and 4 City of Prineville boxcars) with three Oregon Western Lines boxcars to come out in December 2007.

This thread is about the Canyon Mt. N-gineers' layout, so I'll not link it except to say that some old pictures of this layout can be found in the link in my signature. Newer pictures will be found after this post when I get the time to locate them and attach them here.

Work has really slowed on this layout primarily because I have not been as dedicated to the project as I have been in the past. I have been spending more time with my family than with the railroad for the last year. Things are not stagnant, but they have been very sluggish.

Here are a couple of pictures that I found that may be of some interest.
The first shows some of the background and mountain building work that I was doing just before the distractions began.

The second picture shows the La Grande Yard in the foreground with the mountains from the first picture in the background. There is actually an aisle between, but it is not evident in the picture.

Another reason why there are not as many pictures in this thread as before is that I have started using a different digital camera, and I haven't taken the time to sufficiently learn how to get those pictures into the proper form for posting. Over time perhaps....
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
how do you get the trains to stop after leaving the hump?

On my layout friction slows each car's speed until eventually the car stops. Most cars do not roll as far as the end of the track. I don't have retarders (brakes) on my hump yard, so I am not able to control the speed of decent.
 

billgraf

New Member
The hump yard looks great. Where is the run around track? How will the cars in the yard be collected and sent on their way?. Is it at the opposite end?
 

chooch.42

Member
Greetings, upguy. Thanks for bumping up this thread ! Looks like an outstanding layout. Any chance you could re-post the track plan or redo the old link. I really admire the flow of the track at Ontario and Lyssa (did i get that right?) and the spiral integration with the peninsula. Am looking for ideas. Thanks, again. Bob C
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
billgraf:

Yes, the cars in the hump yard are collected and sent on their way from the opposite end of the collecting tracks.

chooch.42:

I have been unable to revive the link to the old page, so I'll try to post attachments that show the plan as I once envisioned it. In many cases the layout was not built exactly as you see it in the plan, but it gives the general idea behind the track configuration. The first attachment will be a map of the upper level--most of which is the gray shaded area.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
This second attachment should show the lower level in gray.
 

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bigsteel

Call me Mr.Tinkertrain
awesome layout

wow,that is one amazing layout! i wish i had the time,money,let alone patience or skill to do a layout that big! and great trackplan?operations to boot.very nice layout UPguy.--josh
 

chooch.42

Member
:wave:Thanks, upguy, for re-posting the track plans ! :thumb: Excellent concept and space util.-Way beyond what I could handle, but going back thru your other threads and my brain is churning !!! Thanks again. Bob C.
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Okay, it has been a while since this was updated. I'm still alive and working on the layout. More gets done on this layout in the winter. Summer is the time I work on the Oregon Western Lines Modular layout. I'm not sure where to start since there has been quite a bit done since the last update.

The mainline now has track laid all the way from Portland, Oregon to Nampa, Idaho. The last section of mainline to be completed was on the Durkee peninsula. I have spent most of the last month working on the Durkee section.... The first picture here is the last picture that I have taken of the work on the Durkee peninsula. The second picture is taken from the other end of Durkee.

The third picture is an aerial view of the LaGrande, Oregon peninsula. LaGrande is to the left and the right side of the divider has Island City on the branch line to Enterprise on the back and the UP mainline to the front (far right). The last picture shows a track level view of the LaGrande yard as you enter from the west after crossing the Blue Mountains.

If you are interested in more timely posts on the progress on this layout or my other activities, you may want to become a fan of my Facebook page.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Here are a couple more photos. Some are of projects in progress; some are just for fun.
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Nice to see good use made of the size advantages of N scale. When I was a teenager I toyed with the Idea of switching to N scale, and modeling the New River Gorge, after canoeing through it and being blown away by the N&W and C & O traffic. While considering that switch I bought my first shay, and never looked back, but it is lots of fun to see what can be done in N scale. Thanks for sharing.


Bill Nelson
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
Not the greatest picture, but it shows a more recent look at the bridge.
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Viewed from a low angle like that this scene has a good desert look to it, and makes a good scenic break between the busier areas to either side a break that seems bigger than it is.



Bill Nelson
 
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