Missabe layout progress

Kevinkrey

Member
desig


Well there has been a change in plans calling for a different bridge to be built (those engineers cant make up there mind). You can follow bridge building progress in my Bridge thread http://forum.zealot.com/t155932-2/#post792148 , I also began work on the ore dock ( well at least the approach), but that has been put on hold until I take a trip to Menards.

Hopefully there will be some decent progress soon, but there I am putting up a ceiling in the basement (train room) and dont want to do much because of the mess. But I will try to add something to this thread every other day, maybe that will motivate me. But until next time, keep the trains rolling!
 

CRed

Member
Looks like it's coming along well Kevin,keep it up!

I too am planning on a all DM&IR RR so I'll be selling my BLI SF 4-8-4 and PCM N&W Y6b.I'm keeping the BLI SP AC-5 though,my son would never forgive me for getting rid of it(It smokes!).


Here's what I have so far...

Kato SD38-2
BLI RSD-15
WSM DM&IR Yellowstone
Akane DM&IR Yellowstone(On the way,hopefully it will be here soon.)

I am also sending out an Athearn Genesis SD45 to be painted and decaled for DM&IR SD40-3 #418 in the "Gopher" scheme.

Please post more pictures of your progress,maybe I can get some ideas for mine.Looking forward to more progress on your layout and the SD-M conversion.

Chris
 

sidewayzinca

New Member
your work looks great so far. i am excited for you to keep working and updating us. since i have no space to model right now i am living vicariously through you. lol.
 

wjstix

Member
That is why I am purchasing the full size hoppers. So I can send my taconite via rail in the winter months, very realistic operation.

Yes but that's not really a realistic operation. You don't have to use full size hoppers for "all-rail" ore trains. The 24' ore cars are normally just loaded and sent throughout the country in unit trains, that's been going on since the 1960's. There's no requirement or need that the ore be loaded in fullsize hopper cars if it's being shipped by rail directly to a customer instead of to an ore dock. A railroad might for some reason choose to ship ore in hopper cars (like if their customer prefered it in hopper cars for some reason) but it's not the norm on all-rail tac trains.

BTW that's why the DMIR ore cars now have their logo painted over and "DMIR" stencilled on them. Originally the cars just used their herald and the car no., but the gov't regulations require that cars used in interchange service use their correct 'reporting marks'. Apparently the let the Missabe slide for a number of years but in the 1990's called them on it and made them add "DMIR" to the cars.
 

Kevinkrey

Member

Well Im trying to stick to my everyotherday plan, so I finished the bridge last night, Now I just need to cut an 80' bridge in half, to go on each side of it. Here is a pic for size and one of it in location, but not secured, just sitting there. Notice the size difference from the old one to now.:eek:


CRed, how about this second pic for inspiration.​


wjstix, I always love to learn more about the DMIR, I know railroads like the BNSF, Conrail, UP, CNW, and others have all rain all rail trains, so i think I could buy some CNW regular size hoppers or something and the DMIR could "shuttle" them up to the taconite plants for loading, I have a small supply (for now) of the taconite cars, so I dont want to send any "off property" for now. Besides, I still have no room fot that interchange track.​

 

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CRed

Member
Kevin,I like both pictures.I think the bridge looks fantastic,and of course you know how I feel about the engine!

Chris
 

Triplex

Active Member
The 24' ore cars are normally just loaded and sent throughout the country in unit trains, that's been going on since the 1960's. There's no requirement or need that the ore be loaded in fullsize hopper cars if it's being shipped by rail directly to a customer instead of to an ore dock. A railroad might for some reason choose to ship ore in hopper cars (like if their customer prefered it in hopper cars for some reason) but it's not the norm on all-rail tac trains.
At one time, the B&LE regularly shipped ore in hoppers sized for coal. At the docks at Conneaut, coal was loaded onto lakers. A similar tonnage of iron ore came off the lake, so they loaded it in the empty coal hoppers. They were only fractionally filled, but they were loaded both ways!
 

Kevinkrey

Member
So, keeping up with my every other day routine, heres an update.

Tonight I finished wireing the layout, something which I have put of since before Christmas. It didnt take as long as I expected, so I dont know why Ive waited so long.

I have also found out that about 80% of my track will need to be cleaned, so before I do, I am going to put up a plywood cieling and put up a plastic wall between the layout and my dusty woodworkiing equipment.

Another bad note is out of my 6 loco roster, 4 locos are out of service, and I still dont know whats wrong with three of them, the other is undergoing a total overhaul and will hopefully soon be put back into service. My only 2 operating locos are on lease from the PRR and an old Santa Fe geep unit. hopefully I will have a somewhat intact roster by the end of this month, but if repairs go like everything else on the layout it will be slow and expensive, but the final result will be worth it.

Thats about it for an update, hopefully my next one will be about more positive progress. But I think my every otherday plan is keeping me going and getting more done on the layout. Sorry no pics, but a broken down loco doesnt have much to show.
 

CRed

Member
Hey Kevin,

Since you have had to clean your track already maybe your engines are having the same problem?Wouldn't hurt to give the wheels and insides of your engines a good cleaning also.

Keep the updates coming.

Chris
 

Kevinkrey

Member
:thumb:Today I made a trip to Menards, my favorite store. I bought 5 4x8 sheets of 1/4" plywood and just spent the past few hours painting them. What a PITA! Anyway, tomorrow comes the fun part, hanging up 4x4' sheets onto the ceiling joists (I cant fit a full 4x8' sheet into the basement). But that wont be to bad, because I am planning on being a carpenter and have already tackled many similar projects around the house on my own. My friends just dont get why a 16 yr old like me would put my own money and time into these projects, but I enjoy doing it and you guys also know how nice it is to improve the train room. But thats about it, just working on the ceiling for now, if youre lucky, there may be some pics comming.

On a side note, I bowl every Sat. morning in a league, and I will be keeping score for the city tournament all through Feb. and March, I will be there Sat.'s for my games and scoring from 9am-6pm, and Sundays 8:30am - 3pm, so there will be a lot less time for the trains, but I do get to keep tips, so I make a bit of money, assuming I dont wind up with the cheapos who wont pay a damn thing. The money will go towards a new DCC system but the rest in the bank for my truck. Very boring update, but maybe you wont read the whole thing.
 

Hoorhaylowe

New Member
You could use tap con type screws that are installed using a hammer drill(most dewalt cordless have that feature now). We have hung everthing from signs to shelving on concrete walls. You will need the required concrete drill bit to pre-drill for the tap-con screws.
 

Kevinkrey

Member
The plywood will be used as a ceiling. Im going to screw it into the joists with drywall screws. I will have to look for the screws you mentioned. I want to expand the benchwork with some shelves, only one problem never can hang one on the cement walls, maybe now Ill be able to, I do have a hammer drill so, no reason I cant.

 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Nice Bridge Kevin!! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I need to finish my Walthers Single Track Truss Bridge one of these days lol
 

Kevinkrey

Member
TruckLover, what will you use for th bridge track?

Yesterday, as I said I put up somewhat of a ceiling, and boy is it hard to hang plywood buy yourself. Here are some before and after pics, the plywood makes the room seem ALOT brighter without anymore light.

I also began putting down some ballast around my loco and caboose tracks. It looks okay, but I have alot more to do and I hope I will figure out how to do it better as I go, because I have a 1'x10' yard to do still, I think that will require a lot of ballast.

There is also a pic of a NP caboose by my house I drove by tonight with the camera taking pics of a grain elevator being demolished by my house.
 

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TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
I dont have the bridge track yet but I will be using the Walthers Bridge track or the Micro Engineering Bridge Track when I find a home for the MASSIVE bridge lol

BTW, caboos track looks good with the ballast down :thumb: :thumb:
 

Kevinkrey

Member
I dont have the bridge track yet but I will be using the Walthers Bridge track or the Micro Engineering Bridge Track when I find a home for the MASSIVE bridge lol

BTW, caboos track looks good with the ballast down :thumb: :thumb:

I hear ya about the bridge size, I wanted one bigger than the one I had, but this TOWERS OVER the smaller Atlas bridge.

 

tetters

Rail Spiking Fool!
Kevin, your ballasting in the fourth picture looks good.

One quick question. Why did you choose to go with plywood for your ceiling over drywall?
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
I hear ya about the bridge size, I wanted one bigger than the one I had, but this TOWERS OVER the smaller Atlas bridge.​

sign1sign1 Thats exactly what i was saying when I tried to fit it into the TINY space i had planned for it on the module :eek: :rolleyes: sign1
 
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