last week I traded some of my dad's On3 stuff for some old timey Ho cars a Mantua ventilated boxcar, and two AHM truss rod box cars. they have been through the shops, the car to the left has been in service for close to 40 years , and I tried to match the look. these older home service cars will likely be in service between the company store for the Berghausen -Shoemaker Lumber company and the log camps supplying the loggers in the woods. I'm extremely happy with these cars. Proto 2000 33 inch smooth backes wheel sets fit the AHM car's trucks perfectly. next time I'm making resin castings, I'm set up to make a mould for the AHM kingpins , ( I an missing quite a few) and if I had a good replace ment I could return a lot of these cars to service.
The other day I had the log loading rack from old Terrapin set up in the new, as of yet un named log reload area off the narrow gauge. I was thinking (not really the right word) that I could use it as is, and then I realized that with my old 8.5% grades a four car train was the norm. With an 3.3% ruling grade on the main, and a slightly steeper grade on the lead to the loading track, 8 car log trains may be possible, so room for four cars behind the loader would cause a major bottle neck, and some un necessary switching, in an area on the layout that will be too busy as is. so I cut some of the log bridge deck off the front of the assembly, and spliced it onto the back. I will run the back end of the cribbed loading deck, back to ground level, and add a short section of roadbed to allow another two or three extra cars , hopefully I'll be able to deal with loading a log log train big enough to make the new layout work, without Jacking up the Gizzard block with unnecessary switching.
Ready to cut the loading deck
ready to splice the loading deck bridge
One of The The Surry Parker will sit on the planked area, the short end is the lead to the rest of the siding, and the long lead will hold empty log cars that have passed under the Surry Parker .
this close up shows the rough edges you get separating Midwest cork roadbed. That rough edge can cause problems when ballasting, causing a rough edge, or worse, voids in the ballast just below those rough edges. I have found I get a lot better looking roadbed if I sand the edges of the roadbed to smooth them up. I found a sheet of 100 grit open grid sanding pads made to sand sheetrock work excellently for this purpose.
after I have sanded the roadbed I paint it with Latex paint I had the paint store mix me up a gallon of when it was on sale, to be a base scenery coat.. this way If I'm slow to get to ballasting, (and I will be ), my track will look beter because the cork won't show , and if the scenery comes up short of the raodbed, the plywood won't show, it will be gray paint. the outside track is the tail track to the wye, so trains can turn here, and back into State line, simplifying switching there, and relieving the need of using the turntable there unless the locomotive is staying there. The middle track will be for camp supply or to hold loaded log trains that are ready to go, or an empty log train waiting for it's turn on the loader. the inside track will be for the log lader, a narrow gauge track will be just above it to dump logs, and there may be a passing siding on the narrow gauge if I can fit it.