Canyon Mtn N-gineers Layout

Matthyro

Will always be re-membered
Great progress Upguy. It is interesting to see how you came up with the layout pattern like you did.
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
SD90, Here is a picture from the other side of the grain elevator that you were wondering about. Nothing very fancy about the construction.

Robin, I certainly didn't plan the layout for ease of construction, that's for sure.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
I haven't updated this thread for quite some time. Here are some shots I took tonight after a work session. We are still working on the large peninsula that will eventually represent Union Pacific's crossing of eastern Oregon's Blue Mountains. In the foreground, the nearest track is the beginning of the climb from La Grande. The first siding will represent Hilgard.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
The highest point on the layout (and on the UP) is at Kamela. There are two main tracks with the middle track acting as a siding for each of the mains. This is on the left in the picture. The tracks to the right represent Mecham which is on the western side of the Blue Mountains on the downhill track to Pendleton.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
The next three pictures show the throat of the peninsula: First looking toward Pendleton; the second looking toward La Grande; the third shows the track arrangement a little better with LaGrande to the right and Pendleton to the left. The track that goes under the bridge and into the middle of the peninsula will be a track to the lower level.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
One last picture for now: Hopefully this shows the grades a little better, so you can get an idea of what the railroad is going to be climbing over.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
This first picture is a retake of the throat of the peninsula with the track now laid all the way to the lower level. The 3.5 - 4 per cent grade from the upper level to the lower level is visible in the second picture. I spent most of this afternoon trying to figure out the track arrangement for the lower level.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
The track coming down from the upper level is seen at the top in this picture. Continuing its decent out to the end of the peninsula, the track curves around, returns to pass over a bridge, and makes the loop seen here in the foreground by passing under the bridge.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
From the bridge it is not too far to the lower level where the track does another U-turn to enter the main switching area of the lower pennisula. The area with the cork (Powder Basin?) seen in this picture will contain the tracks utilized by the coal trains for which this single track decent from the upper layer was built. Loaded coal trains will come down the grade, while empty coal trains will assend it.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
In this picture the main yard (Nampa) of the lower level will be the terminus of the railroad...providing staging, storage, and switching. Most of the tracks will be located in the middle of the lower level (where you see my glasses and tools in the previous picture) and in the foregound of this picture.
 

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upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
On the other side of the peninsula will be the town of Ontario, Oregon, which will have an Amtrak station, a few small industries, and be the connecting point for trains going to Burns, Oregon, and the Oregon & Northwestern Railroad. (Burns will also have a small staging area behind Nampa.) Between Nampa, Idaho, and Ontario, Oregon, will be the town of Nyssa, Oregon. Nyssa is the location of a large sugar processing plant. I have decided to widen the peninsula at this point to allow for more activity associated with the sugar plant, but the design for Nyssa has not been finalized.
 

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Matthyro

Will always be re-membered
That is some layout Upguy. Very well planned. I like the loop peninsula way to get the track from one level to the other. Much nicer than a helix. What grade is it?
 

Sir_Prize

Member
Look over there... :eek:
and over there... :eek:
and at... :eek:
and... :eek:

EWWWW! DOGGIE'S!!
:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: (thats 2 thumbs & 2 big toes ;) )
 

McFortner

Member
You know, it's posts like this that just steam my bacon. Here I am, not enough time to work on my layout or play with my trains. I come here and some smarty-pants ups and shows this monster layout that he threw together overnight that just makes my little, incomplete 3 x 4 layout like so much doggie droppings. Man, that just ticks me off! ;) :D

All kidding aside, it looks good. Now if I could just find time to put down the ballast on my little 3 x 4 and start the ground cover and start building buildings and laying down roads.... :cry:

Michael
 

upguy

Oregon Western Lines, CEO
The grade was supposed to be a little over 3 per cent. It is probably between 3 and 4 per cent...a little flatter on the curves and steeper on the tangents. This connecting track between the two levels was quite a lot of work considering the plan is to only use it for one coal train! All the other trains will go the "long way around," traveling through the whole layout.
 
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