RAGC : It is

 

Another thing to do!

Ernie:  

Now I have to go back and find the museum in Toccoa!  LOL!  I was riding with my wife, sightseeing, when we visited Cornelia and Toccoa last time.  This time it has to be a concerted. planned trip to the museum. I just have to see this trestle model, since now, with my planned layout extension it is obligatory I build one or two of the trestles.  I have not set pencil to paper yet, but I also would like the steel bridge over what was the northern end of the Gorge at Tallulah Falls:  Concentrating all of this in one run will require some selective scene-making!

The book is very informative, actually.  I began reading it last night.  Trainmasters (my "local" train store which is 45 minutes away each way, in Roswell) had this first edition and a smaller, slicker "Conmemorative Edition", which was priced lower and tempted me.  The insert with drawings of the Foxfire Edition sold me.  The information I have gathered on the type of goods and the composition of trains has been very useful.  I expect that there awaits more valuable info in the still unread parts.  For example, I keep seeing photos of a three truck Shay lettered for the Graham County Railroad Company towards the second half of the book... makes me consider my two truck H0N3 unbuilt Shay and the possibilities. I also have a built 2 truck Shay, lettered for the Atlantic Steel foundry in Atlanta, which is part of the existing plan for the Southern Railways layout.  That Shay is in HO gage, and could be re-lettered if needed.  I also have have Mantua's "General" and an Old Timer MDC 2-6-0, so I can run them in the same trackage for Disney's filming in the 1950's, and for the TF RR's 1910-1920 period, since the buildings and trestles remained mostly unchanged the entire history of the shortline.

Anyway: lots of possibilities!  I am thrilled you, and Ken Rickman, steered me in this direction.  It will make for a very interesting and rewarding long-range project.

Future TF RR #s 74, 75, 501

Here is the starting point:

#75, another MCC/Roundhouse 2-8-0, is still in the mail.   #74, an IHC Union Pacific 2-6-0, and #501, a Bachmann Spectrum  Southern Pacific 70 ton GE diesel are here.  

#74 is an interesting problem: the factory detail is quite good, almost a shame to remove,  Some things, like the turned bell will be replaced. The marker lamps need to be moved to the boiler front, the headlight repositioned to the top of the smokebox, the pop valves to the top of the steam dome...  Most troubling are the right catwalk, which must be cut and raised for a second air tank: the molded steel texture is so good I must make a clean cut to be able to preserve it.  Also the entire pilot must be replaced, as the switcher pilot is totally out of character, and a requirement for me is a pilot with a working coupler up front.  On the other hand, the cab is good, although, ironically, #74 had an Old Timer, 4 window wood cab in the TF RR!  I will explore using one of the cabs removed from my MDC old timers and try to re-use this one elsewhere.  The tender is a bit long, but it can do.

The biggest job for #74 is backwards-dating the steam chests by scratch-building.  Ken Rickman has already shown how this can be done.

#75 needs the balloon stack replaced and pretty much everything I did to #78, except for the moving of the sand dome.  In #75 the sand dome is positioned as on the MDC boiler.

#501 needs very little: the front louvers need to disappear completely, the headlight and taillight need to be a single lamp type, the horn needs to go atop the cab.

I may take on DCC for the TF RR: since the tracks at the Cornelia Junction with the Southern do not connect, I can keep all my old Southern Railways, C of Ga RR, and Ga RR equipment running in DC, while retrofitting #78, #74, #75, and #501 to DCC!  That will essentially produce two totally different experiences in one layout and save me countless hours and expense.

#75 arrived today

...and it looks fantastic.  It was someone's detailing project, and in addition to the brass balloon stack (with screen/brass spark arrestor) it included brass single phase air compressors with brackets (2), brass old time headlight and tail light with lenses, one small brass pop valve, a brass sunbeam generator, and all of the plastic MDC parts in their trees, two lengths of handrail wire (it has brass handrails installed) and a load of scale cut firewood similar to what I cut for my wood burners (see photo above)..  Just the brass parts are worth more than what I paid for it, so I am happy.  One strange thing: the steam dome has a ring aroud the very top, and it is made of brass.  It does not appear to be glued onto the boiler, but part of it.  My other MDCs do not have this, and are not brass... ?!

I am stuck with my planning, though.  The issue is the configuration of the space I am to build the layout in: In order to have the TF RR and Southern junction at Cornelia I would have to have the TF RR come in on the east side of the Southern... I am not stuck up about taking liberties like that, but other aspects of the connection add to my doubts.  I need to lay off for a day and noodle it some more.  I will post my existing plan again soon, with my ideas for the connection, to see if anyone has a better way to suggest.

Artistic License

I flipped my yard 180 degrees from proto to make it fit and function in my space. Doubt anyone will ever notice. The beauty of modeling a small, obscure prototype.

Modeler's liscense

I too have taken some liberties with history and geography, in order to get my layout to "work."  I've flipped my Southern/D&W junction, and made the D&W/N&W interchange a mirror image and with the two railroads transposed.

If it works for you, it works.  I'm curious to see your plan.

existing plan/module

These have been up before.  Now for my thoughts:

This revision 5 plan was drawn originally using the turnouts and track that I have, and all the structures and unbuilt structure kits I also have.  The yard module I put together to help me plan. The supports are just to prop it up for measurement. It took a good deal of revising and testing to get it the way I like it, and the way I wanted to operate my Southern Railways Mainline, with the Georgia RR sharing track and the C of Ga picking up at the fringes.  I had even added a small circular track in my mountain for my unbuilt HoN3 Shay to deliver logs to the Southern on the mainlaine.

The mountain (short side) will be my bartop side (I brew beer, and this is part of my "pub" in the basement - I have yet to build all of it).  I am trying to utilize the space below the steps as hidden trackage, with an access door on the back (hallway) side to get to derailments /storage shelves in the hidden trackage.

The long side (what I call the town of Escalera, which began as Atlanta) has a small yard, originally just the freight yard, but now it will be extended: I had decided I can stretch it 3'-0" to the wall seen in the photo, and share the yard with my Atlantic Steel Coke retort.  That way my gondolas and coal cars have a destination, and my scratch-built coaling tower will look good in that context.   After reaching the wall, the shelf will turn 90 degrees to the right (down) and run about 6 or 7 feet before turning right again, 90 degrees (to the drawings's left), and running another 6 feet or so before dead ending.

The dingy side of the Southern...  That's a shortline M of W train in the foreground... unlettered for any of my lines entirely on purpose!

I kept operation as simple as I could, to allow myself fast building and quick results: There is a one way loop with no turntables, reversing loops or wyes.  I intended to run clockwise, backing into the yard to make up trains.  The  double loop would allow me to run two trains without much switch throwing, but also to use the sidetrack as a pocket for switching, passing, etc.  I also did not build any grades into the design very intentionally, for good, simple operation.  Thus there are no crossovers, higher shelf level, etc.  The bed drops below track level for the river, raises above track level for the mountain (where the logging Shay was to run about 2" higher).

To add the TF RR I considered converting Escalera / Atlanta to Cornelia.  The problem with that is that it would eliminate the small yard, which I need, and where the big coke retort will be located: very industrial, very non-North Georgia..  On the other hand, the clockwise running of the Southern trains on the mainline loop make Escalera an ideal place to begin the DCC, dead-end TF RR.

The Southern Mainline at Cornelia.  The TF RR wye ran along the steel fence to beyond Main St. in the background. and back to the right, behind the parked cars.

I could (and that is my intent at this time) begin the TFRR by placing Cornelia just after the first right-hand turn in the new extension, and run the TF RR from there to the Tallulah Lake bridge, looping it or wyeing it at that point. That gives me the Tallulah Falls trestle on the edge of the Gorge to model incredible terrain all the way to the floor, a decent size lake with a dam and a very high plate girder bridge on the last leg.

The drawback to that is that all this dramatic mountain scenery would be a LOT better as the backdrop to the bar! It also means that I will have a huge dead area behind the bar, since the mountains will be elsewhere... But it just does not make any sense to run the larger Southern equipment,  with long coal trains, on a dead end spur, while running the dead end shortline on the loop (The book Memories of a Mountain Shortline mentions the TF RR trains ran in reverse for long distances frequently).

So there is my conundrum.  I have considered a reversing loop inside the concealed trackage space, a flyover to the right from that space (but the exchange in Cornelia is on the same level), adding a loop to run the Southern in the new area (not enough space)... Ideas would be welcome.

This is the Cornelia junction, the TF RR is the wye with shops in the center, going up, above the double track mainline of the Southern.  From Google Earth.  The Cornelia depot is the red roofed building.  A significant modeling item is the hotel that used to be across the Southern tracks, with steps up the embankment across from the plaza in front of the depot.  The TF RR goes to the top, the Southern to the right... the opposite of what I can do.

A solution!

Found a simple, almost working solution.  I will sketch it and post later, but it consists of adding a little width on the front to run the TF RR parallel to the edge, past the depot and all the way to almost the pier.  Along this spur, place a switch angling back towards the depot parking, on the opposite side of the building from the mainline, just like in Cornelia, and using an insulated crossing to go across the Southern's lead yard track.  Then just ignore the coke retort and yard, and start the TF RR scenery past the turn at the wall.  The town of Tallulah Falls had a small turntable at one time, so I can model that to turn the engines there.  

The TF RR will bring in the lumber for the Southern to haul, so the big scenery space at the bar can be used for some other operation:  Ideas on that are welcome.  It would be great to be able to sneak a wye in at Cornelia too, maybe using the Southern track...

Latest Plan

I like the way this plan is headed.  The double use of the small turntable by both railroads solves a problem efficiently, and allows me to transfer motive power discretely.  I know I could add a switch at the TF RR siding in Cornelia, but this is more elegant.

It would be perfect if I could complete the bridge over Tallulah Lake and have a way to turn on the other side, but I need to stop the layout at approximately that point...

The hidden trackage is under the stairs, with a door providing access to the space from the hallway along the upper edge of the drawing.  There will be shelving in the space for rolling stock storage and supplies.

My mountain scenery was to go behind the bar (leftmost edge of plan).  Now I have to come up with ideas for this large scenic space (I reduced it for this version, but it still is a big empty space).  Suggestions welcome.  My thought is that it has to be rural scenery: I don't want my urban centers to merge in one continuous strip, and Georgia is mostly rural anyway. I also do not want rugged mountains, because of wanting contrast to the TF RR gorge scenery.  Rolling hills would seem best, but a tunnel portal in rolling hills does not work well... maybe I can precede it with a deep cut and woods that will disguise it...

( I do have a good string of reefers, so maybe a good ice house / ice platform and reefer siding will work here, with some farmland / crops next to it...)

The Atlanta / Cornelia exit from the hidden trackage will be concealed with a viaduct applied to the backgtound, and buildings in front obscuring the view.

Goods hauled:

Southern / C of Ga / Ga RR: 

. scrap steel (from wharf, hidden track) to coke retort (Atlantic Steel)

. steel products (from Atlantic Steel) to hidden tracks

. coal (from hidden track) to coke retort

. coke (from coke retort) to wharf

. produce (from TF RR, from ice house siding) to hidden tracks

. general merchandise (from yard) to yard

. lumber (from TF RR) to lumber yard

. Passenger service from Atlanta to Cornelia on the Southern

TF RR:

 . lumber/logs/pulpwood (from sawmill on mountain) to the Southern yard

 . produce (from Cornelia Depot - needs a siding) to Southern yard

 . general freight  (from Cornelia depot) to Southern yard

 . Passenger service from Cornelia to Tallulah Falls, and back 

Tallulah Lake and the piers of the plate girder bridge

Tallulah Gorge  

Both photos were taken by me, on a 4x5 plate negative camera.

2nd Pic

The cliff side pic makes me weak in the knees just looking at it. Double checked to make sure the arm of my chair is still there to grab onto. Mesmerizing image.

Thanks!

Large Format film photography is one of my several hobbies... actually most types of photography: I also shoot digital! I was firmly perched, with tripod and camera, on a broad, flat rock (with a guardrail!!!).  The place is dramatic, though.

                                                                            - 0 -

Overnight I have thought of some interesting tweaks to the layout above.  

First, move the Atlanta/Cornelia depot to where the TF RR siding ends now.  The double building there, a two story industrial building will move to the edge of the wharf to screen it (it's not located in Cornelia; it belongs in "Augusta").  The TF RR siding will ge a bit longer. This allows me to call this small part "Cornelia" and separate it from the more industrial background of "Atlanta".

Second, move the coal distributor (a beautiful craftsman level wood and metal kit from the 1960's bought at a meet 25 years ago and still unbuilt - I believe it's Blue Diamond Coal) to the TF RR, between the rising grade trestle and the TF RR mainline. Take the creek shown there out. The siding that ends there can be lengthened.  This gives the coal a longer ride, first on the Southern, then, one gondola at a time, on the TF RR.  I may have to lay a switch from the Southern to the TF RR siding in Atlanta to accomplish this, for a pusher switcher to push across the insulated gap.

Third: Take the double lumber yard that is located at the edge of the wharf now ( Cornelia) and put it where the coal distributor was: this gives lumber from the TF RR a longer ride on the Southern. Again, more action with the interchange job at Cornelia. This will be as in real life: the crew unloads the TF RR and loads into empty cars on the Southern, no track connections here!  It also puts a shorter set of buildings in the foreground.  The coal distributor is pretty tall, and is better/safer with the mountain behind it. I will add a sawmill at the top of the mountain where logging is taking place (have the Woodland Scenics Backwoods Sawmill kit stored away).

Fourth, take the siding at Tallulah Falls and place it towards the inside wall corner (opposite direction) to keep it from going downhill into the Gorge, behind the trestle.

Fifth, I think I can adjust the coke retort / turntable to allow me to lengthen the yard as I originally intended, across the front of the retort.  Add the track in the TF RR Shops to connect at the turntable for more flexibility. Add a siding behind the coke retort to park the Atlantic Steel Shay yard mule. The turntable (which I started building years ago) is big enough for any locomotive I have now: it is 12" long as drawn.

Sixth: I've decided to model either flat farmland (Central Georgia) or rolling hills with cows (North Georgia) in the empty space, with a farmhouse and scattered farm buildings.  The "Augusta" designation may change to "Savannah" or "Brunswick" if I model flatland.

I will try revise the plan later tonight, and post it here.  I welcome suggestions.

A non-tunnel tunnel

I have a similar problem, having to hide a disappearing track on a railroad that had no tunnels.  A good friend has several such situations.

My solution is to drop the track, while a foreground track rises.  Trees will surround and eventually cover the track.  I an fortunate that the track in question disappears parallel to the fascia, rather than perpendicular to it.  In your case, letting the hills rise around the track, and planting a lot of trees partially around the curve, would do the same thing.  The main thing is to make sure that there is no line of sight from any point at the bar all the way through the tunnel.  Remember that trees often grow quite close to the tracks, and even on double track main lines today the canopy can easily completely bridge the gap.  Remember also that you can extend the "forest" through to the other side of the opening, so that you do not have to hide the hole right at the wall.

My friend's solution is to have a highway overpass (in some cases only 1/2 of a bridge) mounted on the backdrop.  Painting the area under the bridge black, or extending the opening to match the bridge piers, help to disguise the hole.  A dark box on the opposite side keeps the un-scenicked area from standing out.

TFRR #72

I just found an interesting little connection between the TFRR and my own modeling projects.  I've got this MDC 2-8-0 which is probably destined to become N&W #6 or #7.  In looking through some stuff on line, I found that another of the N&W G1 class 2-8-0's became TFRR #72.

I'll document the conversion here, of course, if and when I get around to it.

#72...

There is only one photo of #72 in my books, and it is really bad.  That is why it was not considered in my plans.  Your photos could change that!  I'll tell you: they did not modify a thing as far as I can tell when it became TF RR: even the three window cab remained!

On the tunnel issue:  Yes, I was thinking I may disguise it as a cut, and that vegetation (trees) and maybe some billboards, would help conceal it.  On the Atlanta side, a viaduct is the obvious answer.  That portion of the original plan was based on the entrance to Atlanta's famous "gulch", which became Underground Atlanta.  The Passenger station shared by Southern and Georgia used to be at this location.  The tracks disappear under viaducts and buildings: that is another reason I want to keep "Atlanta" on the layout: no other town in Georgia can support that density.

The image below is from a mural at the Southeastern Railroad Museum, and shows the passenger station and the viaducts, similar to what I intend to use to hide the multiple concealed track exits.

Plan Revisions

I like the plan

May I suggest reversing the crossover below the water tank?  That would allow direct access for trains running through between the Tallulah Falls and Southern.  It would also make getting to the coal, sand, water, and freight house a little easier.

On the N&W G1 - There are two still in existence.  #6 is in Roanoke, VA, and #7 is in Bluefield, WV, both on display.  The major changes from the MDC model would be the belpaire firebox, larger cab, and different pilot.

Good call!

I just popped it there without much thought, but I like your reasoning... now to look at the MDC DCC conversion thread!

Cabooses

Been quiet for a while, as I have been busy with work.  I have been hunting for cheap wood-sided short (35'?) cabooses I can convert to TF RR prototypes.  Wow!  Most available are steel sided.  The one wood-sided that abounds is a cheap-looking one by Model Power with terribly out of scale steps and a really bad cupola.  The others are brass versions costing over a hundred dollars each, or a $30.00 version by Walthers.  What happened to cabooses priced the same as other cars?  I also found some really antique wood kits being sold at my local train store, but the prices were also around $30.00.  At those prices, scratch-building is the only serious alternative...

Any suggestions on finding old Athearn wood sided cabooses?  They seem to have dissapeared!

How about this?

Have you looked at the Roundhouse cabooses?  I seem to recall seeing a wooden caboose in one of your posts which very closely resembled one I kitbashed from an MDC/ Roundhouse model.

The very one!

I do have that one, which I assigned to the Georgia Railroad a long time ago.  The cupola is different than yours, with a compound curve on the cupola roof.  I also have a bobber caboose, also GA RR.  My GA RR is run down (like the real one) and had old equipment.  All my Southern cabooses are steel...  I also have an outside braced wood caboose on the Central of Ga.  All except the bobber are Roundhouse. None of these are very carefully researched as to prototype, which is different than what I am trying to do with the TF RR.  

TF RR had about five cabooses.  Of those I have good documentation of X5, a braced, center cupola, 35', four window caboose which still exists in Cornelia, GA, in front of the depot.  I also have good photos and a drawing of X3, an offset cupola caboose of which your D&W X304 is a good likeness.  Those are the two I will probably scratchbuild unless I find the Roundhouse kit for yours at less than $10.00.  I will still scratchbuild X5 because of its distinctiveness. 

X5 in Cornelia

X3 ?   in Tallulah Falls.    Probably not, but very similar to the prototype.

Anything New?

RAGC:  is the nov 8.2011 your last post on your TF project? I haven't been able to find anything more recent. Would be interesting to hear about your progress since your last post. The layout ideas were very interesting and creative.  EFB

Hello!

Thanks for asking, Ernie.  I keep an eye here, but I have been unable to do anything because of having to deal with real life... too tired to get to the basement and work after spending my day trying to generate income!  I have been silent but I do come read what others are doing.  

I have been eyeing three locos I bought on eBay that need conversion/detailing for the TFRR roster, but know that if I start on them I will have killed any time I have that should go towards building the layout.  Better to work on the track than on the locos: that will be a lot more fun after I have the track to run them on.

The good news is that in two weeks I will find if I have been successful in procuring a contract that will enable me to work regular hours for about a year and a half.  That would mean free weekends to use as I see fit!

Sigh!

The Faithful Shall Endure to the End

RAGC:  Thanks for the quick reply. Real Life does have a way of consuming our days [and nights]. Sounds like your priority on working on the layout is right focus when you are able to devote time to it. Trust your contract comes through. I did consulting at one time in my career - cash flow and contract generation always a bear to manage. Finally secured fulltime employment and I retired 2.5 yrs ago, but with the current economic situation I will need to find either part time or consulting work this spring.  

P.S. By the way did I ever share the fact that my grandmother's brother was station agent on the Southern RY at Flowery Branch station back in early 1900's and she was the telegraph operator at the station when she met and eventually married granddad. He ran a dry goods store in town. They moved to Clarkesville and then to Turnerville. Their store in Turnerville next to the TF station in the John Kollock painting is the one I wrote you about in my original post last year.     

Have you ever been inside the restored train station at Flowery Branch on old Atlanta Hwy [GA13] ?   There is a small display of railroad artifacts and station memorabilia and a Southern caboose outside ---Small but interesting and it just up the road from Norcross beyond Buford.  Best Wishes and success..... until next time.   EFB

Gotta drive on!

Have driven as far as Buford on 141 (to visit TrainMasters, the best all train Hobby Shop around!) recently, but not beyond... have to do so and visit Flowery Branch.

Had not checked here in a while, but was happy to see your reply.  I have been busy still trying to generate work, with several irons in the fire but no cattle to brand yet!  It looks like soon, though...

The reason I logged on tonight: scored another loco for the TFRR just a few minutes ago:  this one the harder to find MDC/Roundhouse 2-6-0 Mogul kit!  Have to look for a 2-6-0 prototype now!  The TFRR roster keeps growing!  So far:

#78 (MDC/Roundhouse 2-8-0 Consolidation, the conversion documented here)

#75  ( "                  "            "           "              , not modified/detailed yet  

#74  (IHC 2-6-0 Mogul, with modern cylinders, may now go to the Southern - need to study the photos)

#501  Bachmann Spectrum 70 Ton GE Diesel, yet to be modified, re-lettered.

# ? The New MDC/Roundhouse 2-6-0

I also have two TFRR wood cabooses to kitbash on the way to me...

Now for the time to do the work!..