I'm finishing off the last piece of my track-plan - that being "The Helix".....

I've been perusing the numerous articles/posts on MRH on this topic and have pretty much decided to go the route of using trapezoidal sections to build it.

At this point my helix will be ovular, single-tracked, 32" radius with a 12" straight section. This yields an approximate grade of 1.85%.

If you care to add in the "helix compensation factor", in my case that adds another 1% effective grade for a total of 2.85%.

Hi All,

Sorry this one is so late but I was having trouble uploading it to YouTube. Hope you find it interesting and enjoyable!

Tim Garland

https://youtu.be/2ExBcRb5Pdw

for those who may be looking I have designed a servo mount for turnout control. im using a 9g servo, levered micro switch with 11mm hole spacing, and .9mm wire to throw the turnout.

its listed on thingiverse as srvo mount for model train turnout. you can also find it listed as servo mount 3B

the direct link is www.thingiverse.com/thing:3603598. 

Have a short post for today.  Have been researching and walking about trying to link history to today.  Have found some facts and am narrowing in on what I want to build.  A lot of what I am doing is similar to what Jim Six is writing about in his "Limited Modeler" column.  My hometown is Tonawanda and North Tonawanda in western New York.

A friend visited with me several weeks ago.  He is building a magnificent N scale model of the Montgomery, Alabama Union Station and train shed for his 1950's based layout.  His work is museum quality, and his attention to prototypical detail amazing.  As I looked at the photos of his work thus far, I had to ask him: would he be modeling both the whites-only bathrooms and the colored bathrooms? 

I made the decision to rebuild my layout, now that it’s 5 years old, it’s time to remove the basic things and focus on more details. I will be removing the ‘filler’ cars from the roster, upgrading and weathering the cars that stay. For some reason I procrastinated for several months and then I decided decided it’s now or never. 

The mainline was straightened on one end and the connection removed that made a loop between the scenes of the visible section. The passing siding was extended. Most of the mainline stayed.

Some photos and history of Suwannee County Florida. 

railroads, lumber and  phosphate mining. Many photos from 1850s to 1900s.

Hope you enjoy, Carter

http://www.taplines.net/feb/loandg1.htm

http://www.taplines.net/

http://taplines.net/locos/locos.html

I feel I must come clean, I have realized that an ugly side of me has come back to the forefront of my personality, and for this reason, I feel that I need to apologize to the wonderful folks on this forum.  I have been argumentative, arrogant, and downright nasty.  I will refrain from posting unless I have something positive to add.

Several messages were received about operating my Hitop branch, so I’ll give a rundown of operations. Everything as on the prototype comes out of the main Dickinson yard. There are several mine runs. One goes to the mine at Hitop through Spring Street yard where the actual branch starts, while one bypasses Hitop and goes to the end of the branch at Morris Fork.