Count me in!

I'm following along Ivan!

I remember reading about what

I remember reading about what I think was this railroad in one of the magazines a while back. I can not remember which one but it had several track plans with it and lots of information. It looked like a neat idea for a railroad to model.

Nice

Very cool prototype Ivan.  I know I'll be following along.

For what it's worth, the IAIS and PHL LLPX SD38-2s came from the same source, so if I can be of any help if you plan to model one or more of those, just let me know.  All the PHL units eventually joined the IAIS roster, but all have since moved on, so we're back to just the original 4 again.

Me too!

Love the photo. The shadow on the left looks like it's coming from a "Digitrak" power source - - LOL!

Thanks!

Glad to have you guys on board, thanks for the kind words! I'll be sure to need a good bit of help during this build, especially from the train-side of things. I'm not the most knowledgeable person in terms of locos, cars and operations, but I'm excited to learn as I go.

To begin...

So here's the deal - I've wanted a layout for a while now. My parents had some N scale track and equipment but never to time or space to set anything up. I've always enjoyed modeling (trains, planes, tanks, cars, ships) and went through middle and high school alternating between subjects. In college I spent a lot of time at the Penn State Model Railroad Club working on the HO layout and picking up a lot of the basic skills needed to design and build a layout. 

That brings us to this very moment - I'm finishing up school with one year left, working full time and living in my parents house. Plans include moving out in a year or two, so the layout needed to be easily transportable and not terribly huge as I predict my next house/apartment will not be very big. N Scale is a no-brainer as I'm comfortable working with small things (I'm 23 so I'd like to think that I've got a few years to go before my hands and eyes give up on me) and I need the space. I'm very comfortable with technology so I am going to be running my trains on DCC, with an NCE Powercab and JMRI to let me use phones/tablets to run.

Why PHL? Well, the area they serve looks to be the perfect combination of varied industries in a tight space - exactly what a compact shelf layout needs. There is a port - I've always wanted to build an operating STS crane. The area is connected to the rest of the coast (and two major railroads) via the Alameda Corridor, which would be neat to model. Much of the area is street running which I think looks cool, and helps with research as google streetview is a wonderful resource. Lastly, I really like how the 2005-2010 time period featured a hodgepodge collection of engines and paint schemes alongside the shiny new Tier III locos. While the chances of finding rtr locomotives for PHL are slim to none, I'm going to enjoy the challenge of kitbashing, painting and maybe even scratch building engines when I need to take a break from building the layout. I'm looking to start with the Ex Conrail SW9s and patched SP 40T-2s and see where it takes me. 

What do I want from this layout? I want it to be easily disassembled, sturdy enough to transport, and easy to expand. I don't care so much for continuous running and would much rather spend time switching local industries and a small yard. I anticipate most of the build time to go into details and scenery - buildings, roads, lights and the occasional palm tree. I don't want it to be too big of an undertaking so it isn't massively overwhelming at the start and I never gain the momentum I need to get things finished. I also want it to look nice. A model railroad should not be an eyesore, even when under construction.

Sounds like a great prototype

Looking forward to seizing more details on this Ivan

great idea....

I would consider modeling 1995-2015...

Sounds great; count me in!

I may be modeling the other side of the continent, but I'm looking forward to seeing your work!  You have a well thought out plan.

Geof

VTR/Washington County RR in N scale

RE: consider modeling 1995-2015...

@Bremner

Hmm, that's a really neat engine, and the photo is fantastic for detailing the Pier A engine facility as well! I've been getting most of my source material from railPics, rrpicturearchives and Flikr  - any chance you can share where you found those? All of the photos of PHL43 that I've found don't have the high hood (circa 2005)

Learning from my mistakes in the past year

About a year ago, I got my NCE PowerCab DCC system and I wanted to immediately run stuff. I've only recently left the ranks of the impulsive teenagers and sit firmly among the impulsive twenty-somethings. I had this grand plan to make a 4x8 section featuring a Panamax class container ship, 1000-1500 containers, two working STS (Ship To Shore) cranes, 3 RTGs (Rubber Tire Gantries) and a working truck system to move the containers from the STS to the RTGs to the on-dock rail loading. I developed a way to make containers, a way to pick them up and actuate the cranes, even a way to track them using a USB webcam and a microcontroller with vision processing. Then I started building the benchwork:

As you can see, I got a little overzealous with the construction and overbuilt it a tad. The table could have been used as a workbench and not have moved.

Spoiler alert: This is the furthest the section got. There were too many variables, too many features that needed to be prototyped and developed. My parents complained that it took up too much space, I didn't feel good showing it to people, and I realized that I would never be able to take it out of the basement without completely disassembling everything. The setup sat around for 5 months and I took it apart this December. I still have about 120 containers, the spreader mechanisms and all of my prototypes for the cranes left over in the event I want to revisit the idea as a smaller module. All of the wood was salvaged. For the moment, the port is a bit too complex of a challenge. Live and learn: time for something a bit simpler.

" Live and learn: time for

and you got some valuable joinery experience :> )  Keep learning and enjoy the ride.......DaveB 

Selective compression is your

Selective compression is your friend. Most things can be modeled a bit narrower than 4 feet. Sometimes things like the container ship can be modeled in such a way as to be only two containers deep. The third container is either a picture or a model with just one side making them 1/8 inch or less in thickness. Just an example.

Robert Smaus (spelling) did a nice compact module called the port of Los Angels a few years ago. It was a multi-part project railroad in MR. Building some additional modules to add on to it would likely give you something to you could switch with and get into seeing how much you enjoy your original idea. It would also be something you could get through standard size doors. Below is a link to a page with pictures from a Google search

https://www.google.com/search?q=port+of+Los+Angeles+Layout+HO+scale&biw=1195&bih=515&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi74b7DpbnLAhWBYiYKHfXkA-gQsAQILg

    [attach:fileid=233234_7_uj9MLE+Fh4t0K0f/2Q==]

Here are some pictures from the hundreds on that page and some info on that particular layout. As can be seen you could likely get the back issues that contain the articles about this and have a layout you could make portable. I suspect it would not be your dream layout but might provide lots of enjoyment while you are going through life till the big space you covet becomes a reality.

Ditto on the 4x8

I had a very similar experience creating a 4x8 railroad in my youth. Mine didn't get much further than gluing down roadbed. Shelf layouts are the way to go. A 4x8 is just way too big!

benchwork

My 1st layout after marriage and 3rd overall was awesome. Built in a large garage area at my dad's business. The wife even helped me build it, a engine service area on a 30" x 60" x 24" L framework, with 2"x4" x42" legs. When I tried to move it into the house I could not believe it would not fit through the doorways. What a mess that day, and the wife was truly impressed with my skills...

We all learn sometime. I love the idea and thoughts you are working with. Go forward...

Tom

N Scale fit on hollow core door

I would think this would fit nicely on a 24" wide hollow core door with room for some staging if done in N-scale.

A version using No. 6 Atlas turnouts and 25 deg crossings works out nicely in HO scale with minor tweaking.

Alan

the 2001 pictures...

Those pictures were found at the end of my camera...here are the others that I took that day.

You need to pay attention to the year.

PHL has an owner that is a rail fan and likes classic railroad livery's.  At one time he had Sd23's (I think) in Santa Fe zebra stripes, an ex S.P. low nose Gp 9 in black widow, an ex S.P. tunnel motor in bloody nose.  The number 43 which I'm not sure what the source of the color scheme was and the fleet of Sw7 switchers in light blue left over from the previous owner when the railroad was the Harbor Belt Line.  They also had one or two gen sets.   When they received a combination grant from the federal Gov't and the state of California to up grade the fleet with low emission diesels and some hybrid units, they went to the zebra stripe scheme on all units and either sold off or traded in all of the old models for the new stuff. 

Before I retired in 2006, I used to make service calls to the Catalina Freight Company (2004?) that shipped loaded trailers of supplies to Catalina Island via tug and barges, bringing back empties on the return trip.  Their trailer yard was right across the street from PHL's engine terminal and Catalina's dock was next door to the APL shipping terminal if I remember correctly.

The U.P. has the ICTF yard next to the old S.P. Delores Yard in Wilmington.  Both of those yards were built by the S.P. and acquired by the U.P. in the merger.  Containers for ICTF are trucked from nearby shipping terminals to be loaded on the U.P.  Inbound containers for the harbor are trucked from ICTF to the various container terminals in L.A./Long Beach harbors.

BNSF has a small yard on Anaheim St. in Long Beach, but they actually run trains on to a number of shipping terminals where containers are loaded directly to trains from ships or directly to ships from the trains.

The interesting thing is that a BNSF line runs directly through the PHL in the L.A. harbor area going from various terminals to and from the Alameda corridor.  Some of the turns in the harbor are so tight that the BNSF trains run at very low speeds (10mph?) while winding through the area.  Some day if you have more room it might be interesting to build the BNSF line as a loop going to and from hidden trackage with with only the harbor area modeled and the rest being hidden tracks.  Combine this with an automatic stop, pause, and start section of hidden track to keep the BNSF from overwhelming the operations could provide some operational interest to your PHL railroad.

This is Awesome!

Thank you all for the pictures and info - This sort of stuff is invaluable for a successful layout and not very easy to find otherwise. I wasn't expecting the help, but man am I excited to have such an awesome audience! Photos, stories, and other tidbits of information are all really helpful and make for an educational modeling experience. 

A port requires containers

While my first attempt was stuck in the benchwork stage, I kept myself entertained by making some intermodal containers. I experimented with printing out models on cardstock and folding them up, and while they would certainly make for fantastic background models, they were missing the detail and depth of a molded container. Now I know there are issues about pulling a mold off a product that is being sold by another company - However, I don't ever intend to sell these containers of put them into production - they are for my personal use so I'm alright pulling copies, painting and decalling.

I took an existing 40 foot container and made a two part mold out of Smooth-On OOMOO 30. Prior to casting the containers, I'd spray paint the insides of the molds with grey or red oxide primer and wait for it to dry, removing the need for a demolding agent. Then I'd pour a measured amount of Alumilite Amazing Casting Resin into the mold and squeeze out the excess. With a mix time of a minute and a pot time of around 3 minutes, this stuff was ready to demold in about 15 minutes. I also made cast container bottoms.

Before gluing the bottoms to the containers, I added a strip of 1.5" x 3/8" x 1/16" thick pieces of mild steel to the roof of each container. This allowed me to make a magnetic, servo actuated top spreader to pick up and move containers. With the steel firmly glued to the inside of the container, I CA'd the bottoms into the molded grooves. Then I removed the flashing and added another layer of paint over the primer.

The cast containers kept their details very well - I just needed to be careful when highlighting them. I'll be weathering and decalling a few to use in the foreground of my scenes. At the moment, I have 120 painted containers and can make many more whenever I fancy. 

pacific harbour

good to see someone doing modern stuff and in particular intermodel.  living in aussie land it is hard to get info,will be following you all  the way  good luck

We Are!

I am also PSU alum and live in Altoona  Good club there with a sizable n scale layout  Check Altooa Association of Model Railroaders on Facobook to contact us  

pacific harbour

have started on my intermodal exchange, used a lot of card containers 20ft.40ft.&48ft, but took a while to find the right scale, bought some from u.k. but were out of scale, found a dealer in australia with perfect size, busy making them up, will need a few hundred i think and some blocks of 4.     next big thing to do is to build a rail to ship transfer crane (container crane), if anybody has any ideas or scale drawings i would be very happy

gorkymoore

Zebra Stripes

Very interesting project!
I like the Zebra stripes engines very much. I have some running on my ca 1960 Santa Fe layout. 
So I take a second look into the PHL stuff.
It is sure one way to run some containertrains without buying new locomotives.

Thank you for sharing and good luck with your project!