Jaxcilliest Enterprises - "layout" dimensions

 Jaxcilliest Enterprises - "layout" dimensions 

Hi all, 

time to get started 

Model information (as borrowed from the the Layout Database topic at  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/smallminiature-layout-track-plan-database16-sq-ft-or-less-12207144 at the foot of the page.

• Prototype modeled (if any) - Nil - Totally freelance with "maximum squeeze" factor applied
• Scale - 1:48 On30
• Minimum radius - Not applicable layout consists of 3 pieces of straight track, upper deck, lower deck and hoist deck.
• Room size - Not applicable -the whole Jaxcilliest Enterpise "layout" has a footprint of 12" by 4" .
• Turnout sizes - Not applicable - No turnouts used in whole layout

Additional information

• Construction materials - Foamcore around a Lifelike HO #8200 "Coal Tipple" operating accessory.
• Control - either 4.5V battery (3 by AA cells) in a battery box or a 12V DC controller..  
• Hoist construction - scratchbuilt brass hoist cage braced with square hollow sections sliding in brass channel section
• Hoist Power - 3V Tamiya motor/gearbox unit driving a sprocket hauling Tamiya ladder chain.
• Total Rolling stock - 2 Bachman On30 Davenport locomotives, 1 Bachmann On30 V-tip wagon.

As originally planned, the top deck is managed by a Bachmann Porter 0-4-0 saddletank steam locomotive.The lower deck  is managed by a Bachmann Davenport Gas-Mechanical locomotive, because it could just fit under the Lifelike tipple without hitting the bottom of the bin, straight from the box. The whistle on the Porter steam loco fouled the bin on the lower level, and  thus relegated the Porter to the upper deck, where there were no height restrictions.  

When the title photo was taken the Porter was required for "other duties", so the motive power became two Gas-Mechs.

More stuff coming... 

Video?

Video?

I would LOVE to see video of it in operation! I'm trying to picture it in my head, but I just KNOW I'm doing it wrong!

In the beginning

 In the beginning

Hi all, 

time to get started on the design concepts behind "Jaxcilliest Enterprises" 

The initial design concept:

Some years ago there was a series of plans put together in the  Quarrying and Mining and mining section  of the  Micro Layout Design Gallery on the late Carl Arendt's  Small/Micro Layouts for Model Railroads website. The original concept by French modeller Bernard Junk was to haul stone from a quarry and tip it into a road vehicle at a lower level. UK modeller and MRH member "Shortliner" Jack Trollope modified the concept to tip from a loaded wagon at a higher level into another wagon at a lower level, and then to swap wagons. This took the now loaded wagon from the lower level to the tipping position on the higher level and moved the then empty wagon from the higher tipping position to the lower loading position. The loaded wagon can now be tipped and the process starts all over again. 

Modifying the Design concept:

Shortliner's design was called "Jaxcilli Industries" . As Jack said in his description of his proposed  HO 3' by 2' layout, the name says its all. Now suppose we get even "Cilli"-er  and apply even more "Squeeze"? 

The shortest way to make a height difference is with a vertical hoist. It cuts out the length of the uphill and downhill run between the tipping and loading points. But that means you need a way of getting your wagon to the hoist at each level...

Solution - go from the original 2 wagons with 1 locomotive operation to 1 wagon with 2 locomotives operation, each locomotive is captive to its own level. 

Question - What scale do I build this in?

Answer - I do have some On30 stuff that I use on another layout - The 0-4-0 Porter steam loco, Davenport Gas-mechanical  locomotive and V-tip wagon are already "available". All are shorter than a lot of HO locomotives and wagons. If we're really going to apply the maximum squeeze factor, then shorter is better, Even if we go up in scale from the original 1/87 to a larger 1/43.  

Question - But how long a track do I need?

Answer: At least long enough for the wagon to be clear of the hoist cage when spotted at the tipping point or loading point, plus the length of the locomotive that is moving the wagon. Here part of the length is being provided by the Lifelike coal tipple bin,

Problem - But the bin is bigger than than the wagon???

Solution - Blank off part of the bin so that only the wagon length "plus a bit" to make sure that all tipped stuff makes it into the bin.    

Problem - But the opening at the bottom of the bin is longer than the ON30 V-tip wagon selected because it was the shortest operating dump wagon I could find. 

Solution - Blank off part of the opening so that all the load will land within about 3/4 of the hopper length. This helps to minimize spillage. The load will fan out slightly when it leaves the bin door, so making the loading aperture as big as the hopper will almost certainly guarantee some spillage occurs. Reducing the size of the loading aperture goes a long way to minimizing spillage, but the loading aperture must also be large enough to ensure that nothing hangs up and blocks the bin.

Question - How big a hoist do I need?

Answer - Large enough horizontally that The V-tip fits wholly within the hoist cage. Vertically, the hoist cage must be high enough to clear the top of the V-tip and probably also high enough to clear any locomotive that is shunting the V-tip wagon into or from the hoist. Overall the hoist has to be high enough so that when the cage is at the upper level there is still some headroom to allow for over-runs caused by operator incompetence when driving the hoist.  

Just because a layout is small in size, doesn't mean that the design doesn't have to be thought through. There is arguably more design thought required when every fraction of an inch/mm counts,  

The fog of design options is starting to clear. and something like this might just do the job.  

Applying some rough dimensions gives:

 Question - Why the "bump" walls 

Answer - Well, we wouldn't want anything falling off the layout? Would we?? The extra 5mm of foamcore at each end adds little to the overall dimensions of the layout but adds much in terms of operational security in preventing high dives from the upper deck.

Every layout, even a small one deserves a back story, That'll be along next,

Re: Video

 Re: Video

Hi all,

previously Warflight wrote: 

I'm sorry but as far as I know, no video exists of Jaxcilliest Enterprises in action. I certainly haven't shot any of  Jaxcilliest Enterprises in action,

Quite a few people saw it on display in the US at the 2013 Pasadena Narrow Gauge Convention. I don't know if anyone there took photos or shot video. It was part of the "Non-Voting", for display section in the Contest Room. Jaxcilliest was fully operational, rigged with a battery control box (more on that later) .

It was considerably eclipsed by the quality of the other models on display in that room. But it was never intended to compete. It was there "just for fun". 

It even came with instructions on how to drive it

I do know that a few people had a play with it because the shriek from the 3V hoist motor when it got hit with 4.5V was pretty unmistakable from across the room - Yep, got another one   

I suppose, given some encouragement, I could re-awaken Jaxcilliest from the box where it slumbers for a combined photo and video shoot?

I should hope so!

I should hope so!

I think maybe you should, yeah?

Think of how awesome that would be! I'll bet a Youtube video would even go viral!

The back story

 The back story

Hi all again,

Even a small layout needs a back story.

The story behind Jaxcilliest Enterprises goes something like this... 

Previously in "The Initial Design Concept" above I wrote:

and also in  "Modifying the Design", above I had wrote:

So.. what's more sillier than "cilli"?? How about "cilliest", because with maximum squeeze factor applied it probably can't get much sillier than this design. Jack had already used "Industries" as a title in his a layout plan, so I needed something a little different. How about "Enterprises"?? It almost sounds like some real work is being done there.  Ok, that's got the name sorted. 

Previously on some forums Shortliner Jack had signed off with "away up in the Highlands" - So that suggested a Scottish twist or theme for Jaxcilliest. As someone who is  in a location that is reasonably distant from the Highlands, the thinking cap was applied and 3 things Scottish emerged from the distant Highland mists: 

1. Whisky - but whisky barrels or bottles don't survive being dropped into a bin real well. Scratch that idea
2. Shortbread biscuits ("cookies" to North American sassenachs) - again dropping biscuits into a bin is a "crummy" recipe - Scratch that idea
3. Haggis - not not that haggis on a plate, but the "wild ones", that legend has it escaped to the Highlands. Hmm,  we might be on a winner here. But how do you model a haggis??

 Down Here in oz we have confectionery ( a lolly/candy ) called Tic Tacs. These are usually white, pillow shaped and have a hard outer layer that is abrasion resistant. This outer layer does not pick up water vapour easily so the individual pillows do not get soft or sticky easily. They are also cheap which means that they are expendable when operations are done for the day. Sounds just about ideal for a stand-in in for the rare white haggis?? 

From somewhere I got a bagpiper that was close to 1/48 scale - so the haggis can be serenaded while they are being processed through Jaxcilliest Enterprises. Everyone knows that a haggis is reasonably squishy, So the story goes is that the piper is required to serenade the haggii (multiples of haggis??) while they are being processed to prevent the white haggis from exploding when tipped into and loaded out of the bin "processor".  

Now does that sound a silly enough back story to rate a "cilliest"?? 

The biggest squeeze

 The biggest squeeze

Hi all again.

The maximum compression concept

When building small or micro-layouts with limited real-estate in space challenged environments one of the concepts that is most difficult for larger layout builders to get their heads around is the degree of compression that has to be used to fit a function model railroad into the given space. You do not have the luxury of going to larger radius curves to dodge problems because the space to do those type of things simply does not exist. You either apply the maximum amount of compression you can live with or you have no model railway at all. It is simple as that. 

Jaxcilliest Enterprrises applies the maximum compression concept to probably the nth degree in that:

• the number of wagons in the train is reduced to the absolute minimum (one)
• the choice of wagon has minimized both the size of the wagon and the space required for it, thus minimizing the total volume required for the layout
• the "mine" and "processing industry" are combined into the one structure
• the horizontal run between the mine and the processing industry has been shrunk to the maximum amount possible
• the vertical distances have also been minimized to the maximum amount possible. 
• the ability to replicate the visual difference between loaded and unloaded wagons has been met by this design

Jaxcilliest Enterprises was built as more of an intellectual exercise to see just how much compression could be applied and still have an operational "load and dump" type model railway that actually loaded and unloaded stuff on rails. I had no idea when I started just how small I could build this layout. But while I was at at it I decided to have some fum too - Please see the previous post about the Jaxcilliest back story.. 

Model Railways that actually do "stuff"

 Model Railways that actually do "stuff"

Hi all,

So far  I have seen very few instances here where the model railroads actually "do stuff" with with their model railroads apart from shuffle railroad cars from Point A to Point B, using whatever method of how you do the shuffle, and however far those two points may be apart. In most cases there is no visual difference between how those railroad cars look at Point A or at Point B. 

There are very very few instances on here where "stuff" actually gets loaded onto or unloaded from those trains of whatever length.

The glaring difference with open hopper wagons.

When distilled to its ultimate essence, Jaxcilliest Enterprises models a mine to manufacturing plant yo-yo run in model form.

In the real railway world something (coal, gravel, stone, limestone, etc) is dug from the ground, and loaded into multiple wagons either from the ground using front-end loaders or from an elevated bins. The load is then moved to a destination (powerplant, industry, processor or similar) where the the load is dumped from the wagons and then fed to the industry for further processing. Usually the wagons used in this type of work are open top hoppers like those shown below:

One of the glaring differences when using this type of loading is that there is a significant visual difference between loaded and unloaded wagons.  

Thomas Gasior's  Splitrock Mining is one of the examples that is a of a larger sized layout using drop-in loads in open top hoppers to manage the visual difference between loaded and unloaded trains. Another such layout is  Consolidated Nickel by "Mad Doc" Mauro and "Nickel Queen" Bice using conveyor loading of "live loads" of individual rocks and an operational rotary dumper. No doubt that there are some others on MRH that I've missed, but these were the first two I could quickly find that handle loading and unloading of open top hopper wagons. Believe it or not, even with its small size, Jaxcilliest Enterprises is another one of those even fewer examples like Consolidate Nickel that actually "do stuff" on rails with real "live loads". 

Working with live loads adds an additional level of operational complexity to any layout regardless of its size. Factors such as methods of loading and unloading, and spillage minimization/reclamation are just some of the additional factors not faced by most model railroads that do not work with live loads.   

Why the bin??

 Why the bin??

Hi all again,

So why the bin?? 

Simply because this layout concept can't work without it. In the original concept the load was swapped between 2 wagons. With the Jaxcilliest Enterprise design, there is only 1 wagon. So when the load in the wagon is tipped on the upper level I need "something" to hold that load while the wagon is moved to the lower level to catch the load when it is dumped from the bin. 

So why use the LifeLike bin? First it was already designed as a bin with an operating bottom door. It was fit for the job and I didn't have to build my own bin. Second ,I found a new one cheap. The total cost of this accessory bin was under $A20.  Third- It simplified the build process. The Jaxcilliest build using this bin probably took less than 4 hours because of using this bin as the framework to build the foamcore layout structure around. 

In industry usually it takes time to process "stuff" from raw materials to a product. The time taken from the inputs going in to a process until the product comes out the other end is known as the "residence time". With Jaxcilliest Enterprises, the residence time is set by how quickly I can get the one wagon from the upper to the lower level and spot the wagon under the bin. So the bin actually does double duty as an industrial processor. 

Oh but that Lifelike bin is just an "accessory" to the real model railroad "stuff" and just toy stuff for kids.

Oh no It's not... 

Nahh...

 Nahh... (Re: Video continued)

Hi all,

Previously Warflight wrote:

If you believe that then I may have a bridge or two in different places around the world that I'd like to sell you. 

I think that you would lose that bet by a long way.

From what I've seen so far on here on previous posts about less-than-room-filling model railroad empires, I think that maybe Napoleon had it right. "God is on the side of the big battalion". 

Previous posts championing smaller and micro-sized layouts on here have been met by choruses of "You need SPACE to run your trains in order to have a layout worthy of the word "layout". I can point you to several places on here where some of the larger-sized model railroad owners/builders immediately feel they are under threat anytime less-than room-filling sized layouts are seriously mentioned on here.  

I may sound slightly cynical, but I doubt that Youtube/Facebook or most other places on the web  will be "wowed" by a small micro-layout like Jaxciliiest Enterprises regardless of however much operator skill / innovation / animation / other fancy stuff that it may contain.

Thanks for the encouragement but I really can't see me getting rich on the Youtube proceeds from a video of Jaxcilliest Enterprises in action any time soon. 

There's still more of the Jaxcilliest Enterprises build saga to come...Strange that, for such a small layout??

That's probably enough boat-rocking for now. Maybe I'd better go hunker down in my model armoured train for a while?? 

Maybe...

Maybe

Though, lately, something that has been popular on Youtube is "satisfying videos"... in those sorts of videos, a helix with a bunch of cars moving will get far more views than a large, beautifully modeled empire style layout. Simple tends to get to that part of the brain that just wants to watch something different.

I know I'd watch it.

What's wrong with small/micro layouts?

What's wrong with small/micro layouts?

To John Garaty: I am an American who is a native urbanite(Los Angeles area). I agree with you about many people feel "threatened" when people are not building a large basement or attic sized layout. Have these people ever thought that there are some people that have interest in the model railroading hobby but they don't have a spare bedroom(let alone a basement or attic) to build a layout? Wendell

I haven't found that yet.

I haven't found that yet

I keep hearing about these people who feel threatened if someone isn't going prototype, or not building an empire, or whatever else, but so far, I haven't seen that. I mean, sure, I remember back in the 80s, a hobby shop that would criticize every purchase I made, but since getting back into the hobby ten months ago, I have only seen support. Online, at the hobby shop, and even at the Balboa Museum.

My layout is small... it takes up a corner of my room, built into the top of my desk/bookshelf, with a couple of wall modules for extensions... at scale speeds of about five MPH a train can get from one end of the layout to the other in about 30 seconds. The attitude I hear is "cool ballasting", and "nice engines" and "as long as you are having fun" and my favorite "Oh, how did you do that part?".

So far, nobody has slammed my layout... only complimented it... I'm my own worst critic with it.

I will say that getting questions answered is a bit difficult, so I try to figure things out on my own a lot. 

How is it difficult? Well, if you look in this forum, you will see someone ask about cleaning turn outs, and there are a bunch of criticisms for what sort of turnouts he has, before anyone actually answers the question... another guy is asking about paint matching, and there a few "replace it" answers, and another person asking about a decoder install... he has the decoder he wants, and the engine he wants, and for the first several messages, it's suggestions to get a different engine, or a different decoder (like he's made of money of something) and nothing that is ACTUALLY helpful... but... the helpful does eventually come in the end. But that's the hazards of the internet and asking questions, is you do have to wade through a lot of chaff sometimes. Our hobby is no exception.

For the most part, I see positives in this hobby, and I see more support for ANY layout at all, regardless of size, than I have any criticism of a small layout. Hell... what is TOMA, if not a series of small complete layouts, that you just stick together when you want to grow?

Populating Jaxcilliest Enterprises 1

 Populating Jaxcilliest Enterprises 1

Hi all,

Jaxcilliest Enterprises was designed to be a "modern image" industrial layout. So I needed some "modern looking" industrial personnel. Time to do a cross-hobby arabesque.

Quite often we only look on the model railways shelf - and miss a whole flock of other goodies that might be useful. 

In 1/48 scale that I used for Jaxcilliest Enterprises, there are other military kit manufacturers that also use the same scale. One of these is Hasegawa. They do 3 different sets of ground crew figures to support their 1/48 scale aircraft. Some of the figures have poseable limbs, and, because they are plastic, the figures can be easily modified to get a tailored figure. The three kits are:

US Ground Crew Set A

US Pilot-Ground Crew Set B

US Navy Pilot-Deck Crew Set A 

I chose the US Ground Crew SET B as the best fit for what I had planned. Crew positions for who does what where can follow next time. 

Later Edit - Dead Hasegawa-USA links replaced with functioning Hasegawa-jp links as at 25th June 2019.

Populating Jaxcilliest Enterprises 2

 Populating Jaxcilliest Enterprises 2

Hi all again,

having selected the figures, now its time for who does what where - 

On the the upper level, we have: 

1. The Bagpiper
2. A seriously laid-back steam locomotive driver in the Porter's cab
3. The shunter - No, he's not surrendering, He's flagging "STOP!!  You idiot!!" to the loco driver
4. And in the background - The Shift Boss. 

On the lower level, we have:

with a crew of 2:

1. A driver shoehorned into the Davenport cab
2. The bin-door operator/shunter at the panel (and almost totally out of shot to the right - I did manage to get the guy's arms and the bin-door control panel)

In the continuing saga of "cheap", the control panel is nothing more than a scrap off-cut of foamcore, with some strategically placed pins and beads as control levers and knobs, spaced to match the operator's pose.  

And I still have plenty of Hasegawans left for other 1/48 scale projects some time in the future. They don't take up much room and a are cheap to feed.  

Laid back...

Laid back...

I've seen conductors that looked like that on passing trains....

Pipers are important!

Pipers are important!

Often overlooked in our prototypes, is that every railroad has a piper! They are quite important, and easily ignored, but what is a railroad without the sweet melodic sounds of bagpipes. Hasn't anyone ever wondered why so many engines were called "Scotsman"?

It's also why, in star Trek, the chief engineer was Scotty... it was a tribute to the engineers, and bagpipers of the railroads... after all, Star Trek was billed as "Wagon Train to the Stars", and "Train" is RIGHT THERE in the description!

True story.

No video any time soon

 No video any time soon

Hi all again,

It's been a while....

Recently I dug Jaxcilliest Enterprises from the dark recesses of storage where it had been slumbering -

and found some unexpected damage. 

• The bagpiper has escaped and has now been declared MIA
• The hoist tower has been "squoze" and is now no-longer structurally straight
• One of the aligning channels for the cage has separated from the hoist tower 
• The soldering on the cage floor that holds the cage runners has come unstuck on 2 of the 4 floor supports
• As a result of the combined damage to the cage and the hoist tower, the cage is jamming in the hoist tower
• The handrails on the upper deck have been damaged.

So...it is rapidly approaching decision time. The "available options" are:

1. Call it quits - Demolish it all and bin the bent structural bits. Rolling stock is multi-use and has other operational homes  
2. Fix it using the existing hoist tower and other structural components.
3. Rebuild a new and better Jaxcilliest using the existing bin and a new foamcore or other structural bits for another hoist tower.  

Given the copious interest and numerous replies so far in the Jaxcilliest Enterprises topic.. Any opinions?? 

As he originator of the

As the originator..

As the originator of the various Jaxcilli Industry projects I have to say that the ONLY thing to do with it is to rebuild it - I'm sure that the Government will decide it is covered by a Preservation Order or declare it a National Treasure Conservation Project

Here here! (+1 for the Rebuild)

Here Here! (+1 for the Rebuild)

Dear OzTrainz, Shortliner,

Here Here!

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Well...

 Well...

G'day all,

Well.. That's 2 votes from voters whom I respect - So, in the absence of dissenting views, I guess the "rebuild option" wins by the length of the home straight and with a few furlongs to spare.

Please don't hold your breath waiting on the rebuild. You might be a delicate shade of blue before it's done.

This "cilli" service interruption has been rectified. Regular service has now been restored and we now return you to your usual programming....

*ahem*

*ahem*

I will ALWAYS recommend a rebuild, where bagpipes and pipers are concerned.

Re *ahem*

 Re *ahem*

Hi all again..

Make that 3 - and the "rebuild" option has increased its lead astronomically 

Thanks for the encouragement,

Did I mention the Clan connection??

 Did I mention the Clan connection??

Hi all,

To further compound the 'cilliness. All employees of Jaxcilliest Enterprises are members of the Clan McHivis

This small Clan, is the only clan authorized to wear the easily seen high-visibility orange tartan  

And before anyone asks "Where's the tartan stipes??" I refuse to paint them in 1/48 scale - I ain't THAT 'cilli