My "Foul Weather Friends" (my operators who disappear during the summer months) have harassed me for an update so here are the photos.
The original layout:
Current rebuilding progress:
Proof
of concept has been accomplished as you can see by the benchwork along the window
and the right side. Construction from the framework up needs to be started in those two areas. Aisle space is adequate (actually more than expected)
Westville (left center) is in its new location and almost connected to the unaffected Philly/Camden left leg. The town of Westville had to be condensed by 18".
The
180 (270) degree end will be a scenicing challenge. Initially I am visualizing
a low/medium hill solidly covered primarily with puffball trees that obscure
the trains during most of the radius.
Woodbury
will lose 2 1/2' and needs condensing. More than 6' of the triple track will need to be relaid.
I
should end up with at least 9 tracks of long (30+ cars) staging on the right. (Yeah!) That should take
the burden off the Camden Pavonia Yard crew since all the turnarounds (except locals)
will shift to the 5 track south end staging yard (Millville/Deepwater/Salem). Camden will still deal with
the Philly transfers and the Millville, Deepwater, and Camden locals. We should
be able to add the prototypical Salem local operating from south end staging to Woodbury and back to staging.
The
bad news is that I am going to be significantly short of Midwest roadbed, Atlas
code 80 flex-track and Peco code 80 electrofrog turnouts. The new staging requires 13 turnouts alone (the southern end of staging is double ended for the
turnarounds).
As
usual this project has turned out to be much, much larger than expected both in
work and cost (I have already spent more than a hundred dollars for stick
lumber and 3/4" plywood).
