GTE 2013 - Day 1

So I guess that having a portable layout has its pros and cons.  A pro is that I can arrive at the train show the morning of, roll in the Marias Pass, plug it in, set up a train, and be running in a very short time.  A con is that by the time I arrive, everyone else has set up the night before, and even though I have a reserved space on the floor, I wind up getting squeezed out, and finally set up next to the electrical closet, in the corner of the arena.  I guess it wasn't all bad in that I was next to a few other layouts, had a fairly quite corner, isolated from the crowd, but still accessible to spectators.  I had a nice day and talked to some really nice train enthusiasts.

This will likely be the last show that I personally display the Marias Pass, so I am glad I made the effort to haul it over.  The weather was cold but dry, and the Mid America Center is still a great venue for a train show.

Great Train Expo 2013 - Council Bluffs, IA

It's been over a month since I have posted here, but it hasn't been due to a lack of any railroading.  I have some projects underway that I will share when the time is right.  On a separate note, it's that time of year again, when the GTE comes to Omaha/Council Bluffs, and typically in the past I have taken a layout if I was finished with the project.  This year I am actually going to be able to take the Marias Pass to its 2nd train show.  I offered the layout for sale several months ago, and while it has been spoken for, I have the benefit of holding it while arrangements are made to move it to it's new home in the future.

The GTE is this coming weekend at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, so early Saturday morning I'll be driving the Marias Pass across the river to set it up.  Last year I transported it in the minivan, and while it may seem impossible when looking at the layout and then looking inside the van, I will just say that I have seen 15 clowns get out of a small car before.  Same concept.

This year I plan to use a new aluminum stock trailer from the family farm, which will protect it well during the 20 mile trip.  Although it fit in the van fairly well, it stuck out the back about two feet.  I had a protective cardboard box that I built to protect it from wind and road grime.

Anyway, I thought I would share some photos from last year, as I prepare the layout for this year's show.  Not much has changed other than it is a year older, and I have some different rollingstock to operate this time around.

Please stop by and say hi if you attend the show.  This will be the first year that the layouts and vendors will be set up in the arena rather than the two exhibition halls.

Track Plan Progress for the UP Council Bluffs Sub

I continue to make progress on my UP Council Bluffs Sub track plan.  Much of what you see below is my initial ideas that have been somewhat refined from the original pencil and paper scribbles.  I think I have a good mix of industries that will allow for a good mix of rollingstock.  The I-80 bridge that you see on both sections is intended to help hide the seam between benchwork sections, and create a natural divide to give the layout the illusion of greater space and size.  I decided to set it at an angle to break up the straight lines of the 16' table length.  I have drawn in a second highway overpass on the far right of the track plan which represents HWY 92.  I don't know if I will keep this.  My reasoning for this bridge is to help "hide" the end of the layout, but allowing for future layout expansion if desired.

The yard area is still developing, but I intend to add a handful of tracks in a ladder configuration, plus a fueling track and maintenance shed if I have room.  Although the yard design is being inspired by the IAIS yard, it will likely be a Union Pacific yard, with the IAIS having intermodal business only.  This will still allow me to have some IAIS diesel power in the yard if I desire.

The left 8' section is also continuing to develop.  I still have some space towards the front of the table that is unaccounted for.  Some current ideas include a scrap yard, tank farm w/ loading platform, or perhaps swapping the concrete plant with a warehouse for the collection of boxcars that I currently have, which would put the concrete plant on the left front.  The lumber yard space has been reserved but lacks any building detail at this time.

The plan is subject to change, but I am liking what I have so far.  The various sidings seem to flow well, and allow for adequate space for a pair of locomotives and at least a couple of cars.  I placed a run-around track in the middle of the plan for optimal operability.  As part of a larger operation or a continuous loop, the mainline would handle run-through traffic.

Please let me know what you think.

UP Council Bluffs Sub - Track Plan draft v.1

Apparently the end of the world came and went, so I decided to post an initial draft of my new track plan.  There are several details missing still, but the general layout of some track is present, and a few of the major industries.  I am behind the times when it comes to using technology for designing track plans.  To date, everything that I have created has been with pencil and paper.  This time around, instead of trying to learn a new software, I decided to try MS Excel.  Not only was it quick to create a first version, it is cleaner than using pencil and paper.  The curved lines are a bit tricky, but everything else is fairly straight forward.  It's not going to render a 3D view or anything fancy like that, but for my use, it works just fine.

Here is my first version (with some things still missing) of the two 8' sections.  Please let me know what you think.