Lengthening the Lead

The rather short length of my lead track had been really bugging me lately.  I use this lead to move cars from the mainline to the yard, as well as to and from the cement factory. This track was only long enough to accommodate approximately 4 cars plus a locomotive which meant that a lot of running back and forth was needed to complete even the simplest maneuvers. (see track plan for clarification) All of this back and forth artificially lengthened the operating sessions but not in a good way.

For example. I was unable to replace a string of 5 or 6 loaded cement hoppers at the factory with empties in an efficient manner.  This move would require that I run the locomotive out of the yard to pull the loaded hoppers out of the factory first, spot them on the main, then run back to the yard, grab the empties, pull them out of the yard, then back them into the factory, then return to the main, collect the loaded cars, and back them into the yard again. (if there were 6 loaded cars, I would have to grab them out of the factory or off of the main in two strings because an engine and 6 cars was too long for the lead)

As you can see, it became rather tedious rather quickly.

So, I cut a hole in my backdrop and extended the lead track about 7 feet into the adjacent closet.  This now allows me work the yard and cement factory in a much more relaxed and prototypical manner. I can maneuver a string of 12 hoppers with ease and no longer am I constantly checking clearances and hoping that I can squeeze just one more car onto the lead so I don't have to waste more time running back and forth.  As an added benefit, I can now run full length trains completely through my scenes and really enjoy watching as trains pass me by.

As far as scenery goes around the hole, I've thought about adding a tunnel and re-working the land forms a bit.  This admittedly looks a bit awkward considering the sheer drop off to the left of the track and the tunnel's close proximity to the bridge, but I've got a few ideas that might make this work.  Stay tuned!

Need Some Help Fixing Rolled Rail

I've got a short, 2 inch section of rail on one of my Walthers/Shinohara turnouts where the rail has rolled towards the inside a bit which causes regular derails. (see picture)  I'm not sure what has caused it. Maybe temp change?

Anyway, its location has me nervous about how to go about fixing it.  Any advice would be helpful!

UPDATE!  I've been playing with that turnout for a while now and it is just not fixable I think.  Looks like I am going to have to replace it.  Ugh.

The Allagash Railway

I haven't done much of anything with my railroad the last few months.  I'll go down into the basement, flip on the light, stare at it for a bit, and then flip the light off again and go back upstairs.  That is pretty much it.

However, Mike Confalone's long awaited articles about his amazing Allagash Railway are starting to find their way into the pages of Model Railroad Hobbyist and I am suddenly inspired to get my hands dirty again!

Head over to Model Railroad Hobbyist and check out his truly inspirational work.  You'll find part 1 in the January issue.

Come Ride the Lions Club Excursion Train!

Here is another video for the Lions Club Excursion Train which shows a view of the Box Canyon Bridge that I had not seen before.  It looks like creating my scratchbuilt version of the bridge will be more tricky than I had originally envisioned...

Gone Muddin'

I didn't get quite as far on scenery as I wanted this weekend, but I was able to get all of the cracks and rough areas along the seams of the stacked foam layers filled in and smoothed out using Mike Confalone's "Universal Mud" technique as described in his scenery videos. Out of respect for Mike's work, I don't want to give away his technique here. Instead, I'll point you to where you can purchase his videos and learn how he does it yourself. He does discuss his techniques in great detail and I've found his videos to be worth their weight in gold.

I was also able to run through three full operating sessions on Sunday and I found a few more rough areas in the trackwork I needed to fix before I finish ballasting the layout. Good thing I discovered these rough spots now instead of later.

Layout Progress Video #4

I figure it's about time I created another layout progress video. We get to see a train work the yard tracks in this one!

A Plausible History

The Steamboat METALINE navigates the nearly impassable rapids at Box Canyon near Ione Washington. This photo was captured circa 1890s. Soon, the railroad would arrive, making such a dangerous journey unnecessary.

Although I am creating a freelanced railroad and I am thoroughly enjoying the freedom and the lack of constraints that freelancing offers, I wanted to evoke that sense of historic authenticity usually reserved for prototype modelers.

I hopped on to Google to research the location I chose for my modeling and from that research I developed a timeline of events important to the development of the MFTR as it "exists" today. Many of these events are historically accurate. (Such as the the construction of the original rail line in 1909.) Other events are completely fictional and serve as justification for the choices I've made in my modeling. (Such as the cement operations moving from it's original location to the town of Ione) Still others are minor tweaks of real events. (Such as the change in management and direction at the Ponderay Paper Recycling Co.)

With that in mind, here is a brief "history" of railroading in the Pend Oreille Valley: (Updated for the new layout)

• 1892 - The Great Northern Railroad (GN) reached Newport Washington enabling shipment of timber towed upstream from mills located along the Pend Oreille River Valley as far north as Metaline Falls.
• 1909 - The Lehigh Portland Cement Co. (Originally Inland Portland Cement Co.) is established in Metaline Falls.
• 1909-1911 - The original line from Newport to the town of Metaline Falls was built by Fredrick Blackwell and given the name Idaho and Washington Northern (I&WN). 
• 1925 - A slump in the lumber market led to the sale of the I&WN to the Milwaukee Road.
• 1956 - Construction completed on the Box Canyon Dam.
• 1967 - The Boundry Hydroelectric Dam is built in the northern most area of the Pend Oreille Valley. The dam supplies up to one-third of Seattle City Lights power, It's presence has changed the landscape, permanently submerging the famous Metaline Falls river rapids.
• 1970 - The Great Northern together with the Northern Pacific, (NP) Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, (CBQ) and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) merge to form the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). This new railroad continued supplying rail traffic to the Pend Oreille Valley.
• *1983 - the Vaagen Brothers Lumber company acquired the valley's largest mill located in the town of Usk.
• 1985 - Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road and takes over operations in the valley.
• *1988 - The Ponderay Newsprint Co. is founded in Usk bringing with it new economic opportunities.
• 1990 - Canadian Pacific gained full control of the Soo Line. 
• *1994 - Continuing to find success in the Pend Oreille Valley, The Lehigh Portland Cement Co. moved operations from it's aging plant in the town of Metaline Falls to a new plant located in nearby Ione. This move saved the railroad 20 miles of travel round trip. The old plant continued to receive occasional loads of cement to store in it's large capacity silos for many years after.
• *1996 - The Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF). This new railway continues to supply traffic to the valley.
• 1998 - For economic reasons, The BNSF proposes abandonment of the line from Sandpoint to Metaline Falls. Rather than see the line abandoned, the citizens of Pend Oreille County joined together and voted to create the Port of Pend Oreille to operate the Metaline Falls Railroad (MFR). The name honors both the lovely town at the end of the line and it's historic falls. Both of which have contributed greatly to the valley's history..
• *2009 - In an effort to save on the costs of upkeep, the MFR filed for abandonment of the rail line and its several tunnels and wooden trestles north of the Box Canyon Bridge leading to Metaline Falls.

(*These dates represent a fictionalized version of historical events.)

Developing this timeline has been a lot of fun. Not only did I enjoy creating a plausible history for my freelanced railroad, but I also found myself absolutely fascinated by the real history of the Pend Oreille Valley which only increases my desires to do it justice with my fictional representation.