What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

[G3750]

Saw these pictures on OGR. What a fabulous workshop.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/sel ... 6933225072

Thank you!

George

[G3750]

Updated 9/25/2023:

• Ironed out a process for attaching large walls to the Open Hearth. This is on the pouring side's external wall. It's been a bit tedious, but I now have a way to do this that works and is fairly reproducible. That's important when you're talking about 12 panels.
• All those wall panels have been cut to size and painted w/ flat black - inside and out.
• Figured out my approach to making the roof for the main building removable. Most of the portion over the pouring extension will be fixed in place.
• I started painting the roof sections. Just the pouring side (including the extension) will take 15 of the Plastruct 91512 roof pieces. Six of those are painted; the rest are destined for the paint booth tomorrow.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/8/2023:

This update is a bit of mixed bag - some good and some so-so news.

• As reported in its own thread, the Open Hearth scored 112 out of 125 possible points. That's very good and I am happy at having earned a Merit Award for the building.
• I am less than satisfied with the main building roof. I built it in sections and they have shown a tendency to warp at the edges. I am thinking about how best to fix that and have come up with a plan to redo the roof, and perhaps the ventilator roof as well. As it stands, I think the exterior detracts from the model. I hope to be able to reuse the Plastruct 91512 roof panels. A total replacement would be a very expensive fix.
• The Strip Steel mill and the area around it have gotten another look and a more detailed plan. I have changed the size positions of some of the pipe bridges. A large pipe bridge will go between the Strip Steel and the Open Hearth and provide large pipes (blast furnace fuel gas) to the OH. It will be mated to the Strip Steel building, which will be removable (opening beneath it). Below is the new track plan. In it, I simplified the area between Switches 18 & 19, confirmed the size of the Strip Steel building (31.75" wide x 25" long with 5 bays instead of the 7); it's shape has been retained (the gable between bays 2 and 3).
• I started thinking about what materials would be needed for the Strip Steel. I already have enough of the Tichy 20-pane industrial windows, but sheet styrene and roofing materials will be needed.
  

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/14/2023:

I have plenty of things to report over the past few days. As noted above, options 1 & 2 were applied and seem to have made the roof of the Open Hearth look a little better. Given that I have plenty of work on my plate, that may satisfy me (for the moment). My friend Price arrived yesterday (we're headed to York next week) to assist in a major benchwork construction effort. In preparation for that:

• The final opening in the divider between Weirton Steel & Staging was cut. The Empties / Loads track is now (finally) connected to the southern entry to Staging. That involved the installation of 2 block breaks (insulating center rails), as well as track feeders 8.18 and 8.19 (both in power district . Switch No. 19 was also fastened down. Beyond the divider, the Staging operator will be able to swap loaded hoppers and ore jennies for empty ones. Upon exiting the backdrop (reversing direction), trains moving loaded torpedo ladles and slag cars will proceed towards the Open Hearth and Standard Slag, respectively.
• In preparation for the bench work construction, the Open Hearth was moved to a table farther away from the effort and covered with a drop cloth. The finished areas of the layout, i.e. the immediate bridge area and its approaches, were covered with drop cloths. Any trains not on the bridge were moved to the Staging Area for safe-keeping.
• Also moved lumber out from under the layout to make it more accessible. The 2x2's were also measured, marked, and sorted for ease of use.
• Earlier in the week, I created Visio plans of each of the tables (8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) showing the components. A corresponding list of components for each table was also made.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/25/2023:

We have lots to report:

• Tables 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 have been completed and installed on the layout (about 70% at this stage). The Weirton peninsula is now in place with some minor adjustments for Standard Slag to come. The access hatch has been cut with installation of the lift mechanism still to be completed. All the bench work is very sturdy and capable of supporting a 225 lbs.+ individual. It went up quickly and was very economical with respect to wood.
• The Open Hearth was moved to its permanent location on the layout. I still need to re-install the cranes, side walls, and roof sections.
• Over the past few months, I noticed that the train room was a bit dim. Others noticed as well (so it isn't my eyesight). As a result, I placed an order that will effectively double the number of track lights in the room. I also ordered spare LED 4100K bulbs (because we all know that LED bulbs never seem to make it to their quoted lifespan).

On the immediate To-Do list:

• Deep clean the train room. We created (and removed) a lot of sawdust, but there are a number of crevices and corners that need cleaning.
• Get all the tools back into their places in the workshop.
• Figure out what Sawmax and saber saw blades need to be replaced - we wore out a few.
• Remove all the plastic drop-clothes from the backdrop and bridge.
• Repair the bridge railings damaged by the drop-clothes falling (where the tape let go). Fortunately, there are only a few spots in need.
• Install a power strip under the Weirton Steel yard which will be controlled from the single layout ON/OFF switch. This will supply power to the Open Hearth.
• Store the York purchases (1 building, 2 building kits, 1 baggage car) in their respective bins under the layout.
• Inventory the remaining 2x2s (used for table frames and legs) and determine how many will be needed for the Steubenville bench work.

All the above must be done before we can start laying track on the new bench work.

George