What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

[G3750]

Okay. Reading along over on that "other" forum, I wasn't sure if you were still pursuing that objective.

Yes, I absolutely am. I would like to take that module to a show or meeting at some point in 2023. And that will require the assistance of someone with an SUV - it definitely won't fit in the car.

Sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the forums.

George

[G3750]

Updated 1/8/2023:

In honor of MTJ not being dead and my train room actually being clean , here are some photos.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0mJsHvHoAvyVe

George

[Jim K]

That is one nice bridge or maybe BRIDGE!

[G3750]

That is one nice bridge or maybe BRIDGE!

Thank you! It's the centerpiece of the layout.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=Crossroads+of+Commerce&atb=v295-1&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardcow.com%2Fimages%2Fset792%2Fcard00146_fr.jpg

George

[webenda]

Updated 1/8/2023:

In honor of MTJ not being dead and my train room actually being clean , here are some photos.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0mJsHvHoAvyVe

George

Thank you for the pictures, George. I see the smoke stacks waiting to be put in place.

I learned from reading your posts that the steel mill is going to have smoke and lights.
Maybe it will look like this?

[G3750]

Wayne,

That's the plan! I want it to look as realistic as I can make it - sounds, lights, smoke! Everything but the air pollution. If you look very carefully at the photo of the train room in my original post on this subject, you will see that I have installed a fan in the divider (the photos of the blast furnaces). There's a duct behind it that will divert smoke from the Open Hearth stacks out the basement window.

Yeah, I'm that crazy.

George

[G3750]

Updated 1/20/2023:

Over on OGR, a thread about Lionel (ex MTH) Decapods announced in the new catalog triggered a comparison between them and the 3rd Rail engines. That morphed into comments about minimum curve requirements of each. This past Sunday I held an open house (layout tour) for the Panhandle. With a number of people in the room, I thought about aisle space when the layout was completed. All of the above sparked an analysis of the track plan.

Here's what I've learned:

• 3rd Rail Decapods, both long tender and short tender versions, will run on O64 track. The short tender version will even run on O54.
• Changing the curves on the Weirton peninsula from O72 to O64 will buy me another 12" of aisle space at the front of the layout (where space is at a premium). The Weirton peninsula is not yet built (not even benchwork exists). The aisle paralleling the bridge is unaffected.
• Twelve (12) GarGraves O63 sections make up a full circle. Ross uses 16 O64 sections to make a circle, which gives me much more flexibility in accommodating yards and switches.
• Because the Weirton Junction Yard planned to use O64 Ross switches, minimal disruption will occur in that area (again, still unbuilt).
• A modification at this point will require replacement of one already installed O72 switch. This is not a big deal.
• 18" passenger cars should be minimally affected by the change.
• No other locomotives in my fleet are affected by the change.
• The full effect on yards and the buildings of North Weirton is still TBD.

I am re-working my track plan on RR-Track and still exploring potential impacts, but at this early stage things look promising. Going to O64 is a small compromise that might lead to an improved accommodation of people in the train room.

More when I have finished the analysis.

George

[healey36]

Reading this has me realizing how far you have yet to go. Press on, undaunted!

[G3750]

Reading this has me realizing how far you have yet to go. Press on, undaunted!

Thank you! I am not daunted. Progress has been steady, but slow (by my standards). We are taking steps to accelerate the building process once I get this Open Hearth monkey off my back.

George

[healey36]

A couple of Red Bulls and a steady stream of black coffee and you can work straight through the night...

[G3750]

A couple of Red Bulls and a steady stream of black coffee and you can work straight through the night...

Yeah, no problem.

Should be done - fully sceniced - in a week.

I'll get right on it.

George

[G3750]

Updated 1/22/2023:

After further review, the call on the ice still stands. I will be making changes to the layout. Here they are:

Switches 11, 12, 34, 43, 44 are eliminated
Switches 10, 35, 36 are replaced with RH O64s
Switch 9 - replaced with standard RH 11 degree
Switch 14 - replaced with LH O64

Weirton Junction Yard loses 2 freight car tracks but becomes slightly longer.

The aisle at the front (running along the bottom of drawing) picks up 1 extra foot in width along most of its length. This is the most significant gain and to my mind trumps all other advantages and disadvantages.

George

[healey36]

Aisle space equates to ease of movement around the layout. Even three or four feet can get pretty congested if you have a bunch of visitors milling around. I would think anything you can do to expand tight aisle space without seriously degrading/compressing the track plan is time well-spent.

My two cents...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Even three or four feet can get pretty congested if you have a bunch of visitors milling around.

Liberal application of a cattle prod addresses that rather well.

[G3750]

Aisle space equates to ease of movement around the layout. Even three or four feet can get pretty congested if you have a bunch of visitors milling around. I would think anything you can do to expand tight aisle space without seriously degrading/compressing the track plan is time well-spent.

My two cents...

Thanks Healey!

And Rufus, do you prefer an electric or gas-powered cattle prod? Which do you find most advantageous?

Asking for a friend...

George