Here is the track plan of the layout:

It provides for continuous running with a removable bridge across the room entryway.  Remove the bridge, and it becomes a point to point operation.  There will be a 3-track transfer table under the mining area in front of the closet, where trains can be staged and brought into operation.  (Transfer tables are commonly used for compact staging in Europe and the U.K.)

Trains will operate between the hidden staging track and the end of the line at Sonora Grande.  A branch line will serve the mine at Estrella, which has two hidden staging tracks located in the closet. 

Here are some rough renderings of terrain done with CAD software.  Here is an overall view of the layout:

The locomotive service facility is on a shelf to the left as you enter the room.

Around the curve is the town of Sonora Grande.  The foundations in the lower right are for miner's cabins, and across the tracks will be a bank, saloon, company store, assay office and a miner's supply.

This is the crossing of the Gila River.  The branch line at the left climbs to the mining center of Estrella on the right..

This Estrella, at the end of the branch line.  It will feature two hidden staging tracks, a mine, a blacksmith shop and other buildings supporting the copper mining venture here.  Six inches below this scene is the 3-track transfer table that provides staging for main line trains.  At the right, you can see the removable bridge section extending across the room entry.

Minimum mainline radius is 18", with a 4% grade on the branch line.  The layout can keep at least four trains busy: a passenger train, a local freight, a railcar or railbus, and an ore train.  This plan will be fun to build, to operate, or to just watch trains roll!

Here is the railroad room after I painted the walls and primed the backdrop with several coats of light blue latex paint.

Here the plywood and styrofoam base is in place.  It is very light, yet rigid.

Here is the Gila River crossing, with its double-span truss bridge.  I lowered the benchwork to increase the dramatic effect of trains crossing the river canyon.

Here is where the main line curves to the sliding selector table (to the right).  In the background, the branch line will reach Estrella, which will be built as a shelf over the selector table.This will be one of the scenic highlights of the layout when completed.

The selector table was incredibly easy to build...so far!  The challenge will be lining up the entry points with the main line track.  This will allow storage of two trains, with a third rolling off miles on the main line.

Here the table is extended its full length forward.  I used drawer glides mounted to the benchwork.  I only have two more feet of benchwork to complete - the removable bridge between the transfer table and the Sonora Grande section.

Track is being laid in the yard and locomotive service area, and I have begun building the structures to visualize their final locations.  The open space under the locomotive on the left will be an ash pit, where cinders and ashes from locomotives' fires are dumped.

The timber truss bridge over Burro Canyon (changed the name!) with stone abutments, ready to begin building the scenery.

The Burro Canyon Bridge will be a scenic highlight on the layout.  Here a small Porter 0-4-0 pushes loaded ore cars across the bridge.

Progress continues at a rapid pace...only 4 feet of benchwork and track remain, and wiring for DCC control is well under way.

Track in the yard is completed, and the switch frogs have been wired to switches in the fascia panel.

August 2, 2008: track on the selector table and lift-out section are completed - ready for the Golden Spike ceremony!  Here's a view from the room entry (it is a small room, only 9.5 x 9.5 feet).

Here are a few trains on the selector table.  The small panel with four toggle switches is used to cut power to the selector table tracks as a safety measure to prevent any unwanted movement of trains!

Here a southbound ore train approaches the selector table, with a northbound parked on the table.

The southbound train stops on the first track of the selector table.

The selector table is now indexed to the second track, and the track power is activated by the toggle switch.

The northbound begins operation on the main line, while the southbound cools its wheels!

Here is the lift-out section that spans the room entry when I want to run trains continuously on the main line..

The lift-out section is built of 1/2" plywood laminated to 2" foam, the same materials used for the rest of the benchwork.  It is shaped to fit snugly into each end of the layout without any latches or hardware.  It can easily be placed into position or removed with one hand. 

The small hole you see in the wood base is a female receptacle for the power plug that provides current to the rails on the lift-out section.  You can see the red and white track feeder wires extending from the track to a hole in the lift-out section leading to the power plug.

Here is the underside of the lift-out section with the power plug mounting.

Without the lift-out section in place, there is sufficient room to navigate into and out of the layout room.  No duck-under with bumped heads and sore backs!

It takes all of ten seconds to put the lift-out section in place, and operation across the gaps has been foolproof so far (after some filing and fiddling).  It was definitely worth the trouble to build.

Stay tuned for more pictures as work progresses!

Here is the first revenue run on the E&SG, switching in the yard at Sonora Grande.

It is very satisfying to see copper moving to the smelter behind my little locomotives.  Here the train is crossing Burro Canyon bridge.

Model railroading is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, but sometimes stress can be experienced when everything doesn't work out as planned.  Since most of my projects seem to end that way, slight adjustments are sometimes necessary.  Here I prepare to make delicate adjustments to a problem spot on the track.  Maybe I should take a break instead?

Next step: hooking up and testing the DCC system.  Stay tuned for more progress to come!

VIRTUAL TOUR

Our Golden Spike ceremony was held August 2, 2008! 

I will post photos of progress often, so come back to check on developments.

I enjoy sharing my passion for model railroading. 

The E&SG and its models have been featured in the following publications:

The E&SG is a founding member of the Arizona Copper Barons, a loose-knit group of characters interested in modeling copper mining in Arizona.

 Questions?  Comments?  Get off your donkey and e-mail me at vgniner@cox.net

All contents Copyright 2007 Verne Niner.  Best viewed at 1280x1024 resolution.

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