Section 17 - Reload - Part 2

In the last blog (Section 17 - Reload - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Reload Section and laid out the roadway lines. 

In this blog I am identifying the scenery construction concept and laying out the landforms.

As a refresher, here are the scenic elements:

1. A simple backdrop - a clear blue sky suggesting a sunny day.
2. A close tree line.
4. A close tree line.
5. A two track logging reload. 
8. A wye track with engine service spur on the inside.

Scenery Design Considerations

Background

The backdrop available for the Reload section is 22 inches in height. There are two backdrop section: the main section and the terminating section 24 inches wide. Both sections will have:

•  A blue sky with cumulus clouds suggesting a sunny day. See 5.4.1 Sky  and 5.4.2 Clouds for construction information.

•  A Close Treeline. See 5.4.9 Conifer Trees for construction information.

Landforms

Mid ground  

 

2. Portions of the midground between the backdrop and the Coal Grove yard lead will be a close tree line. The slight midground embankment is modeled with 2 inch foam sheet cut in the hillside at a 45 degree angle to integrate the backdrop into the scene.

There will be stream between the yard lead and the OPLC trackage. 

4. There will be a sparse tree line and shrubbery leading into a sloping and somewhat undulating foreground. There will be indications of  of previous logging activities. site construction and operational improvement activities

 

 

 Foreground

8. The wye trackage and service area will be flat ground.  Depending on space available a truck servicing area may be included. See 5.5.1 Flat Ground for construction details.

Waterways

There will be stream between the yard lead and the OPLC trackage. See 5.8.2 Streams for construction details.

Section 17 - Reload - Part 1

It's time to layout the Reload section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 17 - Reload.

Layout Design Elements

The Reload section is the OPLC's Camp 11. It is the 'end of track', the northernmost point of the WWSL's 1st Division. Coal Grove is the section to the immediate south. 

Reload has eight layout design elements (from backdrop to fascia):

1. A simple backdrop - a clear blue sky suggesting a sunny day.
   
2. A close tree line.
3. A yard lead to the Coal Grove yard. 
4. A close tree line.
5. A two-track logging reload spur.  
6. A terminating main line.
7. An interchange track.
8. A wye track with an engine service spur on the inside.

Module Construction

Reload is a two-section set. The first section (17a) is a standard 2-foot by 8-foot section. The second section (17b) is a 2-foot by 4-foot section. Section 17b is connected in parallel to module 17a to deepen the section for the wye track and engine service spur.

See the WWSL section construction reference page for the construction technique.

ROW Design Considerations 

Logging railroads using steam locomotives for transporting logs from the cutting sites to the sawmill have two options for train handling. The railroad can either: 1) push logging cars from the main line to the loading site, or 2) turn the locomotive at the loading site. The OPLC's standard procedure is to turn the locomotive at the loading site. Normally, the logging railroad used a wye track. Wye's require a great deal of space, and finding sufficient acreage in a mountainous forest in the Olympic Peninsula is just as difficult for the WWSL.

I really wanted to show a logging company wye track at the end of the line.

This wye has three specific design issues: 

1. The north end wye leg length is only necessary to hold a steam locomotive and a water car, 
2. The south leg needs to join the scale track (as opposed to the main line) so that the service track can be inside the wye.
3. The west wye leg intrudes into the dispatcher's desk space (but more importantly, the utility room equipment space).

A design alternative to a true wye track at Reload is replacing the west leg of the wye with a turntable.  I could not fine anyone doing it in the modeling press. Leaping into the abyss i am using an Atlas 65-foot turntable and literally pushing it along the west leg center line until the north and south legs intersects with two of the turntable's 30 degree radius tracks.

The WWSL minimum engineering standards for a 2-8-0 steam locomotives using the right-of-way is 26-inch radius curves and # 6 turnouts. The railroad engineer surveyed the site to locate a triangle shaped wye places the North - South wye length 72 inches long (2*(26+10)), and the west end wye length 36 inches into the aisle. Once the west leg's  center line is established, the turntable's location can be fiddled. 

The logging reload spurs are easy to place. The critical factor here is the two spur tracks footprint must allow for log cars and log trucks under the electric log crane structure. I suspect that the footprint is going to look like a two-lane concrete road specification rather than a two-track yard. 

The Coal Grove North Yard lead track is a continuation of its location on Coal Grove.

Laying out the Structures

There are nine structures that are going to be located on this section: the locomotive servicing structures, I am not going to go into great detail about laying out the structures, as they do not affect the location of the trackage. See the 10.0.3 Structure Layout Technique for the specific details.

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the Electric Powered Log Crane
2. Lay out the Water column
3. Lay out the Oil column.
4. Lay out the Sand column

 I created structural footprints for all the structures.

See the Structures Reference Page  for the specific details about building the structures.

Laying out the Right of Way

I am not going to go into great detail about putting down the roadbed lines. See the Right of Way Reference Page  for the details if you haven't had the fun to do it before. 

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the main line at the 7 inch line.
   
2. Lay out the secondary (scale lead) track at the 4 inch line.
3. Lay out the north wye leg allowing for the length of the OPLC steam locomotive, a water car, and the north leg turnout.
4. Lay out the west to north wye curve.
5. Lay out the west to south wye curve.
   
6. Lay out the south wye leg allowing for the length of the south leg turnout.
   
7. Lay out the two log transfer tracks using a preferred 6 log car capacity on each track.
   
8. Lay out the Coal Grove north yard lead at the 15 inch line.
9. Lay out the WWSL interchange track. 
   

Roadway.

• The OPLC is designated Class C main line. See See 4.2.11.3 Modeling Technique for Low Profile Roadway for details.
• The remaining OPLC trackage is designated an Industrial Lead or Spur Track. See 4.2.11.7 Modeling Technique for Industrial Lead or Spur Track for details.
• The WWSL scale track is designated a storage track. See 4.2.11.8 Modeling Technique for Storage Track for details.
  

Laying out the turnouts

The OPLC uses #6 turnouts on all its trackage. I have to ensure that the normal route leg of the north wye turnout (26-inch radius) aligns with the main track layout line at 7 inches, and the normal route leg of the south wye turnout (26-inch radius) aligns with the scale track layout line at 4 inches.

I laid out the OPLC locomotive/water car length templates at the end of main line location and added sufficient clearance spacing to prevent collision with the backdrop. I used Ribbon Rail and Fast Track track laying tools to locate and build in the easement and curve radius'.

Laying out the turntable

The Atlas Turntable has a 9 inch turntable track and its built in stall track is xx degrees. I laid out the straight line equivalent on both ends of the turntable wall to aid in the location of the turntable. There was alot of fiddling - reliable turntable operations are best when the approach track is straight to the turntable track.

Cantenary

The O.K. Coal north yard lead will require catenary pole placement. The OPLC trackage is not wired. See 7.1 Cantenary Systems Overview for details.

Layout Drainage.  See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts

Drainage

Culverts

Track Details.

• The OPLC will use 4 bolt rail joiners on all trackage.
• The OPLC use low mount switch stands.
• There is a lift type derail on the service track.

MOW Details 

 

4.2.12.4 Hand or Motor Car Set-off Detail
4.2.12.5 Rail Rests
4.2.12.6 Tie Stack Detail
4.2.12.7 Equipment House Detail

In the next blog (Section 17 - Reload - Part 2) I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations. 

 

Station 17 - Reload

WWSL 1st Subdivision         

Location.

 

Reload (Camp 11) is the newest of the Olympic Peninsula Logging Company's timber reload sites.

History. Truck logging in the Gray Harbor area began in the mid-1930's. I was unable to find any statistics on the Northern Gray Harbor timber area. In the North River Watershed (south of the Chehelis River), the Saginaw Timber Company started to build an extensive series of roads but was unable to capitalize on the work. Estimates were that 75 to 80% of logs were still moved by locomotive. 

 

By 1941, nearly 300 miles of forest road were created by bulldozer in the North River Watershed by the Clemons Logging Company. [1]

 

In the alternate history, the OPLC was moving to truck logging too. In 1936, 29 miles of truck roads was constructed on old RR grades, 7 miles was new construction. By 1950, 73 miles had been constructed with an additional 100 miles of protection road was maintained. The results were that a majority of steam locomotives supporting woods activities were retired and scrapped.                   

OPLC Camp 11 was built in 1950. Researching log reloading operations revealed most reloads consisted of a single track alongside a single (lane) logging road, with a dedicated locomotive placing/pulling logging cars (once a day).

Operations. I wanted this module to show a 1950's log reloading activity. Specifically I wanted to show:

• Diesel logging trucks moving log loads from field collection points to the rail reload location. This would include the dirt road transfer point and a truck fuel point if possible.

• An electrified crane reloader, in this case a crane reloader similar to one used by the Schafer Logging Company. It used a electric overhead crane with lifting bars. When weight on the bars is released, the heavy end tips up the bar to release the hook on the opposite end and the bar slides free from beneath the load. Log transfer is completed in a minute's time.

• The OPLC will run a logging shuttle between the company sawmill complex and the reload site two or three times a day. The log shuttle will include a 2-8-0 steam locomotive, 6 log cars  and a caboose. Logging cars are a mix of skeleton cars and flat cars with side stakes. Additional cars that may be seen are water cars for fire fighting operations, tank cars (diesel) for truck refueling, and sand cars. See History of Flat Cars for additional information. 

Design. 

 

The right of way is owned and maintained by the OPLC and consists of a logging outpost camp, an overhead crane unloader and a refueling facility. As this is end of track, the OPLC will require an abbreviated steam locomotive service facility (water / sand) and a locomotive turning capability. A wye track would be the norm for this activity. 

Operationally the OPLC would segregate logs into sawlot and high value logs. Those high value logs would be primarily used for veneer and plywood. They would be sold to plants located in Aberdeen Hoquium or Tacoma. The WWSL will support this activity by maintaining a spur track for holding interchange-capable logging flat cars for OPLC usage.  

Track Diagram

 

Roadway.  

• The logging car storage track is owned and maintained by the WWSL. The WWSL Main track ends at the far end of the turnout.
  
• Main track is owned by the OPLC and is of recent construction.
• Secondary track is a run around track connected to the Scale Track located on the Station 16 module. 
• Auxillary tracks include the loading spur, supply track, wye. All non-main track is owned and maintained by OPLC and built to OPLC relaxed standards.
• Not associated with the reload operation is a single track located at the rear of the module which is used by Station 16 - Coal Grove as the Empty Yard Lead. It is screened from the Reload module by a treeline. 
  

Scenery. 

• Backdrop is sparse treeline.
• Mid level space is broken terrain.
• Front space is level terrain.
  

Structures. Structures located at this station will be:

• Electric Powered Log Crane
  
• Section house
• MOW sheds (nice to have)
  
• Water column
  
• Sand House
  
• Wye