Section 15 - Basalt - Part 1

It-s time to layout the Basalt Sand and Gravel section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 15 Basalt.

Layout Design Elements

The Basalt Sand and Gravel section adjoins the Coal Grove section to the north and the Satsop River section to the south . It has eight scenic elements (from backdrop to fascia):

1. A mid-distant hillside,with a basalt cliff.
2. A sand and gravel processing plant with product piles.
3. A main line, a primary siding track and an auxiliary siding.
4. A spur track leading to an industrial lead serving the sand and gravel industry.
   
5. An embankment located along the front fascia.
6. A stream that traverses from the rear of the section to the fascia. 
7. Two bridges, one on the main line and one on the industry spur track.
8. A MOW section sited near the north switch.
   

Section Construction

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

Basalt is a two-section set. The first section (15a) is a standard 2-foot by 8-foot section. The second section (15b) is a 2-foot by 55-inch section. Section 15b is necessary to give proper length to the main line and passing siding, and also acts as a view block between Basalt and Coal Grove.

ROW Design Considerations 

The most critical design considerations on this module is the location of the industrial lead. Its location determines the placement of the main line, a  primary siding track, and an auxiliary siding. Placing the industrial lead at 12-inches from the fascia permits both main line running and industrial switching.

3. The curved main line from the Satsop River places the Basalt main line at 7-inches from the fascia. This allows easy viewing and access. The main line must be at least seven feet in length (the longest standard operational train length).
 

The primary siding track must be located between the main line and the industry for effective car movement. This places the track at 10-inches from the fascia (the First (Northern) Division is electrified and requires catenary pole placement. It also must be at least seven feet in length (the longest standard operational train length). 

The auxiliary track is a scenic element with some operating value, but will be primarily vignette in nature. It can be located closest to the fascia. The WWSL technical specification requires a minimum 4 inches from the fascia. It should be at least three feet in length to allow for several cars to be located there for operational or vignette reasons (bad order, water cars during fire season, work train, etc.).

 
4. The industrial spur must be accessed from the primary siding track. In the WWSL history, this track is the old logging spur track going back into the timber. As an interchange track, the spur must be at least 3 feet in length to allow pick-up or set-out of up to six 40-foot cars to the industry. 

Off the industrial spur is the Basalt Sand and Gravel industrial lead. The lead services three industry sidings: two processed gravel tracks and one processed sand track. In this case, the industrial lead is approximately six feet in length, the industry sidings a minimum of two feet (processed gravel) and four feet (processed sand) respectively.
 

7. I found a temporary timber bridge made of tree trunks in the 1920's to be used as a scenic element for the industry spur bridge. Operationally, this bridge is out of service. See 4.1.9.6 Basalt Bridge N6b for construction details.

8. The main line bridge is a skewed timber trestle. I pulled up a construction diagram of a timber trestle built by the Canadian Pacific for the main line bridge. See 4.1.9.6 Basalt Bridge N6a for construction details.

 

Laying out the Structures

 

I am not going to go into great detail about laying out the structures. See the 10.0.3 Structure Layout Technique for the specific details.

The Basalt Sand and Gravel industrial is a long and narrow industrial site, located in a river valley, parallel to a shallow river. Only one portion of the portion of the industrial site is modeled: the product delivery area. The primary and secondary industrial areas (gravel pit, crushing plant, and cleaning and sorting areas) are east and south of the Basalt section and not modeled. The conveyor system is located first followed by the remaining structures. 

I created structural footprints for all the structures less the sand house itself. I have the base structure on hand and am using that for fine tuning the industrial footprint. While i was doing this I realized that I had omitted drawing in the sand house spur track. I've got to remember to add that to the track design plan. Once I have placed the sand processing plant along the industrial lead / sand track, I can finalize the two track spurs servicing the gravel loading platform.

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the sand plant and sand silos.
2. Lay out the conveyor system. 
3. Lay out the oil tanks and pump house.
   
4. Lay out the gravel loader.
5. Lay out the MOW shed. 
6. Lay out the water column.
7. Lay out the pump house.

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 of doing it before. 

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the main line at the seven-inch line.
2. Lay out the primary siding track at the ten-inch line.
3. Lay out the auxiliary track at the four-inch line.
4. Lay out the transition template for the mainline/primary siding track switch.
   
5. Lay out the main line curve and turnout.
   
6. Lay out the north passing siding turnout.
   
7. Lay out the industrial spur.
   
8. Lay out the industrial lead at 12-inches, the sand track at 14-inches, and the gravel loader tracks at nine- and seven- inches.
9. Locate the abutments and piers for both bridges (to include heights).

Because this section ties into both the Satsop River - Section 14 and the Coal Grove - Section 16, some layout of those sections will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locators and the turnout positions vis-a-vis section and bridge placements etc.  

Roadway.

• The WWSL 1st Division is designated Class B main line. See See 4.2.11.2 Modeling Technique for Medium Profile Roadway for details.
• The WWSL auxiliary track is designated a storage track. See 4.2.11.8 Modeling Technique for Storage Track for details.
• The WWSL industrial spur and all the Basalt Sand and Gravel spur track is designated an Industrial Lead or Spur Track. See 4.2.11.7 Modeling Technique for Industrial Lead or Spur Track for details.

Laying out the turnouts

The WWSL engineering department has authorize a non - Common Standard #6.5 Code 100 curved turnout for the south Basalt mainline to passing track. I have to ensure that the normal route leg of the turnout (26-inch radius) aligns with the primary siding track layout line at 10-inches, and the divergent leg of the turnout aligns with the main track layout line at 7-inches.

I laid out the maximum train length templates along the passing siding and main line. I have the WWSL common standard #6 turnout templates to locate main line to passing track turnouts, and main line to auxiliary siding.

I have a WWSL common standard #5 turnout to locate the industrial spur set out track. Its divergent angle conveniently angles the interchange track with the Basalt Sand and Gravel industrial lead. 

Basalt Sand and Gravel owns and maintains its own track, and uses the WWSL Common Standard #5 turnout.

Layout Drainage.  See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts

Drainage

Culverts

Track Details.

• Basalt Sand and Gravel will use 4-bolt rail joiners on all track BSG uses low mount switch stands.
• There is a double point split switch derail on the interchange track. 

In the next blog (Section 15 - Basalt - Part 2) I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations.

Section 12 - Tunnel 1 - Part 1

Its time to layout the Section 12 - Tunnel 1 section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 12 - Tunnel 1.

North Portal

South Portal

 

 

 

 

 

Layout Design Elements

Tunnel 1 is the lower reach of the Polson Canyon river valley. It has amoderately steep hillside and rock faces, with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. The right of way parallels a ridge line on the east side (backdrop) and the Satsop River on the west side (fascia). The right of way tunnels through the ridge line paralleling the Satsop River and approaches the Olympic Peninsula Logging Company sawmill.

This Section consist of one module and consists of eight design elements (from geographic north to south):

1. A single track main line from Polson Canyon to Sawmill.
2. A curved river valley with moderately steep ridge with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. 
3. An embankment to the river.
4. A heavy growth of shrubs and bushes at the river's edge. 
5. A single track tunnel bored into a saddle in the ridge.
   
6. An abandoned right-of-way (formerly OPLC main line to Camp 3) crossing the WWSL main line.
   
7. A turnout off the WWSL main line to the OPLC arrival/departure track and industry complex.
8. A 90 foot turntable owned by the OPLC in support of the Sawmill operations.

Module Construction

This section is a turnback curve portion of the WWSL layout. It is approximately 5-foot wide by 42 - inches in depth (restriction due to a lolly post).  It follows standard section construction, except it has a third 2"x2" and 1"x3" girder in the middle. The two ends of the section are cut out to permit attachment of the module electrical connectors and section interface bolts. See the WWSL section construction reference page for the construction technique.

ROW Design Considerations 

The most critical design considerations on this section is curvature of the main line. The turnback curve section width is 60 inches. Technical specification is a minimum 4 inches between track and the edge of the fascia. This restricts the turnback curve to 48 inches (60 - 4 - 4 = 52/2 = 26 (a 24 inch radius when laying out the curve from the interior).

Because this section ties into both the Section 11 - Sawmill and the Section 13 - Polson Canyon, some right of way layout of those sections will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locator at the southern-most Polson Canyon curve (6 inches from the fascia ) and the WWSL main line at Sawmill (4.5 inches from the fascia).

1. easement  - simple curve - Tunnel 1 - simple curve - easement  (the turnback curve).

5. Curved track within a tunnel is generally rare, but not unheard of, in the prototype. It is more common in railroad modeling layout design. The location of the tunnel and the restrictive view minimizes the suggestion of a curve within the tunnel. I have located the main line at the tunnel entrance 7 inches from the fascia. This allows 10 inches clearance at the Tunnel 1 - Polson Canyon and Tunnel 1 - Sawmill connections for turnout placement.

6. The dismantled Camp 3 logging roadway will have indications of a crossing that has been taken out. See 4.2.11.12  Modeling Technique for Dismantled Roadbed for details.

7.  

8. The turntable at Tunnel 1 was initially used by the OPLC for operations from Sawmill to Camp 9 (OPLC's western main line). Once main line operations were transferred to the WWSL, the turntable was decommissioned.  It was restored to service when the planing mill loading operation became mechanized and required boxcars to be turned. 

Laying out the Structures

 

There are five structures to be laid out: 1)  North Tunnel Portal (slide shed), 2) Tunnel Bore, 3) South Tunnel Portal (Concrete), 4) a section tool shed, a hand/motor car turn-off shed for a tunnel inspection car, and 5) a 90 foot turntable.

Tunnel 1. There are three parts to a tunnel: the tunnel portal, the tunnel bore, and the tunnel lining. See 4.1.10 Tunnels for basic tunnel engineering information.

North Portal

North Portal

The North Portal will be a re-creation of the Homestake Pass MT, west portal, NP Tunnel #5. It has a timber portal and a rock slide shed. I will represent the latter with a timber tunnel lining and a timber rock shed that extends from the portal. 

 

See 4.1.10.1a Tunnel N1 North Portal for construction details.

See 4.1.10.1b Tunnel N1 Rock Shed for construction details.

Tunnel Bore

The tunnel differs slightly from the traditional tunnel in that it has an additional height due to the electrified zone. The drainage profile will differ as well. The fascia will be removable to allow viewing of the interior. See 4.1.10.1b Tunnel N1 Tunnel Liner for construction details.

Southern Portal  

South Portal

The south tunnel entrance will be a re-creation of the April 2002 Mainline Modeler cover photo.  

The rock wall will be constructed with vertical 1 and 2 inch styrofoam insulation with a rock casting overlay.

I will represent the latter with a concrete portal. See See 4.1.10.1a Tunnel N1 South Portal for construction details.

MOW. There will be a section tool house and tunnel inspection car pull off.

Turntable

TBD

I built structure footprints for each of them for conformation of siting those structures.

Laying out 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 curves. It is a simple 24 inch turnback curve, with north curve at the 6-inch line, the tunnel curve at the 6-inch line, and the south curve at the 4.5- inch line.
   
2. Lay out the tunnel template.
3. Lay out the north and south tunnel portals. 
4. Layout the northern switch to the OPLC main line and sawmill complex. 
5. Layout the turntable approach track from the sawmill yard and spurs.
6. Generally locate the turntable location. 

Laying out the Turnout

A turnout is required to connect the WWSL main line with the OPLC main line, arrival/departure track, yard lead track and and industrial spurs. Per specifications there should be at least 2 inches of straight track before reaching the module edge.

Roadway Details 

• Tunnel 1 Roadway is WWSL Medium Profile Roadway. See 4.2.11.2  Modeling Technique for Medium Profile Roadway for details.
• The roadway in the tunnel bore has different drainage engineering requirements.See 4.2.11.16 Modeling Technique for Bridge Roadway for details.

Catenary

As this mainline is electrified, the tunnel bore and portals will have a higher clearance profile than normal. See 7.1 Cantenary Systems Overview for details.

Right of Way Drainage.  See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts

• Drainage. The tunnel will have tunnel specific drainage. See xxx.xx.xx for details.
  
• Culverts

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

Track Details.

In addition to identifying cantenary pole locations.

OPLC will use 4-bolt rail joiners on all track. OPLC uses medium mount switch stands.

In the next blog (Section 12 - Tunnel 1 - Part 2) I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations.

Reference

 

Section 13 - Polson Canyon - Part 2

In the last blog (Section 13 - Polson Canyon Section - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Polson Canyon Section and laid out the roadway lines.

In this blog I am identifying the Scenic Design Considerations. Polson Canyon is a river valley. The right of way parallels a ridge line on the east side and the Satsop River on the west side. 

As a refresher, here are the scenic elements:

1. A spur off of the ridge line with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. 
2. A ravine steeply rising to the background with series of rock shelves making a waterfall scene.
   
3. An abandoned spur - formerly OPLC Camp 5, curving along the ravine.
   
4. A curved river valley with moderately steep hillsides and rock faces. with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. 
5. A water fall 
6. An embankment with several streams and draws coming down the steep hillside and embankment to the river.
7. A heavy growth of shrubs and bushes at the river's edge. 
8. A river's edge along the fascia.
   

Scenery Design Considerations

Background.

Sky, Clouds. The backdrop available for the Polson Canyon section is 22 inches in height. 

• To the north, it will be a continuation of the rain clouds on the Satsop River section. 
• The remainder of the Polson River section will be a simple backdrop - a clear blue sky suggesting a sunny day. 
• Distant and intermediate hills will be painted in the background of the northern ravine.
• Closer hills and tree lines will extend the Polson Canyon ridge line.

Landforms  

Hillside

The north end of Polson Canyon will be a hillside that has been partially excavated to permit the Camp 7 spur off of the ridge line with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. See 5.4.6 Closer Hills for construction details.  

 

 

Ravine

The ravine steeply rising to the background with series of rock shelves making a waterfall scene. It needs to tie into the closer hill land form to the north, and the steep hillside and rock faces of the Polson Canyon, while providing an acceptable right of way to the abandoned spur to Camp 5.

I internet searched a number of ravines/creeks, but what really interested me is a ravine scene created by Woodland Scenic and was on the back cover of a modeling magazine. Land form wise it supports all the elements in the previous paragraph when selectively compressed.  

I will use 3/4 inch styrofoam and hydrocal plaster to model the rock shelves and will use matte medium and modge podge for the waterfalls and creek. See 5.8.3.1 Creeks for construction details.

Ridge

North Canyon

Polson Canyon's predominant land form is a curved river valley with moderately steep hillsides and rock faces. 

The ridge should be at least 3x the height of the train to provide a reason for the curvature of the main line thru the river valley. Using 2 inch styrofoam insulation, this would make the rock faces at least 7 inches high with the maximum height of 11 inches for the ridge at the rear of the section.  Additional height of the ridge can be painted on the backdrop. 

Center Canyon

Rock Faces. Here is the generic rock face along the main line. See 5.5.6 Mountains and 5.5.5 Rock Faces for construction details.

 

 

 

Embankment. An embankment with several streams and draws coming down the steep hillside and embankment to the eastern river riverbank. For my purposes, I have selectively compressed the AREA standard 60 degree angle to 45 degrees from the edge of the roadbed to the river bottom. This allows a greater river bank edge along the fascia. See 5.5.3 Embankments for construction details.

South Canyon

Waterways

Several streams and dry creekbeds will drain from the ridge line toward the river meandering along the the fascia. 

The Satsop River, initially modeled on the Satsop River section, continues it southward run toward the Chehelis River at Montesano. It runs parallel to the main line in Polson Canyon along the fascia. The river will be approximately centered on the module and will disappear to the left and right front as the result of the curvature of the main line. As in the Satsop River Section, the river bottom is to be gravel with larger rock strewn among the waterway and the bank. The river depth will be shallow or, in some locations, merely wet dirt.  See 5.8.4.2 Rivers for construction details.

Once the basic land form as completed, it will be covered with Sculptamold on the flats and Hydrocal plaster on the slopes. Flat areas will have some degree of undulation will be covered with Sculptamold. 

In the next blog (Section 13 - Polson Canyon - Part 3) I will discuss the Track Detail Considerations. 

Section 13 - Polson Canyon - Part 1

It's time to layout the Polson Canyon section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 13 Polson Canyon.

Layout Design Elements

The Polson Canyon module adjoins the Satsop River module to the north and the Tunnel 1 module to the south. 

Polson Canyon is a curved river valley with moderately steep hillsides, rock faces, sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. The right of way parallels a ridge line on the east side (backdrop) and the Satsop River on the west side (fascia) through a series of cosmetic 32-degree (26-inch) curves.

The Polson Canyon section consist of two separate modules (16 feet long total) and consists of two geographic areas: the North Canyon, and the South Canyon (from geographic north to south):

1. A spur off the ridge with a sparse growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes. An abandoned OPLC right of way at the left (north) end of the module - formerly OPLC Camp 7.
2. A ravine steeply rising to the background with series of rock shelves making a waterfall scene.
3. Two 4-bent timber frame trestles with wood abutments.
4. One 10-panel deck plate girder bridge
5. An abandoned spur - formerly OPLC Camp 5, curving along the ravine.
   
6. One Through Plate Girder bridge located along side a small waterfall.  
7. One Timber Frame bridge with indications of construction in preparation for a Deck Plate Girder bridge replacement. 
8. An embankment to the river.
9. A heavy growth of shrubs and bushes at the river's edge. 
10. A river's edge along the fascia.

Module Construction

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

As this section has a river along the fascia, I have modified the construction technique. Instead of using the two 1"x3" girders on the bottom of the module, I need a solid bottom on the module for the riverbed. The 1"x3" girders are replaced by a 2-foot by 8-foot piece of plywood, 3/4 inches thick. The two ends of the module are cut out to permit attachment of the module electrical connectors and section interface bolts. 

The remainder of the section is built per standard WWSL construction standards.

ROW Design Considerations 

The most critical design consideration on this module is the curvature of the main line track. These curves are 32-degree (26-inch) cosmetic curves. The width of the roadway in the river canyon must be approximately 8 inches to have 8 inches of hillside to the rear the module and 8 inches of river scenic elements to the front. The number of curves must fit three less-than-180-degree curves (with easements and tangents) within the 16-foot sections.

1. Camp 7 abandoned right of way.  See 4.2.11.13  Modeling Technique for Removed Roadbed for Camp 7.

3. Two approach curved timber trestles, one on either side of a deck plate girder bridge. There is a Union Pacific Common Standard diagram. That diagram has each bent a distance of 15 feet apart. In HO scale, that's a bit less than 2 inches per bent.  See 4.1.9.4 Polson Canyon Bridge N4 for construction details.

4. The steel plate girder bridge is a kit-batch Atlas bridge with 11 panels. The total length of those two trestles and one steel plate girder bridge will be about 29 inches. See 4.1.9.4 Polson Canyon Bridge N4 for construction details.

5. Camp 5 abandoned right of way. See 4.2.11.12  Modeling Technique for Dismantled Roadbed for Camp 5.

7. A 50-foot Through Plate Girder bridge placed on a curve tangent. See 4.1.9.3 Polson Canyon Bridge N3 for construction details.

8. A  100-foot Timber Frame bridge placed on a curve tangent. (See 4.1.9.2 Polson Canyon Bridge N2 for construction details.

Laying out the Structures

There are no structures on the Polson Canyon module.

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. Several things to note for this module:

Because this section ties into both the Satsop River Bridge - Section 14 and the Tunnel 1 - Section 12, some layout of those modules will need to be done at the same time: 1) the main line locator at Satsop River (12 inches from the fascia) and the northern Polson Canyon curve (16 inches from the fascia) and 2) the southern Polson Canyon tangent and the northern Tunnel 1 curve (6 inches from the fascia). The Tunnel 1 module is a turnback curve and extends 6 inches beyond the Polson Canyon section fascia.

Cosmetic reverse curves

North Canyon

Center Canyon

South Canyon

Looking at the photos above, a model railroader would probably call the track layout an S-curve. Calling this section of roadway an S-curve isn't accurate. The railroads just see this as a series of curves and engineers them appropriately. 

In model railroad layout design there are actually five functional curve types and one cosmetic curve type. This track layout would be considered a series of cosmetic reverse curves. See 0.4.5 Curves for additional details.

The WWSL usually uses easements on its main line right of way. I am modeling a Cosmetic Reverse Curve for the NMRA Master Model Railroad Certification Program. You may choose to eliminate the easement in each reverse curve to simplify right of way construction. In this section there are five elements in the roadway layout:

1. easement  - simple curve  - easement  - Bridge N4 (tangent)  
2. easement  - simple curve - easement - North tangent   -
3. easement  - simple curve  - easement - Bridge N3  (tangent)
4. easement  - simple curve - easement - Rock wall   (tangent)
5. easement  - simple curve - easement - Bridge N2   (tangent)

I tried a number of techniques in an effort to lay this all out. What finally worked for me was using Atlas Code 100 flex track (it's incredibly flexible) and both Ribbon Rail and Fast Track Sweep Sticks straight and curved track gauges to build an 'easement  - simple curve  - easement  -  tangent' tool. See 4.2.4.4 Laying out a Cosmetic Reverse Curve for additional information.

1. Layout the cosmetic curve boundaries. I placed those lines at 8 inches and 16 inches from the fascia.
2. Layout the curve from the Satsop River module to Bridge N4.
3. Layout the turnback curve from the Tunnel 1 module.
4. I work the curves from each end to the center of the Polson Canyon sections. The center canyon tangent is at 14 inches from the fascia.
5. I can adjust the locations of the curves with track tangents in the center of the two inner (concave) curves  and/or the center of the two outer (convex) curves.
6. The Polson Canyon bridges are centered on the curve tangents. Bridges N2 and N3 are on tangents with no additional calculations needed other than abutment placing. Bridge N4's plate girder bridge length must be determined in advanced so as to properly place the point of curvature for the northern-most curve. 
7. Locate the abutments and piers (to include heights).
   

Roadway.

1st (Northern) Division is

• The WWSL 1st Division is designated Class B main line. See 4.2.11.2 Modeling Technique for Medium Profile Roadway for details.
• The bridges are built to WWSL Common Standard. See 4.2.11.16 Modeling Technique for Bridge Roadway for details.

Cantenary. The main line will require unique catenary pole placement through the canyon. See 7.1 Catenary Systems Overview for details.

Layout Drainage.  The embankment along the center canyon area has a number of possibilities for drainage. In addition to the roadway ditches there will be a series of pipe and box culverts. See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts for general information and 4.1.8.8 Pipe Culverts and 4.1.8.9 Box Culverts for specific details.

Track Details.

• I am considering a slide fence in the center canyon area and one or more cattle guards. 
• I am considering an Illinois Central rerailer to be located on the tangent track at Bridge N3.

In the next blog (Section 13 - Polson Canyon - Part 2) I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations. 

References

 

Section 14 - Satsop River Bridge - Part 2

In the last blog (Section 14 - Satsop River Bridge - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Satsop River Bridge Module 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 scenery elements:

1. A darkened cloudy sky suggesting inclement weather is approaching. 
2. A mid distant tree line and visible riverbank.
3. A shallow river with significant sand and gravel on the river bottom and sides.
4. A sloped bank on the north side of the river.
5. An engineered embankment on the south side of the river.
   

Scenery Design Considerations

Background. The backdrop available for the Satsop River Bridge Section is 22 inches in height. With the bridge height at approximately 4 inches, and the roadway centered at 12 inches on the module, a 45 degree angle would suggest that the background trees painted on the backdrop could be 8 to 12 inches in height. This would then allow 10 inches of cloud/sky. Rain clouds would cover about 5 inches of this cloud sky space.

Background land mass.  My initial plan was to use only extruded polystyrene insulation but realized that should I have to move the section, the mid-distant land mass would probably break loose during movement. I have chosen to use a 1/8 " luan panel to anchor the landmass. The panel is sized to the height of the riverbank on both sides (approximately 4 inches) and about 6 foot long. It is anchored to the module with L shaped anchors. 

In front of this luan panel I will add a  1/2 inch thick polystyrene for the river bank, and a two inch styrofoam piece cut at a 45 degree angle to provide a foundation for planting the treeline. This is a good height for the edge of the distant river bank, and an additional two and half inches in height three inches deep from the backdrop will give sufficient base for a line of trees and shrubs adding depth to the backdrop painted trees, and several inches of depth to plant the trees without them falling over. 

See 5.5.7 Three Dimensional Backgrounds for construction details.

Mid-ground.

The river will be approximately centered on the module and will disappear to the right rear. The base of the river will be the 3/4" plywood base. The river bank will be a slow rise to the left and a fill embankment to the right, and a background land mass. 

North river bank. The north river bank (left) is a natural occurring slope. I found a better picture of the river and banks on the Mount Ranier Scenic Railroad web site. The slope is essentially flat for quite a distance. I will selectively compress the distance and create a greater slope. The bank will be 2 inch polystyrene cut at about a 20 degree angle to model the slope with the base reflecting the effects of erosion caused by the occasional high river in spring. Building the trestle in advance is indicated in order to locate and cut in.the north abutment, and locate and place the trestle piles. 

South river bank.  The south river bank (right) is a man-made embankment. The AREA standard for an embankment is a 60 degree angle from the edge of the roadbed to the river bottom. I'm cheating a little bit by cutting the foam terrain on the backside of the embankment to a sharper slope while the visible side is AREA standard. See 4.1.1.2 Embankments for construction details. Using to total length of the bridge complex, I will locate the south abutment and cut it in. Pieces of polystyrene and expanding foam will complete the basic land form.

Once the bridges are build and temporarily placed I can shape the river and the river banks, adding foam as necessary to reach the bridge abutments. 

Waterway

This section's foreground is the Satsop River. The river bottom is to be gravel strewn. I have two gravel sources: 1) an unknown brand of gray kitty litter, and  2) a bag of Quikcrete general purpose paver mix. I am not sure yet what product will be ultimately used, probably both - the kitty litter for the water covered gravel bottom, the paver mix for the dry rock shoreline.

The critical piece of river construction will be the location of the bridge piers. A wood footprint of each pier type will be constructed and temporarily screwed into the section base from below. 

The water product is also undetermined. I have not poured a river yet, and am not sure whether epoxy, decoupage resin, or a Woodland Scenics product will be right for the river. It all depends on how the gravel bottom looks (dark and wet enough to pass as gravel).  The river's edge is a continuation of that product at double to triple thickness (depending on the distance from the river's edge. 

Because this is a wide, shallow waterway, I am using the stream construction techniques. See Streams for construction details.

In the next blog (Section 15 - Basalt - Part 3) I will discuss the Track Detail Considerations. 

Section 14 - Satsop River Bridge - Part 1

It's time to lay out the Satsop River section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 14 Satsop River.

Layout Design Elements

The Satsop River section adjoins the Basalt Sand and Gravel section to the north and the Polson Canyon section to the south. This section has eight layout design elements: (from backdrop to fascia):

1. A darkened, cloudy sky suggests inclement weather is approaching. 
2. A mid-distant tree line and visible riverbank.
3. A shallow river with significant sand and gravel on the river bottom and sides.
4. A 5-bent wood trestle and a wood abutment. 
5. Two 16-panel plate girder bridges
6. Two 10-panel plate girder bridges
7. 4 unique piers 
8. A concrete abutment for one of the 16-panel bridges.

Section Construction

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

As this section is a river scene, I have modified the construction technique. Instead of using the two 1"x3" girders on the bottom of the section, I need a solid bottom on the section for the riverbed. The 1"x3" girders are replaced by a 2-foot by 8-foot piece of plywood, 3/4 inches thick. The two ends of the section are cut out to permit attachment of the section's electrical connectors and section interface bolts. 

 The remainder of the section is built per WWSL construction standards.

ROW Design Considerations 

The most critical design consideration in this section is the length of the bridge. With only 96 inches of linear space to model two curved legs, two river banks and and 5 bridges, something has to be compressed. 

First, I looked at the two curved legs. At Basalt, the 26-inch radius curve needs to connect to a tangent track located 10-inches from the front fascia. That means that 16 inches of space is needed on this section for the north wye design element. At Polson Canyon, the 26-inch radius curve needs to connect to a tangent track located 16 inches from the front fascia. This means that 10 inches of space is needed on this section for the south main line and the abandoned spur track. A total of approximately 26 inches is needed for the curved main line components. That leaves us with 70 inches of tangent mainline track for the five bridges. See Satsop River Bridge N5 for the baseline construction details.

4. The timber trestle is a six-pile per-bent design. I pulled up a construction diagram of a timber trestle built by the Southern Pacific.  That diagram has each bent a distance of 15 feet apart. In HO scale that's a bit less than 2 inches per bent. Five bents and a wood abutment are about 10 inches. See Satsop River Bridge N5 (Timber Pile Trestle) and Satsop River Bridge N5 (Wood Bulkhead) for construction details.

5. I am planning to kit-batch the plate girder bridges. The Atlas Thru Plate Girder Bridge has been produced in two types: 1) ten steel plate panels equally spaced, and 2) 10 steel plates of different widths. I will use two of the equally spaced 10 panel bridges to represent the 16 panel bridges. This is a 38% selective compression of the bridge scene. The total length of those two bridges will be 18 inches.

6. Using the selective compression percentage above, I will need to add (rounded up) four panels to each of two additional 10-panel bridges to represent the 20- (modeled 14-) paneled panel plate girder bridges. The total length of those two bridges will be 25 inches. 

See Satsop River Bridge N5 (Deck Plate Girder Bridge) for construction details.

7. There are four interesting piers to be constructed. Three are wood pile bents, one is a steel pile bent. They will be scratch-built.

See Satsop River Bridge N5 (Steel Pier) and Satsop River Bridge N5 (Pile Piers 2-4)  for construction details.

8. The concrete abutment will have to be designed to reflect the dimensions of the embankment constructed. See Satsop River Bridge N5 (Concrete Abutment) for construction details.

Adding all those bridge lengths gets me to about 53 (18+25+10) inches, with a leeway of about 17 inches for 'off the bridge tangent track' leading into the curves at each end. 

Laying out the Structures 

I used a pair of 3-foot yard sticks to determine the anticipated length of the bridge complex (53 inches) and for initial siting of the river banks and the bulkhead, piers, and concrete abutment.

There is a section maintainer's tool shed, a bridge tie pile and a rail car shed for a bridge inspection car. I built structure footprints for each of them for conformation of siting those structures.

Laying out 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 of doing it before. 

Essentially, you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the main line. I centered it at the 12-inch line.
   
2. Lay out the transition template line.
   
3. Lay out the main line curves. 
   
4. Lay out the bridge template, the length of the bridge, and adjust as necessary.
5. Lay out the south embankment leading to the bridges. 
6. Locate the abutments and piers (to include heights).
7. Lay out the sloped riverbank on the north side of the river.
   

Because this section ties into both the Section 15 - Basalt and the Section 13 - Polson Canyon, some layout of those sections will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locator at Basalt (10 inches from the fascia) and the northernmost Polson Canyon curve (16 inches from the fascia).

1st (Northern) Division is

• The WWSL 1st Division is designated Class B main line. See 4.2.11.2  Modeling Technique for Medium Profile Roadway for details. 
• The WWSL has a Common Standard for bridge ties. See xxx for details.

Cantenary

The main line will require unique Catenary pole placement at pier locations. See 7.1 Cantenary Systems Overview for details.

Right-of-Way Drainage.   

There are no unusual requirements for drainage.

Track 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 14 - Satsop River Bridge Module - Part 2) I will discuss the Scenery Design Considerations. 

Reference

See 4.2.3 Laying Straight Track and 4.2.4 Laying Curve Track for construction details.

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
  

Station 16 - Coal Grove

Location.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Coal Grove (CG) is the northernmost station on WWSL's 1st Subdivision.

History. See O.K. Coal Company.

The mine was originally a wood tipple. A fire in 1937 burned the tipple and it was replaced with a corrugated structure.

Operations. I wanted this module to show a 1950's coal loading activity. Specifically I wanted to show:

• The mine head house, sorting tipple, loading conveyors and warehouse owned by the O.K. Coal Company.
• Auxillary structures include a power house and transformer yard that supplies both the mine and the WWSL with power.
• An empty yard, and a load yard.
• A scale track.

The WWSL arrives at Coal Grove with empty hopper cars. The road locomotive places emptys, and pulls loads. Those loads are moved to the scale track for weighing. On completion, the train is reassembled and departs for Demaine Yard. Additionally, the WWSL may interchange with the OPLC. Empty log cars would be placed on the storage track on the Reload storage track, and loaded cars picked up on the scale track.

Design.

As I contemplated the design of Coal Grove I realized that prototype arrival (empty yard) and departure (load) yards were not consistant with class 3 operations. I chose to selectively compress arrival, departure and mine sidings with a simple yard operation. A diamond yard configuration was selected, the north ladder track would represent the empty yard lead, and empty yard, the south ladder track would represent the load yard. The module would be designate as a yard and operated under Rule 93. The main line would be the south yard lead supporting the load yard and the scale track. 

Track Diagram

Coal Grove is spread out over three modules. The Empty Yard Lead is located on the Reload Station module, the lead switch to the Load Yard Lead is located on a short (5 foot) module located between Coal Grove and Basalt.

Roadway.

• Main track is owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
  
• Scale track is owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
  
• The empty and load yard leads are owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
• The two empty / load tracks and the supply track is owned and maintained by the OK Coal Company to relaxed yard standards. .

Scenery.

• Background is Steep Terrain with Near Forest. 
• Mid-level i s flat ground.
• Near level is flat ground. 

Catenary/Signaling. Main track, scale track, and north and south yard ladders are under wire. Scale track has simple red (turnouts misalignment) / amber ( divergent track aligned) / green (scale track aligned) signal tied to turnouts.

Rolling Stock. O.K.Coal Company requires a variety of 50, 55, and 70 ton hopper cars (HM and HT) and gondola cars (GS). See History of Hopper Cars for additional information.

Structures. Structures located at this station will be:

• Mine head (wood)
• Mine tipple (corrugated)
• Warehouse
• Coal Yard
• Power Plant
• Transformer Yard
• Mine entry  (nice to have)
• Ventilation Shaft Building (nice to have)
• Scale House
• Scale

REFERENCES

Station 15 - Basalt

Location.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Basalt (BS) is the second northernmost station on WWSL's 1st Subdivision. located at Mile Post xx.

History. Originally named Camp 9, Basalt was originally the northernmost station on the OPLC logging railroad. Logging operations were terminated in 1930 due to the Great Depression. The location was then sold to the Basalt Sand and Gravel Company. 

Operations.

• The WWSL arrives at Basalt with empty hopper cars. The road locomotive pulls loads and places empties. This could be either a local train or a unit train operation. Loads will be moved to Coal Grove andd weighed on the scale track. Any cars over tonnage will need to be set off to be reduced by plant staff. Any rejected cars for mechanical failure will be spotted at the Basalt RIP track. .

• The plant has a locomotive crane that moves cars to and from the interchange with WWSL and within the plant. Track No.1 is the sand plant. Tracks No. 2 and 3 are the gravel plant.
  

Design.

I wanted to show on this module a medium sized sand and gravel operations. Basalt also gave me an interesting opportunity to show a re-purposing of a railroad right of way. A logging camp layout design element would have a logging spur, a wye track for turning steam locomotives and several tracks for swapping out logging cars. This corner location on the layout plan is a good location for a wye track.  The wye could be built on the south side of the module with the two curved legs of the wye leading to the Satsop River bridge module.

A sand and gravel operation has no need for a wye, and certainly not the electrified WWSL. The WWSL's Engineering Department decided to eliminate half of the wye. The north curved leg of the wye was retained to extend the main line. The northernmost straight leg of the wye becomes the passing track. A curved turnout is added to the curved leg of the former wye to become the new mainline. A new turnout was added to repurpose the former logging car spur to become the interchange track and yard lead to three new industrial tracks now occupying the former south curved leg of the wye.  One track services the sand plant, the other two tracks service the gravel loading platform.

The northern end of Basalt where the Main, Passing and Auxiliary Tracks merge and where the xxx Creek Bridge is located is a second 5 foot module shared with Coal Grove. Coal Grove's lead Load Yard turnout is located on this module as well.

Track Diagram

 

 

Roadway. 

• The WWSL main line will be WWSL relaxed standards.
• The WWSL passing track will be WWSL relaxed standards.
• The Basalt industrial trackage will be Basalt industrial track standards.
  

Scenery.

• The background will be far hillside and far trees. The edge of the background will be steep embankment with mid-trees.
• The middle ground will be flat with stone/dirt 
• The foreground will be flat dirt.

Catenary / Signal.  

• (C)The main line and passing track will be under wire. 
• (C) The industrial tracks will not be under wire.

Locomotives. The Basalt plant will be switched by a BS&G locomotive crane (simulated). 

Rolling Stock. The Basalt plant requires a variety of 50, 55 and 70 ton hopper cars (HM and HT) and ballast cars (MHB). Unique cars will be 50 and 55 ton roofed hopper cars and tank cars for sand service.

Structures. Structures located at this station will be: 

• Sand Plant with silos
  
• Gravel loading Platform
• Fuel tank
• Water tower
• Pump house
• Wood logging bridge
• Wood trestle

Reference

 

Station 14 - Satsop River

Location. Satsop River Bridge is located on WWSL's 1st Subdivision Mile Post xx.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Approaching the Satsop River from the south (actual compass heading is west) the single track WWSL mainline runs along a long fill to cross over the river on a 300 ft long bridge made up of four plate girder sections on the east side of the river, and a timber trestle section on the west side. The west end of the bridge leads to the top of a bluff overlooking the west shore.

History.

Originally OPLC main line to Camp 9. The first bridge was a timber trestle that burned in 1929. The second bridge was a two span Howe wood truss bridge that was replaced in 1939 because it was inadequate to the loads.

Vignette. The Satsop River is a vignette. It is a recreation of the Tacoma Eastern bridge at Morton Washington.

Design. The track plan consists of a fill approach on the each bank, four deck plate girder bridges over the river, then a wood trestle reaching the west bank of the river. At both ends of the track plan are the decommissioned wye tracks that once supported logging operations at OPLC Camps 7 and 9.

Track Diagram

Roadway.  Both approach tracks (north and south) will have the remnants (old ties and ballast) of wye turnouts that once serviced OPLC Camps 7 and 9. 

The following bridges, piers and abutments will be required:

• 1 Concrete Abutment
  
• 1 x 90 foot Steel Deck Girder Bridge
• 2 x 65 foot Steel Deck Girder Bridges
• 1 x 90 foot Steel Deck Girder Bridge
• 1 x' 60 Wood Timber Trestle 
• 1 Wood Abutment
• 4 Misc Construction Piers

Scenery. Per photograph.

Station 13 - Polson Canyon

Location. Polson Canyon is located on WWSL's 1st Subdivision Mile Post xx.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Vignette. Polson Canyon is a vignette. It is a recreation of the Milwaukee Road's

Design. I wanted to create a winding main line along the Middle Satsop River similar to the Milwaukee Roads main line thru xxxxx and yyyy, with the Olympic Peninsula terrain rather than the rugged terrain shown in the pictures below. 

The south entrance to the canyon is a wooden tunnel portal with rock shed, similar to the Northern Pacific's West Portal Tunnel #5, Homestake Pass, MT.

The main line is a series of 32 degree curves paralleling the Middle Fork of the Satsop River.
The north entrance to the canyon as it approaches the Satsop River Bridge has two abandoned spurs, originally built to service OPLC Camps 5 and 7.

Track Diagram.

 

Roadway.  Main line is WWSL main line relaxed standard.

• Bridge 1 is a 50 ' thru plate girder bridge
• Bridge 2 is a 65' thru plate girder bridge.
• Bridge 3 is a 60' timber trestle on either side of a 50' deck girder bridge.

The roadbed to Camp 5 is OPLC abandoned. The roadbed to Camp 7 is OPLC ties and dirt roadbed.

Scenery.

• Far scenery is high hillside with secondary forest growth.
• Mid scenery is near vertical basalt cliffs and dirt embankments as appropriate.
• Near scenery is river embankment with post-cutting scrub growth.

Catenary/Signaling. The main line is under wire.

Structures. 

• The south entrance to Polson Canyon will have a wooden tunnel portal with rock shed, similar to the Northern Pacific's West Portal Tunnel #5, Homestake Pass, MT.
• If possible, a slide fence will be along the verticle basalt cliff.
• The north entrance to Polson Canyon may have a MOW scene, TBD.

REFERENCES.

Joel's Southern Pacific in The Cascades, http://spcascades.railfan.net/NP.html

Station 12 - Tunnel 1

Location.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Tunnel 1 is located on WWSL's 1st Subdivision Mile Post xx.

History. The idea of a logging railroad having tunnels seems remote but there have been good reasons for loggers to build tunnels. The Olympic Peninsula in Washington State had three operational logging tunnels.

• Clemons Logging Company had a tunnel in the vicinity of Melbourne. It was built in 1922-23. [1]

• The Port Angeles and Western (originally Olympic Spruce Railroad #1) had two tunnels - the Daley-Rankin bore and the 46 foot McFee bore built in 1917-1918. They were operational for 36 years.  [2]

Design. Tunnel 1 has two functions. First (South Portal) it is the end point of the Station 11 (OPLC) module and contains a 90 foot turntable in support of the Sawmill operations. Second (North Portal) it is the start point for the Station (13) Polson Canyon Module. 

Track Diagram

Roadway.  

• WWSL 1st Division is WWSL Medium Profile Roadway.
  
• WWSL Tunnel 1 will be WWSL electrified tunnel Common Standard and will have a rerailing fixture at both entrances. 
  

Scenery.

South Portal

The south tunnel entrance will be a re-creation of the April 2002 Mainline Modeler cover photo.The backdrop will be medium blue sky. The far scenery will be the basalt rock formation shown on the cover. The mid and near scenery will be level ground.

The tunnel itself will be a wood paneled tunnel lining upgraded in 1953 with a concrete portal and gunnite lining. The fascia will be removable to allow viewing of the interior.

 

 

North Portal

The North Portal will be a re-creation of the Homestake Pass MT, west portal, NP Tunnel #5. [3]

 The backdrop will be medium blue sky. The far scenery will be a basalt rock formation. The mid scenery will be a mountainous terrain dropping to track level. The near terrain will be a cut to river level.

 

 

Catenary / Signal. 

• (C)  The main line will be wired. The turntable, the approach track and any storage tracks will not be wired.

Rolling Stock.

Maintenance of way operations will require a hopper car with an icicle removal frame. If there is room, a tunnel maintenance inspection car could be added.

Reference:

[1]Vesta - Little North River WSA - compiled for the US Forest Service by Tim Scherer, Team Leader WSA

[2] Fading Memories, Model Railroad Craftsman, October 2000.

[3] West Portal Tunnel No.5 Homestake MT, Joel's SP In The Cascades