Section 4 - Smith Canal - Part 1

It's time to lay out the Smith Canal section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 4 Smith Canal.

Layout Design Elements

 This section consists of eleven layout design elements:

1. A narrow backdrop partially concealed by a coal distribution company.
2. Waterway bank scenery adjoining the Demaine Yard and the Preacher's Slough section.
   
3. A waterway that begins as a narrow stream (canal), becomes a slough and ends as a small river.
4. A sandbank along the waterway.
5. A single track main line going from the Demaine Yard to Preacher's Slough
6. A beam bridge crossing over a small stream.
7. An embankment that is the roadway for the main line between Demaine Yard and Preachers Slough.
   
8. A concrete arch culvert under the embankment.
9. A multiple span deck plate girder trestle and a concrete beam bridge crossing the waterway. 
10. Two concrete abutments and two concrete piers.
    
11. A tunnel that is bored thru a ridge line that acts as a scenic view block.
    

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 electrical connectors and section interface bolts.

ROW Design Considerations 

5. 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).

6. I'm thinking of a ATSF T-rail bridge for this location ... but that may change. See 4.1.9 Smith Canal Bridge S1 (T-rail Beam Bridge) for construction details.

7. The embankment is the second critical design consideration. This location is on top of the WWSL's DCC system and would be a convenient location for a programming track. With this in mind, the programming track 4-inches from the fascia reduces the outside embankment width and depth but allows a full embankment width and depth on the inside. 

This calculation also places the curve radius point 32-inches into the section. This leaves 11 inches for the waterway and far bank scenery. I don't see that as an issue.

8. As a continuation of the Right of Way Engineering Process I would like to engineer a concrete arch culvert. This embankment would be a perfect location. See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts for additional information.

9. A multiple span bridge crossing the waterway. Tentatively this will be modeled as a three span deck plate girder trestle and a concrete deck span. Most of this bridge will be on a curve, with appropriate engineering. I have a Central Valley deck plate girder trestle kit I can kitbatch. See 4.1.9 Smith Canal Bridge S2 for construction details. 

10. A portion of the 2nd Division Right of Way will not be modeled. That section is the Chehelis River Bridge and joint trackage rights with the Milwaukee Road and the Union Pacific between South Montesano and Preachers Slough. The tunnel will act as the unmodeled trackage rights portion of the WWSL. See 4.1.10.2 Tunnel S1 for construction details.

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. 

Because this section ties into both the Demaine Yard  - Section 3 and the Preachers Slough  - Section 5, some layout of those sections (the main line locators) will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locator at the northern-most Preachers Slough curve (6 inches from the fascia ) and the WWSL Arrival.Departure Track at Demaine Yard (4.5 inches from the fascia).  

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the programming track at the 4 inch line. 
2. Lay out the main line turnback curve at the 6 inch line. 
3. Lay out the main line to the Demaine Yard Arrival / Departure Track at the 4.5 inch line. 
4. Center the radius at the center of the section width.
   
5. Lay out the transition template line.
   
6. Lay out the main line curves.
7. Lay out the S1 bridge template and adjust as necessary.
8. Lay out the S2 bridge template and adjust as necessary.
   
9. Locate the abutments and piers (to include heights).
10. Layout the sloped river bank on the Demaine Yard/Preachers Slough side of the waterway.
    

 Laying out the turnouts 

A WWSL Common Standard #6 turnout needs to be laid out on the Demaine Yard - Smith Canal module connection. WWSL technical specifications specifically requires at least two inches of straight track from the turnout to the joint, so some adjustment will have to be made.

Roadway Details

• The WWSL 1st Division is designated Class A main line. See See 4.2.11.1 Modeling Technique for High Profile Roadway for details.
• One of the NMRA Model Railroad Engineer - Civil certificate requirements for track work is a super elevation of the track and roadbed on a curve. While the WWSL would not prototypically use super elevation on its roadway, I am going to super elevate the curve between bridge S1 and S2 for certification purposes. See 4.2.4 Super-elevation for Curves for additional information.
  
• The WWSL programming track is designated as retired track. See See 4.2.11.9  Modeling Technique for Retired Roadbed for details.

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

• Drainage
• Culverts. The
  

In the next blog (Section 4 - Smith Canal - Part 2)  I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations.

 

 

 

 

 

Section 5 - Preachers Slough - Part 2

In the last blog (Module 15 - Basalt Module - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Basalt 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 scenic elements:

1. A sunny sky. 
2. A far hillside with scattered trees.
   
3. A two track industrial area (North Pole Company and Knotty Pine Lumber Company)
4. An embankment with a state highway paralleling the main line.
5. A highway bridge crossing the main line.
6. A class 1 main line, a passing track and an interchange track.
   
7. A concrete tunnel portal passing through a ridge line.

Scenery Design Considerations

Background

1. The backdrop available for the Preachers Slough section is 22 inches in height. The section will be a simple backdrop - a clear blue sky suggesting a sunny day. 

2. A far hillside with scattered trees.

 

This photograph will be the basis for the far hillside on the left (geographically south) area paralleling the section's industrial area.

 

This photograph will be the basis for the center and right (northern) hillside paralleling the section's main line / interchange area. 

 

 

 

 

Landforms

The two photographs above will be the basis for the landforms on the Reachers Slough section.

Mid ground

 3. A two track industrial area. The backdrop hillside is extended into the midground paralleling the section's industrial area as a terraced hillside built from extruded styrofoam. It will directly extend from the backdrop. (See above).

4. An embankment with a state highway paralleling the main line.The hillside in the center parallels the section's main line / interchange area is an embankment four inches high and inches at the base. The rear of the embankment is sloped, giving a stand-off from the background. The top of the embankment is sized for a state highway with shoulder and guard rails. (See above).

7. A concrete tunnel portal passing through a ridge line. The hillside on the right (geographically north) area parallels the section's fascia and  integrates with the tunnel complex on the Smith Canal section.

 

 

 

 

 Foreground

Portions of the foreground between the interchange track and fascia is flat or sloped slightly downward toward the North River. 

Drainage and MOW structures, etc will be integrated with the foreground landforms. 

Section 5 - Preachers Slough - Part 1

It's time to layout the Preachers Slough section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in 4.3.5 Preachers Slough Station Map.

Layout Design Elements

This section consists of seven layout design elements:

1. A sunny sky. 
2. A far hillside with scattered trees.
   
3. A two track industrial area (North Pole Company and Knotty Pine Lumber Company).
4. An embankment with a state highway paralleling the main line.
5. A highway bridge crossing the main line.
6. A class 1 main line, a passing track and an interchange track.
7. A tunnel that is bored thru a ridge line that acts as a scenic view block.

This Section consists of two WWSL Common Standard eight-foot sections. See the WWSL section construction reference page for the construction technique.

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 in-order-to have 8 inches of hillside to the rear of the module and 6 inches of scenic elements to the front. 

The most critical design consideration on this module is the location of the industrial spur. Its location determines the location of the main line and the interchange siding. Placing the industrial spur at 15 inches from the fascia permits a two track industrial spur.

The WWSL usually uses easements on its main line right of way.. In this section there are two elements in the roadway layout:

1. easement  - simple curve  - easement  - Industrial spur switch 
2. easement  - simple curve - easement - Interchange switch -

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 Preachers Slough industrial site is located in a river valley and parallel to a wide deep river. Prototypically it would be a long and narrow industrial site.

The Knotty Pine Lumber Company is basically a creosote plant taking in processed timber for creosoting. The North Pole Company processes second generation fir trees for utility poles. Each company has its own industrial track.

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the Knotty Pine industrial spur. 
2. Layout the creosote plant footprint.
   
3. Lay out the North Pole industrial spur.
   

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. 

Because this section ties into both the North River - Section 6 and the Smith Canal - Section 4, some layout of those sections will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locator at North River (12 inches from the fascia) and the southernmost Smith Canal curve (4 inches from the fascia.). 

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the main line at the 15-inch line from the fascia.
2. Lay out the creosote plant spur at the 15-inch line.
3. Lay out the pole plant spur at approximately 10-inch line
   
4. Layout the main line at the 12-inch line (the North River main line)
   
5. Lay out the main line at the 9-inch line from the fascia (the Smith Canal main line)..
6. Lay out the interchange track at the 6-inch line from the fascia.
   

Laying out the turnouts 

The WWSL common standard is a #6 turnout for main line turnouts. The industrial spur turnout woill  be a #6 because the spur is on the outside of the main line curve. The interchange track southern turnout is a #6 for the same reason. The interchange track northern turnout is a WWSL common standard #5. The MILW/UP interchange track turnout is also a #6 turnout.

Roadway Details

• The WWSL 2nd Division is designated Class A main line. See 4.2.11.1  Modeling Technique for High Profile Roadway for details.
• The interchange track is designated Medium Profile Yard track. See 4.2.11.4 Modeling Technique for Medium Profile Yard Track for details.
• The WWSL industrial spur and all the industrial track is designated Industrial Lead or Spur Track. See 4.2.11.7 Modeling Technique for Industrial Lead or Spur Track for details.

Right of Way Drainage.   

I have a Milwaukee Road / Union Pacific track diagram showing right of way drainage. Preachers  Slough is a great opportunity to show some of these techniques. See 4.1.8 Ditches, Drains and Culverts

• Drainage
• 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.

• Manually operated derail (1) is located on the Industrial spur track.
  
• Manually operated derails (2) are located on the Interchange track. 

In the next blog (Section 5 - Preachers Slough - Part 2) I will discuss the Landform Design Considerations.

 

Section 6 - North River Bridge - Part 2

In the last blog (Section 6 - North River Bridge - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the North 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 scenic elements.

1. A sunny sky.
2. A distant treeline with a river disappearing in the distance.
   
3. A low dam in the background.
   
4. A wide deep river with relatively high river bank.
5. A lower river area expanding into the delta area. 
   

Scenery Design Considerations

Background

The backdrop available for the North River Bridge section is 22 inches in height. 

 

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

2. A distant tree line. See 5.4.6 Closer Hills and 5.4.9 Conifer Trees for construction information.

Landforms

Midground

The right of way parallels the terrain along the ridge line. The terrain on the near side of the right of way has been engineered as an embankment.

 

 

 

 

Foreground 

The remainder of the forground is open ground, either flat or sloped downward toward the fascia.

Creating the Landforms

Background Landmass

Just like the Satsop River build, I built two small roadbed panels and installed them at the module ends, leaving the center roadway / waterway area clear. 

4. Upper river bank. Upon installation of the dam, the rest of the upper riverbank was fairly straight forward The river bank carved and shaped to about a 45 degree angle. I used a drywall knive and the Stanley Surform scraper for this step. The shreds of foam were messy but easier to clean up than sanding conventional plaster.

5. Lower river bank. The north river bank (right) and the south river bank (left) are manmade embankment. The AREA standard for an embankment is a 60 degree angle from the edge of the roadbed to the river bottom.  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 styrofoam and expanding foam will complete the basic landform.

Once I figure out where the bridge abutments are located, I can shape the river and the river banks, adding foam as necessary. The embankments are formed with the 2 inch styrofoam and open spaces under the masonite and above the plywood are filled with 2 inch stryofoam cut to fit, and using expanding foam as necessary.

Once the basic landforms are formed, it will be covered with Sculptamold on the flats and hydrocal plaster on the slopes. 

Waterways

The head dam

3. A low head dam, sometimes simply called a weir, is a small structure that impounds a small amount of water and spans the width of river or stream. Usually made from concrete, the purpose of a low head dam is to raise the water level upstream on a river. In this particular case, the WWSL history has indicated it is one of several dams on the North River that provide a reservoir for American Pulp and Paper Company operations. 

4. The head dam is anchored on the high terrain on either side of the river bank. The river bank has a height of 4 inches, the height of the head dam is three inches.  See 10.xx.xx for construction details.

3. I am currently considering my options for completing the river I haven't decided whether to pour epoxy water or use a combination of paint and matte and gloss medium. Ive got plenty of time to make that decision. By its very nature there will be three techniques used:

• The upper waterway will be created by  . See 5.8.x Lake for construction details.
• The water fall over the dam will be created with xxx. See 5.8.6 Waterfall for construction details.
• The lower river will be See 5.8.4 River (Deep)  for construction details.

 Reference

 

Section 6 - North River Bridge - Part 1

It's time to lay out the North River Bridge section. The layout design given and druthers of this section is identified in Station 6 - North River Bridge.

Layout Design Elements

The North River Bridge section adjoins the Preachers Slough section to the north and the Wickwood section to the south. It has seven scenic elements (from backdrop to fascia):

This module consists of eight layout design elements:

1. A partly cloudy sky suggesting sunny weather.
2. A mid-distant treeline with a river disappearing in the distance.
   
3. A low dam in the background.
   
4. A wide deep river with relatively high river banks.
5. One through truss bridge .
6. Two through plate girder bridges.
7. Two stone abutments.
8. Two stone piers.
9. A wide shallow river with low river banks.
   

 Module Construction

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

As this module is a river module 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 module interface bolts. 

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

ROW Design Considerations 

The most critical design considerations on this module is the length of the bridge. With only 96 inches of linear space to model two river banks and three bridges, something has to be compressed. 

First I looked at the two curved legs. At Wickwood, the 26-inch radius curve needs to connect to a tangent track located 12 inches from the front fascia. That means that 16 inches of space is needed on this module for the south mainline curve. 

At Preachers Slough, 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 module for the south main line curve. 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 three bridges.

4.The through truss bridge is a Central Valley bridge kit. Total length of that bridge will be 21 inches. See 4.1.9.12 North River Bridge S5 (Through Truss (Pratt)) for construction details.

5. The through plate girder bridges are Central Valley bridge kits. Each bridge is 10 inches long, for a total of 20 inches, See 4.1.9.12 North River Bridge S5 (Through Plate Girder) for construction details. With the through truss bridge, the total length is 41 inches -  plenty of room for the bridge.

6. The abutments will will be Chooch stone abutments. They require some modification - the overall height is good but the bridge step needs to be increased to permit the installation of appropriate bridge pedestals. See 4.1.9.12 North River Bridge S5a (Masonry Abutments) for construction details. 

7. The in-river piers will be Chooch stone piers. They require a similar reduction in height only. See 4.1.9.12 North River Bridge S5b (Masonry Piers) for construction details.

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.

Essentially you're going to follow this process: 

1. Lay out the Bridge complex. It will be centered on the module.
2. Locate the abutments and piers.
   
3. Lay out the Dam complex.The dam will be centered and extend approximately 4 inches into the module.
4. Lay out the river banks
   

I have considered adding some structures in support of the dam but haven't determined what specifically will be added. See the Structures Reference Page  for the specific details about those 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. I centered it at the 12 inch line.
   
2. Lay out the main line curves with easements.
3. Lay out the bridge template, the length of the bridge and adjust as necessary.
4. Lay out the south embankment leading to the bridges. 
5. Locate the abutments and pier.
6. Layout the river banks on either side of the river.
   

Because this module ties into both the Wickwood Module and the Preachers Slough module some layout of those modules will need to be done at the same time, primarily the main line locator at Wickwood (12 inches from the fascia) and the southernmost Preachers Slough curve (16 inches from the fascia). 

Roadway Details

• The WWSL 2nd Division is designated Class A main line. See 4.2.11.1  Modeling Technique for High Profile Roadway for details.
• Bridge Profile.  See 4.2.11.16 Modeling Technique for Bridge Roadway for details.
  

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

• Drainage
• Culverts

MOW Details

• 4.2.12.5 Rail Rests
• 4.2.12.6 Tie Stack Detail

 Track Details.

 .

In the next blog (Section 6 - North River Bridge Module - Part 2) I will discuss the Scenic Design Considerations. 

Reference

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

Section 12 - Tunnel 1 - Part 2

In the last blog (Section 12 - Tunnel 1 - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Tunnel 1 Section and laid out the roadway lines. 

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

Scenery Design Considerations

Background.

Sky, Clouds. There is 1 backdrop 22 inches in height. It will be a simple backdrops- a clear blue sky suggesting a sunny day. 

Landforms  

Ridge. The terrain at the North Portal will be consistent with the Polson Canyon ridge line. There is a more moderate slope along the west face of the ridge. 

Here is the generic photograph of the southern part of Polson Canyon as it approaches the the North Portal of Tunnel 1.  

On this section, I continued the construction of the Polson Canyon ridge line with the 2 inch styrofoam. 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.  See 5.5.6 Mountains and 5.5.5 Rock Faces for construction details.

Saddle

The tunnel is sited through an enlarged saddle with basalt rock walls on both sides. The possibility of rock spalling due to steam engine smoke stack exhaust requires timber tunnel lining. No additional engineering is required within the tunnel area. 

Tunnel Portal The terrain at South Portal will be a basalt cliff face with a concrete portal. 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 xxxxxxx for construction details.

Embankment. An embankment with a dry creek bed comes down the moderate hillside to the eastern river riverbank. Again, 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.

Waterways

Creek.

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

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. 

Ground Cover

1. Far ground cover on hills and ridges will be modeled with teased and dyed felt. See for construction details.

Near ground cover along the right of way will be a variety of dead, summer and early fall grass colors.

Vegetation

The hill and ridge land forms will maintain a denser growth of second growth conifers, dead trees, stumps and bushes, indications of previous logging activities 

The embankments will have a heavy growth of shrubs and bushes, with growth along at the river's edge. See 5.7.1 Shrubs

Draw for Tunnel 1

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