Tracklaying has been started on the rural end of my layout. I decided to model the actual town of Alderson, PA, situated on a branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and serving a lumbering region and Harvey's Lake, a tourist destination. I have several old photos of the depot and surrounding area as well as freight and passenger trains on the branch. I have already modeled many of the flats, gondolas and boxcars, so I'm all set up regarding freight cars.

Here is a view of the rural end of my layout:



You can see the backdrop--which I will probably have to repaint to represent a hillier topography--the narrow shelf for staging representing points south, and the peninsula which will probably have a lumber industry-related scene. You can see that the backdrop really serves the shelf and peninsula for purposes of photographing scenes. You can also see my bottle of white glue, not used so much these days. Because layout-building is an iterative process for me, I've learned to use water-soluble glue for ballast. A good soaking and I can gently work the track loose and remove ballast when I make changes. The yellow wood glues are very good, but not very water soluble, and track is hard to get up in one piece, especially the Micro Engineering track I use.

I have the track down for the wye, very important for operations:



The track arrangement conforms to a map of LVRR trackage around the Alderson depot, including the wye.

I can push cars along and they run smoothly without derailments, so now I must wire this area. Then I can test it with trains.

Mike

That's a nice change. It adds a lot in many ways. More scenes, more operational point, better presentation.

Bob

Michael,

That's a nice looking depot at the wye. Is that a kit or scratch built?

Bernd

Mike, I got a 72" X 14" custom backdrop from Joey Ricard at Trackside Scenery. Using GIMP, I exactly recreated the long gone 1950s prototype scene behind the E. Shoreham, VT covered bridge, for the NEB&W layout.

That backdrop can be seen in the opening photo for the article about Backdating the Shoreham bridge in the October RMC.

Joey's print looks terrific and was a very reasonable price. He has a good selection of backdrops in different series that can be connected together in multiple ways and wih other of his series with transition panels.

Here's link to his backdrop info booklet: http://www.tracksidescenery.com/share/gsb.pdf

(Moderators, I have no connection to Joey Ricard or Trackside Scenery other than being a satisfied customer.

model



prototype



How I recreated this scene will be an article in the February issue of RMC. The backdrop will go up as the NEB&W gets rebuilt and expanded in its new location.

Mike, now I understand wye you had to make these changes to your layout.

It's all coming together quite well, keep at it!

Greg Shinnie

Mike:

Very nice change taking place, Mike! You're going to love the operational aspects a wye brings to the table.

Bill:

Nice scene!

Andre

Thank you, everybody!

Bob, I think I have less track and fewer turnouts in this new configuration, but operationally it offers more options.

Bernd, it’s a scratchbuilt model of a DL&W prototype. The kit is actually available in plastic but with a conventional roof with straight eaves.

Bill, thank you for the info. I’ll look for your article. I really enjoyed the one you did on the covered bridge; it motivated me to resubscribe to RMC after letting it lapse for a couple of years.

Greg, I had to make rather more changes than I originally planned, but as you say, wye not?

Andre, nice hearing from you. Wiring a wye is no fun but you’re right, it’s worth the effort for the sake of operations. Gives everything a purpose.

Mike

Mike:

Suggested wiring of the wye:

* Make the tail track the "turning track".

* Use a double pole/double throw toggle wired for reversing polarity to the tail track.

* Assign toggle direction according to entry to the tail track. "Left" for polarity lined for entrance to the tail track via the left leg of the wye. "Right" for polarity lined for entry to the tail track via the right leg of the wye.

To use:

* If entering the tail track from the right leg of the wye, flip the toggle for the "Right" leg of the wye.

* Enter the wye fully, and quickly flip the reversing toggle to the "Left" wye leg. (Engine doesn't have to be stopped to do this.)

* Stop, reverse the direction of the engine via the "Direction" control, and line the switch (turnout) for the left leg of the wye.

* Leave via the "Left" leg of the wye.

You're finished turning that engine! Plus, the wye switch and wye toggle are correctly aligned for re-entering the tail track from the "Left" leg of the wye. (The reversing toggle will have to be flipped back to the "Right" for the right leg of the wye IF the next move is to enter the tail track via the right leg of the wye.)

Easy peasy.

Andre

Andre,

Thank you. That’s more-or-less what I’ll do. In fact, I have a 3 pole double-throw center off toggle so that I can also change polarity of the frog.

Mike

Mike, are you running DC or DCC? (If DCC, why not a frog juicer for changing polarity of the frog?)

dave

Dave,
Yes, I’m running DCC. I don’t think a toggle is any more work than installing the frog juicer etc. so I’m sticking with old technology for now.

Mike

Michael,

I was curious about that DL&W station. So I did a Google search on DL&W stations and came up with this. Interesting thing is it shows pictures of the station with both straight roof and the pagoda roof. And it was NY state near Dansville, NY.

https://twainsgeography.com/content/perkinsville

Bernd

Bernd, interesting! It's pretty clear to me that the roof was chopped back for some reason.

Erie-Lackawanna Historical Society has a kit for a pagoda roof station, which I need to modify to the station in Wimmers PA where my great-great grandfather was stationmaster. Somewhere I have measurements for the Wimmers station, which is (beautifully) preserved as the Parish House for a church in Hamlin PA.

dave

Mike, the wye I've got planned for the last phase of my B&M Eastern Route will have automatic polarity switching for both DC and DCC: My push-pull rod mechanisms use slide switches to latch and switch frog polarity. It's easy to substitute a 3PDT slide switch for the normal SPDT. I'll use the extra poles to connect the tail track to the proper side of the wye.

Bernd, this site has many photos of these depots, both as built originally and in later years: https://scotlawrence.github.io/pagoda/index.html

Knowing what weather is like in upstate NY, I imagine the almost horizontal roof portions became a maintenance nightmare. I’ve seen photos where a flat roof inclined at a small angle was built over the curved portions. I think the roofs were truncated as you mentioned.

Dave, that sounds like a good plan. Without the pagoda roof the station has a generic old-time look.

James, I think my approach will be a little different but not much. I think changing routes will be a two stage procedure of throwing the points and flipping the toggle. Where the turnout is located I can’t do anything under the layout.

Mike