Bill Williams (The Ancient One)
CALLBOARD Writings from BILL WILLIAMS.
To return to the CALLBOARD
From Jan. ’98 CALLBOARD
THINK SMALL VII -- THE VERY NARROW GAUGES
Last spring I touted the three-foot gauge railroads as prototypes for we modelers who THINK SMALL. Within California there were: Nevada-California-Oregon, Carson & Colorado, Sonoma Valley, Nevada County narrow Gauge, North Pacific Coast, South Pacific Coast, and many more; all three feet between the rails. When I say "narrow gauge" most of you think "three feet". A few of you may include "meter gauge". This is a narrow view.
If the THINK SMALL virus is active in your blood, you should know and seek more information about the VERY narrow gauge railroads. The two-foot gauge railroads of Maine and Wales are well documented and there were many others. Just before World War Two, I hiked between rails just two feet apart and across tiny little trestles along East Austin Creek in Sonoma County. The locals called it the Magnasite Mine Railway. Yes, right here in the Redwood Empire we had a two-foot gauge railroad that connected with the three-foot gauge North Pacific Coast Railroad. The connection was at Magnesia Siding just under two miles short of Cazadero, at the North end of the N.P.C.
When you visit Railtown 1897 at Jamestown, be alert as you walk behind the roundhouse and toward the car shop. The tiny boxcar body sitting on the ground was built for the thirty-inch gauge Yosemite Short line. The Y.S.L. had projected main line of some sixty miles. H.K.Porter Co, delivered two thirty inch gauge locomotives designed to run on thirty pound rail. Unfortunately the 1906 earthquake dried up the finances needed to build the Y.S.L. Two sturdy little porter engines proved their worth hauling logs on the Empire City Railway instead of carrying tourists to Yosemite Valley.
Very narrow gauge railways were common on the Hawaiian Islands. The book "Sugar Trains" lists some twenty-five plantations that ran trains on rails spaced closer than thirty-six inches. There were four with a gauge of twenty inches. Five plantations spaced their rails at an even two feet. Sixteen rail systems ran on rails gauged at two feet six inches. The Lihue Plantation had thirty ton diesels built in the 1940’s. Eleele Plantation had thirty-inch gauge trolley locomotives. The railroad history of our 50th state is worth exploring.
Cuba’s 24, 27½, 30 and 36 inch gauge rails were featured in the July and September 1997 Gazettes. Brazil had lots of 60 and 70 cm track (24 and 30-inch gauge on our yardstick). You prefer BIG engines? The year was 1926 when Henschel built two 4-8-2’s for the 60cm E.F.Sao Paulo e Minas. In France 60cm light railways have a long history.
During World War One both sides used many miles of light railways for military transport. The two-foot gauge (60cm) was common to both sides. Captured equipment and rails were put right to work. Germans used allied equipment and the allied forces used captured equipment. The gauge was the same. After the fighting was over, some logging operations in the southwestern states made good use of war surplus 60cm locomotives and cars. The price was right – CHEAP!
If the smaller size and low slung look of three-foot gauge equipment has caught your interest, then the smaller and squatier VERY NARROW gauges are worth investigating. Plans and pictures of tiny steam and gasoline locomotives are available. You just need to search a bit.
Why all this "palaver" about very narrow gauges all over the maps? I have some interesting numbers for the THINK SMALL gang.
"S" scalers are a growing minority who speak of the "ideal scale" with fire in their eyes. If we apply 1:64 to the two foot (60cm) gauge we find rails just 9.4 or 9.5 millimeters apart. "N" scale is 9.0mm. Tucked under the overhang of a slim gauge car, that half-millimeter is just one fourth of a millimeter on each side. Not even the worst Nitpickers will be able to notice any discrepancy. Put your worries about wheels, locomotive mechanisms and track aside. The path to modeling Sandy River and Rangely Lakes or other neat two-foot gauge stuff is paved and level if you favor "S" scale.
But, your scale is 1:48 and you do not plan to change. O.K. Here are some more numbers: 30 divided by 48 equals 0.625. HO standard gauge is 0.649 inches. The difference is 0.024 inches. That is about one hundredth of an inch on each side. So! HO wheels and track mechanisms are fine for modeling thirty-inch gauge trains on "O" scale.
You and I model in HO scale. The thirty in prototype also work for us. Just a different set of numbers to apply. 30 divided by 87 equals 0.345 inches which multiplied by 25.4 gives us 8.8 millimeters. With "N: gauge at 9 millimeters, we have track, wheels and locomotive mechanisms available for very narrow gauge models. You may recall magazine articles or the video featuring Bob Hayden’s Carrabasset and Dead River or Dave Frary’s spectacular layout based on the Maine two-footers. They use "N" gauge wheels, track and mechanisms.
The choice is yours; 24", 27" or 30" prototype railroads will provide the inspiration. Super narrow gauge can give you a refreshing change. This hobby has many facets to explore. Perhaps you should think, small very small.
My P&H RR is Hon30. I admire tiny plantation locomotives with oversize cabs and big domes on small boilers that sit low. P&H 3 is bashed from an "N" scale 0-4-0. I scratched the big cab and large steam dome. The tender has a styrene slipcover. You might say it is a caricature but I had fun. Isn’t this hobby supposed to be for pleasure?
Assuming no major derailments, you will see P&H 3 and a Small freight train at the siding.
Bill Williams The Ancient One
THINK SMALL VI -- "GIRDLES FOR MOTHER NATURE"
From November 97 – CALLBOARD
Small engines, small trains and short ties for narrow rails are not the limits of thinking SMALL as we expand our fun time in this hobby of ours. Simple projects, using skills easy to learn, can ease the tensions of today's stress-filled world.
Do you glue down the cork, tack the flextrack in place, sprinkle on the ballast and think the right of way is complete? You airbrush some weathering on the rails. Good going! Now let us think about some other SMALL things you can do to make your layout more interesting.
We rail barons should control Mother Nature's flowing bulges and firm her up where she sags. When the rains come, the real railroads have problems with scenery that slumps across the track or moves downhill, leaving too much fresh air under the ties. our own N.W.P. has a lot of this problem every winter. Your railroad's section crews (that's you) can fight back against the mean storm king. Retaining walls are easy to build with simple materials. Also, they make your right of way more interesting.
Riprap rocks (a wall of stones thrown together without order) are a convenient and flexible way to discipline embankments. In our miniature world, a good source of riprap is found in the catbox. No, do not steal kitty's litter from her pan! A fresh bag of generic and unscented clay catbox filler from the supermarket is your quarry. Chunks measuring from one to three scale feet will probably look the best. The leftovers can provide loads for ore cars and add texture to your scenery. (The geologists will call your rocks "talus" when the cat litter is at the base of a cliff!)
With tweezers, place a supply of "rocks" your section crew can handle on a saucer. Find the white glue and a toothpick. Some modelers like to cut a cardboard to define the limits of the wall they are about to build and provide a surface to glue to. Usually I just lay up the riprap against the slope I'm trying to protect. My pumphouse has a low, almost vertical, rock wall that was built without backing. Try both ways--you are the boss. The cost for materials is just pennies. Start slowly: lay down a short line of glue to begin. Then pick up one of your larger rocks with tweezers and set it in the glue. Add rocks, one at a time, to build your base course. To build up the wall: place tiny dots of glue on the rocks in place to hold the rocks you are about to add. Take your time--relax. Pick rocks for fit and appearance. Wall building should be zero stress hobby time. Three minutes today and twenty minutes tomorrow works fine for wall building.
When the rocks are stacked as high as you want, go run trains or return to the rat race while the glue dries. Your miniature riprap wall will need time to grow strong. Cat litter can be tinted with dye or stain if you wish, or it can be left natural. Blend the stones in with some fine dirt, a bit of turf, bushes and a few weeds. Congratulations! You have protected your right of way from a potential mud slide with economical rock work and without scuffing your hands or mashing a toe.
If you want to model a mortared stone block wall, you can choose from two easy techniques. The traditional method employs plaster poured into a crude mold. A simple styrene tray cut to the size and shape of the wall section you want with sides just 3/16" or 1/4" high will hold the plaster while it sets from white soup to a solid chunk. You might push a scrap of window screen into the wet plaster for reinforcement. Thin sheets of plaster need some added strength to resist cracking by our heavy hands. The styrene tray is slick and flexible so convincing the plaster to leave the mold should be no problem.
With the plaster solid but still green, it is easy to scratch horizontal mortar lines about a foot apart across your wall section. Then, scratch vertical lines every two feet or so to define 1' by 1' stone blocks. Some gentle pecking with your scriber or a dull #11 blade will give the stones a bit of texture. A day or so later you can stain the paint and/or paint your stone wall to best blend with your scenery. When you feel confident, try scratching a random stone wall on a slab of plaster. You may be a master stone mason (scale size).
You say plaster is too messy? The Ancient One has a SMALL cost suggestion. Those plastic meat trays from he supermarket have smooth and flat bottoms. You can scribe the cracks between stones with a sharp 4H or 6H pencil. Try pushing a little texture into some of the stones with the point of a pencil. Paint the stones with various tones of grey or buff. Warm a few stones with a touch of boxcar red added to your basic color (all model railroaders have a jar of boxcar red). I have a stone wall scratched on plaster that butts into a meat tray wall. Visitors can't tell which one is the minimum work plastic wall. Invest a SMALL bit of hobby time. Try the meat tray trick.
Here is yet another SMALL project to prove that your gandy dancers are working hard to keep the good old earth off the rails and under the ties. A few old wood ties or some leftover stripwood scraps stained a weathered grey can be stacked to provide cribbing. CalTrans buys standard concrete castings to build their cribbing. The railroads have used old ties and bridge timbers for years. (The railroads are cheap--they can't collect taxes.) A SMALL bit of cribbing holding the cat litter in check at the base of a fill will provide another point of interest along your railroad's right of way.
These SMALL projects showing attempts to protect railroad track from the whims of a moving earth can provide low cost fun for you. A big plus: you gain a more realistic model or layout.
Smile, pass the cat litter and add detail to your railroad...
Bill Williams (The Ancient One)
From Sept 97
Part V "Doodlebugs"
Last time, with "THINK SMALL IV", we discussed adding passenger, mail and express revenue to your railroad’s balance sheet with just one combine. When you do this, your local freight also serves passengers and is scheduled as a "mixed" train. If you have enjoyed a fair number of railroad history picture books, you know that a caboose with side doors for mail and express often carried a few passengers. Mixed trains run when the railroad has no "varnish" cars at all! However, adding a bit of passenger equipment adds to our fun. After all, a hobby is supposed to be for pleasure.
Our "THINK SMALL" concept leads us to the Doodle Bug or Motor Car, another minimalist approach to passenger service, a whole passenger train in one unit. These interesting critters take many forms. The most common configuration is Coach-Baggage with the front truck powered by a gasoline or diesel engine via geared or electric transmission.
The mighty S.P. used knife-nosed 200 HP McKeen cars for local service over Donner Pass from about 1910 until the early 1930’s. With their sharp windsplitter nose and porthole windows, the Mc-Keens were a hint of streamliners to come and the early diesels. The N.W.P. used motor cars, often pulling two or three regular cars on # 1 and #2, the day trains between Willits and Eureka. These motors were similar to the HO and N Doodlebug available from Spectrum-a no-sweat way to add passenger service on your rails. You Sante Fe fans have a prototype that used lots of motor cars. Also, they were not shy about adding a coach or express refer to the consist. The motorcar lets you sneak into passenger operations one car at a time.
You, the General Manager, say the Doodlebug saves a bundle compared to a standard passenger train but the cost still exceeds the expected income. Then you must "THINK SMALL". If a Motorcar is too big or costly, then you should take the next step down to its little brother. A Rail-bus can carry the mail, express, LCL freight and a few passengers. One man is the full crew and wear on track is almost nil.
The M-80 on the California Western did yeoman passenger duty for years as the original Skunk Train. The Skunk stopped anywhere along the line to drop off or pick up a local going to town for supplies or a dedicated trout fisherman in search of the perfect fishing hole. The Galloping Geese of the Rio Grande Southern proved the worth of the lowly rail-bus. Those clattering contraptions added years to the life of a Colorado narrow-gauge dear to the hearts of the narrow gauge nuts. There were other master mechanic’s innovations like the Model T truck on rails at San Luis Obispo and the assorted rail-buses that ran on the Hetch Hetchy Railroad.
If you want to learn more about Doodlebugs, I suggest that you buy or borrow the book "Interurban without Wires" by Ed Keilty. It was first published in 1979 and tells about Doodlebugs of all sizes and types. Even steam and battery powered versions are pictured and described. This one book holds a lifetime of prototypes for any dedicated motorcar modeler.
I THINK SMALL. My Bodega Western Railroad has a tiny rail-bus. The Howell-Day bus cost $17.75 in 1971 - 26 years ago (yep, it is a genuine brass import). Adding a working headlight and a paint job took some hobby time. A session in the Backshop was needed a few years ago when a bearing fell out of the motor but the critter is low tech., hence fixable. M-6 remains on the active roster. She slips her driver when she climbs the Knob Hill switchback but clatters along fine on the main line. The bus part has a four-wheel pilot truck that picks up power from one rail and a single drive axle in back that takes power from the other rail. I scratch built a four-wheel trailer to provide a place for baggage, mail, express and even LCL freight. (Actually to provide more points of power pickup and a platform for a 7805 chip and LEDs for red tail lights.)
Darned if "Think Tall" doesn’t sneak in sometimes when we THINK SMALL.
Bill Williams
The Ancient One
THINK SMALL IV -- "VARNISH"
From July 97
In May's Special Edition of the CALLBOARD, we shared the TALL story that justifies the Otter Creek Bridge. Now we return to normal with "Varnish" and THINK SMALL's sneaky approach.
Your railroad probably runs a peddler and perhaps merchandisers, drags, fruit blocks or double-stacks. Does it run varnish? You ask, "what is this 'Varnish' stuff?"
Here is the answer: Back a few generations ago, the railroads were proud of their passenger trains. Freight revenue was important, but the fast passenger schedule set the company's image. The passenger cars received a fresh coat of varnish every year to keep the paint shiny and new-looking. The boxcars were drab and the switch engines sooty, but maintenance of passenger equipment was a matter of pride. Passenger conductors wore clean shirts and engine crews clean overalls. The senior men bid for the varnish runs: they were the prestige jobs.
Forty or sixty years ago, a ride on the streamliner was something to brag about. You dropped a postcard to Aunt Hilda when you rode the "Lark" or the "Chief". There was even a "Super Chief" for a while. Pullman travel was the measure of first class. In the diner you found starched white linen and a flower on every table. You were not surprised to fine Brook Trout on the menu or a finger bowl with a lemon wedge on the table just above your napkin. In the diner the service was elegant! When you rode on a Pullman ticket, the service was first class and you felt important.
If your trip was short, or your budget modest, you rode coach in the same train as the Pullman cars, or on a less important train. The more ordinary coach trains were more numerous and stopped more often. Some people called them "accommodation" trains. In the Redwood Empire we had many dairies, and some local passenger trains handled the milk cans--transporting a perishable necessity to the cities. Passengers often referred to them with disgust as "milk trains". Stopping everywhere to shuffle milk cans tossed all possibility of a fast schedule right out the window. However, the milk trains sure beat walking from Podunk to Cow Hollow. The seats might have been hard but the cars were shiny with varnish: after all, coaches were PASSENGER equipment!
On the railroads, the Post Office and the express companies found the only viable transportation network. Trains provided swift and reliable connections to and from all points of any importance within the 48 states. If you plot a complex schedule for your railroad, R.P.O. connections should be addressed. Mail and express dollars supported many passenger trains, providing a good portion of income for many railroad lines. Why don't you include express and mail traffic, an important part of railroading that was, in your operating scenario for added interest?
Passenger trains were important and often the glamorous darlings of railroad management. However, at various times and places the philosophy of THINK SMALL took hold. Mixed trains with passenger and freight cars ion the same train ran, and still run even today, in many parts of the world. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge ran scheduled mixed trains for most of its life. S.P., U.P. and A.T.& S.F. ran mixed trains on light traffic branches. Often a combined coach-baggage-mail took the place of a caboose and the timetable said "Mixed" instead of "Frt".
When passenger service on a branch line was dying, a mixed train often extended service for a few additional years. This is just one of the many excuses you can use to sneak passenger and mail service onto your rails with a mixed train. THINK SMALL! With just one more car--a combine--you can add passenger, mail and express traffic to your operating sessions.
Run some VARNISH with a MIXED. How else can you reap so much extra fun from such a small investment of your time and money? The additional revenue from passengers, express and mail just might improve the operating ratio!
Bill Williams
(The Ancient One)
From April 1997
THINK SMALL II endorsed short line railroads as a prototype inspiration for our home layouts. Today’s essay will explore yet another facet of THINK SMALL: Narrow Gauge.
General Palmer’s Denver and Rio Grande proved the viability of three-foot gauge railroads. The mineral wealth of Colorado’s mountains was liberated by narrow gauge railroads. Towns seeking railroad connections at minimum cost saw the three-foot gauge as an answer to their prayers. If a town was not on a river or a good harbor, a railroad was the only ticket to growth. Narrow gauge provided a connection to the outside world for fewer dollars. For a time the THINK SMALL concept influenced many railroad promoters and builders.
In California, the Southern Pacific was greedy. Farmers near San Luis Obispo complained that rail freight to tidewater for a sack of grain was more than the cost of the ocean trip from San Francisco to London. They built a narrow gauge, the Pacific Coast Railway, from the little port of Avila to their valley. San Francisco Bay had the North Pacific Coast, the Sonoma Valley Railroad and the South Pacific Coast--all built to three-foot gauge. The Colusa dn Lake had great plans in the valley. In the Sierras, little trains ran on the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, the Sierra Valley, the Diamond and Caldor and the Westside. On the east side of the mountains, the Nevada-California-Oregon pushed three-foot gauge rails to the north and the Carson and Colorado climbed over Montgomery Pass looking for rich mines to the south. Six of these slim gauges lasted long enough for me to walk their narrow track. Perhaps you can name a few more narrow gauge railroads that ran in California.
Narrow gauge trains often shared facilities with standard gauge. The N.W.P. was dual gauge out of Sausalito. Narrow gauge steam shared four-rail track with standard gauge electric and steam trains. Also, the Russian River area had both standard and narrow gauge. Sometimes they shared the same ties.
A narrow gauge prototype fits our THINK SMALL concept. Engines, cars and trains are smaller. Visit the railroad museum in Sacramento: stand next to a standard-gauge car, and then walk up to a narrow-gauge version of the same car--you feel bigger. Your layout room or modules will accommodate more narrow gauge railroad than standard gauge. Narrow gauge makes out eyes sparkle when we THINK SMALL. A big plus is that you get to decide: narrow gauge can be a small part, a large part, or all of your layout.
I THINK SMALL. The three-foot guage Willow Creek Railway is a conspicuous part of my home layout. My Bodega Roundhouse has four rails on the turntable, the fuel track and two roundhouse stalls. Two of the field tracks are Hon3. The Bodega freight house has HO track on the south side and Hon3 track on the north. The Willow Creek Railway’s narrow track is part of the Bodega Yard.
Narrow gauge rails leave Bodega on the three-rail first leg of the Knob Hill Switchback. However, the Hon3 track goes on across Otter Creek and through a tunnel to Glen where a Hon3 switchback descends to the 3M smelter. On the other side of Magic Mountain, a turnout provides access to Canyon and the Magic Mountain Mine. (The narrow gauge enjoys the same "loads and empties" game as the standard gauge, with interesting trackwork as a bonus.) In true narrow gauge fashion, the W.C. Ry.’s main line climbs around Magic Mountain at 3-1/2% on a 23-inch radius. Eventually the W.C. Ry. will extend its track to a small loop terminal at Willow Creek (in the closet) to attain point-to-point operation--Bodega to Willow Creek.
With dual gauge track and the mantra of SMALLER engines, cars, trains and Radius, you can add a lot of operating fun in your limited space if you THINK SMALL. Why not sample narrow gauge? Mixed gauge trackwork is fun. Are you interested? Let’s talk.
The ancient one,
Bill Williams
(See you in Napa where they THINK BIG!)
From Jan 97
Turning the clock back to an earlier era was the focus of our last THINK SMALL. I was happy to read articles in the Railroad Model Craftsman’s September thru December 1996 issues singing the same song. Now we will move on to another facet of THINK SMALL.
Look to the short-line railroad for prototype inspiration. Trains are shorter. Yards are smaller and facilities occupy less real estate - a better fit for your limited layout space.
What short-line? I’ll name a few: California Northern, Cal.-Western, McCloud, Sierra, and Yreka Western. Short-lines are safer to visit and more friendly towards rail fans, Trains tend to run one at a time. Employees are usually friendly. Explain your mission to one member of the crew and ten minutes later another crew member will great you with a wave and a smile.
Your railroad need not be a part of the Union Pacific or the Santa Fe; why not a short line? We R.E.D. members can look to our DON CABRALL for a splendid example to follow. His Hessel and Lone Pine is a short line railroad inspired by local geography and the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad. Whenever we have layout tours the H.& L.P. is a star attraction. DON dared to THINK SMALL: his railroad is a very short line. His buildings are small. His small engines pull short trains. The time period is some sixty years ago. The H. & L.P. proves the worth of THINKING SMALL.
Does the ancient one practice what he preaches? My wish to see B.W.RR. on the side of a box car has triggered many happy hours in a 14’x 29’ room once used for sleeping. The railroad is a short-line in mountainous country. The era is the 1920’s. (However, we do cheat at times.)
A yard and engine terminal are at one end of the room. A short main line feeds a staging loop that can hold four trains. This defines the layout as terminal to loop. A turnout off the main serves an industry track to Flamo Oil, the 3M Smelter, Fly-by-night Industries and a team track. Also there is the switchback line up Knob Hill with 4% and 5% grades. (Remember, the General Manager is addicted to shays and other geared engines.)
Trains of empty log cars take the Hill Line to the woods (really a staging track) and return from the mill via the Main Line. Loaded log cars take the Main Line to the mill (another stage track) and come down from the woods via the Hill Line.
The layout has no mill or logging area. But! the Shays emerge from the Main Line tunnel with empty log cars to drag up Knob Hill switchbacks to the woods. Logs come down the switchback on the way to the mill hidden at the other end of the Main Line tunnel. Hidden track and staging provide log train operations with a minimum use of space.
There is more: remember the 3 M Smelter? The Magic Mountain Mine (count the M’s) connects with the Hill Line via the canyon switchback. We have empties in at the mine and out at the smelter or loads in at the smelter and out at the mine. Geared engines have both logs and ore to shuffle up and down the switchbacks.
Switchbacks are prototypical. Examples: Angel’s Camp branch of the Sierra or McCloud or Big Trees & Felton. We THINK SMALL railroaders enjoy the justification for short trains and more operation per foot of wall.
Variety is the mane of the game on the Bodega Western. Main Line freight and passenger trains between Bodega and the staging loops can provide operating fun. Add a bit of extra switching and the action becomes intense. Bring in a friend or two. Run ore trains and log trains. Then the poor devil working the Bodega yard will really sweat. Fortunately, the timing and complexity of traffic is optional.
Following the rules of "THINK SMALL", the concept is short-line, hilly terrain, and 1920’s era. The mine and smelter justify ore cars (really short). The ancient one’s B.W.RR. uses a small amount of space for a varied and interesting measure of operation in that spare bedroom now devoted to trains.
There are more facets to the THINK SMALL concept but we will share them at another time.
The Ancient One,
BILL WILLIAMS
From Oct. 96
Have you felt the ground shake as raw power moved tons of train? The WOW! factor of train watching. Face it, we rail fans feel a real high when we stand beside the noisy thumping tonnage of a working locomotive.
With ties at $15.00 each and 1000-gallon fill-ups, the real thing is unbelievably expensive, beyond and family budget. Besides the neighbors would object if we had a full-size locomotive in our yard. We find solace in the hobby called MODEL RAILROADING.
The word "model" has several meanings. Confessing an avid interest in "models" can put a young man into serious trouble with his wife or girl friend. Always be certain that your words are understood. Hobbyist jargon can confuse normal people. Quoting our common scales of 1:160, 1:87, 1:64, 1:48, or 1:22.5 usually saves the endangered hobbyist from physical damage. So, we train enthusiasts survive with our SMALL replicas of real trains.
There are many debates about the relative merits of N vs. HO
vs. O vs. G scales but all are SMALL models of the real thing.
However, "model" can mean style or type.
We can model a particular kind of railroad and/or a specific time
period, This is where THinking Small can be a real plus. Our
dreams and ambitions almost always exceed the available space. We
must THINK SMALL to shrink our grand visions into the square feet
we can arrange to acquire.
100 years ago locomotives were usually 4-4-0 or 2-6-0. A 2-8-0 was BIG. Freight cars 30 and 34 feet long were normal. Businesses came in small sizes that fit in SMALL buildings. Short trains were common. Speed was reckoned with the horse's pace in mind, not the jet pace of today.
If you model in an era that is historic, let us count the pluses.
1. The research can add a whole new facet to your hobby.
2. Your railroad can be different or even unique.
3. Structures can be smaller and still look right with your trains.
4. Passenger cars can be open platformers. This avoids the diaphragm headaches, uncoupling troubles, plus derailments at curves and turnouts.
5. As we go back in time, cars and engines are smaller. Also trains have fewer cars and run slower. This makes our space starved empire seem larger.
6. Historic facts are often fuzzy. The club expert, who announces with disdain that your beautiful kit-bash has a 24 inch fan when that number series was upgraded to 36 inch at the last rebuild, will be frustrated. You will be modeling a time period unknown to that "grand poobah". No one can be certain when the crosshead pump on engine 219 was replaced with and injector, Careful, you must not be pushy about your expertise.
7. A hundred years ago railroad equipment was simple. Locomotive boilers had only a few external pipes. Boxcars, flats and gondolas were products of frugal craftsmen working with readily available materials. Modeling a less complex prototype might relax your tensions. Isn't a hobby supposed to be fun?
"But," you say, "could I model a historic time period?"
The answer is an absolute yes. The steam-diesel transition period is historic and very popular. The covered-wagon diesels pulled trains of 40-foot boxcars. Two bay hoppers were common. LCL freight was a viable source of revenue. Freights yielded to passenger trains that carried the mail and stopped every-where. Because the transitional era is so popular; a generous assortment of cars, locomotives, and prototype information is available. Join this crowd and you will fit more train into your available space.
Turn the clock back a few more years and look at the N.W.P. or the V & T of 1920 or 1930. Locomotives are smaller and cars are shorter. Presto! the layout seems BIGGER. Equipment is available in plastic, ready-to-run or kits, even brass is you wish. Modeling a specific prototype is possible. A generic railroad of 65 or 75 years ago is easy to model. The possibilities extend for 130 years when we look back in time. THINK SMALL and your garage or layout room expands when you se the clock back 50 or 75 years. The Virginia and Truckee RR changed only slightly from 1880 to 1930. A good broad time target for your historic era. There are many neat historic prototypes out there to guide you. Take a relaxed look. Explore the possibilities. 1
Choosing a time period that fits more railroading into your available space is only one facet of THINKING SMALL.
If your editor permits, future CALLBOARDS will explore other ways to expand our model railroad pleasures by
THINKING SMALL.
The ancient one -
BILL WILLIAMS
1. RMC, Sept. p. 82-90 & Oct. p. 80-91 is a sample.
From July 96
Some people say that affection for Shays is an affliction. Let's investigate: we know that railfans and model railroaders are the most likely victims. A fascination with steam-powered equipment and visible mechanical motion is evident. These people usually show great interest in logging and mining railroads. Added interest is provided by the many curves and steep grades required to conquer difficult terrain at minimum cost. That is where Shays ran.
Unlike most diseases, Shay fever is not debilitating. To the contrary, those with the fever can be very enthusiastic and eager to spread the word. The strongest exposure to Shay fever is when you ride behind one at Felton or Fish Camp or Georgetown. A video may infect you; or a model Shay may be all that is required.
Are you susceptible to Shay fever? There is a profile: do you want your model railroad to be a bit different? Can you accept a step backward in time? Are you willing to search a bit to get what you want? Can you enjoy a bit of tinkering with the mechanism of a model? Are you really crowded for space? Is small to medium steam on of your interests? Each affirmative answer adds to your susceptibility rating.
Can you treat this feverish desire for a Shay? You sure can! Beautiful models of various size Shays are available in all scales. Model Shays tend to be pricey but that is the nature of treats--strawberries cost more than turnips. Some of the available Shay models are bare brass. Painting can be a terrifying experience, but I know of non-fatal heart attacks caused by the procedure. In HO scale the model die casting kits have been available for years at a price that will fit most budgets. Recognize that Shays operate solo--not in 3- or 5-unit lashups like SD-9s or Black Widows. It is not necessary to buy a fleet of Shays: one is sufficient and two is an indulgence. (I confess to buying six Shays, to run on three different gauges, between 1969 and 1985; but this was pure addiction, not necessity.)
What are the advantages that make owning a Shay an enjoyable experience? For one thing: Shays, by nature, move slowly. There are all those mechanical parts moving and jiggling on the outside where you can see them as the engine moves along. Two- or three-car trains were common when Shays powered the trains. 6% and 7% grades did not terrify Shays in the real world: the flexible Shay lived happily in a world of rough tracks, steep grades, sharp curves and shaky trestles. Working in reverse was also very common as Shays pulled the loads over track that often was temporary.
For the modeler, this means that one or two modules or a tiny home layout are sufficient for some interesting operations. The short trains and steep grades make more railroading possible in less space. My 20-ton HO Shay, purchased 27 years ago, still pulls a four-car train up a 7% grade with nary a whimper.
A bit of Shay fever may give you a warm glow. If a geared steamer really makes your eyes glisten, then we should talk about the V-2 Heisler and the two different flavors of Climax locomotives. There is the "A" climax with the cylinders in the cab and the "B" with slanting cylinders on the side of the boiler. This hobby certainly has variety!
See you at the next meeting--
DO YOU GANDY DANCE?
We are model railroaders. Our trains run on a road of rails. We started with flex track or perhaps sectional track. With weathering and careful ballasting, the flex track yields a right-of-way with a very satisfactory look. However, you may find a lot more enjoyment while extending those tracks if you get closer to the fundamentals of rails and tie.
Spiking rails to wood ties builds track just like the real railroads build theirs. You should try this. The general manager of a railroad (that’s you) will receive more respect from ordinary railroaders if he can drive a spike home without smashing his foot. To build model track the old fashioned way, you will need ties, spikes, rail and tools. A track gauge or two, a N.M.R.A. Gauge and needle nose pliers, plus perhaps a tiny drill, a nail set and a small hammer, are the tools required to do the job. Try it. You may find a new source of fun.
When you master the art of "gandy dancing" model track for your trains; the next step beckons. Turnouts and crossings look frightening at first but there is help. We N.M.R.A. members have an excellent guidebook. Standard S-3 plus Recommended Practices RP-2, RP-10, RP-12, and RP-13 provide all the information we need to build dependable turnouts and crossings. Even more information is on Data Sheets D3e, D3f .01 and .05.
You may build your first turnout three times before all the wheels stay off the ties all the time, but the buttons on your vest will be strained when you attain success and confidence. Hey, building turnouts is fun!!
The THINK SMALL mantra is a mixed blessing when building turnouts. Code 40 or 55 rail is easy to bend and file, but there is scant space to be shared by spike-head and wheel flange. The heads of my best spikes measured 2 1/2" by 1" thick in HO scale.(See Figure A.)
Some of us glue rails to the ties- often with pliobond and a soldering iron. I mix a few printed circuit board ties in with the wood ties. Then I solder the rails to the P.C. ties. Soldering, like gluing, eliminates the problems of split ties and spike heads that bump flanges. Also, the rail is still firmly attached after the fourth tweaking of position.
If you want a sneaky, low risk, approach to building your own special trackwork, you might try a point derail. (See figure B). This is a common bit of trackwork that is seldom modeled. You have only one point to file and no frog at all to worry about. With a Point Derail you can protect your mainline from an errant car that could stray past the fouling point and be a hazard to trains on the main. The management prefers a stray car in the ballast to a wreck!
Another easy bit of different trackwork is the stub turnout. The frog is standard, but you bend the rails to route the train down the other track. (See Figure C).
There are no tapered points to file. Stubs work fine when we use lighter rails. During the 1800’s stub turnouts were the standard. The slang expression "bend the iron" means to throw the turnout. The rails were really bent from main to siding. Stub turnouts are a cinch to build once you feel confident about making a frog. If you hate pushing a file, buy a cast frog; but do try a stub turnout.
Look at figure D. Then think about a 3-way stub turnout compared to a 3-way with points. The historic technique of stub turnouts gives you an easy way to try your hand at building interesting trackwork. Your railroad can be a bit different when you build trackwork not available at the local hobby shop.
The stub turnout with light rail eliminates the frightening problem of pivoting those pesky points. However, if you must be modern, an easy path is available. With P.C. board ties the whole point assembly can move with one point rail flexing and the other sliding a millimeter or so in a loose rail jointer. I filed the foot of the flex rail a bit for easier bending and used this method with code 100 rail in an HO #4 turnout. It works !
Shuss- do not tell the nitpickers - since 1986 all of my turnouts built wit code 70 and code 55 rail have no slip joints or pivots. Trains find no pesky dead spots thru the turnouts. The rails are always hot. The Ancient One builds turnouts with minimum challenge to his limited mechanical skills. The rails bend when I throw a turnout. Some turnouts have mechanical rodding and some have electric motor drives. My Atlas and Shinohara turnouts have gremlins that come and go, but the homemade critters just do the job. Give the easy method a try. Be frugal. Be lazy.
Until next time, when we delve into mixed gauge, do some Gandy Dancing on your pike.
Bill Williams — The Ancient One
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| Figure A | Figure B | Figure C |
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| Figure D | Figure E A.-Throwbar soldered to points B.- P.C. Tie soldered to outer rails C.- P.C. Tie soldered to all rails. D.- This rail flexes. E.- Loose rail joiner |
WILL YOU GANDY DANCE WHERE THE TOAD DRAWS TO A FROG?
Did you build some track work and perhaps a derail or a turnout since the last CALLBOARD hit your desk? I hope some of you operators were tempted to try your hand at Gandy Dancing.
I have no connection to Railroad Model Craftsman. However, the track building feature in their May issue offers a great deal more detail to assist you with your Gandy Dancing. I was delighted to find the backup for my sermon. Rick Fortin provides pictures, detailed instructions, lists of suppliers and a formal approach to track modeling. My methods are more laid back and relaxed, but the common aim is to encourage you to build some track. If building turnouts and other special trackwork is now a bit less frightening, I can smile and throw more temptations your way.
First, a question needs an answer. This is how power can be routed thru a turnout built on P.C. ties. [See Fig. F]
(You electrical wizards may skip the next paragraph)
Two insulated gaps are cut thru the point rails near the frog. The point rails are at the same potential as their adjacent stock rails. Hence, there is no blue fire as the train rolls thru the turnout. (DCC fans please note) the Frog and attached rails are connected to the desired outer rail via a SPDT switch actuated by the throwbar or thru contacts of the turnout motor unit. The desired path thru the turnout has both + and – while the closed path has the same potential on both rails and is therefor dead. There are other ways to power the rails thru a turnout. This is just a simple method that works. The wonderful K.I.S.S. principle.
Now on to another set of joys to be found while building track for your railroad empire. I hope the THINK SMALL virus has tempted you to try a bit of narrow gauge. When we mix two gauges on the same ties some very interesting trackwork is possible.
The simple joining of narrow gauge and standard gauge into three-rail tracks looks like a turnout, but requires no moving parts. [See Fig. G] You could use a moving point on the common rail but it is not necessary at the joining of the gauges. Like he big railroads, we take the simple path.
A narrow gauge’s departure from three-rail track can be simple to build or a bit more complex. If the Narrow gauge turns off to its own side of the three-rail the trackwork is simple [See fig. H] Exiting to the other side of the three-rail introduces the frog’s country cousin, Mr. Toad. {See Fig. I]
You may build narrow gauge turnouts off the three-rail or standard gauge. [See Fig. J] Single gauge turnouts off dual gauge track keep the yard crew alert.
With Frogs and Toads hopping around in your head, you may be ready to build a dual gauge turnout. [See Fig. K} This is just a combination of Figs. I and J so I drew it as a stub turnout. (Stubs are a neat variation). Dazzle your friends. Take your time. Use those NMRA gauges. When you follow the NMRA practices and standards, your trains will not crease your ties.
You say dual gauge turnouts are too stressful? Then build a Draw [See Fig. L]. The Draw does its shifty little trick with no moving parts. A draw works as slick as eels in oil if wheels and track meet the NMRA standards. I have two on my layout.
The Draw is a sneaky way to avoid a Toad, look back at Figs. H and I. It is an absolute necessity when you build a dual gauge wye. [See Fig. M]
If you can’t find the turnout you want in the catalogs, build your own. Why compromise your design? Track building is included in the hobby of Model Railroading. Try it! You might enjoy the adventure.
Bill Williams (The Ancient One)
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| Figure F | Figure G |
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| Figure H | Figure I |
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| Figure J | Figure K |
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| Figure L | Figure M |
ARE YOU CONFOUNDED BY COMPOUNDING?
The THINK SMALL mantra is useful when we choose and era for our railroad empire. If we slip back in time, buildings that house viable businesses are smaller and railroad cars are shorter. The small buildings require less layout space. Short cars look better on short curves dictated by restricted layout space. The case for a period railroad is strong. However, when your model railroad is set back in time, you are preserving history and this carries and obligation. Small details should not be lost by neglect or ignorance. All of us know to keep TV antennas and dishes off roof of houses when we model an earlier time. Animal power for road transport tells is that the era modeled is sixty or more years back The outhouse or privy and vintage automobiles are other time clues on layouts. During the 1880's air brake equipment became standard for freight cars. "K" brakes were rare after World Word II, "A-B" brakes were the norm. These time clues are important but there are other bits of history we can preserve.
We steam buffs collect Big Boys, Eight Wheelers and the geared engines: Climax, Heisler and Shay. Compound steam locomotives have been neglected. They are the steamers with high and low-pressure cylinders. By 1900 about half the steam locomotives in Europe were compound. The Europeans were more willing than the Americans to trade high maintenance expenses for lower fuel consumption; but our railroads were always interested in saving a buck or two. Also, compound locomotives have an advantage when starting a heavy train. High-pressure steam can be fed to all cylinders for more power to get the train started. When the train is rolling the steam is switched to compound running for better efficiency. (Lower fuel costs per ton-mile) In the west the compound's small thirst was an advantage. (The same steam pushed two pistons before it whooshed up the stack) The Sante Fe had miles of track thru deserts. They ran a varied fleet of interesting compound locomotives. There were even locomotives with flexible joints in the boilers -- Yes, the boiler barrels really bent in the middle, wow! They were 2-6-6-2's numbers 157 thru 1159 and 1170 and 1171.
Compound Steam locomotives were built to several designs, but all two-stage boats had complex three and four stage versions of compounding. Three cylinder compound locomotives with and inside connected high pressure cylinder set on the centerline exhausting steam to both outside cylinders were stinkers to maintain - too many heavy moving parts between the frames.
Figure A
Baldwin pushed the Vauclain design with high pressure/low pressure cylinder combinations powering a common crosshead on each side. (Narrow gauge fanatics know that K-27's were built as Vauclains)
Figure B
Two Cylinder cross-compounds (some times called Player compounds) were common with the big low pressure cylinder normally on the right side (the engineer's side)
Figure C
During the 1890's the Southern Pacific added many cross compound 4-6-0"s, 2-8-0's and 4-8-0's to the roster. The Sacramento shops developed and automatic valve that switched from "simple" to compound when the engine speed reached 10 to 15 miles per hour. That may be why some of the 4-8-0's were still working as compounds into the 1930's. The automatic valve eliminated a major defect - the absent minded engineer who forgot to switch from "simple" to "compound"
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Figure A |
Figure B |
Figure C |
Figure D |
Figure D
The Drivers near the cab are powered by the high pressure cylinders and the big low pressure cylinders are on the smokebox end of the boiler where they "whoosh" wet steam up the smokestack. Many logging mallets carried on as compounds until the last gasp of steam railroading in the woods. Southern Pacific's famous cabforwards were mallet compounds at the beginning. The 2-6-6-2's MM 1's and MM 2's were built during 1910 and 1911 for passenger service over Donner Pass. The conversion to 4-6-6-2 came early in their service life. For freight over the hill there were the MC 1, 2, 4, and 6 series built from 1909 thru 1913 as 2-8-8-2's. In the Redwood Empire we had compound of the most common articulated design with large low pressure cylinders for the rear set. Trojan and Sampson on the Casper South Fork & Eastern and No. 46 on the California Western were all "Mallet" 2-6-6-2's.
If Colorado says mountain railroading to you then look at pictures of trains on the Moffet Road before 1928 when the tunnel bypassed the 4% grade over Rollins Pass. Mallet compound 2-6-6-0's pushed and pulled freight over the hill in fair weather and blizzards. When you thumb thru the pictures, notice the BIG front Cylinders. They used second hand steam for compound power. Those oversize low pressure cylinders tell a story. That engine was different. Compounding was an epoch along the time curve of steam locomotive efficiency. Superheated steam, faster trains, and rising labor costs pushed the design in discard but the era of the compound steam locomotive should not be forgotten,
Next time I will get more specific. We will explore the THINK SMALL approach to preserving the era of compound steam with our models.
Have fun. Run trains. Bill Williams. The Ancient One.
Think Small XI From the November 1998 CALLBOARD
Compound With Two or Just One
The September column ended with a promise to link our models to the era of compound steam. For starters I'll tell you about B.W. No. 801.
After slavering over countless pictures of locomotives with big cylinders, I visited a hobby shop - dangerous move. There was an old kit, Mantua #525. Mantua's articulated have 52 inch drivers. With their HO flanges they look like 55 inch, a good driver for drag service on the steep grades so common to model railroads. BUT, Mantua's diemakers are not a fan of compound steam. My glasses fogged and there were BIG front cylinders.
Should I scratch new front cylinders? Would a SMALL alteration avoid a large amount of work? Heck. It shouldn't be too difficult to fatten the kit’s cylinder casting a bit. I settled for a seven-inch increase in diameter. If I do this again the girth will grow by ten or twelve inches, not seven. Kit-bashing is a flexible occupation. C.S.F.& E's Samsom had cylinders 13 and 20 inches in diameter but she was a tiny engine. My problem is that I think Small.
Adding seven inches to diameter translates to three and a half inches of added thickness or 0.040 inches in HO Scale. Styrene scraps 0.020 and 0.010 thick were available. Preserving my membership in the KISS club (Keep it Simple Stupid) the plan of Fig. A evolved.
Round disks of 0.020 styrene were cut 0.060 greater in diameter than the front cylinders. The rear disk for each cylinder required a bit of cut and fit. ACC attached the disks to the cylinders. Next, filler strips of 0.020" styrene about 0.1" wide were ACCed to the casting between the disks. The next step was to apply a wrapper. Strips of 0.010 styrene were cut as wide as the filler strips were long. A warm bath and a roll over a dowel let me fit the wrap tin place and cut it to fit. Not high tech, but it worked. ACC at the zamac junction, MEK to bond the styrene plus finger pressure for a short while put the first layer of wrap in place. The second layer was easier. The bond was continuous styrene to styrene and my fingers were more experienced. After the assembly had plenty of time to dry, I applied plastic putty as required to fill out the job. Pictures of the big cylinders on engines with several years of service were my guide. A few nicks with a number eleven blade gave my revision a prototypical beat-up appearance. With putty, sandpaper and patience you can get the look you want.
I held my chassis modification to the front cylinders, replacing the pilot truck and cutting down the oversize flanges of the trailing truck. The superstructure cried out for a bashing and I yielded to temptation. The cab now has a B.W. RR look. Steam pipes were relocated. A bell, whistle and pops of brass were substituted. Injector piping and sand plugs were added. The tender was converted to oil and new metal wheel sets were installed. All this kit bashing was a lot of fun, but certainly not required to preserve the history of compounding during the age of steam. Feel free to set your own limits, but do think about having at least one compound engine in your roundhouse. Variety is one of the plusses found when we model steam locomotives.
You would prefer an easier path to placing a sample of compound steam in your roundhouse? Think back to my ranting in the last CALLBOARD. Remember the "Player" or cross compound? When compounding was popular, the railroads purchased lopsided locomotives with BIG low pressure cylinders on the right side and small high pressure cylinder on the left side. Ten-wheelers and twelve-wheelers with arrangement were common.
Mantua's Pettycoat junction 4-6-0 and its TYCO spin-off may be the most common low-cost HO steamer in the used marketplace. There was even a 4-8-0 version some twenty or so years ago. For $20.00 or less at a train show or a flea market, you can acquire the basis of a compound steamer for your railroad. You need to fatten only ONE cylinder. Remember, the BIG one is on the engineer's side.
The old TYCO cries out for kit bashing. Think about changing the cab. Certainly you will want a new bell. Perhaps new safety valves (pops) and pipes for water, sand and air. The headlight is a bit of a chore - your call. Think about a tender swap when planning your improvements for power pickup. With an investment of creative hobby time you will have a unique locomotive. When your friends point to the cylinders that do not match, tell them about the era of compound steam on America's railroads. Preserve a bit of history. Amaze your friends. Taste the joy of kit bashing. THINK SMALL and change just the cylinder or go wild.
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Figure A |
Figure B |
Have fun.
This is a hobby to enjoy.
Bill Williams The Ancient One
Think Small XII -- "The TURNIP - A Turnout That Isn't" -- From Jan 99 CALLBOARD
The TURNIP - A Turnout That Isn't
I wondered what to call it. It was a long time ago. The Hobby Mafia leaned on me. I did not forget. That bit of trackage in the Switchyard that routes the Switcher from on track to another when actuated by a Switchmachine as we do a job of Switching is called a TURNOUT. Turnouts have points or stub rails that move. The critter featured in this column is a junction where one track branches to two tracks. It is not the arrangement where dual gauge track splits into separate broad and narrow gauge tracks. Ordinary two-rail track forks to two tracks of the same gauge, but there are no moving parts except the train.
Many years ago I read of this critter in a magazine. A fuzzy memory says, since it is not quite a switch, it is called a "SWOOZE". However, to stay closer to hobby standards, I will call this critter, which is not quite a turnout, a TURNIP. The turnip functions like a spring switch -oops- I mean a spring turnout, but there are no moving parts.
Figure A
The TURNIP is built like an ordinary point turnout with this difference: The point rails do not move. They are fixed in place. The point rails are also a bit shorter than normal with their point a flangeway distant from the stock rail. How do the wheels cross the gap at the point a flangeway distant from the stock rail? As always, we must follow the standards. For HO gauge the minimum flangeway is .050 inches. The narrow code 88 wheel has a tread width of .063 inches. That .013 or .030 inch difference is our savior. The narrow wheel superscale modelers need a flange plate at the point to make the TURNIP work, but we common folk are spared the fuss.
Now look again at the drawing. If all wheels are biased toward rail "A" then all left to right traffic will go to "A". If rail "B" is the favored rail (move guard rail "G" to side "B") then all left to right traffic will go to "Y". The key to success is to make certain that wheels always bear against the desired rail. Centrifugal force or gravity provide bias toward one rail. If rail "B" is perhaps a millimeter higher than rail "A", all wheels on the lower rail will kiss rail "A" with their flanges. The train will exit the TURNIP via path "X". The guardrail at "G" is for insurance - like wearing a belt and suspenders. The tilt of the track should extend at least a foot along the approach to the TURNIP. If you run 4-10-2s or 90-foot cars, tilt the track at least two feet before the turnip. Also, centrifugal force pushes wheels to the outer rail on curves. If you have a curve on the approach to your Turnip, make certain that both centrifugal and gravitational forces are working in your favor.
A TURNIP requires careful construction and wheels that conform to standards, but it can be quite useful. Passing sidings on trolley layouts will conform to prototype. The old interurban and street railways had lots of spring turnouts. We can save the cost and hassle of two switch machines and simplify operation if we use Turnips when we add a true passing siding to the layout.
Figure B
A return loop is another good place to use a Turnip. My TURNIP is at the entrance to a hidden loop of HOn2 1/2 track. The approach is via a curve so both natural forces are working for me. There are no wheels on the ties when half-ounce flat cars are pushed ahead of the locomotive. A teen-age neighbor boy had no problems running his Christmas "N" gauge train thru my TURNIP. The absence of moving parts makes me happy - less chance for trouble. If it doesn't move it won't get out of whack.
In the next issue of the CALLBOARD we will examine some electrical tricks that you can apply to a wye and a loop when you use a TURNIP. If there is interest, I will bring a sample Turnip to a future R.E.D. meeting for "Show and Tell".
Bill Williams - The Ancient One
Think Small XIII From the March 1999 CALLBOARD
More about the TURNIP, that "whatzit" that is almost a TURNOUT.
The last THINK SMALL introduced you to the TURNIP - a most useful device for model railroaders that somehow has been forgotten. The esteemed Kalmbach Memorial Library of the NMRA searched their files but found no mention of these equivalents to spring turnouts that do the job without the fuss and bother of moving parts. The K.I.S.S. principle again.
When we introduced you to the TURNIP, I mentioned a "flange plate" but did not include it in my fig. A. Flange plates are not always needed. I now have three functional TURNIPS built to HO gauge that have no flange plates. My code 110 wheelsets meeting S-4 and RP-25 have a wide enough tread width to span the gap between stock rail and point. If your wheels are stylishly skinny or you cut your point rails a bit short, the wheel's flange will be needed to carry the axle across the gap. Adding flange plates to a TURNIP reduces critical clearance problems and yields a more forgiving design. Figures C and D should make this more understandable. Figure C also shows the electrical gaps needed for ordinary two-rail power feed.
The passing siding is a good place to think about TURNIPS. You garden railroaders can forget about sand and slugs jamming those points. Just flush off the right-of-way with the garden hose and those battery powered and radio controlled trains can pass at the siding under the Juniper bush. We ordinary folk who power our trains via the two-rail system must think about right rail positive and where we should cut gaps in the rails to avoid problems. I will add the simple diode to the mix. The diode (an electrical check valve) is an inexpensive and very useful device. Make friends with the diode.
Figure E shows a passing siding with the TURNIPS biased toward the left-hand rail. On each passing track only the right hand rail can receive positive power. (The diodes stop negative power.) A train approaching the passing siding will e directed to the left by the TURNIP and have block power until power pickup is lost at the stopping section. If block polarity is not changed, the train will proceed when the push button is pushed. If a meet is scheduled, the first train waits. Block polarity is reversed to permit train two to approach the passing siding from the opposite direction. This train is also directed to the left and proceeds to its stopping section. An alert operator throttles back while approaching the stopping section. With the two trains stopped side by side, the operator (you) sets the block polarity for the favored train, advances the throttle and pushes the "start" button. The favored train proceeds. The other train has positive power on both sets of wheels so it just sits there waiting for the block to be set for the other direction and for you to push the start button. Trains will not move off a stopping section if the block polarity is not correct for them to move forward. With TURNIPS you have a passing siding that can hold trains in both directions and the only moving part (potential trouble source) is a push button. You DCC folk still have an advantage but not much.
The return loop is another bit of trackwork where a TURNIP can be most helpful. Conventional wiring calls for an extra reversing switch. Figure F shows a simple way to wire your return loop using just two diodes, one button to push, two non critical gaps, and of course, the oh-so-handy TURNIP.
Trains traverse the loop of figure F in a clockwise direction and lose power at the stopping section. After block power has been reversed, the push button provides power to the stop section and the train may return from the loop. The magic is the NMRA standard: The train moves forward on a positive right hand rail.
Add extra contacts to the push button and collect a bonus.
See figure G.
Those extra contacts on a push switch can make you look like an electrical wizard. The train proceeds until it reaches the stopping section at a red signal. If you are alert and ease the throttle on approach the illusion improves. When you provide correct polarity to the block and THEN push the button, your audience sees the train wait at the signal, then proceed on green.
If you were at the January meeting you saw my TURNIP wye operating. That was the "show"; the next THINK SMALL will be the "tell".
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Bill Williams – The Ancient One