Actioned tonight:
Outstanding Actions for current phase:
Actioned tonight:
See yesterdays blog for lists of outstanding actions.
Tonight’s Action: Working on Power District (PD) 3 being the RG main line from Denver to the Moffat Tunnel on Module 8+7
Action Problems:
On going Action:
Tonight’s Action: Working on Power District (PD) 3 being the RG main line from Denver to the Moffat Tunnel on Module 8+7
Wired all 6 of the block occupancy LEDs on control panel that are linked to the BD20s.
All worked except T407.
Battery in CAB 02 appears to have failed.
Going forward: The clear yellow LEDs display much better than at first thought. Clear yellow LEDs should be swapped for all of the normal yellow LEDs used for turnout direction in the control panel for Module 8+7.
Tonight’s Action
Fixed P305 Turnout. Problems found:
Swapped P302 yellow for clear yellow LED. Looks ok but not worth swapping any more.
PD3 on Module 8+7 Action still required
Working on Power District (PD) 3 being the RG main line from Denver to the Moffat Tunnel on Module 8+7
Previous completed work on PD3 on Module 8+7
Next Action on PD3 on Module 8+7
At last I have finished laying all of the main line trackage and joined the east and west track at Bond as can be seen in the last picture. This is the Rio Grande main line from Denver through the Flatirons, past Pinecliff siding, though the Moffat Tunnel and on past Winter Park, Grandby and Kremmling to the Gore Canyon and Bond.
I now have to connect all of the feeder wires to the tracks. The point motors are already wired as I do that as I go. However I still need to connect the point motor wires to the front of the layout for easy connection to a control panel. I am in the process of doing this wiring as I write.
The first section after North Yard is what I call The Flatirons Module (actually modules 7 & 8 — see first photo below) and I have already created a control panel for that module. I plan to use that module as a test bed for not only wiring, but also scenery and signals. Once successful I will move on to the Winter Park and Grandby Module (module 11) followed by the Gore Canyon (already scenic-ed and wired) and Bond Module.
Then, with both the UP/CB&Q and D&RGW main lines in operation, it will be a case of working though the list of outstanding actions as published on the Layout Overview page of the main website at https://denversrailroads.com/DPoverview.htm. Note that the completed actions have been crossed out and that some changes have been made since first publishing the overview.
Note also that there is an updated version of the Denver’s RailRoads track plan after all of the photos.
A while ago I finished building the UP/CB&Q/AT&SF/C&S/ROCK main line North and East from Denver to the return loop at the end of the layout. By and large the track will be concealed from viewers by way of either a gully or a tunnel, so it is not very exciting, but its a way of moving trains in and out of staging (the return loop) for the Denver’s RailRoads listed.
However the main attraction is going to be the Denver & Rio Grande Western main line thru the Moffat Tunnel from Denver to Glenwood Springs. This line will provide passing sidings, industries and spectacular scenery, including the Flatirons, the Moffat Tunnel and Byers and Gore Canyons, together with mountain grades and eventually a branch to Craig.
Work recently commenced as can be seen in the following photographs.
That’s it for now. The next job is to lay a crossover ahead of Granby Station and spurs to the Granby Sawmill, Independent Propane Co and Granby Auto Parts, all existing industries that have decided to add a connection to the Rio Grande Railroad in order to improve the efficiency of their operations.
A while ago I decided to replace the East Denver Belt Line on Module 8 with the Rio Grande (D&RGW) main line from Denver to the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel which previously had been mainly hidden trackage. So far so good.
However, I really did want to keep the industries of The East Denver Belt Line (aka Northwestern Terminal Railroad or NTR), a sprawling group of Denver industries between Utah Jct. at the north end of the D&RGW North Yard and Commerce City as can be seen in the map shown at Denver-Belt-Line-Map.pdf (denversrailroads.com). However, many of these industries were not established in the 1950’s and 60’s so I am really only concerned with those industries that were in existence back when Denver’s RailRoads is set (1947-1967), including:
In the event it was not too difficult a task as the Rio Grande North Yard is on the west side of Denver and the Union Pacific’s 36 St. Yard and Pulman Yard were on the east side. As the East Denver Belt Line ran from the west to the east planting these industries between the two made geographical sense and will create a natural scene divider. I had no choice but to use modelers license and extend the Belt Line, with three of the industries, into Burlington territory where there was some free real estate.
If you are familiar with Denver city, you will know that the CB&Q 38 St. Yard is also located between the D&RGW and UP yards. But apart from the lace of space it would be one yard too many for a model railroad. Consequently, the CB&Q will have to share space with subsidiary Colorado & Southern’s Rice Yard which in the 1950’s was located adjacent to Denver Union Station.
To view the latest “final” track plan go to document (denversrailroads.com).