C&S Leadville Branch line
Recording the progress of building the Denver’s RailRoads N Scale layout
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C&S Leadville Branch line
Industries
As indicated in my 24th May 2020 blog post I felt that having a Reefer based industry on the layout instead of a Timber based industry would be easier to operate and more in keeping with a small layout based on a railroad set in 1934. The significance of the year 1934 is that it was before 1937 when the use of “billboard” advertising on freight cars was banned by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and thereafter cars so decorated could no longer be accepted for interchange between roads. It was also a year after prohibition ended in 1933!
Unfortunately I could not find a meat packing industry that had existed in Leadville at any time, so I have had to invoke ‘modellers license’ and move the Mountain Meat Packing company from Craig to Leadville. So I have dropped the Smith Lumber company in favour of the Mountain Meat Packing company. I have also moved Acorn Petroleum Inc. to the shorter siding previously allocated to Smith Lumber company. Mountain Meat Packing will be represented by the Woodland Scenics “Clyde & Dale’s Barrel Factory” and placed on the long siding. This should allow for quite a few reefers, boxcars and stockcars. I have also removed the Resurrection Ore Mine as there really was no room for that industry and we already have a Hopper based mine at Climax. The new track arrangement is as follows:
Layout Operations
Trains need to be made up on the front 3 tracks and then be sent around the layout for a few laps and then brought into one of the sidings and switched accordingly. The train then makes a few more laps before going into staging and being reconfigured.
Colorado & Southern (C&S) Branch line to Leadville, CO
The Kato Test Track project is now the Colorado & Southern (C&S) Branch line to Leadville, CO. The original track plan has converted from Anyrail to CADRail and modified to include:
- A second crossover (from the outer loop back to the inner loop) which will improve operations 100%.
- A 150mm (6″) extension to the width increasing the layout size from 6′ x 2 1/2′ to 6′ x 3′ (1800mm x 900mm).
- On this extension will be built a crossover to two tracks – one for Leadville station and one for locomotive repair and storage.
This new track plan will enable me to add 3 – or maybe 4 – industries in addition to the Leadville station and loco facilities. These named industries have actually existed in Leadville in the past but other than the Climax
Molybdenum Mine, may not have had their own railway siding. The industries are:
- The Climax Molybdenum Mine
- Acorn Petroleum Inc.
- Smith Lumber Co.
- Resurrection Ore Mine (this is a maybe if it looks right)
These industries and Leadville station will generate a reasonable amount of traffic in lumber loads, tankcars and hoppers. Boxcars can be delivered to the Leadville siding for team track unloading. I am however thinking of swapping the Smith Lumber Co. industry for a stockcar and reefer based industry. Watch this space.
I have purchased all of the additional turnouts that I need to make the track alterations so work should start soon. Kato track is almost bullet proof but is expensive. Consequently I researched the pricing from the following model railroad stores:
- Hobbytech Toys, Perth – no postage but expensive
- Midwest Model Railroad, Independence, MO, USA – good Kato prices but $45USD postage put them out of the picture
- Aust-N-Rail, Victoria – $10.70AUD postage and $10 per turnout cheaper than Hobbytech clinched the deal. Arrived 5 days after placing the order.
To be continued.
The Kato Test Track project
Although Denver’s RailRoad’s cannot be put back together again before December at the earliest the Kato Test Track, described in my 20th May 2019 Blog post, is alive and well and after a quick rub with a Peco track cleaning block I was able to run a locomotive around the loop.
So as I have 6 months with no activity on the main layout I have decided to look to see if I can extend the layout into a workable railroad. The following photos show the layout as it is today.
The original trackplan, drawn in Anyrail and built as per the above photos, looked like this:
The Reality of Denver’s RailRoads new home
Although Denver’s RailRoads new home is built the home for my wife and two Boxer Dogs is still a fair way off. So this is what it now looks like inside:
My railway modules are in there – somewhere, along with a couple of hundred storage boxes and some furniture.
Furthermore, although the modules made the trip ok the adjustable plastic legs (see top photo below), which were strong enough to support the modules, were not strong enough to support the weight placed on top of the modules in the containers (see bottom photo below). That’s a big deal as I have no idea of how I am going to lift the modules and attach new extension legs. I may have to build new L girder supports and then detach the modules from their current L-girder supports and move them (with some help) over. I would like to raise the bench-work by about 4″ so that’s a strong probability.
