Page 17 - March April 2002

THE AMERICAN DREAM...
...in N-scale modules!
Rod Franklin (Black Diamonds N Scale Co-ordinator)
Every month we open our US railroad magazines and look longingly at large layouts winding through our US colleagues’ basements.
An unobtainable dream for most of us living in UK houses, but a dream that the Black Diamond Railroaders have brought to life in modular form to create America in N-Scale!
You have the chance to see this exciting railroad at the Black Diamond meet on Saturday 18 May.
With over 200 ft of modules, 6+ scale miles, long trains blend into the landscape and the landscape changes to fit the space available. In May the railroad will be based on the E-shape, which starred at last year’s convention. The heart of the Black Diamond Railroad is the mile long Shardlow Yard; from there trains head for the Keggie Wye where they branch off to either the East or West Division.
The West Division has 2 major sections, the Dove Valley Paper Mill based on mills in Oregon and Montana, and the mountains. To the East the railroad runs through towns, passes an oil refinery and other industrial areas including an intermodal yard. Each Division terminates in a 4 track yard.
Improve on the rule book...
Black Diamond railroaders believe that rules should be handrails not handcuffs. Taking the N-Trak standards as the guidelines, the Black Diamonds decided to adapt, innovate and improve on them. The key objectives being to:
a) Create a railroad that could be run realistically.
b) Make it linear, circle lines are for the metro!
c) Encourage large multi-board modules with merging landscapes.
d) Define 2-track module standards but still work with N-Trak modules.
The decision to create a linear railroad has played a major part in the railroad’s success. Not only does it feel right, the length of individual modules does not matter, they simply have to mate together and not make a circle. This
allows a modeller the freedom to work to a board size that fits their car and encourages construction, as it is easy to fit a new module into the railroad.
Although most meets look like an Estate Owners convention, module sizes vary from 6ft. down to 18 inches, with the norm being 4ft. or 3 ft. 8 in., as the shorter units fit more easily into hatchbacks.
Shardlow Yard
Built to N-Track, 3-rail standard is 1 mile long (33 ft.). It has 15 roads, 3 reception and 12 departure, with a balloon turning circle round a refuelling and sanding depot. Adapted Fulgaurex motors operated from the panel in the tower power all turnouts. Engineers sign off their train on arrival in the yard and the hostler carries out all yard movements.
Keggie Wye
This is a spacious double track wye, accepting 3 tracks from Shardlow Yard and splitting them to double track for the East and West Divisions. It is a complete triangle permitting trains to move directly from one division to another. Tortoise motors are used to power the turnouts with relays to provide interlocking.
Dove Valley Paper Mill
This is a composite model based on paper mills in Oregon and Montana and is a good example of the compromise necessary in modelling. The idea was to build a 2-board module, however a study of mill plans revealed that a full model required 64 ft. x 32 ft. The final design compromised on 6 boards to produce a 20 ft. x 2 ft. module. This provides an excellent cross section of a mill site from the chip piles at the wet end to the distribution facilities at the dry end. The research for the model produced two experts in papermaking and they are happy to provide mill tours or simply demonstrate switching.
Glorieta Gap
The mountain section won the ‘Best Module’ award at the Convention, the five 3 ft. 8 in. boards blasting a hole in the “a module must be 4ft. x 2ft.” rules. Once again modelling compression is essential but the diverging tracks, one through the
tunnel while the other runs round the mountainside above the river gorge, produce a delightful model. It is an excellent place to watch the trains and a fitting part of the West Division.
Billstown
A busy town scene inspired by older towns along the railroads in North Carolina and Maryland. The Design Preservation buildings are excellent examples of the architectural styles found there and form the core of the town. The back scene views are taken from Cumberland, Salisbury and Charlotte. The Amtrak station is from Cumberland, MD. The ‘Home Sales Centre’ based on examples in Winston- Salem and the vegetable oil refinery is modelled from photos of the R & J Refinery in Charlotte, NC. At present there are three 4ft. boards and another 6ft. is under construction.
Diamond Creek Yard
At 24 ft. this is the largest module after Shardlow Yard and adds to the contrast between the developed East Division and the open spaces of the West. The track plan is based on Deer Run in West Virginia and includes an inter-modal yard, Amtrak station, oil distributor and other local industries.
Banjo Junction
An N-Trak corner with a 2-track junction. As the main curves round Lonely Heart Lake the inner line branches up and over the main. The branch then becomes 2- track on 1 ft. wide boards.
And also...
There are a number of single board modules essential to fitting the layout into the space available. N-Trak and 2- Track corners, N-Trak to 2-Track converters, embracing a variety of scenes including an airfield, cattle dock and engine depot.
Not forgetting ...
The railroaders Gordon Abbott,
Mark Birtles, Paul Devonald,
Andy Dickenson, Jim Dickenson,
Tim Healey, John Farrell, Rod Franklin, John Lowe, George Lamb,
Mark Lambert and Steve Quick, under the inspired leadership of the Railroad President, ‘Duck’ Bill.
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