Page 17 - NMRA Roundhouse September October 2020

Before I tell you about my layout, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time as President and recommend that anyone who is reasonably mobile, have ago. IfIcandoit–socanyou.
My current layout is still at the plywood central stage and is the third attempt following a house move. The location
is fictionally in South British Columbia circa 1988 on CP Rail metals and the Kootenay and Kettle Valley Expresses are now run by Via.
The layout will have two distinctly different scenic areas in two rooms; the main room being the industry part of the town and railway museum. This will allow local switching and the excuse for older locomotives to be on view. The other room will house more moun- tainous scenery. Sadly there will not
be room to have some of the classic trestles that is a signature of the area. However, I have not yet ruled out the possibility of a ‘high line’ to add more scenic running through both rooms.
The layout has a 14-road storage yard on the lower level with the proposed town area above. There are two dou- ble-track helices of 30” & 321⁄2” radii to convey the trains from one level to the other.
The layout is built in a series of mod- ules or tables that allow for easy un- der-layout work as well as easy electri- cal isolation for fault-finding.
Control is Digitrax Duplex DCC with separate power bus for point controls and track districts. Bus wires are pairs of exposed copper wire with drop- pers soldered on at approximately 3’ intervals. Point control is via stationary decoder through the wireless handset. Although not designed or built for ‘op- eration’, it will have ample local switch- ing and run-through capability for the unit-type trains of the era. It will also be a stop-off point for the passenger trains mentioned above.
Keith Webb
Overview of helix 1, loco servicing and museum area
Centre of Storage yard with loco just visible at far end (2nd room)
View from second room door showing modular design
ROUNDHOUSE - September/October 2020 - 75th Anniversary Issue ROUNDHOUSE - September/October 2020 - 75th Anniversary Issue
KEITH WEBB
REGION PRESIDENT 2012-2014
General view of Station, industry end of town and loco servicing/museum area
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