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Denver Trains!

The Great Northern

This is a history of the construction of the new Great Northern layout in my basement. Construction started in earnest in November of 2005 although lighting and power circuits were installed many years before. The newest photos are at the top of the web page.

Posted November 14, 2006

We ran trains last Friday and here are some of the modifications I had made. In all 13 trains were operated(?) by 3 operators and 1 yard master(?). Spokane will be one of the better operating positions on this layout. All yard tracks can be used as through tracks and there was one passenger train that required its patrons to cross 7 tracks to get to the station. Management was not happy!

As you can see the sign to duck is clear.

All of the Helix is mapped on the facia so remote operations can be done. In addition to Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, CB&Q, UP, SP&S, and CNW will be found shuttling around Spokane's yards.

With a double track helix this operator's position is bound to be the busiest and most challenging on the railroad. Each road crew is supposed to report to and turn over control of their train to the helix operator for their trip through the dark country.

A single grain train can completely fill up Spokane's yard. That little GN switcher has a hard time getting around those SD7's.

These cars are spotted in Fort Wright, just west of Spokane for car card preperation. All will be weighed, coupler heights checked, and glad hands adjusted as required. Metal wheels are on 99% of all cars.

Posted September 16, 2006

Here are some pictures of our op session last week. Spokane has new escapes and Wenatchee Interchange is now more correctly labeled as Fort Wright. It too was a busy place. Both the Highline & SPokane decks worked well and smoothly. Tracks have not been laid into Seattle as yet, although the helix reaches the outskirts.

A busy place at Fort Wright                                           Spokane promises lots of activity

The facia for the upper level is installed. The drop downs allow access to the track & accessory power buses. No under the layout connections this way and a clean overhead for the lower deck. Inside the small circle to the right is an isolation switch for the DCC district and it is recessed inside a portion of a film can glued to the back of the facia. The lower deck is a staging area for construction right now, although it is lit and powered.

Posted August 21, 2006

Last week we ran some trains!
GN trains #1 & 2 (the Empire Builder) ran from somewhere around Minot through the city of Spokane and off to the western outskirts of Seattle. We discovered a nasty little "S" curve on the depot track at Spokane and I have fixed that, as well as installing a 2nd switcher pocket.
We ran a couple of interchange freights, both UP & GN to the Wennache yard. We also ran a UP local through to pick up the grain cars heading down to Portland. There were a couple of grain trains and locals for a total of 9-10 trains. No cards, just running trains, checking for track work flaws, and smoothness. The German switch machines hummed pretty well and I may usemore, even though they are AC powered but at $11 each they seem to have a good mechanism and look like a good value.

So far we have the following motive power operating on DCC. GN 16, GN 213, CB&Q 541 (0-8-0), GN 2013 (QSI Sound), GN 2320 (Doodlebug), GN 2526 (QSI), UP 2838, DRGW 3082, & a tail tail consist of GN 3012 & 3001.
Soon, I hope, I will be adding DCC to another RS 2, as well as my E units and an ABBA set of F units.

We are not currently operating the narrow gauge layout, as it does not have a place to go. We need to get the track in place. Maybe in October? The interchange area now offers a "hump". Not the preference for laying down dual gauge track

The yard is pretty well packed at Spokane, only the main is open

The UP shares some trackage rights but "hides" on the other side of town most of the time

Posted August 2, 2006

It is amazing how much gets done in just a month, but while you are doing it it just seems to CRAWL!

This month we got the Highline mostly done, at least the sub road bed and benchwork and most of the track got installed. We even wired in a couple of turnouts. Now trains can now run from the interchange yard west of Spokane all the way to the staging tracks representing Minneapolis. This last weekend the DUCK UNDER was installed and now I think I know why most do not like them, especially during construction. Track accross this area will be in soon and the trains will be able to run the entire circle.

Last will be the Seattle area and port. We will be running a few trains for times on the 11th!

Spokane Yard see lowest left to compare ... the highline and duck under at 53 inches should be comfortable?

                                                                              Track creeps up the highline

Posted July 2, 2006

This is more a celebration of trains than construction...Left: The Wenatchee (for lack of a better name) interchange yard has been "completed" and the SW9 is having a meet with a manifest freight with a pair of Geeps on the head end while doodle bug 2320 makes a pass. The unpainted strip on the left of the Geeps will be a logging line or lumber spur. RIGHT: On the return trip the next day the doodle bug is at the Spokane station with a heavy weight coach in tow while a fright waits east of the station. Dispatch had the passenger running east bound on the westbound tracks! The Spokane yard trackage was re-aligned after a track plan burning party a week ago. Fortunatly, no real serious wiring had as yet occurred.

Posted June 12, 2006

The upper deck has Homasote installed & painted, the staging over the helix is installed and wired, and the yard at Spokane has been started. DCC auto reversing circuit was installed using a terminal strip so that one works on all of the staging tracks. It seems as though the early relay type of reversing circuit for DCC is not as "instantaneous" as the newer electronic versions now available and it does not complete the circuit as quickly as required. 3 will be required for the layout and all will be the electronic type. The lower deck at Seattle is also visible.

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