OGR Run 300 - New Duckunder Terminal Rwy - additional photos - ONE MORE TIME!

Thank you for all the additional photographs, Will!  Everything is even more impressive!!  I am going to have to take some time and look them over more closely before attempting any specific comments!!!

Wow! Impressive layout. Enjoy the fall colors on the trees!

Thank you, Mark and George. Hope you will visit of you get to Raleigh. 

Great pics!

Peter

Will, Great job on the layout and the OGR article!!!!!!.  I love the industrial theme

Thanks, Peter and Steve!

Here below are the next batches of additional photos.

COLUMBUS SCENE

DUCKUNDER COAL MINE #2

PROSPERITY, WV

Now that is what I like. Really captured coal and then some. Fantastic. I'll have to nose around here when I get home instead if looking at these on my phone. Awesome.

Hi Will,

Great job on your Layout!  I especially like your Round House & Turntable!!!  It looks very familiar !!! LOL

Fredstrains

I see an OGR VIDEO or a YouTube video channel! Outstanding work!

Hey Will, what track was used to do the coal pit, and how did you do it?

There is certainly a lot to like here, Will.  I would like to comment that yours is the first layout I can recall having handrails along the fascia.  I think it is a great idea, now that I suffer from arthritic knees!!

I notice that you and George made the decision to not mold or carve rock faces, but left them with just a rough texture.  I like it!

I like the rock faces too Mark, has that freshly blasted look. Sort of reminds me of a few quarries over in my neck of the woods, that's how it looks.

Lots of great pics this time around, all showing up too!  Thank you for giving it that 'one more try'! 

Very NICE pics too!

The track over the ash pit is simply Ross with the ties removed. There is a piece of Evergreen H or I under the rail with short posts under that. The center rail does not have the support to make it less visible.

The hand rails serve two purposes. The first is protection for the layout from rubbing up against it. You can also lean on it or rest your arms on it while working or looking. They also help to pull up on when getting on a step stool.

Had to pause a moment for col (cat on lap). He hates the typing stylus and attacks it and my hand.

The handrails are mounted on brackets attached to the facia. There is a 3/4” block of wood behind so the screws have something to grab. There is no finish on the rails except what oil comes off hands. That makes a nice finish.

Thanks for your questions and interest. I will answer more as they appear.

George

Nice layout! Is the large coal mine a kit? 

You do wonderful work! Thanks for the great pics!

All of the mine structures are scratchbuilt. I took inspiration from photos in the archives of the N&W Historical Society. I look and start sketching out a design to fit the space. The sketches were saved, I may be able to post a couple. Generally the buildings have chipboard cores and are covered with wood or styrene sheet. Windows are mostly Tichy. The gantry, loading conveyors, etc are made from Evergreen strips and shapes.

About the rock work .......  Most of the places don’t have clearance for castings plus I hate doing castings and finishing them. There are still places where a long car or new loco will emerge with a white plaster streak on one side. As an aside we have found that the UP/Clinchfield Challengers have the most overhang, both front and back. They become the clearance gauge.

Again, thanks for the great comments. Keep the questions coming.

George

Awesome layout Will it inspires all of us who are in the construction phase of our own layout. Really love all the coal operations you have. Reminds me of the great days of railroading when coal was king.

Wonderful layout.  I had the chance to visit Will in NC a few years back.  The layout is pretty ingenious as it creates individual scenes.  

Here are a few videos from that visit!

Thanks to everyone again, and special thanks to Marty for posting his videos.  I need to figure out how to make some new videos mounted on the car George and I designed a decade ago.  

More pictures attached today, these of the engine terminal, Norfolk passenger station, and Norfolk Terminal.  Enjoy!

QUACK ISLAND ENGINE TERMINAL (ASK GEORGE ABOUT THE WATER PURIFICATION AND POWER HOUSE)

NORFOLK PASSENGER STATION

NORFOLK TERMINAL

George, I don't like, I love the rock walls. As I said somewhere above, it reminds me of some of the rock quarries by me. I sort of wish I had a picture of the one past Lambertville, that is a shear flat white wall of rock, much like what it looks like on the layout 

Also, the vehicles, guessing a wide variety of different makers. Are they 1:48, 1:50, or 1:43?

Here are a few more...

Looks as good as ever Will is the boat new or did I miss it when I was there? I have not done much with trains after being let go and my father passing.

Will Allen III posted:

Okay, trying one more time with additional Duckunder photos to supplement those in the print edition of Run 300. 

..............................................

Before I ask my specific question, I'll add one more note of this coming out really well overall!  Very nice layout!

Can you describe the turnout situation on the bridge shown in the above photos? 

It's a little hard to see how the diverging lines end up on the other side.  Is it just a slightly odd curve combination to get a desired spacing for industrial spurs?

I really like the rotary coal dumper too!

-Dave

George Lasley posted:

About the rock work .......  Most of the places don’t have clearance for castings plus I hate doing castings and finishing them. There are still places where a long car or new loco will emerge with a white plaster streak on one side. As an aside we have found that the UP/Clinchfield Challengers have the most overhang, both front and back. They become the clearance gauge.

Again, thanks for the great comments. Keep the questions coming.

George

George, I have found doing rock work realistically to be tedious.  I guess I never perfected a method and painting to give results to suit myself.  When you have such a large layout, that would be an awful lot of it.  I have noticed some other modelers here who take a "shortcut" in effect with impressive results as you have.  I agree, the more you pile on, the tighter the clearances will be.

Will, Woww!!  That's a lot of photographs to pour over for ideas!!  Thank you!!

Marty, Thank you for the videos!  They really make it seem like I am there in Raleigh!  Maybe I will get to visit too someday!!!

BRAVO WILL!!!!  Your layout is something to be very proud of.

Shawn_Chronister posted:

Looks as good as ever Will is the boat new or did I miss it when I was there? I have not done much with trains after being let go and my father passing.

Shawn,

So sorry to hear about your dad. 

Hope you stay in the model trains field. We need your expertise!  Thank you for your kind words.

Best regards,

Dave45681 posted:

Will Allen III posted:

Okay, trying one more time with additional Duckunder photos to supplement those in the print edition of Run 300. 

..............................................

Before I ask my specific question, I'll add one more note of this coming out really well overall!  Very nice layout!

Can you describe the turnout situation on the bridge shown in the above photos? 

It's a little hard to see how the diverging lines end up on the other side.  Is it just a slightly odd curve combination to get a desired spacing for industrial spurs?

I really like the rotary coal dumper too!

-Dave

Dave,

What looks like a turnout is actually an extension of the mainline to connect Norfolk to Suffolk as in these photos:

And while I am at it, here are a few more photos of Columbus:

Thanks again to everyone.  All are welcome to visit if you get to Raleigh.  Just please give me some notice.

Next batch of photos below.  Seems to be working to post a few at the time every day.  Please let me and George know if you have more questions.

OLD KING COAL #1 AND #2, WILLIAM, WV

GEORGE LASLEY AT WORK

Will Allen III posted:

Dave,

What looks like a turnout is actually an extension of the mainline to connect Norfolk to Suffolk as in these photos:

Thanks for the response!  That is an interesting feature as well, for sure! 

I should have been more clear though.  The turnout (at least I think it's a turnout) is boxed in red below.

BTW, like the sawmill in the new pics.  That is really cool too!

-Dave

Dave,

Sorry I misunderstood.  The bridge connecting Norfolk Terminal to the Quack island Engine Terminal is wide enough for two tracks. We used the width to accommodate track curvature needs once off the bridge and on the island by putting a switch on the bridge with O-72 curves going off each side of the turnout in directions that work for the inbound and outbound leads and also for the ash-pit lead and sand lead.  Check out the Quack Island pictures above and also some of the engine terminal in the very first post (the birds-eye views) for those track configurations coming off the bridge on the "island." If that's not enough detail, I will post some that do provide better clarity.

Meantime, here are a few more photos.  Tomorrow I will post the last big batch, which will be of the Roanoke scene.

RUINED RIVER COAL MINE & VIRGINIAN RAILWAY TRESTLE OVERHEAD THE TIPPLE

SUFFOLK SCENES (CONNECTED FROM TRESTLE SEEN ABOVE)

YORK FORK BRANCH (3 COAL MINES & TIPPLES)

Will & George, love the conveyor belts and the lumber mill sawing the logs. Also love the Lipton Tea building. My father, uncle, my one brother and my cousin worked here in NJ for some time(first 3 full time separate times, last was just a summer job).

Absolutely fascinating. I showed my one coworker the first set of pictures up top, he was stunned. He says must be a lot of work, and so realistic.

Whenever I get to whatever I'm working on(down the road a long ways), I plan on having the New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk & Western Railroads crossing about the place. Lots of thinking yet of course.

Great Details! There is a Lipton Tea plant in Independence, MO that I think has a similar looking entrance. Been at least 20 years or so since I was last there, but my memory thinks it looks familiar anyway. 

Great work!  Love  the overview photos.  It gives everything placement & presence.  When   you say duck under you mean it!!!!!!

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Will & George, love the conveyor belts and the lumber mill sawing the logs. Also love the Lipton Tea building. My father, uncle, my one brother and my cousin worked here in NJ for some time(first 3 full time separate times, last was just a summer job).

Absolutely fascinating. I showed my one coworker the first set of pictures up top, he was stunned. He says must be a lot of work, and so realistic.

Whenever I get to whatever I'm working on(down the road a long ways), I plan on having the New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk & Western Railroads crossing about the place. Lots of thinking yet of course.

Thanks for both comments about the Lipton Tea Plant.  George went to great lengths to get it correct.  Ask him for details!  We enjoyed figuring out how to paint the silk behind it over the window to blend in with the rest of the "sky" as well, another George Lasley skll he can explain (if he will).

Happy Independence Day week!

Tom Tee posted:

Great work!  Love  the overview photos.  It gives everything placement & presence.  When   you say duck under you mean it!!!!!!

Thanks, Tom, and here are the final photographs to be posted in this one thread.  These are all of the ROANOKE scene.

Of course this is or tiny version of Roanoke, but it has a lot of interesting details.  I never tire of admiring George's station, crafted after the N&W station at Max Meadows, VA.  It contains 1800 individual pieces, a masterwork!

MartyE posted:

Here are a few more...

Hey, Marty, I had forgotten about your videos! I enjoyed them again.

I need to figure out how to do new ones using a camera mounted on a car.

Good morning! I will try to catch up a few bits and pieces.

There was a question about the powerhouse on Quack Island. It is scratchbuilt of styrene sheet, brick siding, Tichy windows, Evergreen metal roof and a Walthers HO chimney.

The tea plant is after the one in Suffolk, VA. Mostly styrene sheet and chipboard plus scratch.

The backdrop across the window is painted on silk screen printing silk. It lets light through in daylight but is opaque after dark.

The water treatment plant comes from Willianston, WV on the N&W.

The rotary dumper is a composite of several prototypes. It is mostly Central Valley girders along with Evergreen shapes and sheet. The ship is also a composite from several coastal colliers I had pictures of. See Princes N&W steam book for more. It has a foam core covered with, you guessed it, sheet styrene.

I think this covers it for now. Keep those questions coming. I am in the process of starting my own layout after 50 years or so. It is a combination of 2 rail O and 3 rail. The setting is Glen Lyn, VA where the VGN crosses the New River and the N&W on a long bridge. Stay tuned, I will post some pictures soon.

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

George

Fredstrains posted:

Hi Will,

Great job on your Layout!  I especially like your Round House & Turntable!!!  It looks very familiar !!! LOL

Fredstrains

Will,

You never did acknowledge my POST !  Where did you get the Beautiful Roundhouse & Turntable???

Fred

Fredstrains posted:

Fredstrains posted:

Hi Will,

Great job on your Layout!  I especially like your Round House & Turntable!!!  It looks very familiar !!! LOL

Fredstrains

Will,

You never did acknowledge my POST !  Where did you get the Beautiful Roundhouse & Turntable???

Fred

 

Fred, 

Warm greetings to you in Omaha, and thank you for the reminder to reply!  I enjoyed my long trek out to western Iowa several years ago to buy your turntable and roundhouse and to bring them back to Raleigh in my Toyota Sienna. If you recall, they barely fit, even with all the rear seats folded flat into the floor of the van. 

By the way, the indexing feature was so hard to keep aligned that I long ago switched to manually lining up the table track to the outside tracks. That's a lot more fun, anyway, using an HO transformer.

I know it's a long drive, but hope you'll come visit sometime. You will always be welcome.

Wishing you a fine Independence Day week ahead,

So many wonderful aspects to this layout - simply outstanding!

I am curious about that very wide signal bridge that appears in some of the photos - spans several tracks.  Did you build it?  If not, where is it from?

David

That wide signal bridge started out as two from MTH. They were cut and spliced together. It was made for the original DUT and reused on the second. I believe the original bridge was a PRR prototype.

George

Fredstrains posted:

Fredstrains posted:

Hi Will,

Great job on your Layout!  I especially like your Round House & Turntable!!!  It looks very familiar !!! LOL

Fredstrains

Will,

You never did acknowledge my POST !  Where did you get the Beautiful Roundhouse & Turntable???

Fred

 

Fred,

Hope all is well with you in Omaha! 

I apologize.  I did reply, but just realized that it must not have posted to the Forum.  I wrote it on my phone, and perhaps something went awry.

I will never forget my cross-country trek from Raleigh to western Iowa, where you then lived, to buy your turntable and roundhouse driving my Toyota Sienna. I well remember your beautiful house and huge layout, and I recall that you and I weren't sure both big items would fit in my van even with the rear seats folded down!

But they did, and the rest is history.  I have both your turntable and roundhouse on my layout, as you can see.  I long ago gave up fine-tuning the indexing feature on the turntable.  It's a lot more fun to manually align the tracks, anyway.  Just like real life.

Come visit!

Your friend,

Will & George, just was curious about the coal mines & tipples. If I was to incorporate a coal mine into my plans, how much space should be dedicated for that? How much space for the tipples as well? In one of the pictures, was there a pipe(or pipes) running coal or was it water to the tipple?

Dave,

There is no hard and fast rule on space requirements. It depends on the number of tracks, grades of coal, etc. The seven tipples on the layout range from a couple of square feet to twelve square feet plus. The mine on the cover occupies about eight sq ft while Old King Coal is around sixteen. Polecat Peerless is maybe two sq ft.

I don’t recall a pipe but it could be water or probably kerosene from a tank. Kerosene is used to produce “dustless” coal by spraying a coating on it as it is loaded.

There are many books on coal mines and mining. Get two or three for reference.

Hope this helps,

George

Absolutely beautiful Layout !!!!!!

Alex

Alex M posted:

Absolutely beautiful Layout !!!!!!

Alex

Many thanks, Alex. Come visit if you get to Raleigh. 

Thanks George. I actually looked at some material published in the 1970's(an encyclopedia believe it or not), which was pretty detailed. I sort of expected far less but the pictures were very detailed. I'll have to study more, as far as right now everything is research for future use.

WOW! 

Joe Lechleider

Southern Crescent 2 posted:

WOW! 

Joe Lechleider

Joe,

You are always welcome to visit when in Raleigh.  

Best regards,

Will,

I had the good fortune to see your layout in person, a few years ago (2015 ?). I was impressed then and I remain impressed. I am trying to design a new layout, so I looked up your pictures to try and understand how you packed in so much activity into your space.  Thanks for sharing your work.

Eric Wright

Thank you, Eric!  I was happy to do it.  Building both Duckunder layouts was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream, and I enjoyed every second of construction and of operation.  I hope you experience the great satisfaction I did.

Best regards,

Well worth the time to read Will's discussion of the layout, and his interesting life story by following one of the links. Thanks for sharing.

Wow! Breathtaking on my second run through……

Peter

Thank you both for your kind words.  It was great fun to conceive, to build, and to operate!

Will it is nice to be able to revisit your fantastic layout and to see my Grandad’s trailer still going to pick up a load at Planters Peanuts.

We enjoyed reading about some of your exploits and are glad to see that Covid has only slightly slowed down your travels.

In the next few months we plan to begin installing the Suffolk portion of your layout. Finally we are nearing completion of our Roanoke Shops section.

Best wishes to you and George. We hope to finally get to Raleigh anD see his layout this Fall.

Bill and Paula

Thank you, Bill.  I look forward to visiting you when your layout is ready, and I'll try to bring George with me!

Let me know when you're coming to Raleigh.  I can meet you at George's, and we'll catch up.