Modeling the AT&SF - D&RGW Joint Line through Colorado Springs from Milepost 70 to Milepost 80 circa 1978-1979
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Post 18: A more in-depth progress update, Part 1
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As I wrote last post I've been making substantial progress on the layout, and as promised, here is a more thorough update on my layout work through this fall and early winter, or rather the first of three posts as there is a lot to cover. So, fix yourself a cuppa–it is -14°C outside after all, or pour yourself a cold one if you prefer, and read on.
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I mentioned that my good friend Nick Molo, owner of the model company Moloco, was going to be visiting from Australia in early November, which really motivated me to get cracking so that there would be some actual layout progress to show him since his last visit.
First, I wrote previously that I had extended the hardboard backdrop panel all the way down the stud wall to the Rock Island wye at Russina and painted it sky blue, as shown in the photo above. However, I don't think I mentioned before that over the summer I also addressed the ceiling in the layout room before I got any further with more benchwork that would only be in the way.
I was dead set against putting up a drywall ceiling–which I've done and don't ever want to do again, thank you very much, plus it makes accessing ground floor plumbing and wiring near impossible after the fact. I also didn't want a drop-ceiling–which I've also done. Although it solves the access problem it is finicky to install, plus I just don't care for the way it looks.
So I ended up doing what a lot of other model railroaders have been doing lately: I just painted the joists and sub-floor above them dark grey to seal everything and make it just disappear visually, yet preserve full access. Problem solved.
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Now on to benchwork progress.
No, still no track down yet—I know, I know, layout carpentry and sub-roadbed are just not very sexy, but they do have to get done before the rails can be laid, and it has to be done right or there will be problems later.
New open grid sections were built and installed for Russina and Roswell, and I then cut and milled enough 3/4 inch plywood sub-roadbed to extend to the north end of Colorado Springs Yard and then some. This sub-roadbed is cut to the D&RGW standard right of way width of 24 feet for single track, 39 feet for double track, with both edges milled with a 60° router bit to simulate the 30° slope of repose on the shoulder for ditching. Curve stock is 42 inch radius with spiral easements built in.
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Nick likes to get his hands dirty when he visits—he cheekily says he likes to learn from the mistakes we make on my layout before he gets the chance to make them on his own, so after he arrived and settled in we set to work constructing the benchwork to connect Roswell to the north end of the simple table-top Colorado Springs Yard section. (Layout Plan)
First we built an open grid section to fit across the short wall and then a diagonal section to link it to the existing yard section along the long wall. The short wall section was straight forward, except that it has a short drop section to allow for the bridges across Mesa Creek, but there's a lot going on on the diagonal section, including the junction with the Rock Island, the north CTC siding crossover, and a 4-span deck-girder bridge across Monument Creek. My original thought was to make the entire section a removable keystone, but Nick insisted that would be unmanageably heavy and cumbersome. He was right, of course. Together we did some redesign work to put just the crossover on the removable section, and the bridge firmly on fixed benchwork. Afterwards I made a few modifications and refinements, including hanging the drop section for the creek bed off the end of the yard benchwork, and reducing the weight of the lift-out by replacing the 1/2 inch plywood decking flanking the roadbed with 1/2 inch foam board. Normally I avoid using foam because it is a toxic fire hazard, but in this instance I deemed its use justified as I can now easily lift the section with one arm from below.
And here's all the new benchwork in place:
The territory between the two red lines on the USGS topo map is what this new section of layout represents. Starting with the bridge over Douglas Creek in Russina (at left in the photo, at the top on the map), running south to pass under Fillmore Street, through Roswell (in the corner under the plumbing), over Mesa Creek (the drop at photo centre), and then across Monument Creek to enter Colorado Springs Yard (the drop at right in the photo, at the bottom on the map).
That's almost four miles compressed into approximately 23 feet. Most of what was cut out was just open running, but I did lose one potential customer. Just south of Douglas Creek there was a spur listed in the 1975 ETT as Capp Homes. It was inactive by my late 1978-79 modeling era, but it was revived in the 1980s to serve a new Brookhart Lumber yard. Either way, there just wasn't enough room between Russina and Roswell to fit it in, plus the Fillmore overpass was more important to serve as a scenic view block between the two scenes.
Looking more closely here at the new additions, at left is Douglas Creek draw just off the south end of Russina. This was originally a fill with a cut stone culvert, but at some point it was replaced by a short ballasted deck girder bridge. The Russina Spur will curve sharply here and climb steeply up the draw beside the pink foam board at left. Just beyond are the earthen fill ramps of the Fillmore Street overpass, which will visually break up the short run to Roswell.
Roswell will get its own post shortly, but here is how the Rock Island wye there fits into the corner:
I know that the wye was still functional in my modeling era, and the ETT lists it as still physically connected to the Rio Grande, but it was not regularly used, and there was a third wye leg running between the roundhouse and the Rio Grande main anyway. But that leg had to go as room is very tight here in my highly compressed version of the wye, so the connection to the D&RGW will stay. The turntable was long gone, but the Rock's old roundhouse still exists. It had been reduced to only four stalls by the 1950s and was no longer used at all by the railroad in the 1970s. I'll need to further reduce it to three stalls, plus build it at slightly reduced scale so that it doesn't overpower the scene. The long blue building is the City of Colorado Springs municipal warehouse, which had its own spur.
Here's the view of the wye from the other side of the wall and backdrop. Fitting a runaround siding, the north wye leg, and a spur track here will require using a number 3 wye switch and a number 5, the only one on the layout so far. Otherwise it will use all standard code 70 number 6s.
And here is the view back north & east into the corner. The drop is for Mesa Creek, which was crossed by side-by-side pile trestles. The Rock Island mainline will continue east through the wall beyond the layout room as a staging track.
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South of Roswell the Rio Grande and Rock Island run along Interstate 25 past Monument Valley Park, which will provide a nice scenic background on the way into downtown Colorado Springs.
We enter the home stretch as we turn onto the diagonal run with the lift-out and the drop section for Monument Creek.
Here's the lightweight keystone lift-out:
And this is why it has to be there:
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That sums up what Nick and I achieved during his visit and afterward. As a reward for completing this brand new stretch of bare layout I took a break and treated myself by mocking up how I envision the scenes that will go on it.
Next post – Part 2 on mocking up Roswell, followed by Part 3 on crossing Monument Creek and entering Colorado Springs.
Check back soon.
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