What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

Updated 5/20/2020:

Over the past few weeks, I've finished the scenery on both shorelines (sorry about the lack of photos, but that must continue for reasons that will become apparent later). 

However, I did undertake a cleaning of the bridge (I've been swiffering! ).  The scarcity of 90% isopropyl alcohol (for track cleaning purposes) is an unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.  That meant I had to use 50% isopropyl alcohol.  I put that on a swiffer pad, put the pad on the handle, and was able to reach into the bridge to clean it.  Turns out there was a lot of gunk on the track.  After the cleaning, I covered up the track with some butcher paper.  We still have a lot of construction (about 60% of the benchwork) remaining.  There will be much, much more dust and dirt flying around.

 

George

Great work, George. Terrific project to share with our OGF members and guests.

Gary, 

The 50" height is a decision I came to awhile ago.  Panhandle 1 was 42"-46" high and a maze of haphazard bench work construction techniques.  There were just too many short-cuts taken there.

George

Don't take this wrong, but I'm not going there again.  I spent a year trying to get DCS to work.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice...

MTH builds some absolutely beautiful engines, I completely agree.  Gorgeous.  Reliability?  Not so much, in my humble opinion.

And to be fair, at this point I'm not even considering Legacy.  TMCC is right in the technological sweet spot - it's dirt simple, gives me all the operating commands I will ever need, and works reliably.  Both its very few problems and their solutions can be documented on less than a single sheet of paper.  And I really like that I can add it to 3rd party locomotives.

George

Updated 5/23/2020:

While I wait for some parts to be fabricated for me, I have turned my attention to finishing the shelving in the Staging Area of the layout.  This section of the layout is a kind of experiment for me.  Several other modelers I know have an area off the layout for making / breaking down trains;  sometimes this is referred to as a "fiddle yard".  We'll see how this turns out.

Description:

My Staging Area is a 6' x 10' unfinished area at the eastern end of the layout.  It is hidden from the rest of the layout by a divider.  On the layout side of the divider, I have a photograph of the Weirton Steel blast furnaces (circa 2010); these are now gone (torn down in 2018-9).  The Staging Area side has large access holes (not hatches) that permit a person to stand in the middle and reach most of the trains / locomotives.  I am hoping to position a person there during operating sessions.  Features of the Staging Area are:

• Wall shelving on the back layout wall with a capacity of ~ 40 standard length cars
• Wall shelving on the back of the divider with a capacity of ~ 45 steel-related (shorter length) cars
• Storage for at least 6 large locomotives; shifters are stored in yard pockets, by the way.
• 3 storage / staging tracks (I can keep 3 trains ready to run on them)
• The reversing track for Weirton Steel blast furnaces.  This is a place to change hoppers, boxcars, ore cars that service Weirton Steel to / from empty / full.  
• Access to the Staging Area is through 4 holes in the backdrop divider.  I will probably disguise the bottom (southern) two entries as building fronts.  The top two will be disguised by the overpass (Crawford's Crossing).

Here's a view of track plan showing Weirton Steel and the Staging Area.  Items of note:

• The red "E" indicates the eastern side of the layout.
• The green vertical line is the scenic divider.
• The light green areas are access hatches. I have to be able to reach into buildings.
  
  The two white areas in the Staging Area proper are access holes (no covers).
  
• Weirton Steel mills (bottom to top):  Strip Steel, Open Hearth, Blooming Mill are angled at 45 degrees against the scenic divider.  This permits more buildings to be represented in the available (and limited) space.  Otherwise the space would be dominated by only one of these huge structures.
  
• The track along the bottom of the Strip Steel building will have a sign saying "to blast furnaces".  That is effectively my track to the highline of the blast furnaces, supplying them with coal, limestone, and iron ore.  From that track will also come slag cars and hot metal (torpedo) cars.
• Slag cars (full) will proceed to Standard Slag for dumping.  Empty slag cars will return to the blast furnaces for loading.

The "operator" for this area will be responsible for changing cars to fit the operations described above.



Construction of the space continues.  Early in start of the layout, I built the tables and the shelves against the far eastern wall.  Right now I am working on the shelving against the back of the divider.  Here's a look:

This is the backdrop on the divider.  The Weirton Steel mill buildings will go against it.  The Staging Area is behind it. 


This is northeast corner of the Staging Area.  To the left is the window with its fan.  I expect to have the fan on during operating sessions to help keep heat down and exhaust any smoke.  To the right you can see the ends of the Glenn Snyder shelves.


This is the southeast corner of the Staging Area (the other end of the Glenn Snyder shelving).


This is northwest corner of the Staging Area.  I have the lowest shelf in place and am working on the one above it.


Here's the southwest corner of the Staging Area.  Right below the rocket launching car is the spot (approximately) where the blast furnace track will enter.  The exact location is still TBD.



Here's a look at one of the access holes.  I'm standing in it.  Unfortunately, the area is too cramped to provide a wide angle look at a complete wall.  You can see some of the shelving.



Finally, this is a somewhat better view of where the reversing track will be.  The level is in the approximate position of the track.


More when I know it.

George

That will be one great layout George!! You are doing some very nice work!

Well Done,

Gary.

Updated 5/26/2020:

I have a divider between the layout and the Staging Area.  When I originally installed the backdrop up on the divider, my intention was to extend it all the way to the ceiling.  I prepared the area to receive a backdrop extension.  All that got pushed to the back burner as I tried to get the bridge area ready for the NMRA Mid-Central Regional Convention at the end of May (which was, of course, cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). 

So now, with some time on my hands awaiting parts, I started looking at this again.  I was about to pull out some 10' sections of blue sky backdrop (from the original order to RailroadBackdrops.com), when my better half decided to inspect the area.  She had a brilliant idea - just paint the area above the Weirton Steel backdrop the color of the wall.  It would match the rest of the area and there would be no reason to do this extra work.  So that's what I did!




It will get two coats of paint and then I'll pull the protective masking off and declare victory!

George