# Grand View Light Railway



## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

The Grand View Light Railway is an ongoing build of an indoors SM32 layout in Colorado. It serves the Grand View Hot Springs Resort with Passenger and Freight service. There is a twice daily passenger train, a daily general commodity freight, a twice daily coal train from the small Vulcan Mine and with drinking water from Bolton Springs. There is a 3 times a week livestock, feed and hay train from Big Valley. The power is Radio Controlled Live Steam and consists of a Accucraft Peckett as the Passenger power, a Roundhouse Katie as the freight and yard switching power, and an Accucraft Sabrina as the coal and spring water power. A 4th engine is needed for the roster for the livestock train, undecided as yet, but probably another 0-4-0 saddle tank engine.

The Grandview Terminal yard and engine facility track work is built, Phase 2 will be punching thru the wall to get to a 4 track stage yard with the Big Valley branch. Phase 3 will be the Vulcan Mine branch and an around the room running loop.

I've got several local friends in the 1.5 inch scale ride-on trains hobby that will come over to run the Grand View once a month during the winter to keep their hand in at boiling water.

Pics;
The Engine roster, 2 scratch built brake vans, the warehouse area, the Powerplant coal dock, lower yard with Main Line tunnel location into other room on the wall


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks delightful and right in character. (There was a Maine 2' railroad that just served a big hospital, with a similar traffic pattern - the Kennebec Cantral.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennebec_Central_Railroad)

I also love those Pecketts and I am saving the quarters towards buying one. I hope they are still around when I get enough saved up!

You might take a look at the Roundhouse Lilla as your next power?

Incidentally, I am also space-challenged, and I have a couple of live steamers that are convertible to 32mm. I picked up some Peco SM32 track which is sitting on a shelf waiting for the day when the RR gets started, but I also have 2 circles of Faller e-Train track, which is 32mm and 30" in diameter. That will fit the small space!


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

Pete Thornton said:


> Looks delightful and right in character. (There was a Maine 2' railroad that just served a big hospital, with a similar traffic pattern - the Kennebec Cantral.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennebec_Central_Railroad)
> 
> I also love those Pecketts and I am saving the quarters towards buying one. I hope they are still around when I get enough saved up!
> ...



Yes the Pecketts are sweet runners with about a 25 minute run time on a Butane tankful. You'd be better off finding them at Accucraft UK, they are just now delivering the second batch to Acc.UK- for about $1000 more! Still some first batch engines at UK dealers.

I put a Slo Mo in my Katie as the designated Grand View Yard Switcher, and the new engine will be the Stage Yard/Branch line switcher so I want a Slo Mo in it. The Lilla has inside frame valve gear, so it doesn't qualify.
I was thinking maybe a RH George kit, but it's a side tank engine.
The Sabrina has room for a Slo Mo, but it has different axle diameters and crank ends, different side frame height, lower footplate height, and different axle spacing, so a different Slo Mo would have to be developed. Maybe someday...

That is exactly the track that I am using, Peco flex track with the small 30 inch radius turnouts. Those turnouts work out to a 6 inch track center on ladders. It gets difficult to get a layout to fit indoors with 6 inch centers - anything more than 4 tracks wide puts the furthest track out of reach.

I've standardized on Ozark Mtn link and pin couplers, so the standard brakeman equipment is long handled hemostats to set the pins.


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

I finally found the SM-32 turnouts and flex track to complete the layout expansion.
I've got the L shaped switching layout track work of the RESORT TERMINAL area circa 1912 in the Office completed, and now it's time to punch a hole thru the wall and expand into the spare bedroom. 
The expansion will include a 4 track STAGE YARD to send/receive trains to the Resort, the Passenger and inbound Freight access to the rest of the world, 10 inch turntable and engine service facility at the far right. The tunnel represents the 16 miles of railroad connecting the mountain Resort with the rest of the world.

There will be a short Branch Line switching area of agricultural products called BIG VALLEY on the left wall with a CORAL for live animals- cows, sheep, pigs, and horses destined to the Resort, a HAY BARN, and a FEED STORE. Also in BIG VALLEY is BOLTON SPRING WATER sending potable drinking water to the Resort which has Sulpher and other Mineral undrinkable water.

There is another Branch Line on the other side of the room for the VULCAN COAL MINE which ships Power Plant coal to the Resort.

There will be a RUNNING TRACK around the room to break up the switching action, with a Passing Siding at the coal mine for 2 train operation.


On this plan, the tunnel to the Resort is in the upper left corner. The doorway is lower left, with a hinged lift bridge to gain access into the room
The benchwork at the top and left side is already built, from my retired S Scale layout.
I just have to build the Mine area benchwork on top of 2 long bookcases, and the connecting running track "trestle" which will be like raised outdoors railroad construction.
Across the front of the 2 closets on the right side with folding doors will be "duck unders" beneath the 49" tall track work for access. 
Latest additions in pencil...


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

To satisfy my need for boiling water during the winter here in Colorado, I built the L shaped Resort Area switching layout in the corner of my office in 16MM scale in order to fit inside the house.
I've got several local friends that we are all into 1.5 inch scale 7.5" gauge ride on trains. However, there is no running ride-on or Garden Railways during the wintertime here.
So I wanted to build a Live Steam RR inside for Wintertime Operating Sessions with friends who like to boil water, like in my youth at basement sized HO railroads.
I'd like to do Ops Sessions once a month on a Sunday afternoon and evening, with a pizza and beer break. There is 8 guys available, but we'll see how that works out... family, weather, other variables. Ideally 2 man crews, Engineer takes care of water, gas, and batteries, Conductor takes care of switching, directing the engineer.
All locomotives are Radio Controlled with RCS handheld TX's and have Summerland Chuffers, and DRAGONFLY has a Slo Mo, hopefully the DRAGONFIRE will someday.


The Operating Schedule on the Grand View Light Railway will start out like this, then evolve as necessary;
Dice will determine what day's schedule will be run, one day session before pizza break, one day session after.

A twice daily out and back 3-4 car Passenger train Mon.-Sat., early morning and early evening. The Peckett named FIREFLY is the assigned Passenger power.
Sundays only an evening accommodation round trip is run. FIREFLY also handles mid day excursions and picnic runs as needed.

A once daily Mon.-Sat. 5 car general Freight out and back with switching on each end. Loads in, empties out, with removable loads. The RH Katie DRAGONFLY assigned Freight power.

A twice a week Tuesday and Friday Big Valley 3-4 car agricultural train. Light engine out to BV, come back with the loads and wait to unload, empties back to BV, light engine back to grand View. The DRAGONFLY is assigned to this run, and also does Grand View yard switching as needed.

A twice a day Coal and Bolton Springs water train 5-7 cars is run Mon.-Sat. Coal both trains, water on one train, water on 2nd train as needed (before weekend rush). Coal is loads in, empties out with removable loads on both 5 car consists, there is always one consist getting loaded at the mine. The Accucraft Sabrina DRAGONFIRE is the assigned heavy haul engine.


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

steamhostler said:


> That is exactly the track that I am using, Peco flex track with the small 30 inch radius turnouts. Those turnouts work out to a 6 inch track center on ladders. It gets difficult to get a layout to fit indoors with 6 inch centers - anything more than 4 tracks wide puts the furthest track out of reach.



My bad, I've found out that the PECO 32mm Small Radius Turnout is actually 38in. Radius. Same as 2nd radius set track. The turnout is curved and fits a 38"Radius set track circle perfectly. And makes 6" spacing of track centers.


This is good, as the Roundhouse LS engines and small Accucraft 0-4-0 tank engines are rated for 2 ft (24" radius)
and I only run 2 axle equipment as a Light Railway does.

Most of the curves on this plan are 32" Radius, which is a compromise for getting the most out of the space available and something bigger than tight 24" Radius.


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

Here is the Resort side of the layout that has track work completed. Warehouse for general freight goods, Team Track for Agriculture goods; livestock, feed, and hay, Oil house for Kerosene barrels, Water cistern for drinking water (it's all undrinkable mineral or sulfur water at the Resort), Coal for the power plant, and the Passenger Station for the Guests.
Top right is the Tunnel thru the wall to the Stage Yard and 2 Branches, Vulcan Coal Branch and Big Valley Branch.


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

Here is the Grand View Light Railway Roster

The Accucraft Peckett - FIREFLY - is the Passenger engine
The Roundhouse Katie - DRAGONFLY - is the General Freight engine
The Accucraft Sabrina - DRAGONFIRE - is the Coal train power

All engines will be R/C with RCS handheld transmitters, DRAGONFLY has R/C and a Slo Mo installed.
The DRAGONFLY and DRAGONFIRE will be lined with Fox Transfers decals
ALL engines get; link and pin couplers, round oil burning headlights, and warning bells.

In the future there will be a 4th Roundhouse Tank Engine with a Slo Mo to finish out the Roster, painted Maroon to be the Freight engine.
That will make the 2 green locos Passenger engines, and the 2 maroon locos the Freight engines.

Regular Passenger service will grow to 4-5 cars with the DRAGONFLY.
The FIREFLY will be moved to 2 car Excursion or Picnic Specials.


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## steamhostler (Jan 1, 2022)

South Yard
The loaded Coal train has arrived, the brake van taken off and coupled to the outbound empties.
The Big Valley train has arrived with hay and livestock car, ready to be set onto the Team Track for unloading.
The Passenger Coach, a Parlour Car is sitting on the Passenger train staging track.
The 2 tank cars are spotted to unload into the drinking water cistern (coffee can). Need to build the pump house that will fill the larger cistern sitting atop a bank.
To the right of cistern is the tunnel on the Main Line that will lead to the Stage Yard.
The Yellow painted crosstie in fromt of the coal cars shows the clearance point for the Main Line.


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