# My "under cosntruction" Fn3 Fra&Pie Route



## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao from Italy

here some images of my Fra&Pie route (Fra from Francesca: my daughter's name & PIE from the beginning of my name: Pie-r Carlo)

I begun this work 2 years ago when my daughter was interested to my works, today she is 14 and she looks me as an alien:-(

On my web space on zuccarello.com/fn3 I post some images under construction:

the most important town is Dry Chute with only 4 home-made buildings: Scenic Railway Hotel/General Store, Dentist, Woolen Mill and station


http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/drychute1.jpg

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/drychute2.jpg

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/generalstore.jpg

On the left of the station there is a small trestle called Dry Chute Trestle

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/drychutetrestle1.jpg

On the right, there is Dry Chute tunnel

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/drychutetunnel1.jpg

You find a general view of my Fn3 in these images

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/generalview1.jpg

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/generalview1a.jpg (with explanation)

You have just seen Grand View trestle

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/grandviewtrestle1.jpg

At the top of my actual work there is the Eagle point

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/eaglepoint1.jpg

and not seen another little station: Indian Gap

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/indiangap1.jpg

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/indiangap2.jpg

the idea is to connect the top (BreakHeart Pass, named from a famous train-movie) of my "permitted area" in family garden (+ 1.00 m/+3.28ft) to the bottom (0.00 m/0.00ft)
Dry Chute is in the middle at (+0.50m/+1.60ft) with ramps of 2.5%.

Traks are LGB using for curves, only R5 radius.

From the moment, that'all.




Regards 
Pier Carlo


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Pier , 

Welcome to MLS and thank you for the (very large, but that allows for better views of your work, ) photos - you have done a lot of work on your new railroad. 

For some reason the link to your site with the 'fn3' ending does not work, without it it does (with the ending '/default.com' )but there is no onward link to the railroad. your paintings are nice however - congratulations: you are a good artist. 

My browser tells me 'I don't have permission to view' if that helps you to fix the problem, though as above, I can see you paintings, which come up via your 'opere' button - do you need another button for the railroad? .


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Hi from Pier

zuccarello.com/fn3 is not a link, I've not created a home-page for my web site jet... zuccarello.com/fn3 is only a container of photos in this moment.
my real job is create web sites and in Italy we usually say: shoemaker has broken shoes.

Next days I'll create a intro page in this way will be more easier to browse images and texts on my site.

Sorry

Pier


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Pier, 

Thanks for the reply - look forward to the 'intro page' it will make viewing much easier. 

Do you want me to delete the line with your 'container' for your railroad?

That will leave all the links to you photos still in the message?


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao Peter!

Now www.zuccarello.com/fn3 is working.

the page is only a list of links to images... but I'm working on it.

A presto.

Pier 




Thanks Pier - much better now!


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## sandbarn (Feb 13, 2010)

Hi Pier,
Welcome to MLS. I’m new here also.
I really like your layout. Especially the ballasting you did around Dry Chute, it looks like I would think a real narrow gauge short line would look. Using material at hand to fill in around the ties rather than hauling in ballast. 
Good work, and keep it up.







I really like your large format pictures also.

By the way, your daughter will return to you when she’s somewhere between 18 and 23. Usually about the time she wants to get married (and needs your pocketbook







). It would be nice if she returns to model railroads also, but that may or may not happen. 

Lloyd


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

That's looking really great--very nicely sited, and the trestle is very dramatic and very well done. Love the detail on the tunnel entrance as well. 

thank you for sending them


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Benvenuto Pier Carlo! 

It's a great looking layout! Some very nice spots, like the tunnel entrance and that awesome looking big trestle. 
I love the little signs along the railway line. Nice detail! 

I must say I'm a bit worried about your layout considering Italian rainfalls (and knowing what they can cause in real scale...). 
Am I right to think your garden is situated somewhere in the northern of Italy (also considering the snow picture)? 
Wasn't there a landslide that caused a derailment of a real train near Bolzano a few months ago? 
I can imagine that for instance the Dry Chute area can suffer some (but nicely scaled down) sandslides under a massive rainfall. 
I don't know if that ever happened but if so little plants (like Thyme) will prevent the sand turn into streams flowing over the tracks. 
Just a thought...









Looking forward to your progress on this interesting layout! 

Arrivederci ! 

Paul


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao Paulus,

I live in a small town near Torino called Piossasco, in North-West of Italy at the right end of Valle di Susa (Olimpyc Mountains in Torino 2006).
In last years, snow falls more in Center-South then North of Italy, and area I live is protected by Alps and when in the rest of North it snows/rains, it's normal N-W are sunny or windy (Fhoen from Valle di Susa and France) days.

Near Bolzano (N-E), train incident was caused by water (used for feed apple-trees) filling a slope... Incredible, but real? I don't know.

For last 3 week Dry Chute was not dry but wet, very wet. 20 days of continuous rain but placement of my railway is under 3 big basswod trees protecting, with their leafs, from sun and water - usually when it rains, railway site remains dry and on summer, when the sun shines very hard, shady.

My real problem is: it's impossible to see grass and now I'm looking for little trees growing and living in full shadow.
No sandslide, ground it's hard to work and rain flows on it without damages. 

Images are taken in winter/spring 2009/2010.
I'll take some panoramas of Fra&Pie route next Sunday for giving an idea of summer situation.

Thank you for visiting my virtual (on web) layout.

A presto.
Pier


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

My real problem is: it's impossible to see grass and now I'm looking for little trees growing and living in full shadow. 


Ciao Pier, 

I have some good experiences with small Buxus type bushes on shady places. They do right in halfshade and even in fullshade. 
I'm not a gardener so I don't know all the right names, so here is a picture with different sorts: 









On the left there are some (small) normal Buxus. Than a bigger one, darker in colour but still a normal Buxus as far as I know. 
Then on the right the small plants have green with white/yellow flaming. Don't know exactly if it are Buxus also but these are really great. Because of the yello/white colors in the leaves it looks like they 'lighten up'the surroundings. Don't know exactly how to describe this; but the shade does look less like a shade and more sunny. 

The fun stuff with Buxus is they survive almost everywere. You can cut them in desired forms (great to model them as little trees). And you can easely "split" them; making 1 bush into seperate trees. You can do this several times with a bush during the years. They are also easy to re-locate; just dig out, make a hole in a new place, add some water and voila. 

Just buy the little ones in the garden center, not the bigger (expensive). The small ones grow fast enough and are easy to handle. 

When you want some flowers in it as well, try Puple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum). I love this little plants; it's growing perect in full shades, halfshades and also in sunny places. It gives a sea of little puple flowers that last whole summer long. 
It's very invasive but als very manageble. You can obtain them in gardencenters also but it is actualy a wild weed in Europe, so perhaps there is some in your garden allready without knowing it ;-) 

Near Bolzano (N-E), train incident was caused by water (used for feed apple-trees) filling a slope... Incredible, but real? I don't know.
That _is_ strange indeed... Sometimes things happen for most stupid reasons... 

Paul 

BTW; congrats on the Intermilan victory on Bayern Munchen yesterday!!


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Pier, 

A fine looking railroad for sure. You've integrated the railroad with the terrain very well too. I saw a totem pole there that makes your location look like...NW U.S., where I am, as well as NW Italy. 
I hope you can post more photos when you have them available.


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao a tutti!

Paulus,
I'm using Buxus for small trees near Dry Chute: they are growing up...

Thanks for your help, I'll try your suggestions.
You have more experience than me about trees and "vegetables" and I ask you one more question:

My layout is placed on a slope in my garden and a real railway is not only with bridges, trestles and so on... For this I use wooden lists as retaining walls.

http://www.zuccarello.com/fn3/drychute2.jpg

But wooden lists are not real and, in the beginning, I was thinking about to create meters and meters of walls with rocks, as created in Curved Tunnel South portal, to cover retaining wooden wall.
Now my idea is to cover them with a kind of Ivy... But your idea is?

Thank you for your congratulation for Inter but I have to tell you we were for Bayern ... I don't love football, but in Torino there are 2 teams:
the first is Juventus (you know)
the second is Torino (in B class these years)
Juvetus and Torino fans are in war (it's not a real war I hope) with Inter and Milan from Milano.
So, you can imagine why we were for Bayern.
Last summer, on August and on Saturday, I was in Muenchen for holidays: my daughter and I were in downtown, full of Bayern fans (and full of police)... they were happy for the mach in the evening, but they were only happy and NOT dangerous for safety of normal people. It's not important if I remember rivers of beer I have seen...
In Italy, don't stay near a Stadium when there is a football-mach, don't stay by feet and, if you love your car, don't stay with your car. 

People all over the World are crazy for Football. 



Richard:
I've never been in NW of USA,
I've never been in USA,
but the idea for this summer is:

Italia - NYC
NYC - Chicago
Chicago - San Francisco by California Zephyr (!!!!)
San Francisco to Denver by car, visiting:
- natural parks, grand canyon, yosemite, monument valley, etc...
- 4 corners
- Durango (!!!!!!imagine why!!!!!!)
- Royal Gorge
- Denver - NYC - Italia

A full immersion of 21 days!

I'm waiting this moment from years.


For the moment, that's all.

I'm working for new images on my web site...

Ciao e grazie a tutti (Thanks to all).
Pier


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

But wooden lists are not real and, in the beginning, I was thinking about to create meters and meters of walls with rocks, as created in Curved Tunnel South portal, to cover retaining wooden wall.
Now my idea is to cover them with a kind of Ivy... But your idea is?
Well.... I'm trying to find my way in this also, so I don't have all the answers or experience. But I think the wood will rot away very soon, unless it's made out of hard wood. Than again, if Ivies have grown over it it could be steady enough, so it's not a distaster if the wood rots. The Ivy could take over... 
Rocks (or concrete) are more durable than wood. They also add a specific athmosphere to the railroad. And if you want you can also let Ivies grow over the rocks.

A site that has some very interesting reading and shows some great techniques about using real rocks is the one from a member over here on MLS (Ray Dunakin): In-ko-pah Railroad 
This is a great option when you can have (larger ammounts of) rocks at your disposal easely (and not if you have to buy them in a gardencenter like I must in our rockless Netherlands...). Take a look at his site and you get some good ideas, I'm sure!
Also take a look on how he build miniature walls and houses! Wonderfull pieces of art!


But, instead of using real rocks you can also cover the wooden retainings with a layer of concrete or an other mixture, known as "hypertuffa". Hypertuffa is lighter as concrete. It's a mixture of Portland cement and some other ingredients and if you Google on it you can find several different recepies of it. 
I learned very much from the work of an English model railroader (username Granitechops on the G-Scale Mad forum that unfortunatly does not exist anymore). He build(ed?) an amzing modelrailroad with impressive rocks (out of concrete/hypertuffa) and gave lots of ideas and information, also on how to intergrate all sort of plants in the rock by leaving openings in the rocks for them. Also a lot about corregation (important) and canals (fun). 
The whole forumthread was (luckely!) taken over by GScaleCentral and you can find it here: www.gscalecentral.co.uk/f/m1659.aspx 
(be aware, it are 26 pages so you need some hours to read it all, but it's totally worth it!). 
At the moment I'm experimenting with concrete (simply because its easy to get and no 'mixing ingredients' like with hypertuffa). I try to cover the "rocks" with ground covering Ivys and also some colourfull Tymes; they don't need that much water. Also some flowers (as long as they are small).
Tymes are mostly very invasive, but I guess I'm doing something wrong because they don't do that well in my garden.
Whatever I choose for plants, I prefer small leaves to let it be more to scale. I also try to find some plants that stay green the whole year long so there is some during the winter; like heathers. I also try to let mosses and small weeds grow against the "rocks". Hopefully they cover some parts soon.


Thank you for your congratulation for Inter but I have to tell you we were for Bayern ... 
Actually I have to admit it's not my game also. I'm not a sporter at all I'm afraid. 
But I have a very sportloving 15 years old son (my eldest son) who follows almost all important games and watched the game wearing a black and blue Inter shirt with Ibrahimovic name on it (because he ones played for PSV, The Netherlands, my sons favourite club). 
Both teams had Dutch players (Sneijder for Inter and Robben for Bayern) so whatever team won was actually OK by him. However he did hoped it was not Bayern because he don't like Louis van Gaal, the Dutch coach of Bayern (but even the Germans don't like him, so thats not a problem I guess...). Ah, what can I say... He is still hoping one day a scout will spot him and he becomes a pro... Teenage daydreams that I don't want to disturb... BTW, you wrote Francesca looks at you as if you are an alien. My son (Ruben) looks to me as if I'm from the stone-age.... All the same everywere!!

Buonanotte!

Paul


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Buon giorno Fred "Paul" Flinstone ,

I have visited many times In-Ko-Pha Railroad web site and I love it for the idea of running trains in a rocky landscape.
I would like to create for Fra&Pie an area in In-Ko-Pha style but it's a real problem for me to stock a large amount fo rocks near the railway site: trucks discharge rocks 50meters from rails and I don't want to trasfer them by hands. But I'll find a solution for this one of these days...

Year after year, I think wooden retaining walls are fragile but they must work only for the time water and weather compact gravel, and ivy will help to retain the area: 20+ rainy days helped for this more than you imagine.

Concrete is a magnificent idea, but my way of work is: I create bridges, tunnels, buildings and retainig walls off site: while I'm looking tv, at night, I build them using the table of tv room as a sawmill and similar (on my web site, when I'll create the page "How I built... trestles", you'll have a look to my working area). On Saturday and Sunday I'll work directly on site only if it's a sunny/dry day. I can't use concrete at home (in my home).

Football: sorry, many names you are speaking about are known persons, but nothing more... Have a trip to Torino, and let's go skying (in winter)!

You live in The Nederlands: I stayed there last summer for more than 1 week visiting Amsterdam and many other cities of your quiet and lovable land.
We had a trip by car across all the barrages/dams saving your lands from North Sea: incredible.
But I was been in The Nederlands more than 20 years ago (I was 25 y.o.) and I remember we stayed in camping in Lelystad (if I remember correctly the name): this land was grown up from the see only from 20 years (one italian pizza-man told me), I remember small trees and nothing more. Last summer in Lelystad I found a country full of "green" and a place to live!
This trip is one of my "discover the world easily" for my daughter (and for me): each year, from the age of Francesca of 9-10, we have a trip in Europe (for the moment); the first was in France: Paris, Normandy, Loire castles, the area in France in which you can visit cavern with rests of the first men, etc... The second was Austria, Czeck Republic and Prague... The third in Switzerland, Germany, Rhein valley and the most important city like Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Dresden, Muenchen, etc... last year, Luxemburg, Belgium, The Nederlands, Denmark, South Sweden and South Norway. This year, I hope, the first time outside Europe: USA... But the problem is the economic crises and works in Italy.

For the moment, that's all.

Ciao from Area51 "the Alien" Pier


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Ciao Pier "the Alien" ;-) 

Any progress on the railroad? I noticed the Eagle Point to Breakheart Pas extension on your side. Those tankercars look good btw!


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao Paul,

in this period, only very strong rainy or very hot (40°C + 90% humidity) days stopped my works on FRA&PIE route.

waiting cold days, I installed a radio control on my K-27 and I'm testing it.

as soon as possible, I'll install a new trestle bridge and my tracks exit from basswood trees shadow zone!

photos to follow.

A presto
Pier


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Pier, 

I enjoyed the photos of your railroad. The combine looks good ;-)


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Pete,

I know the combine is good... If I remember well, it's yours

Let me know your new releases, I'm very intrested to them.

Have a good August Holiday.
Pier


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Posted By pcz on 02 Aug 2010 02:31 AM 
Ciao Paul,

in this period, only very strong rainy or very hot (40°C + 90% humidity) days stopped my works on FRA&PIE route.

waiting cold days, I installed a radio control on my K-27 and I'm testing it.

as soon as possible, I'll install a new trestle bridge and my tracks exit from basswood trees shadow zone!

photos to follow.

A presto
Pier

Just came back from a short break in the Czech Republic... Same there: hot and (too much) rain! 
Knowing the Italian summers I can understand your "season-break" ;-) Just let the trains run and watch them from under the shadow.


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao gente!

Sorry for the long waiting, but last fall and winter were very hot!

Too much works but a lot of new ideas for my garden railway:

a new "passing place" in the new Grand Plain area...
a new track for next expansion (from Grand Plain to coaling facilities)...
2 new buildings in Dry Chute...
a total rebuilt for some old wooden buildings...
new trees and the first stone wall.

From yesterday FRA&PIE route web site (www.zuccarello.com/fn3) is updated. 

I remain waiting your suggestions...

That's all Folks (for the moment)!

Pier


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Ciao Pier! 


Good to hear (read) from you again! 
Fall and winter were _hot?_ That snow pictures on your site show otherwise ;-)


Am I right that the station building is one of the renewed buildings and the two new buildings are the ones at the left side of the hotel (the light blue and the low yellow one)?


I was looking at your pictures again, that trestle bridge is still so impressive! 
Looking at the pictures of the Dry Chute tunnel West portal and Laurel tunnel East portal I was wondering how long these tunnels actually are? They look pretty long.

I remain waiting your suggestions...

Well, since you asked for it! ;-)
A small sawmill would look great on the siding near Two Medicine Bridge, specially because of the "forrest look" background (I mean the siding on this picture). 
And I noticed some very beautiful rolling stock (like on the picture mentioned). Some close ups are much appreciated! ;-)

For the rest, you are doing just great with this layout! 
Continuati cosi!

Paul


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## R Snyder (May 12, 2009)

Very nice work, Pier!


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Thank you very much Snyder!!!

Grazie Paulus.

Fall and winter were hot for my job...

The tunnels were build in 2007, Dry Chute is 1.00 m. long and Laurel curved tunnel is, more or less, 1.40 m. My original idea to build them using polystyrene and vinil glue was, and is today, very good because after a strong rainy day no water or liquids are found inside them. It's not the same for the wooden entrances... Next year I think to relift them not because I want but I'll must!

The same problem is for Railway Scenic Hotel/General Store: wooden constructions have, after 2-3 years (winter) form construction, water in its walls. Next year (2012 spring) I'll rebuild them in part.

After discovery these water/winter problems, I was searching a new (for me) material to build houses, saloons, etc... I found FOREX (or in italian Brico Centers Multiexel): it's not expencive, is easy to use, is very strong and it doesn't care about rain, snow, etc... It's plastic, you can cut it with a knife or a normal cutter.

Paulus, you are right: light blue building and sandy one (posada) in front of the track are new buildings build with Forex and wood.
Dry Chute station was the first building I built in 2007 but today it works correctly.

From Eagle Point and Twin Medicin bridge, there is an industrial switch: I'm thinking about what kind of construction is better for this place, but I haven't found the right idea*.
Your sawmill idea is good and I think to use it in a new part (never shown) of the railway: there is a 3 tracks area near the Grand View trestle, a single track starts from Milepost 77 on the right of the bridge track; in this area there is a little slope and I think the sawmill is the best. Have a look on e-Bay - 1:20.3 - items, you'll find Pro-Patria mill in kit from USA for 2,000.00 USD... I don't want to use it, but there are many photos of the model for ideas.

*The industrial building I have to build in that palce is similar to an american grain elevator because on the top of it, hidden by the roof, I think to install main power switch, trafos and electrical facilities for FRA&PIE route, towns, etc... The power station of my layout!

Closeout of cars and locos? I don't know, because I'm not happy about how they are after my vintage work...

I have a new bridge, not another trestle, under construction: but this is another story...

A presto!
Ciao
Pier


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## pcz (May 13, 2010)

Ciao Gente!!!!!

new update on FRA&PIE route:

new photos in each page;
"how I built buildings and bridges" pages was created
italian language version is on-line
update on Dry Chute

I remain waiting your ideas for buildings in Grand Plain area... Remember: Grand Plain is only 30 cm lower than Dry Chute and 1,5 m. from it.

Ciao Pier


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Ciao Pier,
I just found this thread. A very nice layout indeed!


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