# Updating Santa fe & Butthead Cove R.R.



## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Updating Santa fe & Butthead Cove R.R.*

We have a small train Group that have been having some problems on long trains trying to get up the 38 foot Helix going across our swing bridge and Koi pond.
These two photo's are old and taken around 2008.



















So we are posting it here to show our Train Group guys and others to see the changes we came up with..

After a bunch of us talking and taking another look to see how Trains and things can work better, we decided to rev. the trains direction and come out of Bakers Acer instead of Wilsonville. Bakers Acers has a little over one percent grade and is a lot easier for the Eng. gears for the grade. Long trains trying to climb that grade that coming out of Wislonville and Butthead Cove has in one place that is a little over 2-1/2 percent grade.

Doing this we had to change some branch line and industrial Track Switches to make them come out the other end of the siding to make it easier to spotting rolling stock. We still have four places to us as a run around due to some siding could not be changed. Also, had to turn around a few track target block signals too.

We been talking about having a rolling stock switch yard by the Eng. Storage and Turntable area around Bakers Acers. So now we got it started and installing a three track Switching yard. Going to have to incorporate another Train Master for power to that area. We can route it with the other two Train Master that we are using as A & B throttles on main line now. "We are track and some Batt. power." 

This is the area we decided to put in the new Switching yard. 









This is show what we did today and to get the three track area level. Should give us about 40 foot of switching area and then go back to main line. 
We are trying to get a 19 inch path or walk way between the main and yard. Then build a step over bridge the tracks to the yard. 










This is showing the other end to exit back to main run around tracks. Turn table control & blocks panel is location at the top right of photo.
Will use that 15 amp Manual throttle to use for the Third TM. for a walk around switching.










Here are more Photos of starting the new yard and show the Bakers Acer Eng. area that is more or less done for now.








http://s187.photobucket.com/user/no...amp;page=1

Well post more as soon as we get more of the 2 X 6's with the gussets made to shaped the curves and then get the boards painted. We are going with Brass 250 code track in this area.

"Had to go back in and re-install missing Photos?" 2/23/14


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: Updating Santa fe & Butthead Cove R.R.*

We installed the two crossovers for the Eng. power to get to the Turntable from nbr. one main line track.. ( Two outside tracks are main line tracks.) 












Soon as we find a 10' dim. right hand track Sw. we will start on finishing up the SW. yard that Nbr. one track will be going thru it. Nbr. two track is a run aound and showing on the video of 
2 nd. track from the outside tracks on the video.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is a drawing of the finished Switch yard and a few added changes for now.

















Set up area can hold around 40 rolling stock plus Eng's. space. then down about 80 ft. to the main line at Hillsdale wye to get to main line.
Extended Pine Tree Jct. run around and added another 5 foot bridge, 
Bakers Acres now has approx. 40 foot of switch yard with three track and one is use as a run around and with a added dbl cross over track to the Eng. storage/ turntable. 
Extended the Trolley line and now is over 30 ft. to get to the Set up area now call Hillsdale on lower level.. Set up with a back and forth sys. every 5 min.
Jane' Landing. Rev. the yard sw to Ables Frt. & Procuce shed.
Re-built the tunnel long to keep trains from getting wet under the Water wheel." hate that."

Showing the yard and this is set up for our Center cab or the NW-2 for the rolling stock storage.







I










Guess this hobby never really ends or get completed.. lol.
This spring have to replace about 15ft. of trackage after the Auto Swing bridge and re paint all of the bridges, Silver. Course lot of re-ballasting to do too. 
But, we are having fun.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: Updating Santa fe & Butthead Cove R.R.*

More update on... 
BakerAcres area idea,
Block Cir. for the turntable panel and routing.









Nbr's by the track switches will show on the panel location and directon.
Nbr's at the Turntable blocks. 
Some of the blocks and sw. routing are on the other side of the storage building and not able to see them from the control panel. They will show changes up on the panel. Just an idea and still have to build it yet, but for now just walk with you train and manual switch's are mounted under the raised 2 x 6 boards.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

That looks good. How well does the 50' cars go through those switches backing up?


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By NTCGRR on 14 Feb 2014 02:28 PM 
That looks good. How well does the 50' cars go through those switches backing up? No problem with truck mounted couplers, Marty. Kadee's or any others so far in the new yard. Course due to the yard length at the Switch's is only able to push around 15 to 20 cars.

Only problem as in one of the videos, was trying to get an Eng/power to the turntable with a test to see if we could pull a 50 foot car behind it from the yard thru two cross overs and another tight curve. The GP 38-2 and larger wheel base Eng's, the couples don't have enough factory swing to pull long cars with them, but be darn if it couldn't push a 50 foot car thru it? 
But then it wasn't set up to pull cars over to the Eng. area anyway.

In the Sw yard no problem with a center cab or NW-2 that we are using that works well here to make and brake up trains.

We wanted to have some fun to work guys trains and able to shift Eng. power around for new trains leaving the Backer Acres area. Maybe a schud. drop and pick as they run around the layout or just maybe set back and letter run for photo opts.

We now have three ways to get in or around that area so not to hold up trains that are just going thru. 
It's becoming a lot of thing to work with now and guess a long time dream that I have had with others,
(and in my Ho.) to see what can be done in Garden R.R..


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

May building another storage like this one for Bakers Acres at end of Switch yard. Just an idea to show our group guys.


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Noel,

Awesome shed. What a great layout.

Best,
TJ


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Noel
That's one good looking shed. Dimensions please. And roughly how many cars do you expect it will hold.
Dale


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Showing the front of the other one at Set up area.










3 track in to 5 tracks inside with slide tracks for routing.

We see how to put them in but, not sure how to delete the Attached Thumbnails once in yet?
I'll be darn.. Now the thumbnail is work when click on it and don't have to upload it to my storage.. Neat idea.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

This is showing the inside of about what the new one may look like. They hold between 20 to 24 cars.









The two red box cars are 50 footer. so should be able on that track store 5 of them.. The storage box is not very long as other guys do.. We ran out of space due to a Tree and Garbage cans location on end of the storage box. We also installed Micro roller Switches for the LED lighting when raised the top up that works off of our Malbu yard timers.


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

Noel, since it isn't really the best size for your club, what do you think the shipping costs would be to send it to southern AZ? Doesn't have to be large to be a great building.
Alan W.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

fyrekop said:


> Noel, since it isn't really the best size for your club, what do you think the shipping costs would be to send it to southern AZ? Doesn't have to be large to be a great building.
> Alan W.


Alan W. It really kind of simple to build.. The cost is the 3/8 plywood was the bad part. Most of the frame is 1" X 4'' cut in half. 
The box is a 3' X 10'. I did the top to look like an Eng. house but made front top/roof is 4' long. So just have to reach in and re-route the tracks due to going from 3 tracks to 5 track. So the back top/roof half is just if you need to set in some cars or ? Shipping Cost probably be more than the Building Cost. lol. It's heavy. One think is nice about it is the fold up doors that is one door for all three, that has a slide bolt to lock it from the inside. Hope this gives you an idea to build your own.. It easy to do.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Dale W said:


> Noel
> That's one good looking shed. Dimensions please. And roughly how many cars do you expect it will hold.
> Dale


Hi Dale.. The Storage box is 3 foot by 10 foot long and hold around 20 cars or more. Would of been longer, but for the area I had on the end of the guest set up area was only little over 10 foot.. There a tree and Garbage cans stored there. 
So it's more or less a storage for the guys that want to leave trains over night. I don't keep much of my stuff in there, but it's temp. full right now.. lol.


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks Noel for the dimensions. Looks easy enough to build. Which I may do as the storage tracks in my little train barn is almost full.

Dale


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Trains test*

We picked a few rolling stock and Power from our Train cart to see how Baker Acre area was going to work out with the new yard. We took out a NW-2 and set it up at the set up area with about 30 or more cars. Its a 140 foot or so down hill run to B.A. Yard. So didn't need much power to get them there.









Then we set up a few caboose with two GP-9's to go to Baker Acres yard.









This is were we for now will store the cabooses.









So far it working out great and was supprized that the NW-2 shoved the whole string of cars to the SW yard and break up the rolling stock there.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Making up a train.*

We move cars around to see how we had to get behind some of them for Jane's Landing indusial area and other end of the Switch yard.. There are three run arounds track that can be used or just use the by-pass to go around Bakers Acre for main line train to keep going.
This is a shot of the switcher and cars around in the yard.









After making up a train with about 25 cars, we set up the two GP-9's to the head end and shot them out on the main. 

This showing them coming down the Helix to Butthead Cove and then on to Wilsonville. 









The train took little over 5 Min. to get back to Bakers Acre for another rebuild run.
Looks like this is really going to be a great addition to our R.R. and to our Get-together Train & BBQ Group guys. 

We still got to get some kind of a simple waybill or train order sheets made up yet. 
With the three intercoms in Wilsonville, Hillsdale and Bakers Acres with all of the blocks, It going to be a lot of fun.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I always liked the dense vegetation that you have on your layout. I like the ponds too. 

JJ


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks great Noel


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

John J said:


> I always liked the dense vegetation that you have on your layout. I like the ponds too.
> 
> JJ


tk's J.J. The Koi's don't like the trains going across the bridges tho.. They think it feeding time and congragate around the walk bridge waiting for more pellets.. Then start splashing water when not feeding themn and water ends up on the Swing bridge. Gets the tracks wet sometimes. lol.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

To show our Train Group and others the upgrade on our Swing Bridge. 
Changed out and relocate the micro SW stops with more wiring and LED's changes.
Our Bridge lock sol. had to be replaced. It rusted in place.. darn.. sniff.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Great video Noel, the bridge works great.
Dennis


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Upgrade Bakers Acre area.*

Lately guys have been having problems getting Eng's. power out from the Eng. storage area over to the Yard to make up trains. A lot of time we have to stop the thru trains to get across from one area to the other.
Night view.









Day view.









So we decided to remove the cross overs and rearrange the tracks. 











Now have a yard lead track and can also change track and can use it for a run around and easier to make up trains with out getting on the main line. 
Lot easier to get Power out from the turn table area now.


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## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

noelw said:


> Now have a yard lead track and can also change track and can use it for a run around and easier to make up trains with out getting on the main line.
> Lot easier to get Power out from the turn table area now.


I feel like that first switch from the turntable headed towards the mainline would be a perfect spot for an R3 double slip switch, (if that is indeed an LGB R3 switch to begin with) with that plank already leading away towards the walkway to form a stub siding.










Could be a short spot to park/reverse an engine onto the passing siding alongside the water tower instead of potentially fouling the main line switch ahead.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Sampug394
Good idea but we are trying to get all track switches back to a min. of 10 foot curves. Can two SD40-2 get thru that switch you show? 
Now most of our Track Switches are 10 curves or more.
One reason we had to do the track at the top left was our Turntable controls, Remote Sw Contols and a TM-R/C unit is located there and had to go around it.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Lighting up the Turntable*

We rebuilt the Bridge on the Turntable and add the over head swivel light to it for night runs.










Installed back in and test the lighting.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

We had a problem on Eng. running off the bridge. So had to install a small section of tracks due to not much room for a storage area track. Now using ties the Eng. couples will stop the Eng. with out messing up the foot boards. 










We also due to not hand rails on the bridge we made a Turntable Operators shack with a portable lap controller that can be plugged in around the layout. " Course there hidden as i can't find them..lol." so now when Turntable is being used, one can open the doors up and operator sets out to control it. " Hand rails get in the way to work the Turntable manual so left them off for now."

This is a shed we found to use.










Location at Bakers Acres Eng. area.









Doors open and man is ready to work.









Are we having fun yet??


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