Activity at Riverton, the railroad’s hub.

LAST DECEMBER, Curtis Reid (aka Pencil42) made a collection of North American-inspired 30-inch gauge equipment available at the Trainz Download Station (DLS). Best of all, he produced a complete set of locos, cars, track and bridges; all first rate virtual models. I couldn’t resist building a layout using Reid’s equipment and some additional 760 mm British and European equipment I found at the DLS. Thus we have the Lincolnpin Rail Road. I’ve submitted a full article describing the route and its operation to Railroad Model Craftsman for publication. Rather than upstage RMC, I’m presenting here a simplified version, focusing on the layout’s use.


Basic plan.

The LPRR is essentially a single baseboard layout with a second, “behind-the scenes” baseboard serving as a fiddle yard and representing the LPRR’s connection with the greater world. The line crosses over itself on the run between Switchback and High Peak. Runarounds at each destination permit the loco to run around the train and always be pulling, even if bunker first.


Running bunker first from Switchback to High Peak on a stormy day.

Rolling Stock

I downloaded all of Reid’s NG30 collection, which included two 0-4-0 Porters (identical, except one has a Christmas wreath on the smoke box door), a 4-wheel ore car and a 4-wheel flatcar. I then found a great amount of German and some British rolling stock listed as 760 mm gauge at the DLS. I selected the Whitcomb Diesel by sssjung, a 4-wheel passenger car and 2-bogie boxcar from the R�KB Railway in Germany by Michael Heussler, the 1896 Thusis 2-6-0 steamer from the Landquart-Davos line in Germany by U. J. Baumann, and one of the 4-wheel boxcars from the West Clare Railway in Ireland by Ricky Syckes.

I use the Porters, ore cars, West Clare boxcar and R�KB passenger cars for most of my operations. The West Clare car serves as a milk car. I use the larger locos for pulling longer trains off into the greater world of the fiddle yard baseboard.

Operations

The layout can be operated as free play or in task-oriented sessions. I created six sessions, each one simulating a segment of a typical day’s operation. The following sessions represent a day’s operation. All begin at Riverton. I set each starting time and weather condition as indicated. You can change any setting beforehand or create your own session.

A.M. Commuter/Milk Run. Begins at 6:30 A.M. on a clear day with the Christmas Porter, 2 coaches and a 4-wheel boxcar. The train runs to Switchback, High Peak, Switchback and Riverton. The loco runs around the train at each stop so it is always pulling the train. The boxcar is dropped at the freight depot on the outbound leg and picked up again on the inbound leg.


The Porter drops off the milk car at Switchback in the early morning commuter run while the two coaches await the next leg of the journey to High Peak.

Back at Riverton, the boxcar is dropped and two coaches are added. The Whitcomb diesel takes over and pulls the train to the runaround in the fiddle yard. It will return as part of the P.M. Commuter run. Continue

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Article and screen shots �2008 Alfred Barten. All rights reserved.

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