Learning Superior

If you don't know where you are going, you have a few options. One of the most commonly used (by me at least) is to keep blundering on in hopes of getting somewhere. You can also use things like GPS or maps. Advice from a trusted friend is always useful. The most valuable solution, though, is an experienced guide. That's what I lucked into last Wednesday when Dan Mackey was kind enough to give me a grand tour of Twin Ports railfanning locations. I know this wasn't all-inclusive, I don't think you could do that in a full day around here, but it was a great introduction. And there were even trains!

After a quick stop at McDonalds (take out), Dan soon knew exactly where to wait for this trifecta of EMD's as it brought a cut of cars from Duluth up a grade into the Superior yard. The GP's weren't able to get the job done themselves so the SD was placed in helper service as the long transfer made the loop toward the yard.


These 8 axle flat cars made up a good portion of the train with what looked like wind generators aboard. Must have been one of the reasons so much tractive effort was needed. Dan managed to get elevation to shoot this train.


Now for a brief OMR tidbit. On the previous Sunday, when I was on the way back to Superior from Staples, a train of DME and ICE hoppers was making its way onto the Brainerd Sub at Staples. Knowing how excited Chis Muller would be, I called him with a live report. When I mentioned 4 bay DME hoppers he asked what kind, so this photo is intended to provide that info.


We now resume our Twin Ports discussion. Dan had a good idea of what was going on from the radio chatter. Being a novice in the area, when I asked him where 15.9 was, he gave me a funny look and said something like "a mile from 14.9". Then we were off for places like Saunders, and Boylston, where I think I shot this after running the hundred yard dash in as good a time as I can muster due to my wandering off and not observing where the qualified guide set up. Note to self: "PAY ATTENTION!"


And the hits just kept on coming. The Benzene bridge, MP 15.9, where a coal load and coal empty met, and yet another bridge south of town, which Dan was kind enough to drive down to. By this time I didn't even know what color locomotives might show up. As we pulled up to this location Dan asked if I saw a headlight coming. Sure enough, the CN delivered a train just in the knick of time.


And it just went on. Grassy Point Draw, Mikes Yard. The pair of Rice's Point yards, and all the trackage down in the port area, where a CP job was working. A ship loading at one of the massive elevators in Superior. The action never stopped.

I want to say thanks to Dan for the great tour. I'm looking forward to learning the area, and getting to know more of the fans around here.

Disaster Prevention

A while back, I made a post describing how I built a drop bridge to span the entry door to my layout room.

At the end of that post, I mentioned the need for some type of interlock to prevent running trains into the canyon while the bridge was down. After some searching for the right switch, I finally got around to working on that project. While the solution is rough looking, I'm very happy with how it performs. Here's a short video showing the interlock at work:


The wiring is very simple. What I did was cut a gap in each rail far enough back from the bridge to allow any loco to come to a stop before plunging to destruction when it reaches the unpowered track section. Then I ran a feeder wire from one leg of the powered track section to the switch. It's a normally open switch, so the lip on the bridge has to depress it to allow power to flow to the bridge and each approach section. The switched leg feeds power to both approach sections and the bridge through three separate feeders-all attached to the switched leg. The power reaches the far side of the bridge by way of a wire fastened to the door frame.

I know there are more elegant solutions, especially to powering the far side approach. I may investigate that in the future, but for now, I have made my layout a safer place for the trains that operate there. That's a good thing. And on top of everything else, it was inexpensive-leaving more money for coal gondolas!

Jim

A Cure for the Aching Back

Since the train show in St. Cloud earlier this spring, my interest in modeling has been rekindled. What had been the beginnings of a small HO switching layout in my basement has seen significant expansion, to the point that I now have a continuous mainline run of about 120'. I enjoy this, since when I am down in the basement working on models, I now can have a train running continuously, and it passes above my workbench every three minutes or so. However, in order to have this continuous run, the tracks have to cross the doorway entering the room. I contemplated whether I should build a duckunder, some type of swinging gate, or a bridge to cross the doorway. A temporary duckunder convinced me that whatever solution was selected would have to allow me to enter the room in an upright position. Here's the doorway that needed crossing:


One of my personality traits is that I enjoy solving problems like this in the most economical way possible. In other words, I'm pretty cheap. I didn't want to have to buy a bunch of fancy hardware. However, at the same time, my cheapness convinced me that whatever method I used had better not let an expensive Genesis locomotive go crashing to the cement floor. With these thoughts in mind, I sat down and began pondering. The first thought was a lift up bridge. However, I kept seeing it come crashing down on my head in my mind. So how about a lift out section? That seemed simpler, but probably not practical for someone who can set down a camera and 30 seconds later swear that some basement troll must have grabbed it and taken the camera back to its lair. I needed something that I couldn't lose. The drop leaf style bridge came to mind. And so the basic design was chosen. I figured, in order to have a reliable bridge, I needed something substantial to fasten it to. An armload of 2x4's and some drywall screws provided a foundation on one end. The existing benchwork on the other side of the bridge was surprisingly stable. The hinged end would be on the side with the 2x4 framework, as shown here:


So far, things were going pretty well. But now came one of the harder parts of the design-how can I make sure that the tracks on the bridge line up perfectly with the tracks on the benchwork, every time? I had to stop and play with trains for a while to let that question turn over in my mind. Eventually, I came up with the idea of some type of wedge arrangement, where alignment in both the horizontal and vertical planes should be repeatable. I could try and describe how I did this, or I could just show you this picture:


The cam is removable, so you take it out, raise the bridge, then plug the dowel into a hole and twist the cam to lock the bridge in place. Reverse the procedure to lower the bridge. Store the cam in place, and you might not lose it. I haven't yet. I built the entire thing before installing the track, then with the bridge locked in position by the cam, installed the track. Then I used a cutoff wheel in a rotary tool to cut the track. Here are the joints on either end of the track:



I powered the tracks by soldering feeders to each rail and leaving enough slack so the wire flexes as the bridge is raised and lowered. Here is how the bridge looks when it's in the operating position:


The bridge "plank" is a piece of birch that is about an inch thick. It's very stable and so far I have seen no problems with alignment. It's on of the rare projects that worked out pretty well the first try. It is a little rough looking, and I still will add some type of electrical interconnection to prevent running a train into the canyon if the bridge is open, but I haven't found just the switch I want to use for that yet. Remembe, I'm cheap and want to get the feeling of getting a good deal on that switch.

Here's a short video of how it actually works.


Hope you enjoyed this little story!

Jim

High Bridge Update

I had a little free time this evening and so I made a mad dash over to the Boone area to check on the progress UP has made on the new Kate Shelley High Bridge. It looked to me like they are nearing completion. The track is in place on the bridge and the approaches have been laid on each side. I wasn't able to get a shot of the bridge from the west, just the approach area.


From the east, you can get into position for a long telephoto shot of the bridge deck, which of course results in poor quality. However, you can see that trains have been out on the deck dumping ballast.


Obviously, the existing bridge is on the left, or south. The new bridge is north of the existing alignment and it looks like trains will have to swing north to gain access to the new bridge.

Rumor has it that the existing bridge will be used for maintenance vehicles once the new bridge is in service. I suppose it is cheaper to use it than to attempt to dismantle it. You really have to see the area to appreciate how huge these bridges are. It is just jaw-dropping to think that the longest and highest double track railroad bridge in the country is in...Iowa? But supposedly, it is.

UP blessed me with a couple of trains while I was investigating the area. The best shot I got was of a westbound coal empty, just after he rounded the curve leaving the bridge behind. Looks like this one has had a wing clipped.


The only other decent shot I got was of a couple of GP's in the Boone yard as I left town. What the heck, they are yellow and that's a change.


Traffic was pretty good, as there were two other trains through the area while I was there. The Boone and Scenic Valley also has their headquarters in Boone, with some interesting vintage equipment. Quite a "railroady" area, with a couple of former CNW cabooses also on display in different parts of town. But, it could never replace the Staples Sub for me.

Maybe I will get a couple of more shots this week. Check back and see how my look for trains turns out.

Jim