KINGSPORT   COURIER                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                       Friday  December 18, 1953

PRINTING  ALL THE NEWS  THAT'S  FIT  TO  PRINT and some that's not worth it.

Gate City Residents "SEE  THE  LIGHT"

Amid all the moving of the earth in Gate City for the Virginia & Tennessee Rwy's new yard and new main track, there appeared light of a different nature.  It is reported that the V&T Rwy has brought in some special lights by which to do their work, and it rumored that these lights will stay after the new yard is completed.  What is confusing is they are called LED track lights.  Obviously somebody doesn't know how to spell or has been having an extra "nip of the 'shine"  as there is not yet any track in the yard nor where the main line is going to be located.  Also, no one has heard of this company LED but the glow of the lights can be seen all the way over to the north side of Kingsport if the clouds are at the right altitude.  

In the "enlightening" photo below, the reader can see the status of the earthwork for the yard, mainline and branch.  Yes, the turntable pit on the right had to have a few extra feet of fill added.  Management had been hopeful of having a substrate added before Christmas but attention to choice of new [read "new" to the V&T Rwy but some of it looks pretty old to this reporter] equipment as well as MAJOR earthwork beyond Gate City may push track laying into the first of the new year.

V&T Rwy wishes all

Best of the Holidays

and a Happy*

New Year

* Happy = NOTS = Nip Of The 'Shine

Closet work

Not keeping this post "in the closet".  Today again Doug came over and while there still needs four fillers between sections of plywood we have finished the installation of bracket and risers and the "laying of the plywood" in the closet.  Photos to follow, hopefully soon.

Mo[o]re Work Done

Since the last post got some prep-for-work things done and today Doug and I got a pretty good 6 HRS of work accomplished.

CONTINUING WORK

After a couple of months, all the effects of the swelling/infection are finally gone from this old body.

With the cardboard template in place, the ability to see car numbers on the yard was checked out with temporary track on the cardboard template:

The photos of the GP entering and exiting the tunnel are inspiration on how to handle the main though the wall [hole in the corner].

With the help of Doug, got some 19/32's 5 ply plywood that looked flat.  Cut the upper and lower level in the closet and set it in place:

The 1/2 inch four ply plywood I purchased in the mid 70's for my previous layout was just fine.  But this stuff, the problem is it warped:

First looked at clamping it down to force it straight:

But then decided to look for better plywood.  At the same lumber yard, hand picked 3/4 inch 10 ply Birch plywood and, again with Doug's help, got that home and cut:

Some of the brackets are too long so cut them to size:

 Here is what a 1 X 2 "riser" will look like.  It is screwed and glued to the metal bracket:

On the lower level, about every fourth bracket, the riser will be a 1 X 4 instead of the 1 X 2 to better attach a fascia.  The upper level will have a very thin fascia.  Once the risers are in place, the 1 X 4's and 1 X 2's will be laid on their large dimension parallel to the wall on top of the risers and then the plywood placed on top.

Will use the laser level to mark location on grades:

The goal is to do some work at least five days a week, whether it be cutting more wood, cleaning out the train room, buying proper size wood screws, refining the track plan, etc.

NOW TO GET ONTO DOING SOME MORE PRODUCTIVE WORK ON THE V&T Rwy.

Reasons for little progress since last post

No significant progress recently for three pretty big reasons, but here is the update [NEWS FLASH today's last minute addition look at the bottom - some good progress]:

1.  BAD  overall body swelling - tick bite??  What began as a mild flu progressed over a two week period and varying day to day and time of day [night worse] muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints HURT and energy level dropped.  The night before going to the second doctor's visit the 30 pushups had gone to ZERO, could only partially close my hands and they were weak, could gently take stairs using only one foot and one step at a time.  Anti-swelling pills and an antibiotic brought down the swelling and it has never been so good to see my tendons and blood vessels in my hand under the wrinkled skin!  Energy returning and much better now.

2.  GOOD  In-laws from Switzerland visited!!

3.  GOOD  Over a two week period documented the move of two ex-CP 4-6-2's from storage in Verona to Staunton, VA, their being loaded on heavy duty flat cars, and transfer from the Shenandoah Valley Railroad to the Buckingham Branch Railroad and delivery to Norfolk Southern in Waynesboro for their return to Canada.

Friday afternoon Shenandoah Valley RR freight with the two GPs bracketing the 4-6-2's.

Shoving the 4-6-2's into the yard.




 

Setting up the four jacks and cross beams for the lift.

Ready for the lift.

Almost there

The flat fits under so all that needs to be done is lower and block.















Enough blocks are welded into place to move the engine and the remaining blocks welded.  

The loaded engine is set over, the second engine spotted and the tender removed.

 

The second engine is loaded, the third flat has been prepared with "strap" rails for the two tenders and the loading of the two tenders proceed.

All the blocks have been welded in place and steel rope cables applied.  Buckingham Branch picks up the three loaded flats and heads off to Waynesboro and the Norfolk Southern interchange.

Doug came over today as the post was in progress.  Before he got away construction methods were discussed [including 1/2 inch plywood versus 2 inch foam - plywood wins to keep the upper levels thin] and track arrangements in Saltville, Ozone, Devonia and Piney River were discussed.  Then down to the basement closet to lay out the cardboard yard "template" to check track design and use of the on-hand curved turnouts.

The cardboard "template" shows the available aisle before cutting plywood.  Only two people are to be in this room working the yard [left] and engine service [right].  The dispatcher in the storage/staging area brings trains in and out on the main line which runs against the far and left  wall.  The shelf on the right with the level is the upper level, just past Saltville and 12 inches above above the "engine service area" [boxes and blocks of wood] level.  The shelf on the left is 14 1/2 inches higher than the yard and is the other end of the upper level in the closet and exits to Devonia and Ozone.  Operators running the upper level between Saltville and Devonia stand at the door watching their train do the gradual elevation change - a LOT better than watching a train in a helix by some magical method.

On-hand curved turnouts are being checked for fit to the design before cutting plywood.

Track spacing is checked using the "template".  Closest to the wall is the main, next is the passing siding and then the A/D track.  There is a gap between these three tracks and the six track yard.

"STARTING" Track Plan and 3D model

OK, BUT FIRST MUST ADMIT TO DOING MO[O]RE "TRAINING":

With the research car measuring the "pull" like we did in the late 70's with 2-10-4, T&P 610

with some encouragement of the man at the throttle:

OK, enough of the real, let's get onto the model railroad.

Below is the schematic of the track plan as the builders of the V&T Rwy now see it:

The names are real and the starting point for the layout [could be changed like so much else] between Hagerstown, MD to east Tennessee but bear no resemblance in location to each other other than Hagerstown, MD, and Rockwood, TN.  The numbers in RED are locations marked with little yellow sticky notes on the track plans [below].  The track plans were laid out on graph paper with two blocks [1/2 inch] = 1 ft. and curves and switches drawn out in that scale.  There are three basic levels.  Starting at the top, Hagerstown staging [1], is a 1.28% grade to Saltville [6] with Ozone [2] being level from switch to switch.  The single ended tracks at Devonia [3] are on the level but the main behind them is on the grade [yes, a "holding" mechanism is needed on the main here].

Brimstone [4] and LaFollette [5] are on the grade since they are only holding tracks for complete trains, essentially staging tracks,  and no switching done there.  Saltville [6] is level.  Saltville to Elza Gate [10], the bottom of the helix, is on a 2.8% grade and will require helpers for some trains.  

ELEVATIONS

These grades put the second level, Saltville [6], at 58 inches [making the "nod under at the door at about 56 inches] and 5 inches under the top level, Hagerstown [1] at the door and the wall on the right entering the room [wall 4] [at 63 inches] .  

The main level, below, is at 46 inches which includes ALL track shown below.

LENGTH OF RUNS

Gate City yard [11] to Dixianna [14] is 20 ft [0%rise]
Elza Gate [10] to Piney River [8] is 27 ft. [0%rise]
Gate City yard [11] to Saltville [6] is 37 1/2 ft.  [2.8%rise] [helpers may be needed]
Saltville [6] to Hagerstown [1] is 75 ft  [1.28%rise]

Which makes the mainline run from Gate City yard [11] to Hagerstown [1] 112 ft

ADDITIONAL 1 inch =1 FT plans to be done of the various towns/industries/switching areas which are are still being developed/finalized.  For instance, the below three plans show possible options for Dixianna [14]/Morley [13] and Saltville [6] [these are at the 1/2 inch - 1 ft]:

SORTA PROVING THE TWO DIMENSIONAL PLANS:

To confirm that these two dimensional plans were "do-able" when built, one level over the other, a 3D 1" [four squares] = 1 ft model was built.  Graph paper was glued to the foam-board "wall" so all three dimensions scaled out.  Matboard was cut to for the layout surface and held in place with straight pins through the foam-board "walls".

Here is a close up of a couple of the wall surfaces showing two and three levels:

OK, finally got this to where it should be posted, 3:03 am, and will start on cleaning up some things this morning.  Bye, bye or "Good Day, mate"