Been a while since I posted! Construction of the RR portion (Milton branch) is well along, "main line" (all 10 feet of it) has been laid, and the staging yard started. The various spurs for Baker Chocolate have begun, with the bridge over the Neponset installed. I am currently working on the diamond where the power plant spur crosses the factory spur, this is being scratch built, using PC board ties and soldering.
On the trolley side, no progress yet. I did redesign the Mattapan terminal to simplify it and remove the curved crossing which looked like a bear to build. I am also working on a PCC car, starting with an old Bowser casting I bought back in 1971, adding details to make it resemble the MTA/MBTA "All-Electric" cars which ran on this line at various times. The reason I chose that car to model is that it most closely resembles the Bowser model which I believe is a Philadelphia prototype. Down the road I am thinking of adding a type 5, Miniatures by Eric has a nice resin casting, I would just need to add a drive and paint it.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The final final track plan
I think I finally have revised the track plan enough. And since I have built the benchwork and started cutting the ceiling tile to fit it, it had better not change significantly.
The major revision is that I finally was able to squeeze the Mattapan trolley in, although to do it I had to make it single track in spots. I originally had an idea to run the trolley over the railroad, sharing trackage, but one drawback of this is that since the trolley can run off the overhead, and to avoid having to deal with reverse loops, I was going to have both rails the same polarity. Of course that doesn't work for the RR. Plus it is not prototypical.
The trolley is somewhat freelanced, since I have a simple loop at Ashmont instead of the rapid transit terminal, plus single track street running through Milton (the prototype was entirely on private right of way). However the yard and terminal at Mattapan is pretty close to the way it was in the 1950's, except for the addition of a car barn (the prototype MTA towed trolleys needing servicing to Eliot shops in Cambridge through the subway).
The RR retains the Baker Chocolate layout as in previous designs. The yard at Mattapan is lost in favor of the trolleys, but instead I made the staging at the "Boston" end as visible staging and will treat it as South Boston yard where the locals would have originated.
The major revision is that I finally was able to squeeze the Mattapan trolley in, although to do it I had to make it single track in spots. I originally had an idea to run the trolley over the railroad, sharing trackage, but one drawback of this is that since the trolley can run off the overhead, and to avoid having to deal with reverse loops, I was going to have both rails the same polarity. Of course that doesn't work for the RR. Plus it is not prototypical.
The trolley is somewhat freelanced, since I have a simple loop at Ashmont instead of the rapid transit terminal, plus single track street running through Milton (the prototype was entirely on private right of way). However the yard and terminal at Mattapan is pretty close to the way it was in the 1950's, except for the addition of a car barn (the prototype MTA towed trolleys needing servicing to Eliot shops in Cambridge through the subway).
Monday, July 4, 2011
Revised layout for Baker Chocolate
I made some major revisions to Baker Chocolate, making it more of a centerpiece of the layout and also conforming the design more to the prototype.
I found these diagrams on a Dorchester Historical website:
As a result I relocated the complex to the front of the layout and added some additional trackage:
I found these diagrams on a Dorchester Historical website:
As a result I relocated the complex to the front of the layout and added some additional trackage:
Saturday, July 2, 2011
More on new track plan
The track plan I posted in my previous entry is somewhat freelance but tries to capture the essence of the Milton Branch.
The modeled portion of the branch starts at a 3 track staging yard at the bottom of the plan. This represents the Old Colony main through the Neponset area of Dorchester and the Southampton St. yard/ South Station which would be the terminus for freight and passenger trains respectively.
The line first crosses Granite St. where there is a commuter station and a couple of industries, Keystone Camera and a foundry / Scrapyard. There actually was a foundry located in that general area according to an old track plan I found from the 1930's. Keystone Camera's building still exists and has been turned into condos. It is the tall building you can see from I-93 approaching Boston from the south just before Neponset Circle.
Further on we come to Milton where there is another station and a short passing siding mostly to allow the local to run around cars for switching facing point sidings. A spur to the Baker Chocolate complex diverges here, crossing the Neponset river as did the prototype. I flipped the location of Baker so that it would be against the wall. The road crossing the tracks and river is Adams St. and is elevated above the RR here.
Around the next curve we have Central Ave. station and a relocated Sturtevant Mill co. (which was really in Dorchester near Harrison Sq.) The yard lead for Mattapan yard starts here.
The yard at Mattapan is a small affair including a couple of passenger tracks, freight yard tracks, and a small engine terminal. I could consider putting in a turntable since I do have a steamer which I anachronistically plan to run on occasion.
Freight service will consist of a through freight that will drop cars at the yard. A local switcher will then proceed to work the industries as far as Granite Ave., trying to stay out of the way of the commuter trains.
Commuter service will be provided mostly by RDC's, with a string of "American Flyer" coaches pulled by a PA-1 for rush hour. I am even thinking of occasional special camp trains servicing a mythical summer camp located in Milton that would bring sleepers into the tiny Mattapan terminal, hopelessly clogging things up.
The modeled portion of the branch starts at a 3 track staging yard at the bottom of the plan. This represents the Old Colony main through the Neponset area of Dorchester and the Southampton St. yard/ South Station which would be the terminus for freight and passenger trains respectively.
The line first crosses Granite St. where there is a commuter station and a couple of industries, Keystone Camera and a foundry / Scrapyard. There actually was a foundry located in that general area according to an old track plan I found from the 1930's. Keystone Camera's building still exists and has been turned into condos. It is the tall building you can see from I-93 approaching Boston from the south just before Neponset Circle.
Further on we come to Milton where there is another station and a short passing siding mostly to allow the local to run around cars for switching facing point sidings. A spur to the Baker Chocolate complex diverges here, crossing the Neponset river as did the prototype. I flipped the location of Baker so that it would be against the wall. The road crossing the tracks and river is Adams St. and is elevated above the RR here.
Around the next curve we have Central Ave. station and a relocated Sturtevant Mill co. (which was really in Dorchester near Harrison Sq.) The yard lead for Mattapan yard starts here.
The yard at Mattapan is a small affair including a couple of passenger tracks, freight yard tracks, and a small engine terminal. I could consider putting in a turntable since I do have a steamer which I anachronistically plan to run on occasion.
Freight service will consist of a through freight that will drop cars at the yard. A local switcher will then proceed to work the industries as far as Granite Ave., trying to stay out of the way of the commuter trains.
Commuter service will be provided mostly by RDC's, with a string of "American Flyer" coaches pulled by a PA-1 for rush hour. I am even thinking of occasional special camp trains servicing a mythical summer camp located in Milton that would bring sleepers into the tiny Mattapan terminal, hopelessly clogging things up.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I think I have finally come to a decision ...
... on the layout. After going back and forth about trolley only vs. trolley + railroad, I came to the conclusion that just doing a railroad would provide the most operating interest. So my current thoughts are to freelance a little and imagine the Milton Branch as though the Mattapan trolley had never been built, and that commuter service had continued on the branch (probably unlikely but it gives me the excuse). So we have a single track branch with several industries leading to a small yard at Mattapan, the other end terminating in a staging yard that represents the Old Colony main. Along the route are several stations served by frequent commuter service mostly provided by RDC's with an occasional coach train pulled by Alco PA's or RS3's.
I have started a new track plan, should have it done in a few days.
I have started a new track plan, should have it done in a few days.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The M&D reborn
For a while I had considered going in a different direction, and had abandoned the concept of the Milton & Dorchester. My alternative was to go with a trolley only layout based on the MBTA Riverside line. However I have since been returning to the idea of a combined trolly + switching layout. The idea of abandoning the ability to do switching and model industries is too compelling to give up. I have however decided to scale back the layout somewhat. I am working on a track plan, hope to post something soon.
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