Sunday 7 March 2010 - A Red Letter Day!

Sunday 7 March was a big day for Keene as Rich Key, my first visiting operator, took the controls for a brief session. A push with the track laying and wiring has seen most of the back half of the layout virtually completed.

S-4 #1274 performed faultlessly, despite, some would say, its MRC drop-in decoder, with Rich at the throttle and me acting as yardmaster. There were also runs for F-3 #4227, less its headlight (The bulb has popped), and RDC-2 #6118 running silently. The session turned up no serious problems other than the transformer appearing to be sporadically singing to itself. This does not appear to cause any other issues but obviously needs looking at. It turned out that the problem was a QSI wand lying within the transformer's magnetic field and vibrating madly. It took visitor number 2, Chris Castle, to find that!

Here is Chris at the controls, also doing some switching with #1274. There will be none of this leaning on the layout when the scenery is constructed!!

Locomotives

While work on the layout has been progressing so slowly, I have been putting together the locomotive roster I will need to operate the railroad. I have, of course, limited myself solely to the bare minimum number of models I need – and you can believe that if you like.

The Keene Switcher

Arguably the most important locomotive on the layout will be the Keene switcher. As yet I have found no definite information on what type this would have been in 1956. I know the GE 44-tonners were there in the early diesel period and I have seen a photograph of one at Bellows Falls in 1963, so one of these is probably favourite. In fact Keene yard was one of the original assignments for this class. Later on both EMD SW-1’s and SW-8’s were used.


My #118 is a Bachmann Spectrum model and is the later version with a single motor and came DCC-ready. I have installed a TCS MC2 decoder, my first hard-wired installation, which has overcome the skittish behaviour of the locomotive on DC. I had thought some extra weight would be necessary as it is much lighter than any of my other switchers but it has plenty of traction for yard duties. 118 will run silently until I feel ready to tackle a sound installation in such a small loco. The only added detail required is the cab roof mounted two chime air horns and some weathering.

The Ashuelot Branch



Cheshire Road Locomotives

Progress - what progress?

It is difficult to explain the lack of progress on the layout since 2007. I could point to having to re-cover the roof after the felt tore in a storm causing a flood in the shed and saturating the insulation but that would be a poor excuse for two years delay. The main cause has been pottering - and lots of it!! Once some track was laid it was difficult not to start running locos up and down, trying out decoders and so on.

One big decision I did take was to replace the staging with a cassette system. The staging was never going to provide all the storage I needed but with the cassettes this is unlimited. The revised layout plan is shown above.

The Train Service at Keene

Although my model of Keene is far removed from the real thing, I still want operations to reflect what happened on the prototype. In determining the pattern of operation I have gathered information from the following sources:

• Employee and Public timetables purchased off eBay;
• The Yahoo B&M Group list and its members;
• Scott J Witney’s articles on the Ashuelot Branch in Railroad Model Craftsman.


After consideration I have based my layout around the timetables effective from 29 April 1956 as meeting my criteria for the most interesting operation within the time frame I have selected.


THE PASSENGER SCHEDULE

The information below has been collated from the train consists dated 1 January 1956 posted on the B&M Yahoo Group and from B&M passenger and staff timetables. Saturday 31 May 1958 saw the end of passenger service on the Cheshire branch and by 1957 the arrangements had altered in that self-powered diesel cars had replaced locomotive hauled passenger trains almost completely. I have settled on the 1956 set-up to provide more interesting operations. Note that this table relates to January and variations inevitably occurred during the year. All times are DST.

INBOUND (i.e. to Boston)

#5500 - 12.22am – the “Milk Train” - a 2nd class train - this brings milk cars from Bellows Falls and off the Rutland for Boston;

#5506 - 8.08am - the "Cheshire" from White River Junction - a single RDC-1 (2 on Saturday);

#5510 - 4.55pm - a passenger train with milk cars and baggage on the head end.


OUTBOUND (i.e. from Boston)

#5503 - 10.57am - the first passenger train out of Boston;

#5507 - 7.01pm - the "Cheshire" on its return trip to WRJ;

#5511 - 9.49pm - an evening passenger departure from Boston which also returns empty milk cars to the creameries.

FREIGHT TRAINS

At the time I have chosen there were four freight trains a day serving Keene:

EK-1 / KE-2 - Ashuelot local

This is a round trip run from East Deerfield Yard and back along the Ashuelot branch. Interestingly this was always shown as a “mixed” train in the passenger timetable. It was a state requirement that a passenger service had to be provided on the line and anyone presenting themselves would have to have been carried although by this time the only accommodation was in the caboose. Even in 1956 there was still a lot of freight business on the branch, and the round trip to Keene took the better part of a day, the timetable notwithstanding.

WX-1 / XW-2 - Worcester / Bellows Falls local

These were the ex-Monday all-stops locals which left Worcester at 8:00am and Bellows Falls at 8:15am respectively. The trains connected with the Maine Bullet for New York at Worcester and the Peterboro local at Gardner. They were still running (I believe) in 1956.

To increase the operating potential I have decided to add an additional pair of trains:

BX-1 / XB-2 - Boston / Bellows Falls fast freight

These ‘hot-shots’ freights were discontinued in 1948 with WX-1 and XW-2 taking over the traffic. In their time these trains made prime time connections with the Rutland, trains #119 and #120 respectively, at Bellows Falls with en-route pick ups and drops at Fitchburg, Winchendon & Keene only.

Foundations

Baseboards

The baseboards for the layout are formed from three 4’ x 2’ boards I bought from Allan Sibley. The right-hand board was slightly reduced in length to fit the shed. These consist of a 4” deep 6mm ply frame with a 6mm top additionally supported midway across the length of the unit. The corners are blocked, glued and screwed.

I have overlaid these boards with a 9mm ply topping which has enabled me to extend the width of the baseboards and create a curved front profile.

A 6mm hardboard profile board follows the ground contours and covers the top of the curtains which conceal the under board mayhem. The 300mm high back scene is formed of 6mm mdf with 300mm radius corners.

The Track

The track I have used throughout is PECO code 75. This does not accurately portray the American prototype but it is the product I am used to working with, includes in the range all the switch varieties I need and, most importantly, is freely available in the UK. Had the Peco code 83 US range been available when I started construction this might have been a better choice but it still lacks the curved switches which have been imperative in getting Keene to fit in the available space.

The track is laid on Woodland Scenics foam track bed except in the main yard where I have used Exactoscale foam underlay. This is slightly thinner which creates, marginally, the appearance of a lower standard of construction. Besides I had a roll to hand! The track bed is glued to the ply sub- base with white pva glue which does the job quickly but can be easily removed if required. The track is then pinned down using Peco track pins in pre-drilled holes. So far this combination has worked well.

Control

The model is set up to be operated by Digital Command Control (dcc). This is a system whereby the locomotives are controlled by digital signals sent by the controller. This has many advantages. Most significantly it means that more than one locomotive can be run on the layout at the same time independently and that sound can be added to the operations. To allow this the locos have to be fitted with microchip decoders and, if desired, speakers. In the case of switchers which are too small for the addition of onboard sound, a stationary sound decoder will be linked to the movements of the locomotive. In addition the hand-held control unit can be used to operate switches, etc.

The system I have chosen is Digital Plus by Lenz and initially I purchased a Set 100 which comprises a LZV100 unit, a LH100 hand controller and a transformer from Waltons of Altrincham. I have since added a LH90.

The Layout

With the space, scale and prototype determined, it was time to put some thought toward my layout design. I had a number of considerations to work with:

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Givens:

• 12ft x 8ft shed
• Existing baseboards 48" high and 24" wide
• H0 scale
• Boston and Maine Railroad prototype
• Peco trackwork - the only type available locally

The wish list:

• Plenty of operating potential - a switching layout, ideally with some mainline running - staging?
• A junction or interchange for variation
• Passenger trains
• A "real" location
• Post-steam/early diesel era - say 1957
• Minimum visible radius of 30"
• Minimum Peco medium radius turnouts on mainline
• Space for more than just railroad - scenic opportunities as well

I posted on the Yahoo B&M Group asking for suggestions and among those that came up were Chelsea, East Lynn and, most popular, Keene on the Cheshire line to Bellows Falls. Keene had a great deal going for it - four freight trains daily, a junction for the Ashuelot branch, a small yard, a long passing siding, plenty of local industries and a passenger service that lasted through to 1958. SOLD!!

The problem now was how to squeeze it all into a 12 x 8 shed. This was never going to be a scale representation of the actual place but a wye-junction was a big challenge. By good fortune it was at this time that I picked up a copy of Iain Rice's "Small, Smart and Practical Layouts" which contains a number of ideas for such a shed. By co-incidence two of them were also B&M based and these proved that what I was aiming for was possible. It occurred to me that by modelling just two of the legs of the wye and imagining that trains used the third, I could just about get away with it!

This is the plan that eventually evolved.

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My final plan bears only a passing resemblance to the real Keene with the Bellows Fall line being represented by a short spur. Trains entering or leaving the town in that direction will do so by the Ashuelot line - I'll have to look the other way for a few moments. Also the passenger depot should have been off-stage but I have relocated it opposite the yard to create a bit more interest. Despite all the changes, I will be able to perform most of the operations that took place in Keene, NH in 1957.

So why the Boston and Maine in H0?

I have had a model railway of sorts since my parents gave me a Rovex (Tri-ang) clockwork “00” gauge train set for my fourth Christmas and have modelled sporadically ever since without ever really getting round to building my own layout. More recently I was a member of the local area group of the Scalefour Society. They were the owners of the superb “Pampisford” exhibition layout modelled in P4 fine-scale (76.2:1 on 18.83mm gauge). I spent a good deal of time operating both Pampisford and other members’ layouts at exhibitions. The group had some illustrious members from the British modelling fraternity and I grew used to fine models and impeccable operation. When the group lost its club rooms, its assets were disposed of and, basically, if I wanted to operate a model railway regularly, I needed to build my own.

At that time the standard of British outline ready-to-run models was not good, certainly not up to the standards to which I had become accustomed, especially performance-wise. Even had it been (and to be fair Hornby and Bachmann have made great strides over the past few years) I would have struggled to come to terms once more with the narrow gauge appearance. Going P4 was an option but it would have meant I had to build or modify everything (track and stock) myself and I really do prefer operating to building.

I had heard much about the quality of American models and of course the scale:gauge ratio is correct. I decided to bite the bullet and do something completely different. The Atlas Classic GP-7 that resulted did the trick; it ran superbly and I was hooked. The choice of the Boston and Maine followed closely behind. I was already aware of the attractive maroon and gold locomotives but when two of the first model railroading magazines I bought contained articles by Mike Hamer and Don Janes the decision was made for me - I was going to model the Boston and Maine.