New Blog: CSX Dixie Line

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Introducing the CSX Dixie Line

I have changed my prototype from the CSX former Clinchfield route to the CSX line between Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN via Chattanooga, TN. While I really have a special place in my heart for the Clinchfield, I really wanted to have some variety with regards to industrial swithching & operations that were just not available with the Clinchfield. While I will be losing perhaps the best mountain railroad scenery east of the Mississippi, I will be gaining the beautiful scenery of the rolling hills and mountains of northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee. I feel this is an ideal tradeoff, plus don't be surprised if some Clinchfield inspiration shows up here and there on the new CSX Dixie Line.

Note: This blog has been replaced by the new CSX Dixie Line blog. No additional updates will be made to this CSX Clinchfield Division blog. As always, thanks for visiting and looking forward to seeing you on the new blog!

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Layout Progress as of 7/20/2008

This week I began building the wall brackets for the around-the-wall shelf sections of the track plan. A set of photos is included below. At this point, the track plan is only roughed in, and you may be wondering if it is wise to begin construction without a completed track plan. I am using an iterative approach to building the CSX Clinchfield Division, which basically means I get the design to a certain level of completeness and then move forward building as much as possible according to the plan so far. For example, although I do not have the exact mainline routing or exact locations of sidings, towns, or industries, I recently finalized the exact dimensions and shape of the layout. This will allow me to build most of the major benchwork components now while the details of the track plan are still coming together. Basically, at this stage I am really just building a blank canvas that I know will accommodate all of the elements of the CSX Clinchfield Division layout, even though I do not yet know the specifics of all the elements.

For the wall brackets, I purchased a bundle of 20 pieces of 1" x 3" x 8' pine lumber. Since I will be needing a lot of these brackets (around 45-50 of them), I decided to setup an assembly line type of operation. First, I cut all of the 8' pine boards to shorter lengths to be used as pilasters, joists and cleats for constructing the individual brackets. Next, I built a temporary work table on which I mounted two jigs: one to assure the cleats were mounted to the pilasters correctly, and one to assure that the joists were mounted to the pilasters correctly. The jigs assure all of the pieces go together nice and square. To assemble the brackets, I took the cut pieces and assembled them using the first jig to attach three cleats to the pilaster, and then the second jig to attach three joists to the pilaster/cleat assembly. I was able to produce four complete brackets much more quickly than I could have without the jigs. Finally, I mounted one of the brackets to the wall in the appropriate position on the train room wall. I will continue making brackets and mounting them until they are all done. At that point, it will be time to turn to construction of the benchwork for the peninsula and the dreaded helix--but that is for another day!

I must give credit to Bruce Faulkner and his CSX Shenandoah Division n-scale layout, upon which the basic design of my benchwork is based. Looking at Brian's benchwork construction progress photos on his website really convinced me that the ideas bouncing around in my head might actually work. Thanks, Brian!

Note: After completing the first bracket, I posted a few of the pictures below in a thread on the Model Railroader magazine forum. Based on feedback from that forum and a review from some of my friends who are carpenters and woodworkers, I have decided to change my construction techniques in two ways: (1) Instead of using pine boards, I will be using hardwood plywood ripped into 1 x 3 boards and (2) all of the joints will be glued as well as screwed together. Look for an progress report on this new method soon, as I want to move forward quickly before I lose any momentum.

Photos


Figure 1 Four completed wall brackets ready for installation.


Figure 2 The first wall bracket mounted in the layout room.


Figure 3 The same wall bracket, but viewed from a different angle.


Figure 4 The jig for mounting cleats on the pilasters.


Figure 5 The jig for mounting joists on the pilaster/cleat assemblies.

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Full Size Mockups to Establish Layout Height and Depth

I recently built a six foot wide full size mockup of the layout using inexpensive steel shelf brackets and extruded foam to mimic the benchwork, plus construction paper to act as the fascia boards and add a bit of simulated color. The purpose of this exercise was so that I could get a pretty good feeling for what the layout will look and feel like in its finished form, while using cheap materials that could be thrown together quickly and then taken down with ease. I have included a complete set of photos below to show how I went about building and testing the mockups.

Aside from determining whether or not the general layout shape (narrow, long, multi-level around-the-wall shelves) would work in the layout room, I had two specific goals: (1) determine the height of each of the three decks and (2) determine the depth of the shelves. I successfully fulfilled both of these objectives.

Layout Height

The three decks--lower, middle, and upper/staging--will be built at the following heights (measured from floor level to the tops of the joists that support each deck): 42", 57" and 69". I determined these to be the ideal heights by standing back from the mockup in a spot where I believe most operators will stand when running trains. These heights insure that the entire depth of the lower two shelves can be seen and that no layout "innards" (benchwork, wiring, etc.) can be seen by an operator of my height (5' - 8" tall) while standing in the aisles. I also selected these heights because they allow for deck separations of 15" between the lower two levels and 12" between the upper two levels. My helix will rise 2.5" per turn, so 15" separation equals six turns of the helix and 12" equals a bit less than four turns of the helix (any minor height differences can be easily solved by adjusting the transition ramps entering and leaving the helix).

Also note that the upper staging level, at 69" above floor level, will be unseen by even the tallest operators thanks to the elevation plus fascia boards that will extend even a few inches higher. This upper level fascia will double as a view block and a safety fence to prevent trains from plummeting six feet to the floor below. This hidden staging level will be operated via the use of mirrors or cameras and a monitor. Staging will be implemented so that no switching will occur in the staging yards during an operating session.

Layout Depth

With the layout height goal achieved, I set out to determine the layout depth, or the distance between the front edge of the layout and the wall of the train room (or the distance between the front edge of the layout and the peninsula supports for the two shelves running down the middle of the room). My track plan as drawn up in its initial version limits the shelves to a 12" depth around the room, with the exception of one stretch along a short wall of the room that could be 18" deep to accommodate a signature scene to be modelled. I arrived at the standard 12" width as follows:

-- the room is 110" wide
-- the minimum aisle width is 30" and there are two aisles; 30 * 2 = 60" for aisles, leaving 50" for shelves
-- there are four shelves (two along the wall and two down the peninsula)
-- dividing the 50" available shelf space evenly amongst the four shelves allowed 12" for each shelf, plus two inches left over to be contributed to the aisle space
-- four 12" shelves plus two 31" aisles equals 110", or precisely the width of the train room

However, as I thought about this I realized that 12" really leaves enough room for one or two main tracks, some scenery, and not much else. Admittedly there is not much online industry along the Clinchfield mainline, but I did want to leave open the possibility of adding a tipple here or a mine there for some operational variety, and 12" just wasn't going to allow for that. And what about a yard? A small one would not be impossible in 12", but there would be little room for anything other than the tracks, which would make it look more like a staging yard rather than an operating, scenicked part of the layout.

Therefore, when I built the mockup shelves out of 6 foot long sections of 3/4" blue extruded foam, I started off by making each shelf 16" deep. I then laid down some brown construction paper to give the shelf a more realistic "dirt" look and taped 4" wide strips of black paper along the front edge to simulate the fascia. On top of the brown paper, I placed track, some rolling stock, and a few building mockups I built a while back out of poster board--enough stuff to allow a limited yet usable view of what the items would look like in a real layout setting. By viewing this configuration from multiple angles, I determined that a depth of 16" would be adequate to allow for some sort of switching industry or even a small functioning (and realistic looking!) yard.

Next, I cut the back 4" off each shelf and placed them back on the brackets so that I now had a 12" depth across all three decks. While it became clear that 12" would not support a medium sized industry or yard, I was surprised at how much space was available even with two main tracks running through the scene. In fact, I am really looking forward to laying out some passing siding or bridge scenes that I think will actually take advantage of the long & narrow shelf areas of the layout.

Putting this information all together, I will be altering the track plan as follows: the width of three of the shelves will be reduced from 12" to 11", while the width of the fourth shelf (the long one against the back wall of the room) will be widened to 17". While the one inch reduction of the three shelves will have minimal impact, the width added to the fourth shelf will be significant: I will have a 17" wide shelf on all decks that will be 18'-2" long on the back wall. Plus, this will join on one end to the already wider shelf along one of the short 9'-2" walls, so I will basically have an L-shaped section over 27 feet long that will have at least a 17" width. This should be more than enough real estate to do what I want with regards to industries, towns and yards.

Photos


Figure 1 The first metal shelf wall bracket has been installed. I purchased this particular shelving system from Ikea; pricing was about $3 for a pair of wall brackets and $2 for a pair of shelf brackets.


Figure 2 Installing a shelf bracket into a wall bracket. I could easily adjust the height of the shelves in 2" increments simply by moving the bracket up or down into the adjacent slots in the wall bracket.


Figure 3 The first shelf bracket installed in the wall bracket.


Figure 4 The first 3/4" blue foam shelf has been installed on a pair of brackets. I would later add a third wall bracket because the 6' wide pieces of foam sagged a bit in the middle.


Figure 5 Closeup of both decks from the viewpoint of a 5'-8" tall operator. Some track, rolling stock and a few paper buildings have been added to give a sense of the final dimensions and arrangement. The brown paper simulates a "dirt" color; there seems to be a river in the foreground of the lower deck!


Figure 6 Closeup of the middle deck from the viewpoint of a 5'-8" tall operator. Notice that you can see the underside of the upper deck; the fascia will prevent this from happening on the actual layout.


Figure 7 Closeup of the lower deck from the viewpoint of a 5'-8" tall operator.


Figure 8 Far away view of the entire 6' wide layout section mockup with black paper added to simulate fascia. An operator will not be able to stand this far back from the shelves once the layout is complete.


Figure 9 A straight-on view of both decks with the fake fascia in place.


Figure 10 An angled view of both decks with the fake fascia in place.

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The Train Room

The N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout will occupy a basement room that is 18’-2” long by 9’-2” wide, or roughly 162 square feet in area. This room, which has no windows and a single 36” wide opening (with no door) along one of the long walls, was finished along with most of the basement in the spring of 2002. The floor is covered with padded, commercial grade carpeting and the ceiling features a 2’ x 2’ suspended ceiling grid hung at 9’ above floor level. There are three commercial grade 2’ x 4’ fluorescent lighting fixtures recessed into the ceiling and abundant electrical outlets. This room is wired on an independent 15 amp branch circuit. The entire basement is climate controlled with regards to heating & air conditioning and humidity.

There is really only one hard political constraint with regards to the layout: it must fit entirely in this single room. This includes all mainline, branchline and staging areas. While future expansion may reach into adjoining rooms, I have decided that setting the political boundary to the confines of this single room is the best way to get started and will discourage me from biting off more than I can chew (as if I haven't done this already!). This also means that there will be no carpentry involved with the room itself other than attaching benchwork to the walls as needed. Most importantly, none of my beautiful drywall will need to be punched through!

Photos

Here is a diagram of the room that will house the CSX Clinchfield Division layout (click any picture for larger version):



Here is a view looking away from the entrance. The helix will be in the distance at the end of the peninsula that runs down the middle of the long axis of the room:



Here is a view looking back the other way towards the entrance. The peninsula will attach to the middle of the short wall, or just behind where my current test layout is:



Here is my current test layout and a small 2' x 4' layout:

The test layout is built on a hollow core interior door mounted on folding banquet table legs. I believe it uses the same track plan that Dave Vollmer's N Scale Pennsy Middle Division layout is based on. I hope to have just a bit of the same success that Dave has had with his impressive layout!

Construction Log

This page includes links to all of the individual Layout Progress posts:

• Layout Progress as of June 27, 2008

Layout Progress as of 6/27/2008

The first official benchwork materials for the CSX Clinchfield Division were purchased from The Home Depot in Lilburn, Georgia on Friday 6/27/2008. Although nothing yet has been assembled, I consider this a significant milestone that represents the first tangible evidence of a layout after 15 years of dreaming and about a year of serious planning.

The lumber shown below is two 15-piece bundles of 1" x 2" x 8' that were acquired for $0.69 a piece or about $21.00 total. The benchwork for all of the shelves and the peninsula--basically everything except the helix--will be constructed with this material.


The first lumber purchase for the CSX Clinchfield Division benchwork is sitting in the corner under the areas labelled Scene "B" and Scene "G" on version 1.0 of the track plan.

Track Plan

These are the current track plan diagrams for the N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout. For previous versions of the track plan, click one of the following links:

• Track Plan v1.0

Track Plan at a Glance

Name: CSX Clinchfield Division
Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18'-2" x 9'-2"
Prototype: CSX former Clinchfield route
Period: Modern
Style: Multi-deck, around the walls with peninsula
Mainline run: 132 feet (not including staging or helix)
Minimum radius: 15"
Minimum turnout: no. 10 on mainline, no. 5 branch & staging
Maximum grade: 2.7 percent in helix

Track Plan v1.0

The track plan for the N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout is shown in the diagrams below. It should be noted that this is merely the first version of the track plan and as with all model railroads, many revisions and variations can be expected over time. Also, I have only roughed in the general path of the mainline--there are no sidings, spurs or branches on the plan at this time. In general I plan to have two usable passing sidings on each level to accommodate operational requirements such as meets and helper service.

You will also notice that there are no specific towns or stations on the track plan at this time. Instead, I have roughed in several locations for "scenes" which will eventually be replaced by towns, stations and industries once I have settled on the specific section of the prototype I will model. As it is, I have placed five potential scenes on each level along the straightaways. This provides for 10 individual scenes, which have been labelled using the letters "A" through "J." If you follow a southbound train out of the north staging yard, you will traverse the layout in alphabetical order starting with scene "A" and ending with scene "J" before ending up in the south staging yard. As the plan evolves, I will begin replacing these lettered scenes with the names of the actual locations to be modeled.

Track Plan at a Glance

Name: CSX Clinchfield Division
Scale: N (1:160)
Size: 18'-2" x 9'-2"
Prototype: CSX former Clinchfield route
Period: Modern
Style: Multi-deck, around the walls with peninsula
Mainline run: 132 feet (not including staging or helix)
Minimum radius: 15"
Minimum turnout: no. 10 on mainline, no. 5 branch & staging
Maximum grade: 2.7 percent in helix

Pros

• Layout fits into one room This satisfies the primary political restriction imposed on the layout. Negotiations for right-of-way into other rooms can be deferred until necessary.
• Long length of mainline run Despite the single room restriction, the multiple deck design allows for 132 feet of mainline track, or roughly four scale miles (two miles per deck). This comes out to about 66 feet of track per deck and when you factor in a maximum train length of around 10 feet, it means each deck can have about six blocks. This will allow room for two passing sidings plus four other blocks, with a goal of having two blocks between the passing sidings.
• Plenty of staging There are two staging yards on the upper deck of the layout (north and south) that represent the unseen points beyond the "end" of the visible track. Both staging yards have six double ended tracks that have enough length to hold the longest trains that will run on the layout. In fact, the longest tracks have the ability to hold more than one train to allow for serialized staging if desired. There is also ample space to lengthen one of the staging yards as needed.
• Hidden staging above the layout I originally had this feature in the "cons" section below, but upon further review I have decided this is most definitely a "pro." By placing the staging on top of the layout, I feel I am taking advantage of the fact that this space is readily available on top of the valance for the middle deck and also that a simple extension of the helix allows this space to be reached fairly easily. I plan on having the staging yard "accessible" via the use video cameras and monitors, although time will tell if this feature actually comes to fruition or is simply pie in the sky. In lieu of cameras and monitors, the old reliable combination of mirrors and step ladders should do just fine in providing access to the staging yards.
• Directional continuity On this track plan north is always to the left and south is always to the right no matter which part of the layout is being viewed. This means engineers following their trains will not be confronted with confusing reversals of direction along their route.
• Continuous running A northbound train exiting the layout on the north end will eventually re-enter the layout on the south end, and vice-versa for northbound trains. I believe this is a very important feature when planning a layout that could be operated by a single operator, since you can put one (or more depending on how lucky you feel!) trains into motion in one direction and let them orbit the layout while the operator runs his train in the opposite direction and tries to keep out of the path of the oncoming traffic. This will also be a useful feature when showing the layout to others.
• Build in phases Another important feature of the multi-deck arrangement is that the layout can be built in phases, allowing me to build as little or as much layout as time and resources allow. For example, the first phase to be built will be the lower level. When this is done, only a small portion of the helix will need to be built to function as a return loop at the end of the peninsula. I can then move on to the middle deck and eventually the top staging deck, expanding the helix as necessary as I go.

Cons

• The insatiable appetite of the helix Each turn of the helix gains 2.5 inches of elevation and takes about eight feet of track. There are 6 turns of the helix between the lower and middle decks and 4 turns between the middle and upper decks. This means that a train traversing the entire helix from the lower deck to the upper (staging) deck will require 10 turns, which is about 80 feet of track, which is about 2 1/2 scale miles! However, I feel this part of the design is a necessary evil and is a acceptable trade off for many of the advantages that this track plan offers. Additionally, there are several well known layouts that successfully employ a similar helix strategy. By placing the helix at the end of the peninsula, I have also provided ready access to the helix from outside or inside. The helix will be hidden from view by use of either a curtain or a removable hardboard fascia.
• Narrow aisles The track plan as designed uses a standard aisle width of 30", which is about 6 inches narrower than what is preferred. However, since the layout is planned for only one or two operators, this should not pose much of a problem. It is also the widest aisles I could accommodate while still allowing for the peninsula in the middle of the room. Controls will be minimized along the layout fascia to reduce the risk of operators getting snagged on switches and indicators.
• Long, straight scenes While this may be preferred for Midwest Granger layouts, it is going to be tricky to represent a twisting route through the Appalachians on a shelf that in some places is one foot wide by 18 feet long! However, I believe I can mitigate this by keeping straight track to a minimum and using abundant view blocks to trick the eye into not seeing a straight line. I also plan to keep as much curved track out in the open while any hidden track (such as in tunnels) is on tangent sections.

Welcome to the CSX Clinchfield Division

Welcome to the CSX Clinchfield Division, a railroad that exists only in my imagination. I conjured up this fantasy to allow me to build an N scale model railroad based on a prototypical operation while at the same time allowing me to take some modeling liberties without sacrificing realism. My creation started off based entirely on the former Clinchfield Railroad (now part of CSX), but I ended up making some notable historical revisions that allow me to model features that don't exist in real life. For example, traffic on the actual CSX edition of the former Clinchfield is limited mostly to unit coal trains. However, while coal trains also dominate my CSX Clinchfield Division, intermodal and automotive traffic can readily be found as well. How can this be? Well, it's all because of a series of events that never really happened.

Fact...

Construction began on the Carolina Clinchfield and Ohio Railway (CC&O) at the end of the 19th century. The railroad was built to haul coal out of the fields of western Virginia to the markets in the south, primarily the textile mills in the Carolinas. There was already plenty of competition in the area at the time, and numerous failed efforts almost doomed the fledgling railroad before it ever really got going. Ironically, these false starts turned out to be quite advantageous—by the time work resumed under new ownership at the start of the 20th century, the railroad was able to take advantage of many technological advancements in construction that were not available to the competition when they were built decades earlier. Additionally, the railroad was constructed to very high standards for the era which resulted in a straighter, more level and most importantly faster route to deliver goods to market. While this made the Clinchfield the "costliest railroad to cross the Blue Ridge," current operator CSX has not had to improve curves, grades or clearances due to the introduction of heavier and larger modern day equipment. Finally, a northern extension connected the Clinchfield to the Chesapeake & Ohio at Elkhorn City, Ky. This critical link established the line as a major bridge route between the southeast and the midwest and cemented the Clinchfield's prominence in eastern railroading lore. In 1972, the Clinchfield came under the umbrella of the Family Lines System, which then became Seaboard System and eventually today's CSX.

...and Fiction

As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, I have revised history somewhat so that my N scale representation of the modern Clinchfield contains some elements that I would like to model but do not exist in real life. For example, while I am a big fan of the ubiquitous coal trains that dominate the line, I want to include intermodal and automotive trains on my layout as well. However, there is no reason for such traffic to exist on the real modern era Clinchfield. To make this plausible, I have concocted the following story:

When the new owners stepped in to finish construction of the Clinchfield in the early 1900's, their dream was to have a railroad to connect the coalfields of Kentucky and Virginia with the Ohio River ports to the north and the Atlantic ports to the south. Although the Clinchfield did indirectly reach the Ohio River via the connection to the C&O, the connection to the Atlantic ports never materialized as the line only reached as far south as Spartanburg in the upstate part of South Carolina. Meanwhile, in the mid 1920's, the C&O was looking for access to additional ports along the Atlantic coast to meet the exploding demand for export coal. The C&O already had a port facility in the Tidewater area, but the rail lines to reach this port and the facility itself were quickly reaching capacity. Rather than expand capacity at the existing Tidewater port, the C&O entered into a partnership with the Clinchfield where the rail line would be extended from the current terminus in Spartanburg all the way to the Atlantic coast port city of Charleston, SC. The C&O would build this “Clinchfield Extension” and in return would receive trackage rights over the "old" Clinchfield via the connection at Elkhorn City. Of course the Clinchfield received reciprocal trackage rights over the new line and also used the new Charleston port facility. Under this arrangement, the export coal on the C&O from West Virginia continued to use the Tidewater port while export coal from Kentucky flowed southward over the new Clinchfield Extension to the port at Charleston. This project turned out to be a financial boom for both railroads for nearly three decades until the export coal business dropped off significantly in the mid 1950's. In later years, the Clinchfield Extension saw less and less coal traffic and more and more freight traffic as the volume of imported containerized merchandise skyrocketed. Eventually the Clinchfield and C&O came together as CSX via the Family Lines/Seaboard System lineage that we all know. The South Carolina Ports Authority opened the new state-of-the-art Wando Terminal in the late 1980's adjacent to the coal docks, and today CSX enjoys exclusive rail access to this port for intermodal traffic (although the Norfolk Southern does have limited trackage rights). Containers coming in to the Port of Charleston reach the heartland of the USA swiftly thanks to the outstanding engineering effort put forth when constructing the Clinchfield almost 100 years earlier. This port is also used for export grain and import automotive business, making the former Clinchfield route and the Clinchfield Extension one of the most vital links in the CSX transportation network. The former C&O Big Sandy subdivision, the former Clinchfield Railroad and the C&O Clinchfield Extension now make up the CSX Clinchfield Division, with division headquarters in Erwin, TN.

A Freelanced Prototype

I envision my CSX Clinchfield Division almost as an east coast version of the UP (former WP) Feather River Canyon route. All of these handy dandy changes allow me to model the modern day Clinchfield with features that I enjoy. And when I finally get trains rolling and you see intermodals, autoracks, and even some C&O signal bridges in Clinchfield country, you'll know exactly why they are there too!