Aerial View and a New Track Plan - May 1, 2013

A lot has been accomplished on the layout over the last month, new sections of scenery have been completed while other projects remain on hold, waiting for materials to arrive.

May 1, 2013

April 1, 2013

The most obvious changes since last month involve the scenery around Geyser Gulch and a change in track gauge on the Calico High Line. This track now represents an On18 mining tram (O scale trains running on 9mm N gauge track = On18) that will connect to a Calico Mine Train themed section when the layout is expanded. And speaking of expansion, another obvious change is the workshop area behind the layout has now been cleared out to make room for more railroad!

Soon, the layout will expand from its current 3'x6' footprint to something closer to 4'x8'. This small change will greatly expand the TMMC's operating potential while setting the stage for a major expansion that will take the layout around the walls of the studio in the future.

Thunder Mesa is getting bigger!

The addition of a turntable, runaround track and small yard at Thunder Mesa turns this section into the way-out-in-the-boonies, end-of-the-line mining town it was always meant to be. It can still be operated as a caboose chaser, but the addition of a wye switch inside the Caverns will take the true mainline to a small staging area that will serve as "points beyond" in point to point operation until the layout is complete. As a bonus, Rainbow Caverns also gets bigger and the On18 Calico line will have a new mine to serve at Rainbow Ridge. This should be fun. Stay tuned!