News:

Due to heavy spamming attempts on this forum, automatic registration has been disabled. We will approve registration requests as quickly as possible (unless you're a spammer of course :) )

Main Menu

Nn3 Cement Plant Track Plan

Started by chaz, May 02, 2020, 01:50:54 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

chaz

I've wanted a small, shunting layout ever since Rokuhan introduced small radius tracks. Though small, this project is really stretching my abilities.

During my youth, I spent summers near a cement plant just west of Superior, Nebraska. I recently purchased an 80 pamphlet about the cement plant America's Shortest Interstate Railroad by Richard Schmeling. History, operations, equipment lists and a track plan.

I knew right away that the track plan would be great for shunting. However, much too big. In addition, I didn't want to scratch build everything so I was went looking for a pre-war, Z scale cement plant...and couldn't find one. I did find the Shue Cement Company from the N Scale Architect...which led me to consider a Nn3 style design. The Shue Cement Company can be built in 2 different forms. I still have to investigate which one I prefer.

I originally wanted to use a Z scale, 0-4-0 tank locmotive, but decided to 3D print my own diesel electric. GE 20 Ton Boxcab which uses a Showcase Miniature 0018 Power Truck.

The last piece I needed was a very small head shunt. It only has to be big enough for the GE 20 Ton Boxcab. So I decided to 3D print my own, to save space. 2-Way Head Shunt.

The limestone is blasted out of the cliff walls, loaded into the ore cars with a steam shovel and them pushed down the hill to the plant. Most of the cement was shipped locally to pave the roads in the rural communities in the region.

The minimum radius is 127mm. All the rolling stock is 40'long (N scale 76mm). All with Micro Train magnetic couplers. I designed a magnetic wand to uncouple cars anywhere on the layout.
MP 525.25 on the Prosser Subdivision of the North Kansas Division of the MOPAC Railroad.