Rocky Mountain Central

and the

Colorado Pacific

This area is just getting started under construction.  Here are a couple of photos.

Farmington is all narrow gauge so it is serviced by the Colorado Pacific and in reality sits south of Durango.  In the center of this section will be the main town with the log pond, sawmill, turntable and engine and repair facilities.  Flanking the town will be the two log camps.  The larger of the two is on the south side of town and requires a 4% grade switchback to access.  As you can see I used Woodland Scenics foam inclines to accomplish this.  I did this to save weight on this upper level since it is supported only by the joists that extend through the wall and also provide support for Silverton on the other side.  The joists are secured to studs every 16 inches and have two 1x4s running perpendicular to them and parallel to the wall forming a "T" girder instead of the usual "L" girder most railroaders are familiar with.  One of these "Ts" runs along the wall and the other along the fascia.  This is then covered with 1/2 inch plywood and 1/2 inch foam board.  We're attaching the cork roadbed with liquid nails and the track gets glued down using full strength Elmer's white glue.  Spikes are used just to secure the track until the glue dries, we didn't think they would hold over the long term.  This "T" arrangement provides a channel between the joists and the plywood for running the electric stuff without it sagging into the lower level scenery. 

Here is the plan for the finished town, please come back later to check on progress.

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