New York and Long Branch, NY&LB in HO

[green_elite_cab]

Happy Holidays everyone!
I finally finished up construction this weekend on the Manasquan River part of the layout (minus water and further details) and have pushed construction into Sea Girt and the junction with the PRR Freehold and Jamesburg line.

Nothing like having distant relatives coming for the holidays to push a building frenzy on the layout.

You can check out the latest work at http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress2.htm .

Jerry

Once again, AMAZING. One thing i also noticed, you had a line up of CNJ wooden cabooses in one photo. I actually rebuilt one of the real ones for an eagle project three years ago. That was a mess! i'd post pictures, but i wouldn't want to detract from your page.

I too bought one of the Sparrow's point models, but i haven't finished it yet, i need to quit procrastinating! There is no reason it shouldn't be done by now. I do have to ask though, how did you build the handrails and such? The real life example i had lacked handrails, and other than the kit instructions, i haven't found much information on that variety of caboose.

The I'm pretty sure the road number was 91291.

[ppbhist]

Happy Holidays everyone!
I finally finished up construction this weekend on the Manasquan River part of the layout (minus water and further details) and have pushed construction into Sea Girt and the junction with the PRR Freehold and Jamesburg line.

Nothing like having distant relatives coming for the holidays to push a building frenzy on the layout.

You can check out the latest work at http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress2.htm .

Jerry

Once again, AMAZING. One thing i also noticed, you had a line up of CNJ wooden cabooses in one photo. I actually rebuilt one of the real ones for an eagle project three years ago. That was a mess! i'd post pictures, but i wouldn't want to detract from your page.

I too bought one of the Sparrow's point models, but i haven't finished it yet, i need to quit procrastinating! There is no reason it shouldn't be done by now. I do have to ask though, how did you build the handrails and such? The real life example i had lacked handrails, and other than the kit instructions, i haven't found much information on that variety of caboose.

The I'm pretty sure the road number was 91291.

Thanks! The CNJ plywood crummies were built for me by a friend in Arizona. The handrails are just brass wire formed and soldered. His work is very good. Even though the cabooses are a bit too tall, they are the best model of this prototype outside of the OMI brass plywood CNJ caboose.
Meanwhile, on the layout, I've been laying out the junction with the Freehold and Jamesburg at Sea Girt and it is a pretty involved bit of trackwork in a half mile space. It's interesting to note that the interlocking tower at Sea Girt is the only PRR tower on the NY&LB south of Amboy. All of the other towers on the line (save for the defunct HO tower at Bay Head) were built by the CNJ.

[ppbhist]

Happy New Year everyone!

I've completed the track work on my version of the Sea Girt Junction of the NY&LB and the PRR Freehold and Jamesburg Line. For what was considered a minor junction by the 1950s, it still had a pretty impressive layout of tracks, crossover and sidings...not to mention the second of only two four-track signal bridges on the NY&LB and the PRR's classic SG tower. The next phase of the layout is the double track helix to the upper level. Check it out here at http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress2.htm

Jerry

[ApproachMedium]

Very nice once again! The track work you do is very nice, and I like that you are using FasTracks turnouts. We only do handlay at my club and I cannot stand how they handlay turnouts. I have been pushing to use the Fastracks turnouts and jigs and we started for a small yard section, nothing like the way these turnouts come out... I would love to come see your work sometime!

[ppbhist]

Very nice once again! The track work you do is very nice, and I like that you are using FasTracks turnouts. We only do handlay at my club and I cannot stand how they handlay turnouts. I have been pushing to use the Fastracks turnouts and jigs and we started for a small yard section, nothing like the way these turnouts come out... I would love to come see your work sometime!

Approach,

The FasTracks turnouts and trackwork are better than anything else, handlaid included, IMHO. Their method leaves very little room for error and the result is superior to any commercial turnout or bashing, such as what I had to settle with at Sea Girt. I actually plan to go exclusivly with FasTracks turnouts on the remainder of the layout when I get to the upper deck.

I'm now fine tuning the already built trackwork and hope to have the layout ready for visitors and rudimentary operations by this spring.

Jerry

[ApproachMedium]

Very cool! If you would like any help let me know. I am doing good with signaling at my club along with various other DCC nonsense...

[ppbhist]

Well, I've reached the end of the lower level on my HO model of the New York and Long Branch RR along the New Jersey coast. My next project is to bring the railroad up to the second level via a double-track helix. The lower level exits into the helix at Sea Girt and will emerge on the upper level at Belmar (sorry Spring lake).

I've been reluctantly holding off on scenicking the lower level until the upper level is built, which I think is a good idea. You can follow the latest progress on the layout at http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress3.htm

[ppbhist]

Well, I finished building the helix on my NY&LB line this weekend (see below). Instead of scratch-building the helix like I originally planned, to save some time I purchased two Ashlin Designs helix kits. The two kits stacked give me the needed 21-22 inches of height with a max. 2 percent grade. The kits assembled without a hitch and were worth the price, imo.

The two comprimises I had to make, as much as I didn't want to, were the helix radius and the elimination of double tracking it. Space constraints forbid anything larger than the 22 inch radius (smaller) helix kit offered by Ashlin. As a result, the idea of double tracking it was discarded since the NY&LB is a mainly commuter passenger line. I'll just need to interlock the two entrances to the helix.

To see more about this latest project, check out my latest construction page at http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress3.htm. Take care everyone!

Jerry

[umtrr-author]

I just caught up with your website... very nice. And you're making progress at a very ambitious rate!

[queensdee223]

That's a tremendous number of pictures of some very good work. Thanks for posting, Jerry!

[ppbhist]

Thanks George and Don...

Yeah, its a lot of pictures...but it also is a great log of what has happened with the layout since the start. I find myself frequently going back to those photos to re-ignite my inspiration to press on.

Now that the helix is finished, I'm looking forward to modeling some details on what has already been built. But then . . . . that second level is just itching to be built too. I think the upper level from the helix to what is already built (see site photos) will win out here. So...It's Long Branch or bust! (you heard it here first!)

Jerry

[ppbhist]

The second level of the layout is now under construction and is rapidly moving along. The helix tie-in between the two levels worked out really well despite its tight track radius.

Here is an overview of the latest construction....


Check out more here...http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress3.htm

[ppbhist]

The first 16 feet of led ribbon lighting has been installed on the layout under the completed upper deck. After seeing the results, the remainder of the layout, upper and lower, will be illuminated the same way.
All of this light with practically no heat and the electric meter resting comfortably! They're dimmable, too!

Here is a vew with the room lights turned off and just the layout lights on



Check out more here...http://mysite.verizon.net/nyandlb/const ... gress3.htm

Jerry

[snowskier]

The LED lights look great! Where did you find them? Are these a 12v lighting system?

[ppbhist]

The LED lights look great! Where did you find them? Are these a 12v lighting system?

This type of lighting is starting to pop up all over the web. The ribbon lights I use are from http://www.theledlight.com/flexible-ledstrips.htm. They aren't the cheapest, but the do have the color temperature I need and the right lengths.

You can check out the prices on the web site. They run on 12vdc and a 16 foot length uses about 1.5 amps of current or about 18 watts of power. That's pretty efficient for 16 feet of layout lighting with no dropouts, dim spots or space-eating fixtures.

I just ordered another 16 foot length and a larger power supply to power about half of the layout....upper and lower decks!

Jerry