Rick Wheeler’s Layout

 

Members visit Rick Wheeler’s Layout

Host Rick Wheeler surprises his March 9 “Open House” guests with a new modular HO scale layout up and running in his garage. The standard gauge HO Scale modular layout is made up of three 6′ long modules that Rick can transport in his van. Currently the 3 section layout operates as a switchback layout and Rick has it wired for continuous running. Time for other club members to create more modules to add to Rick’s.

An overview of one of several skillfully scenicked and crafted vignettes on Rick’s SN-3 layout. S-Scale Trains featured in operation here is the Denver Rio Grande Western narrow gauge locomotive #498 heading up a passenger train. If a person wanted to travel from a remote mountain location to a distant location such as Chicago or points east, they would typically travel by buggy to the nearest town Rick2served by the railroad. From there they could travel by narrow gauge railroad coach to a larger city served by a standard gauge railroad. Transferring trains at a place like Colorado Springs or Denver would then allow them to travel almost anywhere else in the country served by rail. There were many rail yards served by dual gauge track allowing narrow and standard gauge trains to stop. SN-3 stands for S gauge (1/64th scale) locomotives and equipment that runs on track measuring a scale 3′ width, very similar to (but not quite the same) as HO scale track. The reason that the railroads used narrow gauge track was to make sharp curves easier to negotiate. Trains in the mountains of Colorado and the west often had to negotiate sharp curves and steep grades making narrow gauge track, short train consists and often times switch backs necessary. Narrow gauge railroads generally ran on light, less costly rail that was 2′, 3′ or 3’6″ wide. Standard gauge railroads ran on heavier, more expensive and durable rail 4′ 8-1/2″ wide. For more information visit Narrow Gauge Railway and Narrow Gauge Railroads in the United States

SONY DSCA scene commonly found along railroads was a team track. A team track often located, but not exclusively so, by a local station or depot siding. It was not used by one industry alone but was created to be a shared facility. Depicted here are trucks loading and unloading freight on a team track siding. The local freight agent would schedule delivery of an empty box car or notify a customer of the delivery of merchandise on the local team track. This practice is not seen very often these days as now “less than car loads” of material are generally shipped in containers and trucked to and from customers. For more about team tracks visit Team Track

March 9 field trip and open house host, Rick Wheeler (left) and club member Ron Sanford (right) catch the local D&RGW narrow gauge steam in action. Looks like Rick, the club sweet roll gopher, is already thinking about what he will order for lunch. The three layouts we visited over the past two months at Ron’s, Bill’s and Rick’s all warrant return visits as there is just to much to see and take-in on one visit. One can still ride live steam narrow gauge railroads atDurango & Silverton RR and/or Cumbres & Toltec RR Old photos of narrow gauge in action