Finishing the Shamokin Turnout Track Complex

Okay, the ties are sanded, and I have assembled my supply of points and frogs next to the factory. That factory is a bit of a problem as it has a fire wall in the middle of the long wall that juts out and that is putting a little pressure on my first turnout placement. I have to have the track a little further from the wall than I figured initially. I am beginning to place my components and test for fits. 

The turnouts have to fit pretty close to plan as they flow from one directly into another and they are all co-dependent. You can also see my white pencil as I have been checking my frog locations. I found I had to shift to a No 7 frog on the last one to make it all come together. The team track, which are the last two tracks to the right of the soda can, has the No 5 turnout as it is in a short space. 

I am beginning to lay the turnouts. I use those Kemtron tack gauges as they allow you to spike around them., 

We are getting closer as the two leading turnouts are in. The points are not connected but they are tested with the truck that is in the foreground. It runs smoothly through them. I have gotten the track in next to the building with enough clearance for an engine. 

Okay, now all the turnouts are laid, and I have placed some pewter based guard rails at each frog. Everything runs smoothly and I now have to install the motors. 

Motor linkages are sticking out of the point bars, and I now have to cut the spring wire to length

Here is a high level view of the installation. I am beginning to cut the ties to length. 

This is a close up of the point bar with the spring wire before trimming. I also cut the brass studs that the points are bolted to. 

This is a completed turnout. Brass studs cut down, spring wire cut and a closer view of the pewter guard rails. These were made by Harry Roberts some years ago. I used up the last of what I had on this installation. 
 Next, we have to install the wiring to the track and the frog and then paint the track. Another week to go. 

Building into Shamokin

Looking up towards the end of the benchwork, I need to develop a way to bring in a local freight and allow the engine to run around its train. The engine will then switch in Shamokin and also can switch the coal mine at the other end. This will require a long passing siding that terminates in a turnout complex. 

This is completed track work back towards the mine. The branch is coming up the hill on the left and the mine tracks come off at the curve.  

As we come around the curve leading to the bridge, the Shamokin track branches off to the left and moves towards the rear wall. 

I plan to place this big furniture factory in the rear corner. I am laying out turnout diagrams to see how I can create that run around track, a siding for the factory and a two track team track on the right. I find I need at least 23 inches from the end of the last set of points to the wall to allow an I1 with a short tender to clear them. 

Based on that planning, I laid out the locations of the 4 sets of point bars that I will need for the complex. I used that large drill to drill the holes for the switch motor linkages and begin to lay the ties. 

 I continue to check and recheck the positioning and use three different numbered frogs to make it all work. There are two No 6, one No 5 and one No 7. Those diagrams are very helpful in this and fortunately, available on the internet. I have painted the Homasote black as a sub-base for the ballast. It allows me to use a white pencil to notate where the points, and frogs will be placed. 

I will proceed to lay all the ties and let the glue dry for a couple of days. Then I will sand them all. 

Continuing trackwork in Glenburnie

Well, we finished the turnouts in Glenburnie and now we have to put in the sidings. I take older issue Atlas track and remove the large sized rail. This leaves me with many one foot long sections of the plastic tie strip. I sort through what I have salvaged and select what I want to use for the sidings. 

Gathering up my track tools which include a beefy Dremel with a cutoff disc, I get organized. I am going to use pre-weathered Rail Craft Code 125 Nickel Silver rail in three foot sections. The rail sections are laying on the handles of the red pliers. 

I slide this rail into the clamps on the tie strip which holds in very nicely. This rail is a match for the casting from Trackside Specialties so is perfect to build our turnouts and then use for our running rails. 

Here the pile is shifting towards completed three foot sections of track

Having made about 12 sections of track, I am laying the siding tracks using a gauge to ensure they stay nice and straight. I solder the joiners between the sections after I buff off the rail brown paint on the side of the rails. Then I added car stops at the end of the tracks. 

 Here is a long view with the sidings completed as I begin to scope out the tracks that will come into Shamokin. We can see there is about a two inch elevation increase between Glenburnie and Shamokin.