blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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flatracker
1st Class Member
Dunlap, TN
Foreman
Posts:138
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| | 06/07/2008 5:06 AM |
| WOW Ron, it would take a person at least 2 hrs. looking at the town, to be able to take in all the detail, if it could be done at all. Just superb! You are probably the only one who knows all the hours, research, and work that has been done to get the town together, as well as the rest of the R/R you have. Very, very nice!
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Bob Martin | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/07/2008 9:43 PM |
| Posted By flatracker on 06/07/2008 5:06 AM
WOW Ron, it would take a person at least 2 hrs. looking at the town, to be able to take in all the detail, if it could be done at all. Just superb!You are probably the only one who knows all the hours, research, and work that has been done to get the town together, as well as the rest of the R/R you have. Very, very nice!
I never kept track of my time. I just chip away at this project like most of the rest of you do with yours. However, I do have times that I can devote more energy to it. And I am always thinking of ways I can improve on some aspect of it. In fact, I spend far more time working out details in my mind then I do actually putting physical labor into it. | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
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Posts:1807
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| | 06/09/2008 7:14 AM |
| I have spent the weekend in Anchorage visiting with Dad who came up for a meeting. Thus, nothing got done on the Phase II project. However, the weather has definitely remained well below normal and I have even seen new snow along the tops of the mountains while driving into Anchorage. I return this afternoon and, hopefully, resume work on the final stages of the project tomorrow. Except for the inclusion of some remaining model structures and painting of about half of the railbed, and a few places I have identified where additional guard rails need to be installed, this project appears to be done. At least the main track lines will be fully operational.
I did find one problem I will probably bring up in the track section to solicit advice on what needs to be done. All this means that the whole works should be wholly functional. My most recent track tests are all positive, so it is definitely looking good. | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/13/2008 7:44 PM |
| After months of neglect I finally began updating my website, copperraildepot dot com today. There were numerous bad links and the information was outdated. The site also needed some editing to eliminate redundancy.
I have always had my own website, learning the html code right off the computer. Over the years my site has evolved considerably. At one time it primarily revolved around the history of Kennecott and its Copper River & Northwestern Railway. More recently, I dropped the historic aspect completely, replacing part of that with complete chapters from my book. Now I am about to include a new historic section on the CRNW Railway. | |
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SteveC
Moderator
Conductor
Posts:796
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| | 06/14/2008 12:55 AM |
| Ron
The 'new & improved' web site is looking good, nice job. | | | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/14/2008 2:19 PM |
| Posted By SteveC on 06/14/2008 12:55 AM
Ron
The 'new & improved' web site is looking good, nice job.
New, improved and in the process of being vastly expanded. | |
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Torby
1st Class Member
North Chicago 'burbs.
Engineer
Posts:1441
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| | 06/15/2008 7:33 AM |
| | Papa Ruby had a book of Burma Shave jingles, or whatever they were called, and some stories related to them. I could spend a whole evening laughing. | |
 
Chicago Marathon You don't have to train or run, I'm taking care of that for you. | |
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Torby
1st Class Member
North Chicago 'burbs.
Engineer
Posts:1441
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| | 06/15/2008 7:38 AM |
| Train wrecks few
Reason clear
Fireman
Never hugs
Engineer
Burma-Shave
(I googled) | |
Chicago Marathon You don't have to train or run, I'm taking care of that for you. | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/16/2008 11:37 AM |
| With almost all the emphasis in recent months being placed on the Great Northern Phase II operation (aka ALCANEX), the orginal rail line, the Copper River & Northwestern Phase I has been largely neglected. I went through the track switches overhead in the bar yesterday when I discovered that several of them did not work. Two had broken or cut lines and one needed adjustment. Once I restored the use of these remotely-activated overhead switches, I was able to start up the double-header I use every year for this Phase I line.
The newer Phase II line has no remote-activated switches. It has two sidings inside the bar above the back bar that serve as parking areas. The trains parked there simply exit out through a couple of manually-operated switches whereas the Phase I line runs above the bar through a series of switches that MUST work remotely.
The cars I am presently using on the original track make up a beer-liquor consist that I set up for bar display last year. These include two Aristocraft Jack Daniels passenger cars, an LGB JD car, a Harley car, two different Alaska brewing cars and a Budweiser reefer, plus my Budweiser caboose.
The LGB engines at the head of the consist have always performed very well, as was the case with this initial run.
click any photo for a larger view.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/16/2008 12:36 PM |
| I have been looking for a workable path that will allow me to connect the Phase I and Phase II systems. The two are separated in elevation by two or more feet outdoors. Althoug they are somewhat closer together within the bar, there is no room to make a connection in there. It appears that the best place to make the junction from the Phase I side will be at this spot. From here I can run a line over the the wye--the highest point in the Phase II line. That should mean I only have to drop 1 1/2 feet. Now the only question is how long a run will be required to make a workable connection. Probably won't happen this year.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 06/16/2008 12:37 PM |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:486
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| | 06/17/2008 7:11 AM |
| That should mean I only have to drop 1 1/2 feet. Now the only question is how long a run will be required to make a workable connection.
by generally accepted estimations you would need at least 30 foot, better more.
on straights you should not grade steeper than 0.4(2/5) inches per foot. on curves two thirds of that. 0.25 (1/4) inch per foot.
(that is talking LGB engines. for Bachmann go with even less grade) | |
 construction site - keep off! | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 07/05/2008 11:47 AM |
| On July 4th I completed the connection between the Phase I and Phase II lines--the Copper River & Northwestern to the Alaska-Canadian Northern Expo (ALCANEX) using five foot sections of brass track I purchased from a local garden railway enthusiast who no longer operates an outdoor railroad. The curves are Aristo 10-foot segments. Since this is the old line that primarily uses 8-foot curves it will only be used for the shorter, older rolling stock that originally operated on the 2001-era line. The newer equipment will not be running on this segment. I wanted to be able to bring the CRNW equipment into the town of Cicely. That has now been accomplished.
The new connection required approximately seventy feet of line and follows the route I had considered most desirable*. It took three days to complete, including installation of guard rails, and now only requires painting.
The new segment begins at a point I have named "Chitina Junction," near the Phase II (CRNW Railway) exit from the bar and terminates at a point somewhat less than 1 1/2 feet lower at "Kennecott Junction."
* most desirable: least amount of track required but relatively easy access to the switch that allows the train to leave the Phase I line and the switch on the other end which enables the train to enter the existing Phase II line. Other routes considered would have required considerable more track and track supports. Additionally, those routes required crossing the Phase II line overhead at too many points. | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 07/05/2008 12:15 PM |
| Most of the drop in the line occurs in the last 40 feet where the elevation difference is approximately one foot. The overhead clearance of the bridge over the wye is ten inches. I will be setting up a CRNW consist to give this new line its first test today.Â
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 07/05/2008 8:55 PM |
| Meanwhile I am continuing to update my website from time to time, mostly converting two of my existing threads here on MLS for use on my website: The KMR and the Kennecott Mines threads.
These threads have proved to be particularly useful and will soon become a permanent part of my website in their slightly-altered form. | |
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SteveC
Moderator
Conductor
Posts:796
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| | 07/06/2008 3:18 AM |
| | Looking good Ron, both the layout changes and the revised web site. | | | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 07/06/2008 11:31 AM |
| Right up to the end of June business has been slow and the weather has been cold with temperatures sometimes dropping to freezing at night. With the July 4th weekend, real summer weather finally moved in and business has picked up along with the warmer weather.
Progress has been slower on the model then I had hoped, but by now most of the benchmarks I had set for this year have been met. I did not originally plan on tying to two separate models together, but by late June I realized it made some sense to do so. That has now been done.
I am still working out minor problems with the track, but they are becoming less common since I began reworking entire sections from the east to the west end.
It has become too expensive for me to continue with my program of adding remote battery power to new locomotives, so many of those have been shelved. However, the existing ones now out on the line work well. I am especially pleased with the Aristocraft Dash-9 which has proved to be a very strong puller and highly reliable. I am not quite so happy with the USA 40-2 and the FA's, but the SD-70 double-header works well.
One of the reasons for tying the two lines together was the construction of the covered walkway along the rear of the Kennecott model structure. This has the effect of physically tying the two model towns together--Kennecott and Cicely. I have also added a new door behind the Kennecott model which enables an easy flow-through for visitors. Inside I have just added rails to make it safer for the public to view the model with far less danger of falling into it (that was a potential problem before).
Outside on the wye I have also just added rails to make it safer for me to work up there since that has now become a busy area. Until yesterday the possibility of my falling off the seven-foot high platform was always a worry. With the new safety rails I have largely eliminated that concern.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1807
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| | 07/10/2008 12:30 PM |
| It was long in coming. Finally on July 10th weather conditions permitted the running of the first train from the original Phase I Copper River & Northwestern Railway line to the new Phase II Great Northern line--now renamed the Alaska-Canadian Northen Expo Consolidated Railways System (ALCANEX).Â
Originally I had no intention of connecting the two lines together. After all, the original line is not suitable for the larger rolling stock that operates on the Phase II line. However, the model town on that line includes the Alaskan Brewery. I realized I needed a way to smoothly transport the beer cars on the old line over to the new one with the brewery being the obvious destination. These older cars belong on the old line and are most suitably pulled by my double-header moguls seen here parked at Kennecott yesterday (Wednesday, July 9, 2008). This particular consist is made up of two Aristo Jack Daniels passenger cars, a rare LGB JD car, an LGB Harley car (fits the local scene) and a short assortment of beer reefers followed up by my custom LGB Budweiser/K&L Distributors caboose. As you see below, the consist is now ready to roll out of Kennecott.
The route goes past old McCarthy, then leaves the old line at the new Chitina Junction just beyond the Copper River steel bridge. It then meets the new line at Kennecott Junction. The consist will then approach Cicely where it will enter a special siding that bypasses the mainline and the turntable to the west of the town, ending up on the rails on the north end of the town--the NP-CP North Coal Line.
All pictures in the following posts can be enlarged by clicking them. The larger size in most cases is 1600 pixels wide, but they are low enough resolution to load very quickly.
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