Arroyo Tram Begins

Well, I finally started another On30 western mining layout. This time it will be called the Arroyo Tram, based loosely on the Gilpin Tram in Colorado. I will follow some of the Gilpin practices and area, such as the style of scenery, mines used, equipment, etc, but will do so on a freelance basis rather than strictly follow the prototype.

I used a 24 x 96 -inch base that was originally to be a Mexicano 30-inch gauge switching layout. Problem was, with large 2-8-0's and longer cars, you really can't do much in a 2 x 8. The Gilpin indea has been with me for many years. I attempted something in 0n2 but quickly gave up. With the fairly large amount of equipment available in On30 for the Gilpin, it seemed like a natural fit.

The Basics:

Three mines based on the Whiting, St. Loius Mine, and the Grand Central. Grades will be 3 and 4%. Poor running quality of Bachmann equipment on larger grades was the limiting factor here. Curves are 24 and 30 inch radius. Base is build using the standards of the Texas On30 group found on Yahoo groups. Track is Code 83 Micro Engineering with a Mix of Micro Engineering and Fast Tracks Turnouts (No. 5).

I easily removed the top two layers of foam insulation from the Mexicano switching layout. Not sure if the ease of removal was a good thing or a bad thing. I used three adhesives this time. Loctite Foam, Liquid nails projects, and some Irene's Tacky Glue. Using Woodland Scenic risers for 3% and 4% grades. All of this material, except for two left hand switches, I had from previous layout work.