Reply To: Missouri-Illinois Book information and reservations

[Gregg Laiben]

Charlie, here’s the current track plan (staging is built and I just starting adding benchwork to the incline and Mosher today). Obviously, I have incorporated plenty of modeler’s license ” title=”” class=”bbcode_smiley” />, but I think I have captured the essence. Would certainly appreciate your thoughts and input.

Since I model in Proto:48/O scale, the ferry will be 72″ long w/ 3 tracks and 6 car capacity each like the prototype. An incline crew will work the boat from the Thomure boat yard and a 2nd yard crew will shuttle cars to/fro Middle Yard to make up the local from Ste Gen to Derby. This allows me to cycle cars on and off layout at both the boat and Derby.

Plan to build the hull from 2″ Styrofoam, deck from Gatorboard and the superstructure from styrene. Will fit it to a drawer glide so it can shift similar to a transfer table. I cannot mimic the angles of the incline and apron in the short distance I have (22″ from “shore” to boat), nor the sharp angles that the prototype had with the apron. My rolling stock and engines are fitted with Protocraft operating couplers – tested them today on inclined track and they work fine with a 0.75-1″ grade change in 22″.

…gregg