Our First Layout 1996 -
Present
The idea to have a layout was first conceived in late 1993 at one of our
infamous business meetings. It was decided that a sectional, rather than a
modular,
layout would permit the operation of both Hi-rail, Flyer and Scale equipment. Work parties
were organized using the talents of club members to bring our ideas into
reality.
The SJSG 10' x 20' sectional layout had it's debut at the Greenberg Train Show
in New Jersey on March 2nd of 1996. We were the first S-pike to operate at
the Greenberg show.
Presently, the layout is composed of two concentric ovals of American
Models code 148 nickel-silver track, interconnected with several pairs of closed-frog
turnouts, a passing siding and an industrial spur. Another siding is laid using original
American Flyer track with rubber roadbed to serve as a comparison. Power is provided by three Flyer workhorse transformers that
can send AC or DC current to the rails with the flip of a switch. We have
recently added the capability to run DCC-equiped engines.
The industrial siding has special hookups for those eye-catching Flyer
accessories, such as the Oil Drum Loader, Stock Yard and Sawmill, wired
up to operate with the code 148 track.
Our Second Layout - is being
built
Our second layout is currently under construction. We started
the planning back in May of 1999 by forming a layout committee to study the
pro's and con's of replacing our current layout. Since then we've had many an
interesting (and sometimes lively) discussion on construction methods, a track
plan, wiring, the size, and the scenery. Over a number of meetings, and with
input from many members, our "final" plans took form.
Once the basic idea was defined, the committee decided to
construct a scale mockup of our layout, and that visual-aid allowed us to make
some minor changes to resolve a couple of issues that were overlooked. By
December of 2000, we had finalized all the plans and started construction of the
first 3 sections of the layout.
The new layout will be 12' x 26' and will use sixteen 3' x 4'
modules. It will feature two levels, the upper will consist of a simple loop,
and a 3/4 length point-to-point track with sidings. The lower level will contain
two mainline loops (one with a passing siding), plus a length of display track
for the accessories. The loops will be interconnected with two crossover
turnouts, and the inside of the layout will have two staging tracks the length
of the layout. Quite an ambitious project - putting it all together should be a
lot of fun!
Copyright ©2001, 2002 South Jersey
"S" Gaugers. Portions of this WEB site may be
reproduced by non-profit organizations providing proper credit is
given. Total duplication of this WEB site is not permitted.
Last revised: Sunday, July 21, 2002
|
