ASCAPE TENNSION & SULPHUR GULCH

First Op Session

2010-06-13T22:08:00.007-06:00

For those who follow this blog, sorry for the lapse. Much progress has been made and I'll catch this blog up in the near future.

Goals when the revised AT&SG was started --(1) Have trains running by Christmas 2009. The first trains ran for club train tour in November. Trains ran again for the open house Jan 2 1010. (2) Have an op session by June 2010. We made it. The first mini op session was Saturday June 12. Doug Whetstone, Chris Mauzy, Jack LaDuke, John Westbrook, Ed Kruger.

John delivering the mine train to Park City.

Jack and his daughter Natasha, who as an artist liked the scenery.

Doug and John at Ascape yard.

Chris working Castle Coal.

Dave demonstrated classification in the Ascape Yard.
Jack ran the coal train assisted by Chris who finished the run.
John ran the mine train assisted by Doug.
Doug did some classification in the Ascape Yard and delivered traffic to Ascape industries.

Lots of tune up needed but at least folks ran trains.

More about operation to come.

23 2010 Open House

2010-01-10T17:55:00.006-07:00

On January 2, 2010 the Ascape Tennsion & Sulphur Gulch Railroad was on view for the first annual open house for the railroad. More than 60 visitors signed the visitor's log. In addition to the railroad there was socializing among neighbors and friends together with delicious soups and breads. Doug Whetstone (for whom Whetstone Ridge was named) served as engineer to keep trains running for the visitors. Many commented on the beauty of Whetstone Ridge, Lost Creek, Cadi Falls, and Sulphur Gulch. While much of the railroad is still under construction there was sufficient for visitors to grasp the concept of the railroad.

It is hoped that the New Year's Open House will be an annual event. The new year's resolution from the management is to have the track work complete and many industries in place for the 2011 Open House. The goal is for the open house to be an opportunity to witness an actual operating session on the ATSG. Of course this means that the management anticipates the commencement of operating sessions by mid 2010. Interested engineers should contact the management to be placed on the call board.

Unfortunately the management was so busy with visitors that they neglected to take photographs during the open house. Photos will be scheduled for next year as well as for early op sessions.

For those interested in operation the following is scheduled for the ATSG Railroad. As you consult the history of the ATSG (Blog entry #1) you will note that the railroad is connected to the D&RG from Ascape to Provo via Sulphur Gulch and on the East from Echo Junction to Grand Junction. [Both Provo and Grand Junction are represented by staging]. Each day (op session) a D&RG freight travels across the branch from Provo via Ascape to Grand Junction via Echo Junction. This train leaves traffic from Provo and points West destined for the ATSG at Ascape and picks up traffic from the ATST industries to points East via Echo Junction to Grand Junction. A second freight enters the branch from Grand Junction via Echo Junction leaving traffic destined for the railroad's industries at Ascape and picking up traffic destined for Provo and points west. The D&RG has been petitioned for a Westbound and Eastbound passenger train to travel across the branch. It is hoped that this petition will be granted in the near future.

The Ascape yard operator prepares this freight traffic for the daily Eastbound and Westbound freights. He also sorts incoming traffic for delivery by one of the two local trains that run each day on the branch. Two locals are run each day from Ascape to points on the branch. Two passenger trains are also run each day delivering passengers, milk and mail to destinations on the branch. Each day there is a coal train from Provo to Castle Coal to deliver empties and retrieve loads destined for iron and steel works in Provo. Each day there is a mine train that delivers empties and retrieves loads of ore from the Silver King tipple and the mines at Park City for processing at Provo.

An op session on the ATSG requires at least 6 operators: a yard master for staging, a yard master at Ascape, and several engineers to run the scheduled trains and any extras that may be required. We hope that you will join us for an op session. Contact the management to be placed on the call board.

22 Sulphur Gulch & Whetstone Ridge

2010-01-03T20:53:00.015-07:00

Uinta 2-6-6-2 is hauling a string of hoppers loaded with coal across the trestle at Sulphur Gulch. Upper Cadi Falls is visible in the upper left of the photo. Behind the trestle one can see Lower Cadi Falls. The locomotive is just passing Devil's Slide.

The major activity during the month of December was the construction of Whetstone Ridge, Lost Creek, Upper Cadi Falls, Lower Cadi Falls and Devil's Slide.

The remainder of this posting will describe the construction process of this key location. Because of its scenic beauty and the significant expense required the board of directors decided to include Sulphur Gulch in the name of the railroad. It has turned out that this location is a major tourist attraction for passengers.

Whetstone Ridge and Sulphur Gulch were constructed for two purposes: first to hide the helix and second to provide the scenic attraction for which the railroad is named. The picture (right) shows the trestle installed across what will become Sulphur Gulch with the helix behind the trestle. The helix has been wrapped with cardboard strips to prevent any derailed trains from falling to the floor inside the mountain. In order to construct Sulphur Gulch it was first necessary to make sure the trestle fit perfectly and that the track across the trestle was completely dependable. After the trestle was checked for a good fit it was removed from the canyon so that the scenery could be constructed.

The next step was to form the mountain with cardboard strips held together with hot glue. Mother nature (aka Chairwoman of the Board and the artistic director for the ATSGRR) suggested that mountains should contain ridges, crevices, streams to feed the waterfall, and other scenic details. The actual forming of the mountain was modified a couple of times to comply with Mother Nature's tendency to provide interesting terrain and a stream to feed the waterfall falling into Sulphur Gulch. Once the basic shape was formed the cardboard lattice was covered with cheese cloth which was held in place by diluted white glue brushed on to hold the cloth in place (left).

The next step was to brush a coat of plaster over the cheese cloth to form a thin plaster shell that provides the basic form of the mountain and canyon. The picture (right) was taken after a couple of plaster casts of rocks had been added to the top of the mountain.

Now the fun began. A single casting of a piece of a rock that resembled limestone was placed as a ledge near the top of what would become the top of Lower Cadi Falls. Using this casting as a pattern the rest of the cliff behind Lower Cadi Falls was formed by placing a layer of plaster about 1/2 inch thick over the shell. As plaster of Paris sets up it becomes soft like clay for about 30 minutes. While it was in this stage the rock was carved using a pen knife and a small pallet knife. A small piece of wire brush was also used to flick pieces from the cliff and to provide some irregularity in the stone. The challenge is to avoid repetition. Only one cup of plaster can be worked at a time so the process was repeated many times working from the top to the bottom of the cliff until the cliff was all carved. The close-up picture shows the detail of this carved limestone rock. This sculpture process required 8 or 9 hours to complete.

The picture at the left shows the entire mountain with all of the rest of the rock carved and in place. The upper rock was carved to resemble a different type of rock. The rock behind each of the steps that support the trestle was carved to resemble rock that had been blasted away to make a support for the trestle bents.

The process of coloring the terrain required several steps. First, the plaster was sprayed with a mixture of a few drops of India ink and a few drops of detergent mixed in a mixture of water and alcohol This emphasizes the cracks, crevices, and irregularities in the rock. The next step was to spray the surface of the rock with a very dilluted mixture of water-based paint in the lightest color of the rock. The base color for mountain above Sulphur Gulch was a light tan color, the base color for the cliff behind Lower Cadi Falls included a tiny bit of blue acrylic tube paint to give it a more gray hue.

After the base color was sprayed and dry the next step was to brush color into the rock. There are two sources for this color: powered pigments (burnt sienna, raw umber, chrome green) and powered pastel chalks in various earth tones. These were dry brushed onto the rock in a way that hopefully resembles nature. The lower falls emphasized the raw umber and grays while the upper falls and cliff above Lost Creek used warmer colors such as burnt sienna and yellow ochre. Once the color had been brushed into place it was sealed with a Matt finish spray.

Water was formed using Woodland Scenic's EZ water, which melts at a relatively low temperature and forms a liquid that can be poured into the stream and down the waterfall. It has a tendency to blob up when it hits the cold plaster but this is easily corrected by using a heat gun to remelt the material causing it to liquefy and low into the rocks in a natural manner. After it hardens a bit of white paint is added for the rapids and foam occurring with fast moving water. Left shows upper Cadi Falls and the top of Lower Cadi Falls with a couple of trees added. Right shows Lower Cadi Falls before the trestle was in place.

Final details complete the scene. These include trees, shrubs, and ground cover all constructed from Woodland Scenics' ground foam in various colors. The ATSGRR is set in the year 1937 in the fall of the year. Consequently the undergrowth and a few trees have started to turn to their autumn spender.

Left shows Upper Cadi Falls under Whetstone Ridge with the trees in place and the autumn colors beginning to show. Right shows the top of Whetstone Ridge. The ground shrubs have turned red and the aspens are yellow against the dark pines. To create a feeling of depth trees were planted to force perspective, that is, larger trees were planted in the foreground but toward the top of the ridge the trees are smaller and smaller to appear further away from the viewer.

Left shows the finished Whetstone Ridge, Upper and Lower Cadi Falls, Devils Slide, and Sulphur Gulch without the trestle in place.

Right shows the completed project with the trestle in place and a coal drag crossing the trestle.

Perhaps you are wondering about the unfinished portion to the left. This will be a tunnel where the track enters the helix on its descent to Provo from Ascape. Because the track was not yet "bullet proof" the mountain across the tunnel was left unfinished to enable trouble shooting the track. In the near future a tunnel portal will be placed in this location.

There is one other note of interest for those who wonder about the sanity of the owners in constructing the large trestle at Sulphur Gulch. The engineer constructed this trestle from a single piece of 1 x 4 clear pine. He ripped the board into 1/4 inch slices on a large table saw. He then ripped these pieces into scale sized lumber for the trestle using a small table saw with a very sharp carbide blade which had been pushed through the plate so there was no clearance between the blade and the plate. The bents were first drawn to exact size on a piece of poster board. The upright timbers where then placed over the drawing using double stick tape. The cross supports were then glued to the uprights with carpenter's glue and weighted. After all the bents had been constructed the trestle was assembled upside down. The trestle is on a grade and a curve. A piece of board was cut to the exact radius of the curve and one end was raised to represent the exact amount of the 3% grade. The track support beams and ties were then placed on this board using double stick tape. The uprights were then glued to the support beams using a level to get them vertical. The diagonal beams for each pair of bents were glued in place using contact cement. Then the cross support timbers were glued in place. The construction of the trestle was spread over about 6 months working an hour or two at a time.

The trestle was stored for almost 5 years. Remarkably after a couple of moves it survived rather well. As seen in the photographs the walk and railing around the top of the trestle did not survive undamaged and needs to be repaired and the railing replaced (another project yet to come). The right end of the trestle did suffer some damage in storage so the last 4 bents, diagonals and cross braces was reconstructed before the trestle was returned to Sulphur Gulch.

The trestle is modeled on an actual trestle which existed on the Southern Pacific Railroad. This was pictured in Bridge & Trestle Handbook for Model Railroaders by Paul Mallery 1972, The Builders Compendium. This handbook also contains detailed information about the construction of trestles. The original trestle has since been covered with fill. The model on the ATSG was constructed a number of years ago for the first Ascape Tennsion and Sulphur Gulch Railroad. Whetstone Ridge and Sulphur Gulch was constructed to accommodate this original model.

Tourists are welcome to come and ride the local passenger train across the trestle at Sulphur Gulch. Call to schedule your excursion on the ATSG.

21 Model Railroad Tour

2009-11-15T19:36:00.009-07:00

Friday November 13 and Saturday November 14 was the First Annual Southern Utah Model Railroad Tour sponsored by the Southern Utah Division, Rocky Mountain Region of the National Model Railroad Association sponsored by the Color Country Model Railroad Club. The goal was to have trains running on the Ascape Tennsion & Sulphur Gulch Railroad by this date. Thanks to members of the model railroad club who were involved in to a couple of work Saturdays and a late work night Thursday November 12 the goal was met and the first trains ran Friday Night. Particular thanks to Doug Whetstone who coordinated these work activities and spent many hours personally getting the ATSGRR ready to run. Without this effort by Doug and members of the club the trains would still be residing in their storage boxes where they have resided since 2004.

Friday morning, after 5 years in storage, boxes were opened and some of the rolling stock and the locomotives of the the ATSGRR arrived on the newly laid track. The management was most pleased with the result when the trains ran from Ascape to Echo Junction without any problems. There were still track problems in the helix so there was no traffic from staging.

Photo 1 shows a view of the Ascape yard with three trains ready to make the run from Ascape to Tennsion and then up the grade to Coalville and Echo Junction. In the upper left of the photo you can see the other locomotives that operate on the AT&SG. You will note that the Ascape passing siding and station siding are in place but the yard tracks are not yet in place. The trains are sitting on the Ascape passing siding.

Photo 2 shows number 82, a 2-8-0 consolidation with a 10 car freight ready to tackle the grade. The locomotive was able to handle the grade but will obviously need a helper during operating sessions for trains longer than 8 cars. The photo also shows number 7, a three truck shay with a short string of log buggies ready to tackle the grade. You can see the track support for the high line at Echo Junction behind the locomotives.

Photo 3 shows number 9, a 2-6-6-2 Uinta sitting on the siding at Echo Junction with a string of loaded coal hoppers ready to descend the grade to Ascape for shipment on to Provo. It was able to negotiate the down hill grade with ease and was also able to the same loaded hoppers up the grade from Ascape to Echo Junction.

The visitors really seemed to enjoy the event. The little bit of scenery that was completed for the demonstration held earlier really helped them to visualize the finished railroad. A few structures were also placed in the approximate location on the layout. However most of the layout was more "roller coaster" in appearance with roadbed and track suspended in space. Running trains on this exposed roadbed caused some anxiety for the management but fortunately the only crash occurred when a train was pushed through a closed switch causing one box car to plunge to the depths.

The next big event is a New Year open house January 2, 2010. Hopefully natural events will cause mountains to rise, rivers to flow, trees to sprout, and structures to be erected before this event. One thing is for certain, the investors will be happy to know that trains began to run by the end of 2009 as specified in the contract with the land owner. Trains will for sure be running for the new year in 2010. The management hopes to see you at the open house. It is anticipated that regular operating sessions will commence early in 2010.

20 Scenery Demonstration

2009-10-15T20:38:00.003-06:00

October 8 the HO group of the Color Country Model Railroad Club met at the Site of the Ascape Tennsion & Sulphur Gulch Railroad for a demonstration on how to create scenery using cheese cloth. Most members of the club have not seen this method of scenery construction in the past.

Prior to the demonstration the excavating team for the ATSGRR worked hard to construct the part of the mountain above Sulphur Gulch. The mountain was deliberately left in stages to show the whole process. The first photo shows this section of mountain.

For those with a technical interest the remainder of this post gives the blow-by-blow description of the construction process. The following are the steps in the process.

1. Before the construction of nature can begin complete the infrastructure for the surrounding area. On the ATSGRR this consisted of completing the trackbed for the high line at Echo Junction, the trackbed leading from Echo Junction to the top of the helix to return to staging, and the trackbed from Echo Junction across behind the helix to Park City which is located above the workbench roll-top desk on the other side of the helix. It was also necessary to complete the protective barrier around the outside of the helix to prevent trains from accidentally jumping to their destruction inside the mountain.

2. Place fascia around the edge of the layout in the area where the scenery is to be created. In the case of Sulphur Gulch this fascia is rather large with a contour cut to expose Sulphur Gulch and Trestle.

3. Place cardboard strips to create the contour of the mountain. They are held in place with hot glue and a couple of support posts inside the helix. The mountain forms a shell over the helix that is open in the middle so that someone can stand inside the helix when repairs are necessary or an accident occurs. The top of the mountain is above eye level so that spectators cannot view the inside of the helix even though the top of the mountain is open.

4. Stretch cheese cloth over the cardboard lattice work and hold it in place by white glue.

5. Paint a soupy mixture of plaster of Paris onto the cheese cloth forming a thin plaster shell when it dries. In places subject to strain or possible bumping from tourists paint several coats of plaster to form a more rigid shell.

6. Make plaster castings from rubber molds formed over real rocks. When the plaster in the mold is still damp but not yet set firm press the casting in place on the plaster shell. The castings can be forced into indentations in the shell to form small canyons as shown in the picture.

7. Add additional plaster to fill in spaces between castings and to form rocks where castings may not be appropriate or available. If molds for blasted rock are not available trawl a thick coat of plaster (2/8") over the plaster shell. While it is still damp carve this plaster by hand to resemble the rock from the molds or to form blasted rock faces where the mountain has been cut away to accommodate the track. At the damp stage the plaster will chip away in a most realistic fashion. Use an Xacto knife to cut horizontal seams in the rock face as occurs in nature. Randomly scratch and prick the rock face with a small piece of a wire brush to further deface the rock. With a little practice it is pretty easy to create realistic appearing rock cliffs.

8. After the rock castings are dry spray them with a mixture of wet water (water with a drop or two of detergent added) containing a few drops of India ink. This flows into the cracks and crevices of the rock to make them more apparent and to form shadows.

9. Using latex house paint representing the color of the soil in the area being modeled paint the shell in areas not covered by rock castings. Where the rock castings are in place spray a thinned (12:1) mixture of the soil colored paint and wet water onto the rocks. This thin paint runs a little forming natural looking variation in color.

10. Using earth colored pastel chalks dry brush various colors onto the rocks to form more variety in the color. Go easy as too much color does not look realistic. When the cliff looks like the real thing spray a dull coat matte finish over the work to keep the chalk from smearing.

11. Complete the scene by applying a coat of diluted white glue over the painted surface of the ground and sprinkling on fine ground foam (The ATSG uses Woodland Scenic Products) in appropriate colors for the area and season being modeled. Add shrubs from clump foam and plant trees as appropriate.

For more information about water based scenery consult

Dave Frary -- How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery 3rd Edition

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/12216.htm

For more information about cheese cloth scenery consult

http://www.ucwrr.com/Kelly%27sScenery.htm

19. Cork and Cheese Cloth

2009-07-26T13:13:00.012-06:00

Much of the spline roadbed is now installed on the ATSGRR. After the spline is in place the next step is to sand the top smooth. No matter how careful the track crew tries to be there is always one or two strands of the spline that insists on being a bit higher than the rest. A belt sander does the trick to smooth the top as seen in the photograph to the right.

Once the top is relatively smooth the next step is to install cork for

the ballast and to provide a smooth service for the track. The cork is secured to the spline with white or carpenters glue and help in place while the glue drives by a few staples from a staple gun. Driving spikes into the spline is a bit difficult but with the cork in place this is an easy task. For turnouts it is more convenient and provides a smoother surface for the turnout to use sheet cork that matches the ballest cork in height to cut pieces that underlie the turnouts.

The scenery for the railroad will be constructed on a web of cardboard stringers covered with cheese cloth. A later post will detail this process as it proceeds. But for now rather than attach the cheese cloth to the roadbed after the fact it is easier to lay a piece of cheese cloth on top of the spline and then lay the cork ballast strip on top of the cheese cloth. This way when the cardboard stringers are in place to form the mountains and valleys this cheese cloth forms a very smooth transition from the roadbed the the scenery. This prevents separation of the scenery from the roadbed which has occured in the past.

Once the cork in in place the track can be spiked in place on the cork ballest.

18 Staging Track

2009-06-07T19:00:00.014-06:00

As soon as work resumed on the railroad the road gang went to work on laying track. As indicated in they previous diagrams the staging yard consists of a double ended yard with a ladder on either end. The longest track is more than 10 feet long, far longer than any train that will be able to make the 3% grade to climb the helix. The shortest track is about 3 feet long. The operation of the yard is to enter from the helix at the far end in the picture, proceed along the through track closest to the front of the yard (the left hand track in the picture) and then around the return loop at the end of the yard entering the ladder (shown in the picture) and being stored on one of the other six tracks in the yard ready for the next trip across the railroad. Since both ends of the railroad enter the helix this is true for both westbound and eastbound trains.

Details: If you have a causual interst in Model Railroads you may want to skip the following details which are primarily for those interested in construction techniques, materials used, etc.

Track: As indicated in an earlier post the track bed is homosote. The track is code 100 Atlas Flex track. This track is easy to use and is secured by means of a nail in about every 10th tie. The turnouts are a variety of brands rescued from the previous ATSG Railroad. They were salvaged when the railroad was disassembled. As a result the major construction task was to clean up the ends of the rails, repair sections which had come loose from their ties, and replace missing track. All the turnouts are #6 to facilitate the largest locomotive on the railroad (a Bachman Mountain 2-8-4).

An earlier railroad demonstrated the desirability of having a rerail section near the end of each yard track so that in the event of an accidental derailment cars are put back on the rail before leaving the yard end and entering the helix.

To ensure good electrical contact each of the joints between sections of rail are attached with a rail joiner and then soldered in place.

The control system on the railroad is Rail Lynx (more about this system in a later post). This is an infrared system similar to Command Control except that the control is a beam from the throttle transmitter rather than through the rails. The rails have a constant 12 volt current. This makes it necessary to gap the rails to prevent short circuits. These gaps occur just beyond the frog on each of the 13 turnouts in the yard. To make these gaps smooth the gap is filled with a small piece of styrene and then held in place with super glue. The filler is then filed to the shape of the rail. This prevents the rails from accidentally reestablishing contact if the rails expand (when the room gets too warm) or slip causing the gap to close.

The power is provided by a 15-20 amp regulated DC power supply (the brand of the power supply is Samlex but any regulated power supply works). This power supply has a 120 volt input and a 13.5 DC volt output.

The railroad is protected by circuit breakers which automatically disconnect when there is a short and reconnect as soon as the short is removed. The railroad has four separate circuits, each with their own circuit breaker, so that a short in one area does not cause the whole railroad to come to a standstill. The railroad has one circuit for staging including the helix, one circuit for the Ascape yard where short circuits are more likely to occur, one circuit for the main line, and a fourth circuit for all the industrial sidings where shorts are also more likely to occur especially during switching moves. The circuit breakers were purchased from Rail Lynx.

Wiring with this system is very simple. A pair of 14 gauge buss wires follow the track. 18 gauge leads are soldered to the track about every 3 to 5 feet and connected to the buss wires with tap connectors. Each turnout is also connected to the buss wire. Having wired an earlier railroad using block control I can assure you that this type of wiring is very simple in comparison. Obviously the track is always hot and the control comes from the receiver in each locomotive (more on Rail Lynx later). For those who are interested, the Rail Lynx control system was reviewed in the July 2009 issue of Model Railroader magazine.

The return loop at the end of the yard requires that the polarity of the track be reversed when a train is in the loop. Our plan is to control this reverse polarity automatically with a Circuitron Auto Polarity Reverser (AR-1CC). At this writing it has not yet arrived. A later post will report on its operation.

Turnouts in the staging yard are controlled by Tortoise switch machines. Many thanks to Doug Whetstone and Craig Harding for laying on their backs all afternoon installing these machines. A railroad of this size would not possible without the help of many hands. These machines are wired for route control, that is, setting a rotary switch to a track number lines up all the turnouts for this track. The system used was described in the May 2009 issue of Model Railroader magazine (talk about good timing for an article). The first set of turnouts have all been wired and they work as expected, each turnout slowly moving to the correct setting when the rotary switch is moved to the track number.

The control panel for staging is under construction and will consist of a rotary switch for the ladder at each end of the staging yard. It will also contain a closed circuit TV to show the far end of the yard to the operator to facilitate operation when the scenery is in place above the yard. It will also control a signal at either end of the railroad so that the staging operator can indicate to operators whether or not they are clear to enter the helix to enter staging. More about this control panel in a later post.

17 Time Out

2009-06-07T18:45:00.003-06:00

Not much progress on the railroad during April and the first part of May. The president of the ATSG Railroad spend much of this time entertaining some cardiologists at Dixie Regional Medical Center. Unfortunately the procedures required some restrictions of activity and crawling around under a railroad was one of these restrictions. We are happy to report that the recovery is almost complete and the most recent visit to the physicians said no restrictions. However the chairman of the board still has a few restrictions being somewhat more conservative than the doctors.

So we are back and ready to move forward as seen in the next couple of posts.

16 Staging

2009-03-15T17:08:00.011-06:00

Before proceeding with the roadbed at Ascape, it was thought the better part of wisdom to complete the staging yard underneath. Once again previous experience and the many scars on top of my head from installing staging under a complete railroad suggested that it is easier to reach through the open benchwork than to reach into a 10 inch shelf to install roadbed and track. By the way my wife bought me a hard had for working under the railroad. When I remember to wear it I don't get so many scars form whacking my head.

Staging is an important concept in model railroading. The best thing to do is think of a Model Railroad as a stage where action takes place for the viewing public. On a stage there is a back stage area where actors prepare to enter the stage and perform their role. A model railroad is similar. There is a staging area where trains are prepared to enter the visible part of the railroad to perform their role, moving across the railroad while delivering rolling stock to various industries, picking up or delivering passengers, etc. For the AT&SG this staging area is under the town of Ascape on the left side of the railroad. The staging area is about 10 inches below the ruling grade of the railroad. Trains enter the railroad by entering a helix at the left side of the staging yard or the bottom of the diagram shown here. (See the post on the helix for more details).

On the ATSG Railroad the staging yard serves both ends of the railroad via the helix. The trains enter at one level of the helix, travel across the railroad and return at another level of the helix to return to the staging area.

The operation of staging is as follows: trains enter at the left (bottom of the diagram) and travel though the ladder track to the short track on the near side (right side of the diagram). They then proceed around the reverse loop and enter an assigned yard track via the ladder at the right side (top of the diagram) where they await their next assignment.

Staging also allows a staging operator to use the reverse loop as a yard lead to switch the staging yard to rearrange trains for their next assignment or trains can merely wait for their next turn configured as they were when they entered staging. Trains leaving the staging yard can travel either direction across the railroad depending at which level they leave the helix.

The staging yard is suspended from the benchwork above as shown in the photos. The base is 3/8 plywood covered with homasote as a base for the track. The homasote we used is in 3 inch strips so these strips are staggered to accommodate the ladder tracks rather than covering all of the staging area.

The reverse loop at the end of the yard is constructed via spline roadbed as previously described. The spline in this case is suspended by supports from the benchwork above. One could never construct a railroad of this size without the help of friends. Craig Harding and Doug Whetstone deserve an award for duty exceeding all expectations as they labored several hours before they successfully got the suspended spline roadbed installed under the benchwork.

The other engineering challenge was to match the height of the roadbed to the homasote. The homasote is 1/2 inch thick, the cork on top of the spline is 3/16 inch so the spline had to be adjusted to come just above the height of the plywood base of staging to match the homasote.

At this posting the staging area is complete, the homasote in place, the cork installed on the reverse loop and in most of the helix and we are ready to begin laying track.

14 The Trestle at Sulphur Gulch

2009-02-15T17:01:00.009-07:00

At last we get to see something that looks like a railroad rather than just lumber.

With the helix in place we needed to determine the location of the trestle at Sulphur Gulch. This trestle was constructed for the first version of the ATSG Railroad. It is based on a trestle that actually existed on the Southern Pacific Railroad many years ago. It is unique in that the trestle is on a grade (3%) and a curve. This was a challenge for the construction of the trestle. The trestle was constructed a number of years ago but perhaps a few details of its construction are of interest here.

The lumber was sawed from a single 1x4 piece of clear pine wood. Using a radial arm saw the 1x4 was first sliced into 1/4 inch strips. Using a miniture table saw these strips were then sawed into scale lumber of the various sizes needed for the trestle. Once the lumber was sawed the construction began.

The bents were constructed first by laying out the upright supports over the blueprint and held in place by double stick tape. The cross pieces were then glued in place for each bent. The glue was allowed to dry overnight and then the bent was turned over and the other side glued. This process was repeated for several weeks until all the bents had been constructed. A curve of plywood was then sawed to match the curve of the track where the trestle would be placed. This curve of plywood was then elevated to match the grade of the track. The track support on the top of the trestle were then placed on this curve under the location of the track and held in place with double stick tape. The bents were then glued to the track supports and held in a vertical position using a level. Then the cross pieces between the bents were glued in place. With the major construction completed the details were added such as ladders, a walkway, railings, etc.

This trestle has been stored for several years and has suffered some minor damage mostly to handrails and a few cross pieces but no structural damage.

Back to the present. It is necessary to have the trestle located before laying out the roadbed so that it is in the exact location necessary. The benchwork for the trestle is then build to accommodate its location. The operation has trains coming from staging into the helix and after a few turns exiting the helix onto the trestle. When the scenery is in place there will be a tunnel entrance just beyond the end of the trestle. The other end of the trestle leads to a track that has been blasted out of the side of a very steep cliff. This mountain and cliff will hide the helix when the scenery is in place.

So our challenge was to position the trestle to make sure it is lined up perfectly with the helix and then to build benchwork to accommodate the roadbed leading to the other end of the trestle. This additional benchwork was build around the benchwork that holds the helix as shown in the photos.

Once the benchwork was in place then the spline roadbed was lined up with the end of the trestle and supported on tall risers that will be hidden in the cliff that will go from above eye level (over 6 feet) to just above the floor. The track will then appear to have been blasted out of the cliff and then onto the trestle. You may not see this wonderful scenery in your mind's eye yet but check back in the near future and this scenery will appear.

If you have been following the progress on this reconstruction you may have noted that the location of Sulphur Gulch has moved from the peninsula in the middle of the room to in front of the helix. The chairperson of the board was very concerned that with narrow aisles for operators that a trestle on the back curve of the peninsula was sure to get damaged by giants in the land. Isn't it amazing that we can move a geological feature such as Sulphur Gulch to accommodate better viewing of this key feature of the AT&SG Railroad? Of course we will have to rewrite the history of the railroad to justify this move ... revisionsist history! The new location is much better, it provides a wonderful scene as visitors enter the railroad room and puts the key feature from which the railroad gets its name right up front. It is wise to listen to the chairperson of the board!

15 Spline Roadbed

2009-02-15T15:32:00.018-07:00

The Roadbed is the support under the track. The management chose to use spline for the roadbed for several reasons. First, it is much easier to bend the spine around curves than it is to cut plywood to the proper curvature. Second, spine tends to form a natural curve that provides natural transition curves.

A transition curve is one that gradually decreases the radius of the curve rather than a sudden change from straight to a curve of a given radius. This makes for much more pleasing curves that replicate curves on the prototype (real railroad) much more closely. However, the curves on a model railroad have a much smaller radius than the equivalent curve on the prototype because of the limited space.

So what is a spline? First we cut 1/4 inch Masonite into 1 inch strips. The first strip is placed on the joists or on risers to follow the plan for the track of the main line. This strip is held in place by screws placed temporarily on either side on each joist or riser.

After the first strip is in place the main line of the railroad is defined. The next step is to glue additional strips of Masonite to this guide strip. We mostly use hot glue to glue these splines together. The spline for this HO railroad required 8 splines to be glued together to form the roadbed that is 2 inches wide.

This process goes pretty fast but it does take a lot of strips and even more hot glue. If you have worked with hot glue you know that you have to work fast. We found that it is easier with a track crew (2 people), one to apply the glue and the other to immediately position and hold the spline in place. It is important to keep the top edges of the splines as level as possible during this gluing process.

The track crew found that when there is a turnout that the roadbed must accommodate this by allowing a spline to branch from the main spline. The crew found that gluing a small triangle to the first spline at the place of the turnout facilitated keeping the angle of the branching roadbed correct. The triangles were cut to accommodate the angle of the turnout. Most of the turnouts from the mainline on the Ascape Tennsion and Sulphur Gulch are #6 turnouts meaning that the branch line diverges 1 unit for every 6 unites of length. Again much more abrupt than the prototype but more practical for a model.

Where there are parallel tracks such as for a passing siding the crew found that it was more efficient to place a 1x2 between the splines as long as the parallel tracks were straight.

Once the splines have been glued it is critical that the top of the roadbed is level. We don't want the trains to lean from side to side as they proceed along the track. A very small difference in height on one side of the roadbed can made a noticeable difference at the top of a railroad car as it moves over the track. It is inevitable that one or more splines slips up a fraction of an inch as it is glued in place. To level the roadbed the track crew found that a small belt sander was the tool of choice. The top of the roadbed is sanded until it is smooth and also to be sure that it is level.

With the spline roadbed in place it will be time to move to large flat areas where spline roadbed is not practical. This includes the staging area, the yard at Ascape, Park City, and Coalville. We are still working on the spline but come back soon for a description of the next phase.

13 Benchwork

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With the helix in place it was time to expand the benchwork. For those who may be new to model railroading the benchwork is the table that holds the model railroad. However in this case the management want flexibility for scenery. This means that we will use an open table consisting of support beams and open joists to which we will fasten the track and the scenery. With an open grid the scenery can extend below as well as above the top of the table. With a flat table top the scenery can only extend above the scenery.

The side of the benchwork against the wall is supported by TGI beams. These are beams that are usually used for floor joists. The advantage is that they are strong and can have a long span without supporting legs. We placed the TGI beams around the walls supported every 8 to 12 feet by a 2x4 leg that extends up past the TGI beam and thus supports the backdrop framework. (See post #7).

The front of our benchwork (table) is formed with an "L" beam. This is constructed of two 1x3s forming an L shape. The advantage is that the vertical board provides support and the horizontal board of the L provides a surface to which the joists can be screwed. The L beam is supported every 8 to 10 feet by a 2x2 leg. The L beam and legs were placed parallel to the TGI beams and vary in distance from the beams depending on the width of the railroad along the three walls.

Since the railroad room is a finished room with a hardwood floor which we covered with a non-glue vinyl floor covering (See post #4 ) it is very level, unlike some basement or garage floors. Therefore it was unnecessary to place levers on the bottom of the legs. To protect the floor there is a felt pad glued to the bottom of each leg.

The top of the benchwork consists of joists fastened to the TGI beam on one end and to the L beam. The joists overlap the L beam by several inches to enable the L beam and legs to be back from the edge of the layout. If the legs are at the edge of the layout there is a tendency to trip on the legs when running trains.

With the benchwork in place it is time to begin to lay the roadbed, the support for the railroad track.

12 The Helix

2009-01-25T14:48:00.011-07:00

The first big (and we mean BIG) project was to construct a helix for the railroad.

If you are a model railroader you know what a helix is and its purpose. For the rest of you that may read this blog let's explain a bit.

The Ascape Tennsion & Sulphur Gulch Railroad is a bit like a stage play. There is the main stage where the action of the play takes place and then there are the wings or staging area where actors wait until it is their turn to appear on the scene and play their parts. Well a model railroad is similar. On the part of the railroad which the visitor sees, trains enter to deliver their freight cars to various industries and then leave the scene on their way to some distant unseen destination. A train enters at one location, travels across the visible part of the railroad, and then exits at the other end of the visible portion of the railroad.

Where do the trains come from and where do they go? Like a stage the model railroad has a staging area where the trains wait until it is their turn to enter the seen railroad and play their part, that is make their trip, deliver their goods or passengers, and then exit back to the staging area.

On the AT&SG the staging area is at a lower level under the town of Ascape. This staging area consists of a large rail yard where trains and rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) can sit waiting for their turn to run on the railroad. On the far end of this staging area on the AT&SG there is a loop that can be used for turning trains. So when a train enters the staging area it goes around the loop and then into a siding in the yard ready for its next turn to enter the railroad.

On the other end of the staging yard is the helix. A helix is a spiral of track that allows trains to raise from the lower staging yard to the level of the main line of the railroad. The staging area of the AT&SG is about 10 inches below the main part of the railroad hidden under the scenery (or what will be scenery). When a train is ready to enter the railroad it enters the helix at one end of the yard travels around the spiral about 4 times until it is at a level where it can enter the main line of the railroad.

The journey across the AT&SG takes a train over the railroad on a lower level and then returns at a higher level back over the railroad. After completing its journey is enters the helix at a higher level and returns to the staging area having completed its work.

The remainder of this post is for those who are interested in how the helix was constructed. For the casual reader you may want to exit at this point.

Constructing the helix was an engineering challenge for the construction crew of the AT&SG. The challenge is a very smooth surface, a minimum grade sufficient to raise the trains to the appropriate level, and sufficient clearance between levels so that the trains have space to travel.

The construction crew decided to construct the helix from 3/8" plywood. Two complete circles of plywood 5 inches wide were cut from each of two 4x8 sheets of plywood. The outside diameter of each circle is 24 inches making the track radius 22 1/2 inches ( a rather tight radius, but since the AT&SG is circa 1937 most of the equipment is small with short 40 foot cars. There are a couple of 60 foot passenger cars but they can navigate these curves as well.) Using the remainder of the plywood 3 more circles were pieced together in sections.

The circles were then cut at one point to enable a spirial. The second section was attached to the first section using 1/4 in dowel pins with a piece of 1/8 Masonite glued to the underside to provide more stability at the joints. When all the joints were completed there was a spiral of 6 1/2 loops of continuous plywood ramp. This spiral of plywood loops was then secured to a framework base that raises the bottom of the helix to match the staging yard.

The next engineering challenge was how to support the spiral of plywood loops. The construction crew decided to use threaded rods and secure the loops with a nut and washer below and above each level. The original intent was to drill the holes in the plywood loops themselves but keeping the holes in line turned out to exceed the capabilities of the construction crew so an alternative method was devised. The posts were placed outside the plywood loops and a thin piece of fir (left over from ripping 2x4 studs for legs) were used under the plywood loops as shown in the illustration.

The tedious part was threading each of the 12 rods with 12 nuts and washers inserted between the supports. When the rods were all finally threaded with a nut and washer below and above each support the rods were secured into the platform framework to hold them securely in place.

The next step was to carefully raise each support to the correct level to promote a smooth upward spiral with a grade of 3% and a clearance between levels of 4 inches. When each support was at the correct level the nuts were secured both top and bottom of each support. When all was secured, the elevation checked, and the clearance checked then the plywood spirals were hot glued to the supports to provide stability.

When all was completed the helix was secure, stable, and ready for track and being connected to the track from staging and from the main line. It was critical to complete the helix before installing roadbed for either the staging yard of the main line. That is next. Check back for progress on this next phase of this project.

11 Sky

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With the muslin pasted and dry we were ready to create the sky. Oh! Oh! Oh!
Creating a sky that looks like a sky is really a challenge. The sky painter finally adopted the approach recommended by Dave Frary in his How to Build REalistic Model Railroad Scenery. A similar technique is described and illustrated by Darryl Huffman in his video Easy Backdrop Painting for Model Railroaders. The trick is to get the sky dark at the top and faded to a very light color at the bottom.

Benjiman Moore Utah Sky looked like a good color in the Ace Hardware paint store. However in reality it is way, way too dark and too intense. Experience suggests that subtle is better. So the sky painter mixed his own paint. He created four intensities of blue. The first mixed the Utah Sky blue with white at a ratio of 6 parts white to 1 part blue. This gave a good dark blue for the top of the sky. The second mixed 12:1, the third 24:1 and the bottom 50:1. This seemed to provide a pretty good transition. Next time (is there going to be a next time?) the second would be a bit whiter. Wow! Does a little blue paint go a long way. The illustration shows the four cans of paint.

We started at the top with a narrow band of our 6:1 blue. Using Darryl's technique we painted until our brush was dry and then dry brushed down into the second level with what was left on the brush. We applied the next intensity 12:1 and dry brushed it into the dry brush of the darker color and dry brushed into down into the next layer. Where the two colors mixed we scrubbed and scrubbed with the brush until there seemed to be a nice blend of the two colors. (Use cheap brushes, this destroys brushes.

The next layer used the same technique blending the 12:1 color with the 24:1 color and so forth with the bottom layer blending the 50:1 color with the 24:1 color. In most places, where brushed really scrubbed the paint the blending looks pretty good. In a couple of places the chairman of the board commented, "the sky painter must have been getting tired when this corner was painted!" The painter protested, "those are clouds." The chair person did not seemed convinced. Perhaps there will be a bit of touch up and the "clouds" eliminated.

With no benchwork and no scenery in place this is a lot of sky. About the lower half of the sky will be covered with scenery once the benchwork, track and scenery is in place. By itself there is a lot of light sky at the bottom but most of this will be covered. It was much easier to paint the sky with no benchwork in the way. Later the backdrop will be expanded with some mountains but this will have to wait until some scenery is in place.

10 Installing Muslin

2008-12-21T21:03:00.010-07:00

To provide a smooth seamless surface for our backdrop the Masonite panels are covered with unbleached muslin fabric.

Step 1. Be sure the top of each panel is flush with the top piece of the framework that is supporting the panels. You may have to plane or sand the tops of the panels to be sure they are flush.

Step 2. Use thumb tacks to attach the muslin to the framework at the top. Our panels are 30 inches high and the muslin is 36 inches wide. Be sure to keep the edge of the muslin straight with the back of the panel frame so that it will hang straight.

Step 3. Flip the muslin over the panel and let it drape down the back. Remember on the AT&SG the panels are not attached to the wall. This is bit more tricky if your panels are attached to the wall.

Step 4. Apply wall paper paste smoothly under the muslin. We used a universal wall paper paste. Flip the muslin back over the front of the panels and smooth the muslin using a wall paper brush. Work from the center and down. Wrinkles in the muslin will smooth out with the brush. If you work from one end you might cause a ripple that will cause the muslin to not lay smooth.

Step 5. Trim the bottom edge, wrap it up around the framework (an advantage for leaving the gap under the framework) and glue it in place. This makes for a nice smooth edge. We also tapped the thumb tacks to be sure they were all the way in the top of the framework and then we applied wall paper paste to glue the top to the top of the framework so that there were no loose edges of fabric poking up. The fabric dries to a very smooth surface almost like artist's canvas.

This shows the muslin backdrop wrapped around the railroad room in a smooth seamless surface. The top of the backdrop is 6 feet, above the eye level of most observers. The room has 10 foot ceilings. It looks pretty empty now but when the benchwork is in place the railroad will begin to take shape.

Whoops! There are always lessons to be learned.
When you take the muslin around a curved corner remember that it has a tendency to shrink a bit. If you don't glue the corner first and be sure there is plenty of glue under the muslin and then smooth away from the corner you might stretch the fabric when it is moist with the glue and then when it dries and shrinks slightly you get three dimensional clouds in your backdrop. What will we do on the AT&SG? Well we are not going to redo the muslin since it is a single piece stretching for more than 35 feet along one wall and around the corner. But we have a solution. It just so happens that there will be rather large mountain in this corner, at least there will be now!

Hope you enjoyed our tutorial on installing a muslin backdrop.

Next step before the benchwork is to paint the sky. It is much easier to paint the sky before the benchwork is in place. Another lesson learned the hard way on the former AT&SG. Other details on the backdrop will be added as we put the scenery in place.

9 Backdrop Panels

2008-12-21T20:48:00.006-07:00

The backdrop framework is covered with 1/8 " masonite panels. These are glued to the framework with panel adhesive so there are no nail or screw holes in the panels.

The panels leave a gap above the TGI beam. The joists for the benchwork will attach to the TGI beams here. The track and scenery will all be above the gap. The scenery will dip below this level at Sulphur Gulch but that is a story for later.

All seams between panels were filled and sanded to provide a seamless surface. The entire set of panels was then lightly sanded to insure that the wallpaper paste would adhere to the surface.

8 Track Lights

2008-12-21T20:26:00.003-07:00

Hard lessons were learned during the construction of the first AT&SG RR. Installing lighting above a finished railroad is not easy and not wise. So this time the maintenance crew installed track lights before beginning construction. An added advantage is that it is much easier to see during construction when there is adequate lighting. Each section of the railroad is lit with a row of 6 lamps. The bulbs are compact reflector fluorescent (CFL) low wattage bulbs which save considerably on power. A whole track of 6 lamps is only 75 watts. These light provide plenty of sunshine.

7 CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

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The Utah Colorado Western Railroad (ucwrr.com) had a unique construction technique to minimize the number of legs necessary to support benchwork. The AT&SG Railroad adapted this technique of using TGI beams for long spans with 2x4 legs. It was decided to use the TGI panels only in the back along the wall to allow access under the front edge of the layout. The photo shows the TGI beams with the backdrop framework in place along the wall. This construction surrounds the layout on the three sides against the wall.

The board of trustees was very adamant about any construction impacting the walls of the railroad room. The policy was that the layout must be freestanding. In the previous version of this railroad the backdrop panels were attached to the walls. When the railroad was disassembled there the walls had to be repaired and refinished. The board of directors declared “Never again.” To accomplish this free standing benchwork the framework for the backdrop is attached to the back of the TGI beams and also secured against the 2x4 legs which were extended to reach the top of the sky. Nothing is attached to the walls of the railroad room. The photo shows this framework before the hardboard is in place. This framework will be covered with ¼ inch hardboard and then wallpapered with muslin to provide a smooth surface for the backdrop painting of sky, mountains, and horizon scenery.

More to come … visit us again soon.

6 THE PLAN

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The diagram is an early draft of the plan for the railroad. This is a work in progress. Check back at a future date to see modifications in this plan. The board room is not shown but is a 14 x 14 foot room at the bottom of the diagram with a stair case coming up at the lower right of the diagram (only partially shown).

The yard at the left is Ascape and some associated industries. Staging is under Ascape with trains entering the railroad on the circular track around the access hole. Trains will eventually return to staging via the same helix but entering from the tracks behind Ascape (not complete on the diagram). These tracks behind Ascape are 9 inches above the yard tracks. Tennsion is the sidings at the right of the diagram. The track then circles the peninsula across the large trestle at Sulphur Gulch at the top end of the peninsula. The sidings at the lower part of the peninsula are Castle Coal.

After crossing Sulphur Gulch taking the left branch the track climbs to a higher elevation and the switch backs lead to the Sawhill Timber lumber area. Beyond Sawhill the railroad returns above Tennsion circling the upper part of the plan returning above Ascape until it reenters the helix to return to staging.

Instead of returning to staging a branch line runs to Park City (also not yet connected in the plan which is in the lower left of the plan.

Staging is a double ended yard with a return loop under the upper left corner of the layout.

Stay tuned for more details at a later date.

5 TIME OUT

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With the floor protected and the windows moved above the sky it was time to start construction …. But WAIT. Construction was put on hold when the key personnel of the AT&SG Railroad were asked to return to Hawaii for a second time to help with distance education at Brigham Young University – Hawaii. The president did manage to include a box of structures and a minimum set of tools in the shipment of household goods to Hawaii. But alas, no time and the box sat in the closet unopened for the duration of the tour.
The tour of duty was scheduled for 23 months starting in January 2008. However some serious health problems required a return to Utah after only 10 months. Perhaps construction could resume on the railroad.

4 THE FLOOR BENEATH

2008-11-23T22:14:00.003-07:00

The railroad room was completed with a beautiful bamboo hardwood floor, all shinning and bright. The day construction was to begin the chairwoman asked with some alarm in her voice, “How are you going to protect my floor.” Explaining drop cloths and the great care that would be exercised during construction failed to satisfy the concern. The board of directors issued a new policy, the floor under the railroad must be covered with something that would protect the hardwood so that it would be preserved should the railroad sometime in the future once again fall on hard times and find that it must be relocated. After considerable research quite by accident the president stumbled on a product called Tarkett which is manufactured in Luxemburg. It is a vinyl product with a soft fabric back. It lays flat without gluing. The pattern just happened to match the stone tile on the refreshment bar in the board room. A perfect solution … the chairwoman is happy, the president is happy and the floor is happy. Of course the previous policy requiring drop clothes and great car during construction is still in force

3 ADJUSTING THE SKY

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During an early inspection of the new railroad room it was noted that the windows all seemed a bit too low. The blueprint called for the bottom of the windows to be at 72 inches. The existing height in the newly framed structure was only 60 inches. The president confronted the contractor about this discrepancy. “You can’t see out of the windows if they are six feet from the floor,” he said. “Exactly!” exclaimed the president. “You see,” he explained, “the windows must be above the sky.” The contractor gave a very puzzled look to this comment. The president explained how a backdrop behind the train would contain painting of the sky, mountains and other geological feature to extend the horizon of the railroad. He explained that the sky extends up to 6 feet which is above the eye level of most observers. Having the windows above the sky allowed light to enter the room without interfering with the sky or mountains that would be behind the railroad all around the room. The contractor gave an “Aha” and ordered the windows moved up above the sky.

2 ACQUIRING REAL ESTATE

2008-11-23T22:03:00.004-07:00

The chairwoman of the board and the president of the railroad acquired property in St. George, Utah. Being amateur architects they worked together to design a new home. As the plan neared completion the president pointed out that no real estate had been identified for the reconstituted AT&SG. “Perhaps it could occupy one bay of the garage,” the chairwoman suggested. A couple of historical and climatic facts may be helpful to the reader to understand this negotiation. The Logan, Utah AT&SG occupied two basement rooms each 15 by 24 feet. The railroad shared one of the rooms which served occasionally as a recreation room but otherwise the railroad occupied most of the space. A third adjoining room served as a shop for the railroad. Fact number two: while winters are usually mild, the temperature in St. George in the summer often exceeds 100° Fahrenheit. Air conditioning solves the problem when the space is occupied but have you ever seen what happens to track when there is wide range of temperature (think expand and contract)? The president vetoed the garage real estate as not acceptable, besides the garage was needed for the shop. So the architects went back to the drawing board. A basement was ruled out because of soil conditions. The answer was found by going up, a second story was added over one wing of the house providing a very nice bonus (i.e. railroad) room (see photo). The reconstituted AT&SG will be more compact but with good design will still be able to serve its industries efficiently providing for interesting railroad action. The tax assessment woman who visited the house after its completion was very confused by the blue print which indicated that this was the railroad room. She had never evaluated a railroad room before.

There was, however, one more stage to the negotiations. Once the house was far enough along to allow a walk through inspection it became obvious that the view from the front of the “railroad room” was spectacular. “Wow,” exclaimed the chairwoman, “what a view!” The front section of the railroad room was reclaimed as a sitting area, i.e. board room, and alternative bedroom for visiting grandchildren. The available real estate was once more reduced to the rear section of the railroad room. It is still a respectable size and more likely to be completed within the lifetime of the president. The photo shows the "board room."

1 HISTORY

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ASCAPE TENNSION & SULPHUR GULCH RR

The Ascape Tennsion & Sulphur Gulch Railroad is a little known branch line from the town of Ascape to the mining town of Park City. It connects with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad through the Wasatch mountains West to Provo and again from Echo Junction East to Grand Junction.

The ATSG branch line originated at the turn of the last century. There were two primary needs for this railroad: Hauling coal from Castle Coal mines in Coalville to the iron and steel plant in Provo and bringing silver ore from the Silver king mine in Park City to the processing plant in Provo. The biggest challenge in getting through Whetstone Ridge to Ascape was to cross the deep canyon known as Sulphur Gulch. Building the large wooden trestle at Sulphur Gulch enabled access to the coal and silver. The coal mines at Castle and the ore at Park City justified the expense and effort to construct this structure. Because of its significance to the construction of the railroad, and because the Upper and Lower Cadi Falls on Lost Creek is such an attraction for tourists, Sulphur Gulch was included in the name of the railroad. The wooden structure was constructed during the peak of the ore production at the Silver King mine and has never been replaced with a more modern trestle.

At the current time, 1937, while the major silver mining activity has declined significantly, there is still sufficient ore being processed to justify a string of hoppers to the Silver King Tipple several times week. This ore is shipped to Provo for processing. Castle Coal is still very active and produces a significant number of car loads of coal every day.

The railroad has considerable business hauling cattle from the Smellie Cattle Ranch to the meat packing house in Ascape and to markets in the East by way of Echo and on to Grand Junction. The small farming community of Tennsion has also proved to be a major supplier of hay, grain and fruit especially to markets int he East. As the road made its way across Pine Mountain on its way to Park City it spawned a small lumber camp that supplied logs to the sawmill at Tucker Junction. The resulting lumber is shipped to Western markets via Prove and Eastern markets via Grand Junction.

Two D&RG rains pass through Ascape each day. The East bound train delivers supplies and empties from Provo and picks up Eastbound traffic for Grand Junction and destinations East. The Westbound train delivers supplies and empties from the Grand Junction connection in the East and picks up traffic bound for the West via the Provo connection. The railroad has petitioned the D&RG for a daily Eastbound and Westbound passenger train. It is hoped that this route will be approved in the near future.

For a small railroad, during the depression, the AT&SG is remarkably active. The railroad and its associated industries own several locomotives which are serviced at the railroad's facilities in Ascape and the small engine shop in Park City. The amount of traffic justifies two local trains daily, which deliver goods to the several industries serviced by the railroad in Ascape, Tennsion, Smellie Cattle, Tucker Junction, Coalville, Echo Junction and Park City. A local passenger train delivers milk, mail, and passengers to destinations along the route both morning and evening.

The original AT&SG RR was located in Logan Utah but a move to St. George Utah required the reconstruction of this railroad. Welcome to this blog which will document this reconstruction effort. Your comments are welcome. If you are in the St. George area you are welcome to visit this railroad. The blog will indicate the progress on the reconstruction so you can determine whether or not a visit is worthwhile. The photos in this post are from the Logan location prior to the move.

Thanks for your interest. AT&SG Railroad stock is available. Its value has been considerably reduced by the depression (remember 1930s) but if you believe this railroad will continue to thrive this may be a good time to invest.

History updated January 10, 2010 (revisionist history).