Locomotive Power

Fig 1. #27 Baldwin 0-6-0T Saddle Tank Switcher

What is a railroad without engines?  That will be the subject for today's blog.  I don't really intend on answering this question though.  Instead I will show you images of the engines I intend to use on the layout.

Fig 2. Wathers N Scale 0-6-0 Loco #433-7781

The first engine is The Baldwin 0-6-0T.  For you non-railroaders out there, the three numbers indicate a steam engine classification.  Each number indicates a truck.  The middle one is the driver, and the front and rear are the supporting "wheel" trucks.  Thus the 0-6-0 means that the engine has a 6 wheel driver truck, and no front or rear trucks.  The NYD employed all steam until 1951 when the company purchase 5 new GE diesel switchers.  More about that later.

The engine that originally caught my eye was the Baldwin 0-6-0T, and as it turns out I found a suitable scale model in the Life-Like Trains N Scale 0-6-0 Loco 433-7781 modeled for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.  (I'll have to fix that)   When you look at figures 1 and 2 you will notice some significant differences so I will have to decide if I am going to take the time to rebuild the engine to better match the photograph.  I am thinking that initially this will not be the case.  I will remove the AT & SF logo; put on the NYD logo; add the engine number; weather the engine (to make it look just as grimy); and call it good.  I may fix the headlight since that does look like a glaring oversight

Note also that this is presently the only piece of the railroad equipment I own, and it is still in the box.  Somehow I will have to convert this to DCC (Digital Command Control) plus, I understand that the switchers aren't very good performers either.  It is a good thing that the engines were technically not allowed on the barges so you hardly ever saw them without a idler car.  An idler car is a car that is used to separate the engine from the cars being moved.  This is used mostly where the weight of the engine is not allowed i a particular area, like a barge, but cars still had to be shunted on and of that section of track.  I had plans to use an idler car for 3 reasons:

1. A place to install the DCC decoder.  There is no room in the engine.
2. Add a second set of power pick-ups for the engine to improve the pick-up area/distance (I read an article about using 2 switchers back to back to improve pick-up, so why not a RR car.  This improves the continuity of power to the engine and thus its performance.
3. Add a DCC controlled un-coupler inside the car, so you can uncouple the trains without having to use a tooth pick or install magnetic un-couplers everywhere on the layout.

Fig 3. GE 50 Ton Diesel Switcher

As it turns out the time frame, surrounding 1950 will be ideal for modeling.  According to the photographs many of the old ware houses still exist, and the old steam engines were in operation through 1950.  I had hoped that this would be the case simple because the years surrounding 1950 are a popular time for modeling since they allow people to model the transition from steam to diesel.  Imagine a dirty little steam engine and then on to the scene comes a brand new yellow diesel switcher #54, one of 5 purchased by the company.  Okay, the one in figure 3 doesn't look so new, but you are going to have to use your imagination just a bit here.

In addition, 1950 is also an ideal time for modeled things like cars.  In one of the future blogs I will discuss the purchase of cars and trucks and you will see that there is a surprising amount of variety in car make and models available in N scale.

• Photo of figures 1 and 3 are used with permission from the author of the Yew York Dock website http://www.trainweb.org/bedt/indloco/nyd.html  The photos shown in figures 1 and 3 are F.R. Dirks Photos from the F. Zahn Archives (Phil Goldstein’s collection). 
• Photo of figure 2 is from the Walther’s on-line catalog

The Docks and Warehouses

The most difficult part about doing something like this is deciding what to do next. As you might have observed there are three primary stage areas to this layout. From left to right they are (See inset in illustration 4 below):
G – A Piece of Brooklyn
H – The Docks and Warehouses
JJ – The Float Bridges and Car Float (Barges)

In envisioning the outcome of this project I have really focused on G and JJ simply because I figured that that is where most of the action will take place. Incidentally I say JJ because the Fulton Harbor features two float bridges each labeled “J”. In deciding about what to do next I realized that I had never given much "detailed" thought about the middle area. As a matter of fact I had put more thought into the background, and what goes behind the warehouses than what the foreground of the layout would look like. In deciding what to do next I thought to look at the area I had nearly forgotten about.

Figure 1. The Docks and Warehouses (*1)

Take a look at the figure 1. One of the most prominent features of this photograph are the warehouse buildings. I am fairly certain that the photographer is looking north while standing with the float bridges to his left. In other words he was standing in area JJ. As a point of interest also notice the intricate track work in the foreground. I am certain that once I learn to lay my own track this will be a fun part of the layout to build. Next notice the proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge in the background confirming the location of the layout.

Back to the building, the initial thing I thought fascinating were the arched doorways at every level, which would lend itself well to interesting “shadow box” modeling. This means that when building the model you include interiors that are visible to the audience. In N-Scale these interiors will be rather limited in scope, but you can still add in a great number of small dioramas, giving the illusion of activity on a grand scale.

Add to this the fact that I saw a similar warehouse reasonably priced in N scale in the Walthers catalog (Figure 2) I figured I was off to a good start. As a matter of fact there are a great number of similarities between the two buildings’ photograph and the model kit. I am not yet sure what to about the warehouses in the background. But if you look closely at figure 1 you will notice a slightly taller set of buildings exhibiting more rectangular detail than these buildings in the foreground. I will have to do some more digging to find out what these buildings look like.  

Figure 2.  Warehouse kit, Walthers #244-2010

I did spend some time designing the track work in the foreground, which was slightly tougher than I thought. The hard part was that I was trying to condense about 16’ of modeled real estate into and area of between 7 and 8 feet, but as you will see I managed. 

Figure 3. Detailed Map of Fulton Harbor and Docks (Click to enlarge)

Using the map shown in figure 3 I was able to figure out some basic distances. For example the overall length of areas A through E was roughly 2600 feet. At 1:164 scale that is equal to 15’ 10” (I will apologize to my metric friends in advance, but this is an American Blog) I also figured that the areas of absolute importance would be A at 283 feet (2’ 4”) and D at 466 feet (2’ 10”). It so happens that the warehouse shown in figure 2 is 28 inches long (2’ 4”) so that was a given. I also liked area B and ended up including a smaller version of it with a possible track going into the building. I will deal with Area E later as I work on section JJ. Area C was all that was left and I figured since that section included 1250 feet of parallel track it was where I could easily do most of the cutting.

Something you can't quite see in Figure 3 is that each of the structure blocks is labeled to indicate how many stories it has. The building in section A is a single story building. The building in section B has 6 stories. Section C has 5 stories, and section D has 4.

Figure 4. The Dock and Warehouse Front N-Scale Layout.

Note: the large letters in the inset identify the following areas
G – A Piece of Brooklyn
H – The Docks and Warehouses
JJ – The Float Bridges and Car Float (Barges)
So here you have it, a model N-Scale layout of the Dock and warehouse area. The inset shows you how this whole section is situated. Since at this point I have not fleshed out the details and track work in the car float area things may still change, but I think we have the important elements nailed down.

*1 Photo of figure 2 is used with permission from the author of the Yew York Dock website http://www.trainweb.org/bedt/indloco/nyd.html   The original photo was located online in the Life Magazine archives and was taken in 1943. This photograph was part of a series of three all of which pertain to the Fulton Terminal.

How I Plan to Use the Available Space

The following diagram will illustrate the general concepts I am talking about. The top of the diagram shows a overview plan of the layout's general concept, while the second, hand sketched diagram, shows a cross-section at line XX. I will now take the time to explain each of the letters.



A – The water Front

This will pretty much include the front 2/3rds of the peninsula areas (I, J, and K). It will contain a small ocean freighter (docked permanently at wharf (I). It will also contain the focal point of operations: two float bridges (J) with removable car floats or barges. The areas labeled K will be large corrugated (or wooden) warehouses.

B – The Docks

The docks are the area containing most of the track works. The area between the two float bridges (J) has what essentially amounts to a four-track yard. The dock area has all the track work that connects the warehouses, the car floats and the yard on the pier with the main line, which is simulated by the staging yard (F)

C – The Warehouses

The immediate background adjacent to the dock will consist of two or perhaps 3 story warehouses. These structures will be partial flats (depth of 1.5 to 2 inches) with a number of shadow box interiors to add interest. You have to figure that probably 6 to 8 feet along the dock’s back wall will be these types of stone or concrete warehouses. Fortunately the map shows that these run at a slight angle along the dockside and step back in a couple of places. This should add additional interest. I think that the use of odd angles to accommodate as much of the key elements in the layout is actually working to my advantage by adding interest to the overall layout.

D – The Run Around and Elevated Track

These tracks serve two purposes. The lower track acts as a “hidden” run around track. I like the idea of shuttling cars from one end of the layout to the other without actually seeing them. However in thinking about it, why hide a train completely. So I thought to allow the trains to become visible at the cross streets (intersections) of which I can create a couple. Furthermore to add interest I thought to add an elevated NY subway train. I am pretty sure NY has them though they probably never ran along the riverfront in Brooklyn. But they would add interest. In addition there is a company that sells laser cut elevated train platforms that are absolutely phenomenal and would add an exciting element of depth and perspective between the buildings, even if we are only talking about 2 to 3 inches. Also the idea is that the el (short for elevated train) runs on it’s own timetable. It just goes back and forth stopping at a couple of stations, of which you’ll be able to see parts. This is mostly the programmer in me talking.

E – Back Drop with Building Flats

The backdrop will be a photo or a painting of the Brooklyn skyline just south of the Brooklyn Bridge circa 1950. This should not be real hard to find since I am sure there are lots of photos out there of the Brooklyn Bridge taken from the Manhattan side. From what I have seen thus far, most of these photos show a smoky and dingy skyline. This will work to my advantage, especially if I decide to paint the backdrop myself. I imagine that by limiting use of color, going with muted sepia grays, I could create a pretty exciting looking city skyline. To add interest and depth I will probably add some building flats just behind the elevated track, especially at the openings between warehouses caused by any cross streets.

F – Staging Yard

What can I say; I’ve got to have a staging yard. A 6-inch shelf, about 4 feet long with 3 to 4 tracks.

G – A Piece of Brooklyn

This will essentially be a small business and residential area. Though, as the red line shows, the trains will move through the back streets to get to the staging yard. I did think about using a drawbridge to connect the main layout with the staging yard, but as far as I could tell there were no drawbridges in Brooklyn. There are plenty of those in Chicago, but I am not modeling the windy City. Bummer thus.

H – The Docks and Warehouses

This is discussed extensively in section B above

I – The Wharf and the Ocean Going Freighter

This will be a key part and focal point of the layout. I expect that there will be tracks along the wharf (I) to add operational interest.

J – The Float Bridges and Car Float (Barges)

This is what got the whole thing started. The car floats (barges) act as cassettes, so I expect to initially build about 4 of them. They won’t be pretty, more like rusty old barges with tracks on them. But the low railings and barge accessories will allow me to add detail and interest. Furthermore the track and wye switch half of which is on the float bridge, with the other half on the barge, will have to be hand laid. I envision the barged to slide on exposed tracks laid in the water to facilitate proper alignment. These tracks/guides will be hidden when the barge is lying against the float bridge. Also adjacent to the barges I will have one of those famous NYD Harbor tugs.

K – The large Wharf Warehouses

These will be large buildings usually found on the piers. I expect they will be made from corrugated materials. I have played around with the idea to run tracks inside, to act as additional hidden staging, but I’ll have to think about that.

And there you have it for today.