'Cuyahoga' Our 1950/60s USA layout

[kevsmiththai]

I've been merrily waffling on about 'Cuyahoga' our Z scale 'Nickel Plate Road' which I am building a few 2-8-4 berkshires for and realised I haven't shown you much of the layout. The layout featured in both 'Continental Modeller' magazine and also 'Z-track' magazine and has been very well received. We won the best running layout award at a recent U.K show where the judges were astounded by just how good modern Z locomtives run

 

 

couple of links to videos of the layout

 

In NKP mode

 

 

 

most recent show we ran it slightly more modern images to test stock for our new 'Shasta' layout

 

I'll put some new stuff on after Leyland

 

 

KEV

[kevsmiththai]

Here is the layout description in full

Cuyahoga

USA Z by Kevin and Angela Smith a.k.a ‘The Mardy Model Railway Club’

 

For my first venture in American Z I have returned to one of the American railroads that has always fascinated me, The Nickel Plate Road, one of the last users of mainline steam in the U.S. The Pennsylvania Railroad has trackage rights on the mainline so expect an interesting mix of NKP steam and Pennsy’ diesels. The name was chosen as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was, famously, once so polluted that in 1969 that it actually spontaneously caught fire and was immortalised in Randy Newman’s song ‘Burn on, Big River’!

 

 

The layout is based around the Cuyahoga flats area of Cleveland where industry, river and rails are squeezed together and features harbours, lift bridges, car float ferries and quayside freight activities. The railroad buildings such as the roundhouse, power station, coal dock etc, which are all scratch built, are based on the Nickel Plate’s modern rebuild of the facilities at Calumet, Chicago. The turntable is a heavily modified Peco ‘N’ gauge one that looks just right and will take the biggest locomotives including the Hallmark Union Pacific gas turbine. Low relief store houses, an icing station and coach servicing building make up the scenic break that hides the 7 road fiddle yard at the back. Tucked away in the back corner is a highly detailed scrap yard. The boats that make the front of the layout so interesting are, in the main, 1/200 kits from the now defunct ‘Heller’ range although I think ‘Revell’ are gradually re-introducing some of them. The tall ship is a ‘Revell’ Cutty Sark which is proving to be a bit fragile!

 

 

Conventional baseboards with MDF tops and hinged legs are secured together by bolts and 10mm stainless steel dowels. The layout is 8ft by 2ft 6 “ and makes extensive use of Peter Wright turnouts (actuated by Fulgurex Point Motors through bell cranks) on the visible sections with Peco and MTL flexi track. Marklin double slip points are used as space savers on the quayside section. The layout is conventional D.C using isolating sections. At exhibitions there is the ability to run three trains simultaneously, Two on the main line and one on the dock front line. At the same time a fourth controller is used for switching the coach servicing facility, roundhouse and car float loading area so there should always be some movement to entertain the visitors.

Along the top of the scenic break that hides the fiddle yard is another single track elevated line that serves as a train display area and a repair test track if any of the locomotives develop a problem at a show.

 

Locomotives are chosen for their authenticity in the Ohio region.

The Marklin 4-6-2 found in the USA starter set has been converted to the NKP L1 4-6-4 with it’s characteristic smoke deflectors complete with larger tender with high speed trucks.

The Marklin 4-6-2 has also been modified with illuminated smoke box number boards to represent the Nickel Plate’s earlier K1b Pacifics.

The Marklin 2-8-2 has been equipped with the large 12 wheel tender and feed water heater to represent the H6e Mikado.

A ‘B’ class 0-6-0 switcher has been cobbled up out of a Marklin BR89 with a slope back tender.

A kit built Pennsy streamlined K4 4-6-2 in Tuscan red is run quite often.

 

Diesels include;-

Two of AZL’s fabulous Nickel Plate GP7s which run faultlessly

An  MTL GP35 has been repainted to represent NKP’s #910, the only one they bought.

The Z-tech SW1 kit has also been painted in NKP livery and switches the car float terminal.

Recently a Hallmark PA1 was acquired and repainted as one of the famous NKP ‘Bluebirds’

There is also a lot of Pennsylvania RR diesel equipment although we are gradually retiring the rather unconvincing Marklin F7s. Two Marklin GG1 electrics(with a lot of additional weight to cure their chronic slipping!) get a run now and then with a long coal hopper train.

 

The rolling stock is a mixture of Marklin, Micro-trains, Pennzee, Full Throttle, Robert Ray, kit built  and scratchbuilt with Kadee automatic couplings on most of the stock. As we still run big block trains of Marklin coal hoppers mixed with Penzee and Full Throttle ones and we also use a lot of Marklin coaches some of the vehicles are converter cars with a Kadee coupling at one end and a Marklin at the other. We have tried to keep the mix of freight vehicles as realistic as possible for the Great Lakes region in the late fifties/early sixties.

Coaching stock is gradually being built to represent the NKP streamlined fleet and the ‘Hallmark’ heavyweights look very good when re-bogied and repainted.

 

 

The layout is viewable from the front and ends. It is transportable in a car and each baseboard has a custom made flight case running on castors to minimise lifting .The layout has it’s own lighting rig and fireproof curtains and all electrics are protected by an RCD.  Control panels, lighting rig, struts and detachable details like the boats all travel in custom made foam lined boxes for safety. The two flight cases stand behind the layout at shows and provide a perfect area to put out the stock boxes.

 

One of the things that has amazed people who have seen the layout at shows is the fantastic running of modern ‘Z’. The latest flywheel equipped diesels will crawl along with 35 freight cars behind them and the tiny Kadee couplings will remote uncouple just like their bigger brothers! The reliability of the layout’s running has tempted many people who have seen it to have a dabble in this tiny scale. We were very pleased to win the Fred Firth Memorial Trophy at the Furness Model Railway club’s Easter 2009 show in Barrow in Furness for the best running layout in show.

 

Plans for the future include the building of some of the NKP’s famous ‘Berkshire’ 2-8-4s, repainting of some MTL GP9s to represent the NKP’s most numerous diesel class, some judicious weathering of the stock and the sourcing a lot more authentic American cars and highway trucks of the fifties and sixties. We have no plans to fit the river with smoke units!

 

[Bernard]

Kev - a fascinating video on how you etched out the pieces for your tender.....lots of details and prepping. Do you make more than one engine?

 

 

Also nice haircut!

[Kamiyacho]

The name was chosen as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was, famously, once so polluted that in 1969 that it actually spontaneously caught fire and was immortalised in Randy Newman’s song ‘Burn on, Big River’!

 

I was growing up along the river in the late 50's - mid 60's.  Where we used to put pennies on the tracks is now the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

[marknewton]

Got to say, Kev, I like your taste in prototypes. Go the NKP! 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Mudkip Orange]

Nice layout.

 

Cleveland, eh?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM&feature=related