Rebuilding Staging; renamed to Samedan

Late summer of 2009, time for a reality check. Testing the old track configuration under operating conditions i.e. pushing and pulling cuts of cars, showed that the LGB R1 turnouts would not work reliably even with the standard LGB couplers. Too many derailments! Time fo a change and a rebuild!

Making efficient use of space has always been the first order, which in this case meant moving the milling machine towards the garage door and using the dividing wall to mount the passenger section of “Samedan”.

Redesigned Staging “Samedan”

Freight section

The track arrangement in the freight section will be simplified, all of it with #4 turnouts with an absolute minimum of reverse curves.

The extension across the entrance door will either fold up or down, not decided yet. Track 1 is the arrival and departure track. Track 2 for run-around, 2a for storage (cars and/or engines.. 3 and 4 also for storage. Track 5 is the storage track for passenger engines and doubles as the DCC programming track

Passenger section

The passenger section is completely redesigned, Track 6 is the arrival and departure track, 6a is for mail and dining cars, Track 7 is for run-around and Track 8 for storage. There will be a duck-under to get to the workshop side of the garage, but since the track sits at eye level it shouldn’t be a “head-banger’. 

Track board mounted to the dividing wall, milling machine, accessories, lights etc. moved to the new location.

Revamping the “Viaduct”

After getting considerable use during Summer 2009, it was decided that less would be more ... as in more convenient, more robust, more practical. This quite apart from the visual appearance.

Procrastination can be a good thing. As planned there will be several much lower arches. This will allow passage under that section even in the closed position - a huge advantage.

the old version

The arches are a “maybe sometime in the future” consideration. Enough space under the trackboard and swivelling it against the wall is very easy compared to the old arrangement

the new bridge in the closed position

the new bridge in the open position

A different interpretation of the Landwasser viaduct is planned in a different section on the layout, more about that later.

to be continued