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Dave Adams D&RGW Durlin Branch,On3. This railroad is a freelanced two headed branch line out of Chama NM on the D&RGW's fourth division narrow gauge line. Durlin is one of the branch terminals with industries representative of those in Silverton CO and Flint is the other branch terminal serving a coal mine based on the big CF&I breaker at Floresta CO. Durango and other points west of Chama are represented by staging, as is Alamosa and other points east of Chama. Prototype scenes include Chama, Cresco, Toltec Tunnel and Navajo. An 18x27 room houses the layout which is a partial double deck design. Track is 100% complete, scenery is 96% complete. 97% of the rolling stock is kit or scratch built, steam locomotives are primarily brass which have all been remotored/regeared/detailed/painted with primarily Soundtraxx decoders installed. Locomotive control is a CVP Easy DCC system with CVP wireless Ops throttles. TT&TO, 3:1 fast clock, car cards and waybills along with a phone system for which telegraph sounders have replaced the phone bells support operations which are based on D&RGW practices in the 1920s. Uncoupling is 100% manual using pics. Water stops are augmented by both sound and animation, while other engine servicing events are timed by sound, as is the loading of stock cars. This is an attempt to replicate to some extent the experience of small steam engine mountain railroading hauling general freight, coal, ore concentrates, and passengers along with the fall stock rush. The operating style is casual as befits a narrow gauge branch line faced with the fall increase in traffic. Crew size is eight, including a dispatcher, yard master, yard switch engine and five road crews which include helper turns. Here's a video tour by TSG Multimedia: Paperwork: An introduction to Train Procedures on the Durlin Branch Articles in Model Railroader, Jan 2000, Finescale Railroader 2003 Narrow Gauge Annual, and Model Railroad Hobbyist April 2011 Updated 8/13/2023 Articles in Model Railroader, Jan 2000, Finescale Railroader 2003 Narrow Gauge Annual, Model Railroad Hobbyist April 2011 and the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette March/April 2021 |