Waitak & North Ere - N Scale (1:160)

This is a permanent layout located in a spare bedroom (see The Train Room).  It depicts a small fictitious Class 2 railroad set in the early 1950's, located in the mountains somewhere near the Canadian/US border.    The Waitak & North Ere (WNE) railroad services several small towns, running a variety of mixed freight and some local passenger traffic.

I use an NCE PH-Pro R wireless digital command system to operate the layout.  I have interfaced BigBear software to assist with turnout control (particularly in the hidden staging area) although it is possible to run the entire layout with this software if I so desire.  The layout configuration is basically a 'figure 8' connected to a staging area.  There is also a branch line connection to add some additional operational interest.  I intend to operate the layout with a maximum of two operators (I wouldn't want to try and get anymore bodies into my layout room!) and will start to develop a waybill system once the layout is closer to completion.  I will add progress notes as and when I can. 

Track Plan

September 2012

I have now installed three Frog Juicers for turnouts in Titirangi and the main line through Waitak Junction. This is certainly a simpler method of powering live frogs and works out to be a comparable price to the Peco micro switch system.  The Freight Depot loop and associated spurs have been installed and I have made a start on the steel trestle bridge between Titirangi and Hillwood.

February 2013

All turnouts have been motorised and frogs been powered using a Frog Juicer.  There are still a few spurs to install but these will be done once I have made a final decision on the types of industry to be constructed.

April 2013

Work on the steel trestle bridge between Titirangi and Hillwood is almost complete.  The abutments are in and the track fitted (the track still needs to be glued as the scenery still needs to be completed).  I still have one pylon to finish and all the furniture to fit but is at the stage where I can run a train over it.  The basic scenery for this section of the layout is well underway and I have also made a  start on a stone arch bridge for the branch line.  At the same time I am also continuing with the fascia boards and making a start on designing the control panel for Titirangi.

May 2013

This month hasn't seen much modeling, however, I have managed to finish the final pylon of the steel trestle bridge and also made a good start on the stone arch bridge for the Ere Branch line.  The stone bridge is being kit-bashed from two Atlas kits and is coming together nicely.

July 2013

The stone arch bridge has now been installed and the basic landscaping in this area is well underway.  Ballasting of the track-work has also commenced and the fascia is now in place and just waiting to be painted.  This has made a huge difference to how the layout looks even though it is far from finished. The next job is to finish off the staging area and control panels

October 2013

The last few months hasn't seen much modeling, however, I have managed to paint the facia and complete the staging area. I have also (finally) managed to make a start on some scenery around Hillwood.  It is amazing how hard it is to arrange a few buildings so that they look convincing.  The staging area now has a kickback spur and a removable double return loop, each loop being able to hold a 20 car train.  This now gives me the ability to hold and turn an entire train without having to reverse it during operating sessions.  I have also been spending some time setting up A-Track which is software specifically designed to interface with the NCE system and gives me the ability to control, program locos and consists, and backup the system as a whole via a console.

Christmas 2013

Again not much modeling has been happening (I really must do something about work-life balance!).  However, I have been doing some preliminary work on developing an operating schedule.  I am working on two trains (probably 10 cars or so) arriving at Waitak Junction during the working day, one from each of the WNE interchanges and corresponding trains leaving Waitak Junction.  From here there will be locals delivering and setting out cars at local depots and industries.  This has highlighted a few points.  Firstly I will need to set the layouts' geographical location, albeit fictitious, and I am also going to have to expand Titirangi to include an extra passing siding.  It's all part of the fun!!  I have also installed curtains around the scenic portion of the bench work.  This has made another big difference visually.

June 2016

It's been sometime since I have done any work on the WNE due to my 2mm modelling.  I have, however, been running trains on a regular basis and have discovered that I not only have to add an additional passing loop at Titirangi, but I will also have to extend the length of the passing loop so that I can hold a standard length train (I have updated the track plan above).  I will be modifying this track arrangement later this year and will also add an additional spur to cater for local industries.