A Research Trip

One of the great things about modeling the BBRy for me is it's literally right down the road. So I climbed in my faithful green companion and took a trip north up the Blackfoot to get some images of what I'm trying to model. We start in Bonner with the former offices of the Western Lumber Company, now the River City Grill a fine family restaurant.


We skip to the other end of town and the Bonner Spur. Some of this track is new as Montana Rail Link is using it to haul mine tailings out of the Milltown Dam site. But off to the side you can see remnants of the Milwaukee Road.


Now we are north of Bonner and catch the grade just past the mill.



This is just south of McNamara landing.


And here we are at McNamara Landing proper. There is now a cafe on site and it tough to find the tracks but the kind proprietor pointed me in the right direction.



This is now north of McNamara on the grade.


And here it is from the opposite side of the Big Blackfoot.


There are of course more photo's but I just wanted to give an idea of the terrain I'm trying to recreate. That almost constant drop into the river means making this layout a shelf should be no problem.
There are some more trips I need to take. From the Garnet turn off I can reach Elk Creek, one of the A.C.M.'s later logging camps. At this time I'm thinking of modeling a slightly alternate universe, where the original line to Greenough remained in use by the A.C.M until the end of steam. In which case the Milaukee route is not modeled. However in viewing Google Earth I can follow the Milwaukee right-of-way using Johnsrud Road almost all the way into Clearwater. So look for more trips coming up!
I am heartened by the Micro Layout Site run by Carl Arendt. It's shown me that although my layout may end up being ludicrously small the opportunity for prototypical operations are only limited by my imagination and Yankee Ingenuity.
While reading up on the Bachmann Shay I discovered the the minimum suggested radius is 18", I was hoping for 15" . Curves and switches are the biggest space hogs on a layout so I'm thinking a drop shelf may be in order. This section of track will be modeled on the area just South of McNamara Landing as in the photo above. Long Straight and a row of tree's. This will allow for sufficient room for the tail end of the switch back to Camp 3. It will also function as the setting for Potomac and yard facilities. And with a layout height of 40" a three foot drop extension is definitely possible. If I get around to it I may open up MS Paint a rough an idea of what I'm thinking for the layout. I'd also like to discuss the motive power the layout will use.