[E. L. Moore's Elizabeth Valley RR prior to the installation of scenery. The exposed risers help give an idea about elevations of the various sections.]
Stumbling across this photo was my Indiana Jones moment.
It's a photo of E. L. Moore's Elizabeth Valley RR after the track was in place but before the scenery was installed. I believe it's the clearest photo in existence of the layout's trackplan. I had held off building an N-scale EVRR because I had some doubts about my trackplan, and was hoping I'd find a picture like this.
I did.
But, it has a Goofy issue.
[The N-scale EVRR trainboard hanging on the wall waiting......]
Way-back-when I took a stab at drawing a trackplan based on what I could deduce from published photos. In comparing my result to this photo I'm happy to see my drawing was more-or-less ok except for that area below Goofy on the lower level. There appears to be a switch with a spur going off to the right. Where does it go? Does it connect to other track? These and other questions need investigation.
But, Goofy is in the way of a clear view of the situation.
I'm going to have to study this image along with the other photos to see if I can figure out what's going on trackplan-wise and make suitable updates to my drawing. Among other things, I'm hoping it'll simplify the tricky track wiring.
Great find! What a eureka moment. If you zoom in and enhance (CSI style) around Goofy you'll see the missing track; I believe it is pair of turnouts connected through-track to through-track, facing each other.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try that. Thanks for the tip! I was hoping that whatever arrangement he had down there would simplify the track wiring, but I don't think that will. I'll look into the wiring details again once I've corrected the plan for that change to understand what's going on.
DeleteELM said he didn't like complicated wiring, but doesn't his EVRR have 2 return tracks?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's basically a dog-bone with reversing loops at either end which has been twisted and stacked to give visual interest. To this basic plan he's added 'cut-throughs' and a siding. Those cut-throughs make the wiring a little complicated. If it were simply two reversing loops and some sidings in the interconnect between the loops, the wiring would be fairly straightforward.
DeleteMy holy grail photo will be if you find a scenicked front left corner. That, to me, is what never showed up in his layout photos. On my EVRR version, I put the log cabin blacksmith but it was a guess. Plus, I liked that building....
ReplyDeleteI haven't come across a photo of that area. I think he might have placed his layout so that area wasn't easily accessible for a photo. But, maybe one day such a photo will surface.
DeleteRegarding the point you raised in the previous comment that ELM didn't like complicated wiring. From what I've read, that's correct. That's one reason he turned down Kalmbach's offer to write an 'N Scale Primer' because wiring wasn't his thing. I also recall that he mentioned in one article that he had a friend wire his EVRR.
JD. I have thought that this switch was a connection to E.L.'s "other" layout - the engine terminal. In fact I've based my own Moore & Moore Lines on the close concept of Moore's Layout and I installed that switch in the plan for a track to what would be the upper right corner of my version if it were the subject of this photo.
ReplyDeleteHowever it seems pretty certain by this photo that (if you look behind Goofy's left rear leg) the track on Moore's layout is a spur that fills that area between the two tracks at that point in your conceptual layout track plan.
My version of the Elizabeth Valley isn't even an attempt to faithfully copy Moore's little railroad. I have increased the size to 31.5 square feet in order to maintain minimum 18" radii. It is my personal belief that Moore's layout probably didn't operate well. Clearly he was more about building structures and telling a story than running trains - my opinion. He must have had curves less than 12" in radius. Maybe even No. 3 Turnouts?
What is most important to me is the Story E.L. perpetuated. The biggest "Art" component of Model Railroading is the Narrative. (By and large model build in craft - not are because it reproduces in scale, something else). That is what endears Moore to me the most. I always appreciated John Allen and my all time favorite Layout was Irv Schulz's St. Clair Northern. But Moore tells the story best of all!
Hi Derrell,
DeleteThank you for your thoughtful comments.
That stub may have indeed gone to his 1900s shortline engine terminal layout that was featured in 'Turn Backward, O Time.' Although, I think they may have been built about 10 years apart. The EVRR I think dates from the early to mid '50s, and the engine terminal dates from the mid to late '60s. He might have put that stub in place in hopes of a future expansion that turned out to take many years to realize. If you have any photos that you'd like to share of your Moore & Moore Lines, I'd much like to see them them: jamesdlowe at gmail dot com.
I think you're quite right that his EVRR may have been difficult to operate. I've tried to figure out its wiring and it's complicated by cut-throughs across the reverse loops. I think I've posted some drawings of my thoughts on its wiring elsewhere at the blog, but I hope to draw up a revision based on the findings of this photo.
I also agree that his curves were very tight, much tighter than 18" radius in HO, and that likely put a serious restriction on rolling stock. But, I also think some track was dual gauge and ran both HO and HOn3. I don't know anything about the specifications for the switches or track radii he used - everything I've learned so far has been guessed from photos.
I'm going to have a look at the St. Clair Northern.
All I have right now is a ferw photos f the framework and sub roadbed for photos. I'm waiting on Ties to hand lay track - something I enjoy very much so the only rack is flex inside the tunnels. When I get it to a point more or less like the subject photo here I may send a few shots your way. T'would be an honor. Thanks for a great reference site, J.D.
DeleteThanks for the kind words. Sounds like a very interesting project. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.
DeleteA couple more features of this photo; notice the 3 rope loops over the layout. Did E.L. perhaps hang his layout from the ceiling to keep it out of the way in his small apartment (at least before the scenery was in)? Or were these simply unrelated?
ReplyDeleteAnd; notice the cardboard backing at the far corner where the mountain would be. One course of the cardboard is angled across the corner.
You can see this cardboard angles across the corner on page 56 of "Model Trains 1963 Year book". Nor does there appear any "corner" in the Mountain on page 55. Perhaps the backdrop is painted on the cardboard. But I see no angle in the backdrop. And it seems that the backdrop was portable in the sense that in any finish photo there is always a backdrop. I haven't scrutinized closely but it strikes me that it is always the same scene more or less.
Finally. Looks like Popeye, one of my favorite afternoon cartoons growing up, is standing on top of the engine.
Probably more Moore clues in this photo we just don't see yet...
I think the ceiling ropes are unrelated. They might be for hanging plants. I'm not sure if this was set up and built in a screened porch off a kitchen where there might be hanging plants, or maybe even setup temporarily in a kitchen, although that might be a rather unpopular choice :-)
DeleteI'll take a look in that Model Trains Yearbook - thanks for the pointer !