Assembling Cajun Hydraulics

With 3D printing hot and heavy these days, I'm still learning the old school ways I guess?

I got the Pike Stuff kit assembled and then started working on the middle building which I used sections of the DPM modular wall sections last night.  I dug through my styrene stash and first added a lip to support the roof section, then I kept working on it so it would be self supporting.  It might be a little overkill, but it should stand up for the long haul.

I also got the concrete pad finished up.  Since I didn't have any 0.060" styrene on hand, I used plain 0.030" sheets and with my homemade Dupli Cutter, I scored 10' squares.  After gluing two sheets together, I added a lip around the edges to make 0.060" so it sets up against the ties, but below the railhead.

Kit bashing is definitely not as easy as kit building, but at the same time it provides one with a challenge.  This is something that I'm going to need to learn from as I have a lot of kitbashing for the layout.

 

Next I need to start painting the buildings and concrete pad.  I'm trying to figure out how I want to attach the buildings to the pad?  Either with magnets or blocks, hmmm?

Starting to rough out Cajun Hydraulics

In the last post I laid out the new plans for DuBach, LA. and also mentioned adding a new industry:  Cajun Hydraulics.  They are a manufacturer of Hydraulic hoses. This came about as I picked up a few of  the Carbon Black hoppers that came out a few years ago from Scale Trains.   

As most know who follow my blog, my layout is more or less a freelance design of the Little Rock and is meant to give the flavor of the line and not represent it prototypically.

After picking up those hoppers, and knowing I wanted to redo DuBach, it was time to see if I could get it to fit.  The first thing I needed to do was to make it served by the NB local and keep the placements of the current spurs designed to use the proper trailing point spurs so that I didn't have to go back and redesign the Ops in JMRI.

Luckily I was able to move A&A Cement and ARKLA Plastics to new locations while keeping the same trailing point turnouts proper, thus not making me redo the Ops plan.  Where A&A Cement was recently located, was actually a double ended siding that was used back in the day to store a few cars when the Ops were different.  I plan to remove the turnout from the left end of that rear siding (just right of the Bog) and use the right turnout after I move it to the left a bit.

With the location set, I wanted the chance to use a backdrop flat building for Cajun Hydraulics.  I wanted it 3D and not a normal kit that would be seen on other layouts, this meant I needed to kitbash something.  So I started looking around, looking for three different kits that would fit together and would possibly tell the story of growth.

I came up with the idea to use the tall brick section of the Walthers Cornerstone Water Street Freight Terminal as the original building. Second I came up with a newer brick building with the use of the DPM modular 2 story wall sections. I used four sections: one with windows high and low and I cut out the opening in that one for a walk through door and overhead door from Pike Stuff leftovers. Then I used two blank 2 story walls to finish out the length. The last set was cut in half for use of the ends. The final building was the N Pikestuff Modern Yard Office.

Each one of these kits would have the look from the 40's to the 60's and finally to the late 70's.

I determined the length of the DPM brick walls by sitting two hoppers next to them and quickly realized this would be a rather lengthy industry, especially when I added the tank car unloading spot using the Pikestuff kit.  But I had the room so onward I went.  I would also need to make a base for the eclectic concoctions of buildings.  I plan to use a 0.04" for the base and will have to add another strip around the bottom to raise it to rail height.

The vertical storage tanks on the right end will be used to store whatever chemical is brought in via the tank cars.  I found those on the web, made by a company called igMakes.   

The owner creates things a little thicker to withstand rough handling as most of his prints are made for wargaming, but started designing things in N scale.  I think these will work and look just fine once they're painted, weathered and the scenery finished!

 

Target: Dubach

I think I have pretty much ripped up every section of track on the layout at least once if not twice since I've started, with the exception of Malvern.

El Dorado: I removed the small yard when I changed the Ops.

Calion: It was realigned slightly when I changed the track alignment for the Ouachita river scene.

Fordyce: I removed the large Flappers complex and created the Whitewater creek scene to add some negative space.

The main yard: The track was left over from our Bend Track modules and there was just too much track on it since it was designed for mainly staging.  I did make a few adjustments so it could be used in conjunction with the current layout. Let's also say I learned how to lay track better and use better products.

Haskell: It was slightly realigned for better operations.  I also added the Gavilon complex.

Ruston and the ICG interchange: That was done to improve trackwork flow and make the interchange a bit more challenging.  The ICG was also relocated to the front for ease of operations.

Winnfield:  It's still a work in progress, but it's pretty much done, I just need to adjust the spurs to fit the buildings when they get built.    

So now it's time for DuBach.  This will be the third time I've worked on it.  I lengthened the siding once to get a bit more storage space.  I also added and then removed the A&A Cement spur due it being built back in the corner and was too hard to reach.  Also didn't like the way the scenery would have been done.

I've also re-laid the track to ARKLA plastics and added a spur for a mill that will not be used, at least I don't think so?  What I do want to add is an industry that will take Carbon Black hoppers and tanks cars.

As most know, I did not build this line so that it follows what the line did and what industries were proper for the line.  I started this a long time ago: 1982 or so.  Back then I didn't know how to really dig for information and the interwebs were not as full as it is today.  It also didn't help that I wasn't connected to the interweb as I am today.  But with what I have it will keep us busy and entertained for a few hours now and then. 

As of today the current iteration of DuBach looks like this.

Here's what I'm shooting for in DuBach.

This plan will make more use of the space I have in DuBach and will kind of spread things out.  It will also allow for a few roads to be laid in better than before.  

The curved road between A&A and ARKLA will cross the tracks via a bridge and then disappear behind trees in the corner and will make better use of that rear space without having to reach back there while switching.  Again, this is just a rough plan to go off of, but I'm feeling pretty confident that all things will fit.  

The first stage of this change will be starting a kitbash of some kits for the Carbon Black industry along the back drop.  This is going to be the key for the placement of the new alignment of the mainline and siding.  As you can see the main will swing towards the front after it passes the bog on the left.  The first large curve after A&A will be slightly reduced but will still be well over the 18" minimum. 

After OS Omaha

With OS Omaha behind me I can now have some time to breathe.  As I look back on that weekend, I found one thing with my Ops that needs some attention.  While things ran pretty smooth, both mechanically and electrically, even the Ops worked pretty well, with one exception.  I need to work on the scheduling.

My idea that I've ran with over the past several years, I've always run the SB local first over the entire line.  Once it reached the south end of the line, the power was swapped and the crews ran back north to Little Rock.  This takes time, which meant some of the guys were sitting around waiting for something to do.  Not that's out of line for railroading, but when you travel a long distance to play on a layout, you don't want to spend your play time sitting in the crew lounge or walking around watching others play trains.

I had two proposals from some of the visiting crews, one was to include more yard ops and two was to run both locals at the same time. While there just isn't much for yard ops, after that weekend, I did try doing some flat switching of the cars for both locals, breaking them down and blocking before they ran, but again that takes time.

I have not gotten a chance to round up 5 or 6 guys to give running both locals at the same time yet, due to everyone seems to be taking a breather from OS and it's getting close to the holidays.

I've jotted some notes and will try to get a full crew together maybe sometime in December.  If not I'll shoot for sometime after the holiday rush is over.

The last thing I managed to get done to the layout was getting the trees planted around the Ouachita river. 

OS Omaha Operations weekend Oct 26, 2025

This was from the second of my two scheduled sessions:  Sunday morning.

Thomas bringing a train NB through Ruston.

Patrick and Steve are determining the best moves, while Bill looks on.

Contemplating their next move at El Dorado.

Working their way south to Ruston.

Waiting for the ICG to snag the cars from their train.  

Not sure what that look was for from Steve?

Jerry and Thomas working Union Scrap at Winnfield as they start their run north.

 Bill departs SB from El Dorado while Thomas and Jerry decide what to do first.  

Bill is finishing up his SB run as he rounds the engine facility.

Getting the work done at the interchange in Haskell.

Steve, Bill and Patrick are relaxing in the lounge and chatting with my helper Quin.

Was able to catch Steve and Bill just before they left.

I got a smile from Steve this time!

Patrick is working the Malvern PM trick, the final job of the session. 

Thomas is entering the yard after a successful run of the NB local. 

Thank you guys for stopping by and bringing 

The Little Rock to life.

OS Omaha Operations weekend Oct 25, 2025

This was from the first of my two scheduled sessions: Saturday morning.

Mike P is waiting to depart with the SB local as Mike B finishes working the yard. 

Kerry is gathering up the cars for the Malvern AM trick.

Mike working El Dorado while Neil brings a NB train through.

Neil and Kerry are working at El Dorado.

Contemplating their moves at Fordyce.

Mike, Carl, Mike Kerry and Neil

Thank you guys for stopping by and bringing the The Little Rock to life.

OS Omaha Operations weekend Oct 23, 2025

The 3 day weekend is in the books and I gotta say it was fun, enjoyable and a little bit nerve racking.

Nerve racking in the sense that I've never participated in something like this, I was worried that gremlins would show up.

It seems that everything I did to make it enjoyable and go smoothly seemed to work.  The only issues I had were several minor derailments and a couple of misplaced cars.   

This first post was from Thursday evening when Jerry and Allen stopped by.

Jerry is working the first stop on his journey south at Haskell.

Allen is getting his train ready to roll north from Alexandria

Working together to solve an issue.

Got it!

Working the Malvern AM trick.

Arriving at El Dorado.

Working at Winnfield 

Jerry starts his run south as he enters Haskell.

 

   A meeting at Dubach.

Working El Dorado.

Walking his train before leaving El Dorado.

About to hammer the diamond at Ruston.

Entering the yard at Alexandria.

Jerry tries his hand at working the Malvern PM trick.

I think the smiles say enough?

Thanks for stopping by and bringing the Little Rock to life.