Draft Layout Plans: Black Hawk C&S / Gilpin Tram
Posted by Martin Wade on Feb 21, 2025; 8:21pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Draft-Layout-Plans-Black-Hawk-C-S-Gilpin-Tram-tp20518.html
After a very long development time here is my close to final draft of my HOn3 Black Hawk layout. This is one bench of a larger layout connecting Staging (Denver) to Golden Std Gauge and then NG from Golden to Idaho Springs and Black Hawk through Forks Creek. This plan is the Black Hawk Bench. Development took a lot longer because, I became fascinated with the Black Hawk and Gilpin Tram history and this leaned much more Prototypical from my original Freelance perspective. Not that its any stretch true Prototypical but the goals are as follows:
1. Operational. I wanted enough online industry and track work to make this a switching bench and provide a couple trains of traffic per day. I actually tested this in JMRI Ops and felt the car space and number of industries supported an Ore Train and Mixed Train.
2. Gilpin Tram will be the same HOn3 as the C&S but operationally will be limited to Polar Star Mill, Ore Chutes, Gilpin Transfer Tracks and then onward to Iron City Mill and off this bench to mines in the mountain area (to be built).
3. C&S would handle all the traffic in Black Hawk and travel back and forth to Golden which will handle transfer of goods from Std Gauge to NG. That will be done with a local switcher using the Yard transfer and local Golden Industries (dual gauge track). The C&S will also include passenger in the mixed train and an occasional Goose run.
4. Track layout and online industries would "represent" real prototype traffic for Black Hawk. Some definite Modelers license here but still hope to have achieved the look and feel of C&S operations in Black Hawk.
5. Signature buildings to help identify the location: Black Hawk Station, Gilpin Engine House, Polar Star Mill, Iron City Mill, Boiler Works, Bull Durham Bldg., and many town buildings built (and laid out) around original structures and Sanborn map placement. You will notice to fit my overall layout, I needed to flip left to right AND front to back. Additionally the Gilpin Tram line folds back on Black Hawk.
6. Clear Creek. I was "challenged" by my train club "friends" to add Clear Creek into the layout. I was relieved when I found out it was really in a boxed Flume through most of the town. I took a few more modeler's liberties but believe I added this with the same look and feel of the original, capturing areas for open creek, open flume, and closed flume plus aligning to BH Station. (notice station faces away from town).
The layout indicates most of the turnouts are #6 and elevation and grade are called out in a couple points. The C&S portion is flat (when I spot cars all over, I will be thankful). Gilpin Tram rises from 0 near Polar Star to Gilpin Tram Engine house and then level for spotting more cars at Iron City Mill and Engine House area. Elevation also allows for elevated ore deliver at Polar Star and Ore Chutes.
Ok, with all of that, here it is. I am open to suggestions/considerations and most importantly any glaring errors in operation or representation of Black Hawk in general.
Thanks for any comments!
Martin Wade
Note: I have inserted Jpg compressed within limits and attached PDF at Tabloid size for easier viewing.
Black_Hawk_Layout_Draft_2025-02-21_Tabloid.pdf
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Draft-Layout-Plans-Black-Hawk-C-S-Gilpin-Tram-tp20518.html
After a very long development time here is my close to final draft of my HOn3 Black Hawk layout. This is one bench of a larger layout connecting Staging (Denver) to Golden Std Gauge and then NG from Golden to Idaho Springs and Black Hawk through Forks Creek. This plan is the Black Hawk Bench. Development took a lot longer because, I became fascinated with the Black Hawk and Gilpin Tram history and this leaned much more Prototypical from my original Freelance perspective. Not that its any stretch true Prototypical but the goals are as follows:
1. Operational. I wanted enough online industry and track work to make this a switching bench and provide a couple trains of traffic per day. I actually tested this in JMRI Ops and felt the car space and number of industries supported an Ore Train and Mixed Train.
2. Gilpin Tram will be the same HOn3 as the C&S but operationally will be limited to Polar Star Mill, Ore Chutes, Gilpin Transfer Tracks and then onward to Iron City Mill and off this bench to mines in the mountain area (to be built).
3. C&S would handle all the traffic in Black Hawk and travel back and forth to Golden which will handle transfer of goods from Std Gauge to NG. That will be done with a local switcher using the Yard transfer and local Golden Industries (dual gauge track). The C&S will also include passenger in the mixed train and an occasional Goose run.
4. Track layout and online industries would "represent" real prototype traffic for Black Hawk. Some definite Modelers license here but still hope to have achieved the look and feel of C&S operations in Black Hawk.
5. Signature buildings to help identify the location: Black Hawk Station, Gilpin Engine House, Polar Star Mill, Iron City Mill, Boiler Works, Bull Durham Bldg., and many town buildings built (and laid out) around original structures and Sanborn map placement. You will notice to fit my overall layout, I needed to flip left to right AND front to back. Additionally the Gilpin Tram line folds back on Black Hawk.
6. Clear Creek. I was "challenged" by my train club "friends" to add Clear Creek into the layout. I was relieved when I found out it was really in a boxed Flume through most of the town. I took a few more modeler's liberties but believe I added this with the same look and feel of the original, capturing areas for open creek, open flume, and closed flume plus aligning to BH Station. (notice station faces away from town).
The layout indicates most of the turnouts are #6 and elevation and grade are called out in a couple points. The C&S portion is flat (when I spot cars all over, I will be thankful). Gilpin Tram rises from 0 near Polar Star to Gilpin Tram Engine house and then level for spotting more cars at Iron City Mill and Engine House area. Elevation also allows for elevated ore deliver at Polar Star and Ore Chutes.
Ok, with all of that, here it is. I am open to suggestions/considerations and most importantly any glaring errors in operation or representation of Black Hawk in general.
Thanks for any comments!
Martin Wade
Note: I have inserted Jpg compressed within limits and attached PDF at Tabloid size for easier viewing.
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