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Great Northwestern Railway
Providing
“Conestoga Service” to the High Desert and Rocky Mountain States
Route of the LUXURIOUS “San Juan” passenger trains
Welcome
to the
A
freelanced HO scale switching layout.
The story
of the GNW is that they bought up the old narrow gauge right of way from the
Colorado Southern (itself later merged into the Burlington Route and the
AT&SF), including the old R.O.W of the Denver, South Park and Pacific,
which the GNW has rebuilt in standard gauge.
Later acquisitions developed the GNW as a north/south line connecting
the Great Basin to south central US. It
is now primarily a bridge line between the SP at Tucumcari, NM and the
D&RGW at Green River, UT. There is
also the South Park Division providing connections to Denver, CO.
The
model RR is set somewhere between Colorado and New Mexico along the main. Only a few dozen feet of mainline are
modeled, connecting two 8-track staging yards.
A single major yard, Valley Gate, is placed along this main. A branch line comes off the main to Warm
Springs, a fairly industrialized town.
The operating scheme is the exchange of cars between industry and
mainline trains by means of locals and manifest freights. There is also commute service between Valley
Gate and Warm Springs, and a daily Amtrak train, the San Juan, through Valley
Gate.
The
era is late 70’s/early 80’s with a mix of first and second generation
diesels. Due to limited cashflow, the GNW
necessarily uses second hand power for most of its trains. SP provides the power for most of the
through trains.
Enjoy
the story!
~ Directory ~
Details about
the Railroad
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The Whistlestop |
Size: The layout is situated in a area
approximately 15 x22, configured with an around-the-walls shelf and a single
peninsula. With 28” min radius
curves, there are a couple pinch points with less than 2’ aisle width.
Train
Controls: Train controls are DCC by
MRC PA Wireless and PA tethered throttles at the yards. All locos are sound equipped.
Train movement
scheme: All trains except passenger
and one express freight are extras and run off a train sequence. Passenger service is run per the
timetable.
Car Movement
Scheme: Cars are moved by car cards and waybills. The Micro-Mark card system is used. “Train Packs” are used to define trains and carry instructions.
GNW Model Railroad Concept and Standards
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The Whistlestop
#8 - Sand Creek Trestle The Whistlestop
#7 – Sound on the GNW! The
Whistlestop #1
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See more photos of
the |
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OPERATOR’S
SECTION
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THE ENGINE
HOUSE STORIES FROM THE SHOPS |
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Planning
to Operate at the GNW?
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The Story of the GNW GE Gas-Turbine
Electric Locomotive AKA Athearn Veranda GTEL with a Soundtraxx
Tsunami Decoder |
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Trains operate under
rules….
Download and Review the:
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So you want to install LED’s in your Locos? Be sure to do some homework. Hint: what one person calls white is another person’s BLUE! Check it all out in this little study called: LED’s for Locomotives and Rolling Stock |
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SOME TIPS AND TECHNIQUES IN PROGRAMMING SOUNDTRAXX
TSUNAMI DECODERS:
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Tuning a Soundtraxx Tsunami for Slow Speed Control
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Advanced Ops: Tuning a TSU to simulate a heavy train with: UPDATED! Engine
Lag, Momentum, and Braking |
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All About
Sound Decoders (Note: This study was done in early 2007. Since then, the GNW has standardized on Soundtraxx Tsunami Decoders. These files are kept here for posterity’s sake!) |
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The
Sound Decoder Comparison and Test Program
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And the Sound Decoder Test Program Follow
Up Comparison |
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And speaking of SOUND – Here is a YouTube video of a crazy idea using a couple Soundtraxx EMD non-turbo sound decoders…
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So what if you want to marry an MRC Prodigy Advance system to a CVP Zonemaster booster? Read and find out… MRC-CVP
Compatibility Solution |
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We hope your
visit to the Great Northwestern Railway was a pleasant one, and we look forward
to seeing you again soon!
Detlef Kurpanek
President, Trainmaster, and any
job no one else wants to do
Of the
Great Northwestern Railway
Email: GreatNorthwesternRwy@msn.com
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Site Last Updated: March 11,
2012
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