Frazier Borate Revisited

I've been thinking about rebuilding the Frazier Borate mini. And when I say rebuilding, I mean scrapping the existing layout and building a new one with a similar track plan, but a couple of significant changes.

First, the existing Frazier Borate is just a little too large to be really portable. At 30 inches wide, it won't fit through most household doors without tilting it on its side, and at 60 inches long, it's a tad too long to fit comfortably in my RAV4. I want to shrink it to 56x28, maybe even a little less. Of course, that means reducing the minimum radius an inch or maybe more, but since this is pretty much Porter territory anyway, that's not much of a problem.

If I make a new, more portable version, I can take it to Gary Beatty's Mini Festa next year, and maybe other places.

Second, when I built it, I wasn't bold enough using the vertical dimension; one of the things I'm pleased with, about the San Emigdio Canyon, is the strong vertical element of the deep canyon juxtaposed with a pretty tall mountain. Because there's more track and buildings on the Frazier Borate, I can't be quite as free with vertical scenery, but I think I can do better.

Finally, I will be building this with the idea that it will connect to the larger L&SE layout, to provide additional operational possibilities. Where it's going to sit, it would make more sense to have the mountain on the left and a canyon on the right.

So here's the latest version. This one is drawn at 28 x 56 inches, but I could easily shave off an inch in width. Minimum radius is 11 inches.

I'd probably construct this similar to the San Emigdio Canyon, with a minimal 1x2 frame and mostly carved foam construction. This is drawn using Peco On30 switches; I don't like the appearance of the Peco switches as well as Micro Engineering, but they're more compact, so they work better for a small layout. I have three of the four switches I would need, so I'd just need one more right hand switch and five or six lengths of flex track. Many buildings from the old Frazier Borate could be reused, at least as temporary stand-ins. The depot is sized from the Full Circle Models Second Chance Depot that I currently have under construction.

Here's a view showing how it connects to the larger layout. I've included a spur that runs behind the mini layout and would probably be hidden behind a backdrop, providing storage for excess cars or even a full train.

I've drawn this with Micro Engineering On30 for the connecting track. I'd need one more ME switch and maybe a couple of lengths of ME flex. I'll use some of the Atlas HO scale Code 83 flex that I have on hand for the hidden track. The area between the L&SE on the left and the Frazier Borate on the right would be scenicked to blend the two. There's room to add another short spur and another industry if I'm so inclined.

My thought at this point is to start work on this project over the summer. I previously built a shelf along this wall, but now that I think about it, I believe I'll have to lower it to accommodate the canyon, so that will  be the first step. Then I'll put in the connecting track and the hidden staging track. Somewhere along the way I'll demo the old Frazier Borate, then start work on the new version. Like I said, the goal is to have it far enough along to take it to Gary Beatty's Mini Fiesta next year.