The Alville & Captown Railroad
The Train Shed

The access door to the interior of the train shed was an issue. Some had doors only on the end. Others had lift up or sliding roof sections. I want to be able to use my train shed as part of a freight yard so easy access to the full length of the interior and as many tracks as possible was important. After pondering the alternatives I decided that a hinged, folding roof would give the best access. The gable ends would either fold down or be removable. Once I realized the need for center posts in the roof structure I made them removable. The ridge cover had to be fastened to one section of the roof only. I chose the back half as that faces the prevailing westerly winds.

The length was constrained by trees on both ends and the location was constrained by the connection of the ladder track to the existing station siding. Overall size: 4 ft wide by 10 ft long. There are 7 tracks. Track 2 is all brass and runs through the back wall. The first 3 feet of the remaining 6 tracks is brass and the rest of the length is Code 332 plastic rail. The base is 1-1/2 inch thick extruded foam insulation board. The same stuff that I used for roadbed.

All 7 tracks are separate electrical blocks controlled by a switch panel on the front of the train shed. This allows an engine to be parked inside and depowered while continuing to run elsewhere on the layout. The ladder track connects to the passenger station siding which allows that siding to be used as a switching lead.

The winds of the 2007-2008 winter blew snow under the eves on the west side of the train shed. There were several inches of snow piled up by the time I first noticed it. The solution was to cover the eves with fiberglass screen which keeps the snow out and also helps to keep bugs out. I also put screen over the gap at the ridge. The screen is held in place with staples.