Trackwork

No commercially available trackwork matches the standard of the early railroad, so it will be necessary to construct the layout trackage from scratch. Rail profiles will conform to the newer Proto:87 specification. Jigs will be built for crosstie assembly. Crossties will be cut from either spruce or basswood, and roughened to match the profiles seen in photographs. Early prototype ties were not standard in size, but were rough-cut timbers, some still retaining their tree bark on the edges.

Rails will be spiked directly to the ties as per typical modeling practice, except where the prototype used tie plates. Ballasting will be restricted to those locations where the M&BS actually used ballast, as most locations only used earthen fill between the ties and rails.

Trackwork will be constructed in jigs prior to attaching to benchwork, and secured to roadbed material.

When the Mobile & Bay Shore railroad began operating in 1898, electrical control of turnouts was unheard of, and signalling was controlled locally at each station, with either a ball-on-chain or semaphore mechanism. Our modules will retain this older style of train control, thus eliminating much of the wiring that modern layout builders have to deal with.

To activate the turnouts, pushrods and bellcranks borrowed from the RC aircraft hobby will manually slide the rails into position. These will have knobs just outside the facia board that can be pulled or pushed. These knobs shall be mounted on both sides of the module with a common ballcrank to allow operation from either side.

The semaphores or 'highballs' used for signaling will also be operated by means of knobs and pushrods, and will work separately from the turnouts and switches.