I know some of you will notice that i have made a few threads on the boards lately. Well i wanted to create a thread that will go through the building of my layout. Some may also remember that I may be moving in the near future due to work. So as of now nothing is glued down permantly. Just looking for advice and tips from people that have been doing this far longer than I have.
A little background on the layout and myself. I will be modeling present day alaska railroad. Its my version of alaska so it will have a connection to canadian national that will get oil/coal to the states. I have already built the table so please no Duckunders are a bad idea. I am 26 and fairly flexible so at this point i kind of enjoy my duckunders.
Without further talking here is my current version of the trackplan i am designing and some pictures of the one loop and small yard i put on my layout to test the spacing. (And to have fun testing my new locos and rolling stock)
I put a bunch of notes in the center to remind myself and to get your opinion on them.
Having never worked with foam risers, how do you landscape between the rerailer and the lower track and is there enough room to do that? Speaking of rerailers, I tried to camoflage mine on my previous layout as a crossing. I’m not a fan of where you located yours because there is not much else you can do with it there.
thanks for the reply, this is my first time working with foam risers too. I have never built a layout that wasn’t on the ground in sectional track before this. My current plan is to put in a stone looking retaining wall on both sides of the foam riser in the middle of the yard area.
the placement of the re railer is horrible I agree, it was just an easy place to add cars as I tested the switches and functionality of the yard. I have not moved on to laying track at all yet. Right now it is all sectional track to test my locos and what I was given in free #4 switches (which I have determined will only go in the yard)
in the future I think that area’s re railer will go on the main where the yard joins directly after the switch. I will concel It as a road crossing for trucks headed to the port area
I like your layout plan, but I think you could get a bit more space in the yard below the foam riser by doing something like this:
All tracks would run parallel to the riser. You may not be able to fit six tracks in, but even if you can only get four in the space I think you would gain usable yard space. Also, my suggested design gives you a run around track. You might be able to install a drill track parallel to the main as well. You would have to do a double track bridge. If you are interested I can do up a track plan showing the right side of the yard tracks with a drill track and a connection to the main line.
Hi again. I did a little more with my suggested yard plan to show you the drill track and the connection to the main line. There is a potential problem with this plan in that there is an ‘S’ curve where the track runs from the yard ladder to the drill track. I added some track to reduce the potential problems with the ‘S’ but that moved the yard further from the riser. You will have to test things to make sure you can run cuts of cars backwards through the ‘S’. Maybe somebody can suggest a better track arrangement.
By the way, each single line is a separate track. The picture can be a bit confusing.
BigDaddy, there is also a product called foam putty by Woodland Scenics (I think). which is applied to fill in the gaps in the risers and then landscape over it.
Thanks for the excellent suggestion on the yard, when I get some time I am going to build a mock up of this settup to test things out. Thanks for the help
Everyone else
I have one question and one photo to show off of a new addition.
First the question. I plan to upgrade to DCC next winter for my christmas gift to myself. I wanted to know if the switches i have below are ok to use on DCC. I dont understand completely the world of DCC but i plan to learn by decemeber. Just want to know if these old switches i plan to use in the freight yard are worth to lay down once I get it set up how i like.
And here is my new addition to the layout. A Lighted Walthers Proto ACF dome car that was on sale for half off plus another 10% off that. Got it for an early first fathers day present!
It looks like the switch you want to use for your yard has brass track. If so, I would think twice about using it. Brass requires constant cleaning, and DCC requires clean track. Its not the best combination.
The Bachman switch is the same as an Atlas Snap switch. You can get a better gemoetry using a #4 or #6 switch. (Still the LION uses up old snap switches [:D]) You can cut the offending twin coil motor with a motor tool, and then use a tortoise machine from under the table.
LION arranges the turnouts and controls of him so that only one lever is pulled to run a train into any given track.
So today i found out that I recieved a promotion at work and will be staying in the same location for a few years. So i finally have the go ahead in my mind to start laying track on my benchwork!!!
I really need to get my plan finalized quickly and start putting this extra cash into new #6 turnouts!
Snap-Switches have a very sharp frog. This can be more problematic in shoving cars (as is typical in a yard). The sharply curved diverging legs also create at least one fairly tight s-curve in a typical yard laddder, again potentially more of a problem when shoving cars.
Personally, the use of the Snap-Switches in a yard seems to me like a false economy.
Thanks for the info on snap switches, I will be looking at getting some normal switches in for my yard when time allows to go to the hobby store.
I have been working on my track plan now for a little while. And i have also recently worked on dropping the bench height where the river crosses the layout. I have filled this in with foam flush with the benchwork. Now I can lay track over the area and cut the foam out when i am ready to install my bridges.
I’m guessing that my previous suggestion for the yard below the incline didn’t work out. Too bad.
Here are my current thoughts on your plan to date as it concerns the yards above and below the incline.
You need to ask yourself what do you want the yards to do, and are you going to use the yard above the incline in conjunction with the yard below the incline? In other words, is it all one big yard?
Here are your options as I see them:
If you are using the yard below the incline as a separate entity and you want to break up incoming trains into different outgoing trains then I don’t think the lower yard will work. If you want to bring in a long train and then take one or two cars off it at a time and deliver them directly to their destinations instead of forming new trains then the lower yard will work to an extent. By that I mean that the lower yard consists of one longer yard track and two much shorter ones. The shorter tracks (at the top) are fed by a section of track which has to be kept clear if you want access to the shorter tracks. That is a waste of yard track.
On the other hand, if you see it all as one big yard then you can break up incoming trains and form new trains ‘no problem’. I say ‘no problem’ but you will have to constantly foul the main line to work the yard. That can make for some interesting operating sessions, or it could be a complete pain. In fact you will have to foul the main line in order to do any hostling (re-arranging of cars) in the upper yard at all.
I hope that made sense. If you want I can have another stab at the lower yard. Just say so.
Please understand that I am not trying to be overly critical. I’m just sharing my thoughts. It’s your railroad. You can do as you please. Ultimately what you want is a workable railroad. My first attempts at drawing a track plan were a disaster but I didn’t know it until I read 'Track Planning for Realistic Oper
