I think I need to make a chart like in the latest Model Railroad Planning. Why? Because I keep coming back to liking a single-track railroad rather than double. The problem is I have a significant investment in locos and rolling stock to do my Reading East Penn-based layout. Does the single track desire overwhelm the other factors? Is there a good alternative branch? I had long ago considered a freelanced line that somewhat paralleled the North Penn Railroad - the Reading’s Bethlehem Branch, but traffic on there was completely different from what I have been buying rolling stock to support. That does open the option for a proto-freelance approach and make up my own branch.
Yes, a chart is definitely needed here, before I proceed any further with design and building.
Sounds like, “Choose your prototype with care, you might discover it isn’t what you really want to model.”
Guilty as charged.
So, rather than going to a different prototype, I moved to a different time line in an alternate universe where I, not the prototype’s locating engineers, could decide what kind of layout I wanted. I still model my basic prototype, but the resulting layout combines features in a single scene that are, in fact, scattered along a hundred kilometers of railroad. The turntable’s prototype was 500 kilometers away, and the branchline (modeled as a separate railroad, which it wasn’t) was grafted on from 700 kilometers away in the opposite direction.
The point? It’s your railroad. Dream it, plan it, build it - your way!
My trackplan is a combination of a double line but is also two single lines. The tracks cross inside of a mountain. Also they aren’t perfectly parallel throughout the plan. Thus they will diverge either veritally or horizontally but come back together in spot. As for prototype modeling, mine ends at the locomotives and rolling stock. Although I model NS, the trackplan is purely mine. I figure that with 12’x12’ (~1000’ x 1000’ in real footage) I am not going to really be able to do much in the way of true protoypical modeling on the trackplan side.
Me too. I wanted to model the Ontario Northland from North Bay to Moosonee. I researched it and bought only cars, buildings etc that you would only see on that line. Then I started to look at other things that interested me, I love Roundhouses so I had to have one, I like steam engines as well so I had to have a few. The list could go on and on. What I ended up with is a freelanced railroad that uses mostly ONR locomotives but also see’s Huron Central, CN, CP and Union Pacific loco’s pass through and has VIA Rail and GO Transit passenger service. It does have a few things on it that you would only see on the ONR and I’m happy with it because it include everything I wanted. Its not everyday you see a nice shiny AC4400CW pulling out of a run down old roundhouse, lol.
Just model your own railroad. Think up a good plan and have fun with it. It doesn’t have to be modeled off of any particular rail line. I have never went with a particular rail line because I live in W.V and its limited to what you can select. Good luck!
Why not model (at least) two single lines …
almost side by side
crossing at a diamond (or by bridge)
you don’t have to stick to one level or join levels
Lines don’t have to have equal value/ weight of traffic
… you can even provide more features for the lesser line (maybe a regional) to do all your switching, train stops etc there and just run through trains on the bigger line (which can be a loop with staging tracks)
If you cross at Grade you can pull up trains on the second line in (maybe the Class 1) to wait for trains with right-of-way on the first line (even a shortline). This can add all sorts of interest.
have fun
Yeah I knew that would come back to bite me… However, we are looking at selling and moving, so things might change drastically. In that case, I would be starting over and it would most likely be MY railroad - if he wants to come over and bring his stuff to run, he’s welcome.
I really am committed to a Northeast prototype though - the problem being for the most part they were all double tracked, and in some cases triple (sections of the LV) and even FOUR (PRR). Time for a “what if” maybe - what if they never double-tracked the East Penn (or other sections of the Reading, for that matter). Good case for an extensive CTC installation by the early 50’s.
I still like a double main but i built it a bit differently…one of the mains has no stopping points to switch rolling stock around while the other main has all industries, spurs, and sidings…that way i can run one or two trains on the same main while the other one is strictly for road switching or running a train non-stop…chuck
