Some of you may know me from my posts asking about ideas on modeling the N&W line, well, I have given up on that, sence I lack the space to do what I think would be a true job of the N&W. What I am now going for is a short line, class 2 railroad set in eastern to central Virginia, say around 1930 to 1945. What I want some imput is as follows…
One: what types of steam locos would fit in well with this idea, both feight and passanger service?
Two: whats a good size for a main yard for a line like this, say, modeling about 4 to 6 towns on the line that is model…
Three: are there any plans on MR that would be worth looking at for ideas…
Common locomotives would be 2-8-0 and 4-6-0. The 2-6-0, 4-4-0, and 2-8-2 are other possibilities.
Typical shortlines wouldn’t have much in the way of yards (a great space-saving characteristic!). The most important would be the interchange tracks (probably two or three) with the shortline’s connection with the rest of the North American rail system. There would be a locomotive service “yard” (enginehouse, shops, etc.), a spur to store passenger equipment, a spur for maintenance-of-way cars and such. The probable only home-road cars would be the passenger cars, cabooses, and MOW cars.
Have you considered modeling a N&W branch, such as the Abingdon branch? That way you may be able to start building that N&W large steam collection, even if that main line train only appears briefly from behind a backdrop to drop cars at your branch connection.
Looking at actual short lines is always a good place to start. The Virginia Blue Ridge ran from Massies Mill to a connection with the Southern at Tye River (N. of Lynchburg). They ran ran steam until 1963; 0-6-0s and 2-8-0s.
The Nelson & Albermarle was more of industrial line, as a soapstone quarry was the primary customer. They used saddle tank steam until 1954. There is a photo in Ferrell’s Slow Trains Down South, vol. 1 of a 2-6-2 with a passenger car (mixed train service lasted until 1950).
But you get to design & build YOUR short line if you choose and can develop your own rationale for how that locomotive came to your line (purchased used from … or “leased” from…). Looking at the prototype helps to keep those ideas in line with what really happened, but still you get to decide what looks good to you and what fits your concept of what such a short line would have looked like.
Branchline trains don’t necessarily originate at the branchline connection with the mainline. In many/most instances, such trains originated elsewhere on the mainline. This saves modeling space since both branchline and mainline trains can originate from staging and/or make use of a mainline yard, thus the junction will be much simpler.
Im planing on running this shortline from about Hopewell Va to Farmville Va area. I would like it have some type of yard just for the fact of having one. the space I have is about 11x12 feet and although point to point is best some times but I still want to just let them run the loop.
biggest thing is, with all the ideas you all have posted, I still want some type of yard. I just cant get my mind around a good one for the size. I keep coming up to big or just way to small for the line I want.
You will find the Maryland & Pennsylvania, the Ma & Pa, from York to Baltimore, to be the kind of prototype inspiration you are looking for into 1958 => see Wikipedia for starters.
Ma & Pa even had passenger operations, and using gas electrics (doodlebugs), until August 1954! Two pictured engines here are an EMD NW2 (circa 1946) and a Baldwin 0-6-0 (circa 1913 - 1956).
Ma & Pa has long been a favorite resource for Model Railroader articles. Check out the most recent reprint of the article “Maryland & Pennsylvania” in 2002’s Classic Railroads You Can Model.
thanks for the feedback so far, if anyone else has got any ideas or things to add, please keep them coming. I think I have got the bug back and am starting to get some new ideas.
Baltimore to York is roughly the same distance as Hopewell to Farmville. It had a small yard at each end and interchanged with 2 railroads at each end. It was noted for sharp curves and small steam. All but one steam engine were pre WWI and the one was from 1925. Until 1952 they had and, occasionally, used a 4-4-0 in passenger service. They also had 4-6-0’s, 2-8-0’s, and 0-6-0’s in the 50’s. Dieselization began in the late 40’s with an SW1 and 2 NW2’s. An SW9 was added in the early 50’s.
It sounds as if you are well on the way to start some general sketching. You have determined a key “given” in stating the size that you have to work with, but I do not know if that space must then include aisle space.
You also have a nice start on the “drothers” portion of the list, in that you know locale and era. The consolidation was the most prevalent locomotive for that period, and there are several nice examples available at decent prices (my Bachmann 2-8-0 runs very nicely). You know that you want a yard and the option for continuous running. Your first post mentioned that you wanted at least 4 towns, but that might be quite a bit to fit in with the space requirement. You have a stated interest in N&W and wish to run your line to Farmville, so you know that will be a N&W connection point. Hopewell has the possibility for some industrial settings.
Next to be decided on the drothers list would be your preferred minimum radius and turnout size. Your stated era and “shortline” designation fairly well decide the length of most of the rolling stock.
I’d suggest sketching out the actual perimeters or boundaries of the space that you wish to use, drawing those edges in a fairly bold, Photocopy a number of pages of that basic outline and then “have at it” with laying out curves with that minimum radius in mind. All of the hints of the book “Trackplanning for Realistic Operation” could be applied. Don’t throw away the sketches that don’t seem to be working, but keep those ideas around as you develop the plan. On plain white paper, you can overlay or reverse an older sketch to see how it fits into the one you are working on now.
I think that a 4-track yard would likely be the minimum. One inbound (or westbound) main; one outbound (or eastbound) main track; and two tracks for sorting.&n
Here’s the way I would model a steam era short line.
One: what types of steam locos would fit in well with this idea, both freight and passenger service?
I would go with a Bachmann(Spectrum) 2-8-0. For passenger service I would use a combine and run a mixed freight.
Why?
Glad you ask…
By the 30s the automobile was chipping away at the short haul passenger business and passenger service in general by the new stage coach-Greyhound bus.
Two: whats a good size for a main yard for a line like this, say, modeling about 4 to 6 towns on the line that is model…
A short line doesn’t need a very large terminal-5-6 tracks or less…You see a short line would make its living servicing industries in those 6 towns and depending on the size and number of industries served they would have no need for a large yard since they may only handle 40-50 cars a week.
As far as MR there’s been several good articles over the past 5-6 years.
You might take a look at the Washington & Old Dominion as inspiration for your line. IIRC, the W&OD ran from Alexandria VA to Winchester (or thereabouts). It’s now a bicycle and walking trail. In the '60s, it was still running at least a daily freight. I remember watching them go by when we were outside for school recess in Vienna. I also remember walking the tracks over a couple of trestles out in Loundoun County hiking to a Boy Scout campout.
ok, been working on track plan for the last day or so now, using the program called RR-Track v4 from R&S Enterprises. Now, I have a fairly good track plan, but I am having a hard time with a chose I have run into.
So far, my layout plan is kinda like a large backwards letter E. Now, I am going to stay with a single track mainline, but still use a dogbone/loop type of lay out. But, here is the chose…
Not that you are building this exaclty, but do note that this layout is really ridiculously limited by the gimmick of using a single sheet of plywood. It means that the end turnback loops are super-tight. No reason for them to be so, except for the sacred sheet of plywood issue.
There are other poor design choices in this layout (the weird station configuration at Eastport among them), so I hope that you aren’t planning to copy it exactly or that you know what compromises you are making if you do.
Have you built a layout before? Have you built a helix before? Even in N scale, you’ll need a fairly large radius, perhaps 15" or more, for the helix to work reliably and be maintainable (especially if the only way for you to reach the track at the back of it is coming up through the center of the helix).
Many newcomers think they can just drop in a helix anywhere and it magically nullifies the laws of physics. Sadly, such is not the case.
I am not sure I understand why the only two choices mentioned are:
Long return run “behind the backdrop” from one end of the layout to the other (if I understand your post correctly), or
Going up a helix and running “back” on a second level one foot above the bottom level.
Nothing prevents you (if you need or want continuous run) from turning a train on a turnback loop at the end of the track and then going back in the opposite direction on the same single mainline.
If you don’t want to stop your train and throw a switch to set the turnout (and to handle the reversing of track power inside the loop), you can (in theory - haven’t tried it myself) handle that with an auto-reverser and a couple of detectors of some kind that triggers the turnout automatically.
realy, I have never though about the auto reversing loop idea. Personely, I have never realy liked the idea much, but, it could be worth the idea of me looking into. Guess I have always been a loop/dogbone track plan man myself HAHA.
first off, I would like to think everyone who has offered tips and give me advice on my layout. But, all that I have been working on and planning for the last few years will not be for not… I learned yeasterday that my soon to be wife and I will be having our first child the first part of next year… and she now has layed clam to my wonderfull 10x11 foot spare room.
Well, all good things right… right![:)]
But, all is not lost… I am working on taking over a part of our rather large family/great room. Im thinking that I should have room for 3 doors put togeather for a upside down U shaped plan. I came up with this new idea last night at work, siting in a guard shack for 6 hours with ZERO cars coming in you have a lot of time on your hands to think and dream and plan…
But, I would like to say thank you to Mr David Popp and his Naugatuck Valley RR for all the plans, photos and write ups in MRR and his book on building the, I beleave the term I heard at the hobbie shop for it was the “Nauggie” or something like that haha.
Now, one I have the “right of way” rights from the other “land owners” in the area… (you all know what I mean LOL) planing and soon building can start… I will post plans soon for more help and review…