Shown below is my 11X7 around the wall shelf layout. I would appreciate any or all ideas particularly concerning the yard and turntable tracks.
Im using 27" outside radius curves so that only leaves me about 6’ for the yard,and in doing so gives me about 3’ for the longest track there not including the passing track. So, I don’t have much room for very many tracks there. Basically what I need to know, does this arrangement allow me interesting switching opportunities? The main purpose of this layout is to run some of my larger engines SD70 MAC and the like on large radii, however again this limits my yard length but I’m willing to forego that so that I can run longer engines and cars on my layout.
Also I need some open space near the yard to build the “Davenport and Rock Island” Bettendorf yard buildings, so I can’t cram too much track in there.
Frankly, no there is not much opportunity at all. To have operations you need industries and a purpose for your railroad. You have one industry and a yard with no purpose.
I just wrote a primer on layout design you might find interesting.
Agreed, and I have read your article. I am simply asking if the yard and turntable could be layed out differently for better operations on the small amount of space offered. (This is my 4th layout I’ve built albeit my smallest one yet, but again for the most part it is merely meant to run trains only and not meant exactly for true operations because of the small amount of space avaiable). It is a shelf layout in a room that serves as both a simple workshop and sewing room, so a permanent leg supported structure was out of the question.
I agree w/ chip. I see no operation. The yard is basically one track, and that’s hardly called a yard. I recommend the book Track Planning For Realistic Operation.
On this small of a layout I don’t know that it needs a yard. I see only one industry (lower left) for switching cars to.
I would put a crossover between the outside loop and the second track - umm is that the one you are calling a siding? Then I would take the double ended yard track and combine it with one of the tracks leading to the turn table for a two track single-ended yard.
I would add a switchback off the turntable lead to a couple of industries in the area on the upper left (not that I like the wasted space of a switchback but without it there is almost no yard lead). OR make two tracks down the left hand side so there would be a lead there.
Then thinking about all that I would flip the yard so that the long 2nd inside track down the right hand side could double as a lead.
As drawn, the only switching opportunity I see is the industry track in the lower left. I don’t consider working a yard to be switching. I would definitely squeeze in a couple more industries.
Do you really want 3" centers between the track. I infered this from the 27" outside and 24" inside radius? Why do you have a turntable with SD70’s?
Hard to explain in words so - I mean something more like this:
You have enough space to have a interesting layout. You have four walls in which you can create scenes, or better yet, use three walls for scenes and one for staging. You can still have contiuous runing and have eight or nine industries. The staging will allow you to run multiple trains to be switched on the layout giving you hours of operation.
The yard and turntables are space hogs and without an interchange or staging, there’s not much you can do with it.
Have you considered doing away with the turn table and putting in a multi track industry in its place, woodchip plant, sand and gravel, paper mill (most of the mill would be off stage in the isle).
Thats a good idea, except for the fact that I’ve already got the turntable mounted in place. I didn’t want to use the 5 finger method either to turn engines around. This layout actually depicts the Driline running through Bettendorf circa 1995. It was an actual shortline railroad that both the Soo and BN shared for switching their industries on a 37 mile route thorough the Quad Cities. (Davenport Rock Island and Northwestern). The DRI & NW was part of Soo’s Davenport subdivision and was a vital link for Soo Lines Kansas City-Chicago route.
well im not sure if your going to going for a realistic look here but i have 22" radius and ive ran sd70’s on it with out any issues, i once ran them on 18" just to solve my curiousity , not suggested, but with the 22" radius i had zero problems with it
and it didnt look all that unrealistic. going with this way you’ll free up a good bit of space for the yard and other industries
My previous layout also had 27" radii. I know they will run on 22", but from personal experience I think the 27" looks better. I’ll also be running some 85’ auto cars as well, so I’ll need the extra radii for that too.
Conrail, the yard juts out 14", while I’ve only got 5" on the other three sides, not including the extra amount it takes for the curve. The round house gets an added 27" on either side however so that it would fit in the corner there.
Unless Texas has any other ideas or suggestions, I think I’m going with this updated version.
Thanks for all of your help! I’ll include progress pics of the layout when possible.
Wow DRI where do you live!! I about fell over when I saw your power there I miss them old girls. On your operations youll have to have one sit in the middle of a grade crosssing next to a large industry at quiting time like the real DRI line did in E Moline on occasion. Ahhh the good old days.
I Live in Bettendorf. I was the only guy to photograph the Driline engines and Caboose pulling out of town in 1995. At the time I also worked for a television station and had one of our reporters do a story on the end of the Driline, so I’ve got video too. I think its a great shortline to model and painting the engines was a breeze. They look really cool too.
I don’t really have the space now to model the Driline the way it should be, so I’ll be using a lot of modelers license when building this thing. If you want to see a great train layout representation of the DRI, I’ve got that too. The owner of “MIDWEST” trains here in Bettendorf drew up a really nice layout, but ended up going with a ficticious layout instead. His name is “Buzz”. If you’ve ever been to his hobby shop on state street, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
