I can identify with the, “Corporate nomad,” description. In my case, it was the USAF.
Sounds like your idea is to build a classic division point layout. Oneonta will be the main emphasis, getting trains from and sending trains to Albany and Binghamton (which will actually be hidden staging with turnback capability.)
Your starting point will probably be finding a good ground plan for the steam-era Oneonta yard. I don’t know if there is a D&H historical society, but a quick search should answer that question. You might also spend a little time with your satellite image program of choice. It’s amazing how much can still be seen from above.
One thing about which I’m sure: Unless you have a supermarket-size space or are modeling in ZZ scale, you will have to do a LOT of selective compression.
In conclusion, I would like to recommend a book - John Armstrong’s Track Planning for Realistic Operation. When I finally designed my, `Last in this lifetime,’ layout, I found it invaluable.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Southern Nevada garage)
PS The one and only time I ever visited Oneonta, over 50 years ago, I didn’t do any railfanning. It was mid-winter - and she was cute.
Addressing your CAD question. I used Atlas RTS 8.0, (NOT 10.0). It is a free download off the Atlas website, but is limited to only Atlas track, for obvious reasons. XtrakCAD is also a free download. XtrakCAD is a lot more robust than RTS, with track from several manufacturers in the library. However, the learning curve is steeper and longer than the RTS learning curve. If you do a keyword serach for RTS or XtrakCAd on this forum, you will end up (probably) with hundreds of messages regarding CAD software.
thanks for the advice…today, the Canadian Pacific runs the line and they basically have reduced the Oneonta complex to the main line and a by-pass…the Station is a restaurant…and all of the other budildings are gone.
We are fortunate to have a “D&H Historical Society” loaded with pictures from the Steam era, but no rail plans that I have found yet.
It depends on what you mean by “model the yard.” Like most full division-point yards, it was pretty large, 2-3 miles in length and made up of multiple sub-yards. Assuming that you are in HO, that’s 130 feet+ of layout, just for the yard. Also, I believe that Oneonta (correct spelling) was a “manual” hump yard, which is pretty challenging to model accurately unless you make the engineering and operation of the hump something of a life’s work.
So if you wish to model the yard with “high fidelity”, it will take a lot of space, time, and resources. (And maybe an unused gymnasium)
On the other hand, one could model a division-point style yard with engine service in a lot less space, but you might only be able to suggest some of the visual features of Oneonta Yard like the over-crossing bridges, yard office, etc. The actual layout of the yard might have to change for practical flat-switched operation.
[quote user=“Kevin Dean”]
Also, the Onenota Yards were mid-way between Albany and Binghamton. In terms of Operations, any thoughts on connecting to Albany? Binghamton? or bo
Why not model Binghamton instead? A smaller yard and roundhouse, you could use a return loop for all D&H traffic going to Albany, and hidden staging for interchanges with the Erie and Delaware Lackawanna and Western. mike h.
As a youngster I regularly rode my bicycle to Bevier St to watch them hump cars. It was a less paranoid time, so we were able to ride up near the tracks and wave to the guys who were working.
In Jr High I walked past the roundhouse on the way to and from school.
I vote for modeling Binghamton, too. You could even model the Marconi Tower that still stands beside the Lackawanna Station.