Well, here’s my question/dilemma. I’ve laid the main track and passing tracks for the following design.
I have not laid the yards, spurs or sidings yet. I’m planning to run a backdrop along the middle, and have a town on one side, and either another town or a mining scene on the other. My problem is, on the lower right, I have 3 parallel tracks that I don’t have a plan for. I could run them into a 3 stall backshop, but then I lose a lot of room and potential for other industries. Besides, I’m modeling a small branchline, and there was no large shop on it. I could take the bottom left one to serve a single stall engine shop, spread the other 3 out a bit, and serve 3 other small industries. Or, I could use 1 or 2 of the 3 tracks to serve a coal customer of some kind, and have the mine on the opposite side of the backdrop, thus creating an “empties in, loads out” arrangement. However, I kind of wanted to set that up on the left side of the layout, since that side is butted up against a wall.
just a thought but why dont you use the 3 parrallel tracks and make a simple ladder then the switcback could become either the yard lead and leave the main free for the other engine. that long switchback on the top coud be graded and lead to maybe a mine or something like that. what era/prototype u modeling?
#1: Make the three-track area a small yard. You can probably add a bit more track to the third track to boost capacity if you want. You can use the “switchback” track as a spot for a single enginehouse with water tower and coaling area, or you could probably fit a small turntable and roundhouse in there, although it might be a snug fit. The justification for the yard’s existence? Interchange traffic! Make one of the curves the “interchange” direction. The job of your railroad is to haul ore from the mine on the far side to the interchange yard, where it is picked up by the through freight connected with whatever Class 1 railroad is near yours. Interchange traffic is received at the yard in the form of empty hoppers for loading, boxcars and reefers of supplies for the mining town, and maybe a small passenger station.
#2: The town scene on the ohter side now serves two functions. One suggestion would be to add a second crossover to the passing track, making what is in effect a small double-ended yard with two spurs for industries. One spur becomes the mine, the other leads to a freight house or other local industrial purpose, and in the middle put a combination freight/passenger station (which doesn’t need to be very big.) The “middle” track becomes a place to sort cars.
All in all, that’s not a bad plan for a 4x8. For the most part it is simple, probably pretty fast to build, and it includes some good options for operation. A backdrop down the middle is a good way to separate scenes and reinforce the illusion of great distances. Another thing to consider is what to do with the curves: obviously you’re not going to do any switching there, but you have the opportunity to create some neat scenes that will provide view blocks between the switching areas and give a background to your trains in motion. Good luck!
This might just be my own bugaboo, but I really don’t like switchbacks. They seem to be popular in model railroad trackplans but in the realworld they are fairly rare, as they can be an operational problem. I’d suggest replacing the switchback with just a spur track leading off from the siding in one direction, and then have 2 instead of 3 tracks leading off the other direction - with two tracks, you can put industries (or team tracks or whatever) on each side.
All good ideas. I’ve kind of narrowed it down as follows:
The “switchback” on the lower left will head to the engine shop. I may add a turnout and have 2 tracks for the shop, 1 would be a “dead line”.
The mine will be on the upper left, a turnout will be added to have 2 tracks serving the mine. The upper right spur will serve as a small yard lead and “switcher pocket”, as well as the mine’s minimal engine service facilities. The upper center track would serve as the mine’s "interchange/arrival-departure/classification track. In theory (and per the prototype) the mine is the only thing on that branch of the line.
One of the 3 “yard” tracks on the lower right will serve a freight station, the other 2 may serve as a small classification/interchange yard.
As per the prototype (more later) the mine’s traffic is interchanged. The freight house (station) shipped cotton, tobacco (in its day), grains, and whatever else. Elsewhere on this line (not in “town”) there was, in no particular order, an asbestos mine, a grist mill, a logging camp and lumber mill, and a few other small freight depots. Using modelers license, I could add a lumber yard/coal dealer, and maybe the grist mill in 1 town (on the lower right). The daily local would not really “need” a yard, it could use the passing track as such, switch the industries, then go run and serve the mine, dropping empties and picking up the loads. The mine shifter would take care of loading the empties.
I do wish I could set up an empties in/loads out setup. I may reverse the turnouts on the upper inside track, and have the mine on the right. I could then run a track through the backdrop to the coal yard (perhaps in the middle of the layout).
The prototype for this is basically a Southern Railway owned branchline, which sees 1, maybe 2 trains per day. The line splits about halfwa
