One of the main reasons that I like CadRail is that you can operate it with a simulated train to see how it would work. Using my cursor, I can’t see any way that this layout is workable. A train leaving the fiddle yard ends up head first into the 3 sidings on the upper right. If you back it it out, it can’t switch the sidings on the upper left. It can be run around around in circles on either of two routes. Then what? It can switch the center upper siding. Railroads prefer to switch trailing point sidings, not kick cars into open point sidings.
As an earlier post indicated you might want to think through what you are trying to accomplish. What is the focal point? Where on this railroad are you? At a connection with another railroad, if so, at one end or both ends. What is at the focal point? Is it a division point with engine servicing facilities and possibly a classification yard? Will trains be made up in that yard and others end there?
I start with designing a railroad, not a track plan. First I draw a straight line schematic. What is at either end? Where is there a need for passing sidings? Will there be passenger traffic? Where is the station, at the end or along the line? Most of all, design the sidings so that they can be switched. Drawing a schematic plan first is a lot simpler that starting with the actual layout of the track.
Once you have designed an operational railroad, the next step is to work it into the space available.
Well thanks for the feedback. Been struggeling with the lower left big time. Want to have shops and backgroung indrustry there along with sanding. Kinda a small engine service and repair area with the possiblity of changing motive power. And dont forget being able to break down incoming manifests to this burg to distribute to indrustrys locally and handle empties in and loades out at the mine. Make a mine run to be shuffeled to the small yard inbetween engine service and the background bldgs.Will be Dcc so 2 trains on main can go oppisite directiond. one will have to wait in the passing siding at the yard. And of coarse have the locals working around the main line continouse run Dang my spelling is horrid !
I’m kinda in a rush, but I will give some quick feedback. I think part of the problem you are having is software related. What I mean is I am seeing a lot of sectional track where flex is clearly called for. It is affecting your spacing and track positioning. Just looking at your plan I can see several ways of tightening it up, but not using the tools you are using.
This time I think I got it. Got a true double track main, My yard has leads, a run around, and I can get cars from the mine to the yard, and the local switching can be done with trains on the main line. The crossing in the lower left provides an atlernate main line route, if necessary.
Once again the same specs cept for sidings the min radius is down to 20 Im thinking… Unless there are major trouble spots yall see I Think this is it.
Personally, I like this plan better because it doesn’t seem as crowded at the others. The double track really adds to the “crowded” feeling. But double track allows you to run longer trains.
Personally, like Spacemouse says, I think you are going at this in the wrong order. You have a track plan in mind that you are operationally trying to justify (I recognize the situation because that’s usually the way I go at it, too.). While the track plan first can work for smaller layouts, it almost always falls apart on larger layouts where there are more options.
While you gave us a theme and a space, you never really fleshed out the vision. I’m guessing that at some point you really want to watch a train on a single track crossing a river on a particular bridge. I say that because it’s in nearly all your plans, even though the particular track has little operational purpose. That’s OK. If it’s an important scene to you, it should be included. I also get the impression that the locomotive servicing terminal is very important to you, and so is the mine.
What is your controlling rolling stock, and what will be a reasonable train length to you? The controlling rolling stock is going to determine your minimum radius - and that can’t be reduced on track where that rolling stock will go. Train length (in inches or cm) determines the length of passing sidings, at least the yard arrival/depart
Alright…Ladies and Gentleman let me Welcome you to my visualation of the Cerebus River Sub…
As the warmth of the June sun comes up over the Cerebus River Bridge a filthy Consist of Dash 8s and 9s pulling a coal drag from the Black Cat Mine crosses the bridge. The familer sounds of the riverbank mesh with grinding of the CSX Railroad. Within all of the deep shades of green that summer has to offer the brillance of the yellow nosed locomotive assures me that it will be a busy day on the railroad. Heading west we find oueselves at the main where the drag waits for the noon freight to clear so it can finish its treck to Ky.
We shift directions with the noon freight as it passes through Cheatham Mountian, on the other side of the mountian we pass the all to familer Black Cat mine. As the freight pulls into the yard the engines cut away for service, and the local is cut and made up. Here in the town of Cloe there are a few places that require rail service. A commisary for the towns goods. And a small manufacturing plant, all to the south. Across the main trackage of CSX an extention of the plant resides. To the North of town there is a cement plant as well. For being in the 21 century this small town has its roots in 1830 still visible.
OK… now from the little vision up there to the most recent plan I totally See it. T think that this is the real deal . I have made price lists of what I need. All trackage and buildings will be new except for the Black Cat Mine. A new DCC system will be gotten along with a few decoders. Making the plunge…
It may have seemed pointless to you, but there was a point. When you visualized your yard did it look right, or are you making unacceptable compromises simply because you don’t know what to do to make it better?
Are you accepting your layout because you can’t seem to get it better with the layout program you are using?
These are not good reasons to move ahead.
Using my program, I could tighten your yard and get a little more out of it, but I don’t know your program well enough to show you. It would be pointless to do it on my program because I cannot duplicate your mainline track-work accurately enough to get the right angles, etc. to do you any good.
So the question is what are you willing to do to make the layout better? What does better mean to you? We need to know these things to help. Not only do you need a clear vision, you need to communicate it to us. Otherwise it is up to you to develop your vision so well, that you know why each and every inch of track is where it. It’s not good enough that it is sort of what you have in mind. There is a reason for every inch of track and a reason for why it is where it is. If you don’t have a crystal clear reason for a piece of track, you don’t need it.
It’s not that we are unwilling to help, it’s just that our hands are tied.
Chip- took a look at all of the trackage and did what you said. Does each piece have a crystal clear purpose. Well in this one all do. As far as changing all sectional pieces to flex track I changed as many of them as iI could . For some reason the rts wont let me shape the flex track to fit as the sectional will. But if it can be done with sectional on the plan then I can change it when I lay track.
A couple suggestions. You have a double main. A Prototypw would run them close and parallel because it is cheaper to grade and carve the hills once than many times. There’s a big advantage to you doing it as well. It will free up a lot of space and it looks really cool to have two trains running at once and have them meet.
The inner loop on the top doesn’t currently have a purpose other than to run across your bridge. While that may be a reason for you, railroads rarely run scenic routes. Find a reason for the railroad to go there if only to drop off a single box car for a small town team track.
AT 6 o’clock on the layout, you have the biggest functional problem on the layout, In order to switch your yard, your switcher had to cross out onto the main. Close to the same point your spur to your mine exits the track. If you were to connect those two and use a cross-over to the main, you would extend your lead and not foul the main.
The only runaround you have on the track is the A/D-Yard Ladder-Main at 7:30. There’s no way to get to Peterson Tools from that runaround. To run coal drags out of the mine you have to use the yard runaround/main and that fouls both.
On the subject of that section of track. It would be helpful if you could add a seperate track fo A/D so that your switcher can break down one train while another is wait, or use that track to build a train, rather than having to drag it around while building it.
All-in-all, your getting closer.
[quote user=“ChessieFan13”]
Chip- took a look at all of the trackage and did what you said. Does each piece have a crystal clear purpose. Well in this one all do. As far as changing all sectional pieces to flex track I changed as many of them as iI could . For some reason the rts wont let me shape the flex track to fit
Alright I think I got the jist of what you are talking about in the lower left and the mine branch. So I added the crossover and another runaround so the main wont be fouled. I think…
As far as the senic route the siding that i made will end up being a programme track for the DCC system with a toggle switch that will gice power only to that straight section.
well I just Downloaded That XTRKCAD programme and I think that Im gonna try to replicate this layout on that programme and see if there is any way to tighten ti up some. I ave fooled around with tha rts and for the life of me and this fracking layout I just dont think there is any other way to get all of the elements in this layout that I want. I have reduced and reduced the things that I want to what is in the current plan. Maybe Im just so burned out on trying to get what I want out of it that I am having a creative blockage, maby I need to quit thinking about building a layout an go out and buy more guns. Rifleman at heart and practice. Thats it!!! a 220 yard shot on a Atlas silver dash9------Nothin better than 762x39 for deplomacy.
YEA RIGHT!!! Just venting a bit cause Im so frustratred with PLANING!
Planning can be frusterating. But given enough time, it can be rewarding.
Ive been planning mine for 30 years. Maybe I will give it another 30 before actually doing something about it. No. It will be planned, built and running before too much time goes by.
Every new software requires some learning. I too have worked the RTS until it squealed. It was nice but after a while it was easier to doodle on the Trainz 2006 world creator and lay track, run trains to see what it feels like. It works for me sorta.
My problem specifically is space. I plan to beat that little problem by building an addition. It will be expensive and in some ways eliminate some issues like chemicals inside the main residence that bothers the wife. It is a problem and also it’s an oppertunity. Do I want to wrestle with a gigantic 100x100 foot layout? No; the track cost alone will require a second mortgage.
You say you like modern trains. Assuming two 6000 HP AC units and about 14-20 cars to make it appear to be a decent train, how much length are you going to consume? You might find that such a train wraps one and one half times around the track. Ugh.
Cutting it down to a single big switcher and moving a few cars is not the solution either.
I think that tool industry in the bottom of your plan center has to go. Once it’s gone, you can maybe stretch out into that part of the track and gain a little room to work that lower left problem.
I recall one person used a hell of a wrap around grade to connect just two levels on a single wall in his train room on the forums here. The locomotive leaves the lower level, winds up the custom cut plywood grade around and around until it gets high enough to get to the upper level.
