With help from Stein and a lot of trial and error this is what I have come up with for my switching layout.A little description- cars come in from outside on left side-the string is broken down and using the runaround the loaded cars are put on the two yard tracks.There are two switchback tracks-one in the upper left and the other in the lower right.I also installed in the upper left a cleanout track where box cars can be put in order to have their insides steam cleaned prior to being sent out and reloaded. I’m still messing with the road placement and I also need to come up with a system for the switching movements. Also the overhead crane in the team track area is just a thoight.Not sure if I’m going to keep it or not.Bob
looks like that could be lots of fun to switch. very nice plan!!! only one thought: is there provision for a staging/fiddle yard on your layour you can add on. then your freight cars can be moved to “everyelse” via staging yard
OzarkBelt-There is sort of-if you look at my plan there is a two track yard in the upper right under the switchback track and if necessary I could also put a few cars on the cleanout track until they can be moved either to the yard tracks or someplace else.Bob
It is obvious that you can switch cars. What is not so obvious is the “big picture” of how it works as a part the railroad system. How do cars get off-layout and where do they go when they do?
Your answer determines the varieity and operational interest inherent in your plan.
This looks like a pretty decent switching layout plan. You’ve minimized the switchbacks and whre they are present there is enough of a ‘tail’ so you can switch blocks of cars rather then doing them one at a time.
The one thing I’d suggest taking a look at is making the run around track longer. You can’t move the left run-around turnout further left without making major switching headaches, but when if you moved the turnout to the bottome left spur track left a foot and the right end run around crossover right a foot (in effect swapping the left-right positions of the two)? You’d lose a car or two of capacity on the bottom left spur but you already have tons of car spots.
Space Mouse mentioned off layout staging? It appears the ‘mainline’ (center track vertically) runs off the layout to the left. Are you planning a separate staging area or perhaps a cassette (or even a car float) over there?
I might seem a little cruel, but I just don’t see how this track plan is going to work operationally, or even close to being enjoyable.
The switchbacks are killer to operation. You don’t have enough room in them to pull a string of cars down, grab the ones already spotted, and then put the cars to be spotted back in. None of the tracks leading into the facing point switches give you the room to pull the “old” cars while bringing in the “new”. Railroads want things as simple as possible. This is too much of a “puzzle” for it to be efficient for crews to work in.
You can gain some extra length for leads by having your mainline come in at an angle to the front of the benchwork. Your run-around can be at the same angle, directly off to one side. On the opposite side of the run around (think in terms of left side / right side of the main line) you can have your storage yard for cars. Coming in diagonally gives you space for multiple scenes by having a natural divider through your space… the track.
Chip-look at the plan. The main line is the way in and out.This plan is loosely based on Progressive Rails Airlake Industrial Park.Their in park main line connects to the CP main line.Empty cars are brought out onto the main for pickup and the same for loaded cars coming into the park.In the park there are no yards,cars are put wherever there is room.Also they use two switchers.
Charlie-would it be possible for you to diagram your idea?
GraniteRailroader-cruel-YES.The plan works.I ran trains on it many times.Maybe I can’t pull long strings of cars but the fact is-it does what I want it to do.There is nothing that says I can’t switch one or two cars at a time.What you are suggesting is that I literally tear most of the plan out and redoing it.Not going to happen.I had a purpose when I designed this layout.It is not now nor was it designed as a puzzle.
To the railroads, time is money. The longer they have crews working one section of track, the less money they are making in other areas.
Multiple switchbacks requiring double the amount of work to spot up cars just makes life miserable for the conductor. Throwing twice the amount of switches (or potentially more when you involve crossovers or switchbacks) increases the chance for on the job injuries.
Charlie - it is a excellent idea to make the runaround longer by swapping the possition of crossover and the leftmost bottom turnout. Only problem is that Bob (foulrift) has told me that he only has 7 feet of length to work with - no room on the sides for extending the layout even by a single foot.
I see that Bob has added on an extra switchback to industries at the bottom of the layout. I don’t have an updated drawing including that part and no time to make one right now, but the last sketch I drew during the time we discussed this one by email, it looked like this:
As you can see - not a awful lot of room to move that rightmost crossover from the runaround further right to make the runaround longer, if he is going to be able to switch enough cars from the main into the runaround to avoid the one-by-one car problem.
I know that this thing is way compacted. We tried to make it just barely possible to switch cuts of three 40’ cars with a small switcher (I used an SW7 in the illustration above) on this layout.
I agree that having a detachable cassette on one end, long enough for a train and 4-5-6 cars would help a lot with making this layout more fun to switch in the long run.
The diagonal idea wasn’t bad either. Would make a longer main line and a longer siding possible.
Stein-As you will notice from my plan I was able to a 1’ to the length making it 8’.What I then did was to center the origional plan and extent the main 6" in either direction.What I did then was as you can see in the plan was to eliminate as shown in your sketch,the crossing and spurs 1&2.Spur 3 I made into a clean out track for steam cleaning the insided of boxcars prior to reloading.As far as the coal spurs are concerned-as you can see I straightened out the track,made one a switchbacks to service to pallet works and the coal dump.I needed the room for the coal structure. I figured that by adding track to the pallet factory I could add switching possibilities.I also added a wood chip hopper at the end of that track and was planning on putting a wood chip hopper that I made from a regular hopper car.Although it may look like a switching problem,the hopper car can remain in place for sometime before it had to be moved.In the meantime the factory can continue to get lumber loads.The overhead crane in the team track area is just a thought.I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it.
If as was suggested that the runaround track be made bigger,how can this be accomplished?
I don’t want to undo any more than I have to.I do feel that by making it longer I might lose some track capacity to the lower tracks.
Would things work out better if I put the crossing track back in and added a sput to lower left?
You are also correct when you said that I was looking for suggestions and/or ideas.Although I like the way the plan turned out,there is something in the back of my mind that bothers me about it but I can’t put my finger on it.
If you will remember when you were helping me with this plan was that I was trying to loosly base it on Airlake Park and you suggested that if I could increase the length on the layout from 7’ to 8’ I could bring in a few more cars.Like I said I was able to increase it to 8’.
I see. Okay - you probably do not want the original plan centered and padded with 6" extra on both sides - you want your original plan extended by a foot on the right side of the plan.
The main right of the runaround is the key to switching capacity - the main left of the runaround is basically just needed to allow an engine to run around cars on the siding.
Move the crossover between runaround and main further to the right. You now have an extra foot to play with on the right side of the main.
If you can move the crossover 6" to the right, you will have made the runaround 6" longer and still get the part of the main to the right of the runaround 6" longer, too - ie you can fit one more car to the right of the runaround, and one more car on the runaround.
If the turnout that currently is just to the right of the right end of the runaround (the one that goes down towards the lower left hand corner) is in the way, just move that left (over on the left side of the crossover instead of on the right side of the crossover).
Sorry - I didn’t notice that you had found an extra foot somewhere.
Stein-check my above post with origional diagram.What I did do was to center the layout on the 8’ to pick up 6’’ on each side. If as you suggest move the crossing to the right,wouldn’t that mess up the rest of the trackwork on the bottom? What if I put the main line back the way it was and shift the layout to the left to add track length to the right?Could you diagram your changes for me if you have time?Bob
Stein-Thank you very much.Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to see what I can’t.From your plan it looks like I will still be able to extend spur3 to make a cleanout track.The spur in the lower left now gives me room to move the track up or down a little to make room if necessary for the structure and wood chip bin.In the lower right it looks like I still have the short switchback and more room for the coal dump.The only change I would make would be to flip the platform in the team track area(upper right).I built a platform to accomodate 2-40’ box cars.I still might a an overhead crane to handle heavy flat car loads.Walther has one and the way it looks I can reduce the length of it as to take up less space.The only other thing I’d have to do is rework the roads.
Thanks again for all your help.By the way how is you Airlake Park layout coming along?Bob
You guys get this thing perfect so I can steal [oX)]the ideas, plant it as the center, front section of my 20X6 layout. Now find me a spot for my passenger station and three stall roundhouse and coaling station. Seriously tho, this thread is good for my layout planning.[angel] The through mainline track and it’s overall size are just what we’re looking for. [tup]
HEdward-glad this thread helps.How old are the twins?They are cute.Personally I would not be looking forward to the terrible 2’sx2[:D]Anyway good luck with the twins and with you layout planning.Bob
Bob! They turned two in January. I’ll be driving through your town tonight. I might stop by when your trackwork is complete and steal the whole thing instead of just the plans!(just kidding) My layout planning is really backwards. I’m planning the features of the layout based on what I already own, structures, rolling stock etc. A nice switching puzzle, a few local stops along the mainline, a staging yard hidden at the back and the capability to let the trainsrun continuously.
In lieu of the crossover plus the RH turnout to the right of it, how about substituting a 3-way for the LH & RH turnouts placed in the location of the RH turnout? Saves one turnout length, lengthens runaround and lower left-hand siding. Alternative: place the 3-way in the location of the LH turnout and lengthen the lower right-hand siding.
