This is the Top level of a planned 2 level shelf layout with a helix and Staging yards in the back room.
The layout is just about 11 feet long. The narrow end is about 10" wide with the other end being almost 3’ wide. Id like to be able to use this top level before I get to the bottom level done. It has a interchange with the TH&B or Canada and Is based around Buffalo NY but is not 100% what is really there just to give an idea of area. I dont have the space needed to model the area correct.
It looks pretty good, but I think you’re going to have some reach issues at 3 feet (that is, unless your knuckles drag the ground when you walk). Also, is that a yard area on the lower portion of the plan? If so, you don’t really have an A/D track or a yard lead. In such limited space I’d probably go without a yard because they can be real space hogs.
BTW, what scale is this?
1.Im just about 6’4" tall so my reach is rather far and 3’ isnt too bad, how else do you get 28" radius curves??
2.This would be the top level of the layout.
3.The A/D track from the 2 staging yards I thought was just past the first yard turnout. The Conrail staging yard has 2 leads into it the middle lead I thought was the Yard lead. This setup does however block the TH&B [CANADA] Interchange into the yard.
4.I thought the yard was a good idea for the interchange of cars from both staging yards.??
OK, I see what you’re doing with the yard now. The way it’s set up every train coming from the TH&B yard will go straight to the A/D track and trains from Conrail yard will have a choice, right?
Indeed, an interchange is a good thing to model. It can be complex or very simplistic though. Your’s is somewhere in the middle.
It’s a workable plan by the looks of it. I just didn’t quite see what was going on with it at first.
The only real thing I would suggest at this point is to get some track planning software and plan it out that way. That way you’ll be sure that all those turnouts will fit.
You’ve received some good advice to use either photocopies of the actual turnouts, accurate templates or some model RR-specific CAD software to determine what will fit. It’s so hard to tell from a hand-drawn sketch, but some of those tunrout configurations look like they will not fit in real life.
The situation you have drawn where the trains coming in from staging and using the yard lead will have to go out of sight behind the backdrop to runaround or escape their train might be a bit tricky to operate.
Most concerning to me would be the very large industirial complex that may only be switched a few cars at a time because the only lead appears to be through the engine house. In addition, although switchbacks like this nest of spurs are very widely used on model railroads, prorotypes avoid them in all but the most extreme cases becasue they are very inefficent to switch. Many people find them tedious to operate on the model as well. and of course, the switcher spending so much time fouling the engine service area with many in-and-out moves could end up being an annoyance to everyone.
I wrote a bit about the difficulty of too many switchbacks here:
http://www.modelrail.us/id16.html
Regards,
Byron
Ok to draw this plan I had a templete with turnouts and whatnot however things do change in real life.
The trains coming to the layout from the staging yards will be premade trains in the back room. The yard lead just lets me switch a train and bring a Conrail train in on the mainline. If I need to run around a train behind the backdrop I will just walk to the backroom and complete the task there.
Your comment about the engine service area I think is just the wrong area. I have
Looks just way too dense and this is only a single line track drawing. I don’t think the turnouts around the switchback crossover into the industrial area are going to fit as drawn unless it is going to be hand laid. The points of the left hander are too close to the frog of the first right hand one.
What are the five parallel tracks going down and to the right for? Is that the interchange? Take one of those tracks the opposite way into the industrial area, or use a curved turout off the track going to the TH&B staging track.
Ya Im going to tweak the plan and then try and and use XTRACAD to draw it 100% however I have a heck of a time with that thing. Also Im going to handlay the track and use Flextrack in the hidden areas.
The 5 parallel tracks was thought to be used as the interchange yard for swapping cars into and out of the local town industrial area. Are you suggesting having a seprate yard lead for the interchange yard so that both THB and Conrail trains can both pull in or out without stopping the yard duties?
I like these ideas let me see what i can come up with.
Now if I add that lead into it what do you suggest I do build a slip switch?
No that isn’t what I meant but it is still a good idea. I meant do away with one of those tracks and instead flip the turnout to a right hand to get up into the industrial area from, doing away with the crossover entry.
Ok Im lost. Not sure what you mean…
Something more like this:
Thanks dude I see your point. I think im going to get another draft done and post it up within the next few days. Thanks guys.