Okay, so if you’ve been following my trials and tribulations You seen me waver all over the place with what to do.
Well, I went pretty close to prototype with track placement–I just expanded things a bit–gave it some elbow room. (I can’t believe I’m designing a layout that doesn’t need staging.)
Standard Gauge
Why do you say it doesn’t need staging? Where do outbound shipments go to? Where do inbound shipments come from?
If its narrow gauge you have a transfer (cross dock), if its standard gauge you have a connection or interchange (steel wheel).
Hi,
It is standard gauge, but I’m running it as if it narrow gauge and there is a transfer at Colfax (like the prototype.) There is no need for staging because it is a closed system. The outside world is the SP, represented by the 4 tracks across the transfer docks at Colfax. All trains originate at either Grass Valley or Nevada City.
Maybe we can talk Sunday, but staging is still my biggest issue. I have added 3 yard (staging) areas and still need another staging area and a passing siding.
Got it, didn’t notice the “interchange yard” tracks weren’t connected.
Down side is it eliminates running any commercially lettered equipment or equipment with commercial decals, upside is its a very clean trackplan.
For operations I would assign each person/crew to an engine and a caboose for the duration of the operating session. Then as they were available they would run the next schedule/planned train on the lineup out of the area they are located. So you might have a hauler crew "on duty’ at each end to handle road trains, a couple switch engines, a passenger crew and a local crew. the crews would have to turn their own power, do their work, turn their engine and come back on another train. MR had a trackplan for the Bellvue and Cascade,an Iowa narrow gauge line that had a operating scheme that would be a good model for what you are proposing.
Chip:
I see it, but I’ve got two questions. Is the Nevada County Railroad going to be standard or narrow-gauge? I would think standard gauge from what you’ve been posting lately. So, if it is standard-guage, how come no interchange tracks with the SP at Colfax? Out here in SunnyCal, any independent STANDARD gauge shortline is going to directly interconnect with a major carrier, instead of shifting freight through a warehouse.
Or are you going to model the Nevada County railroad in HOn3?
I’m confused. [%-)]
But I like the plan pretty well. Just use the SP connection at Colfax as an interchange if you’re using the same gauge for both. Otherwise, the transfer just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Tom
A very nice setup, with distinct, functional scenes / areas!
I, for one, like Nevada City having its own place (its in the spirit of “Rough & Ready”, the township near NC that seceeded from the Union for 3 months, before realizing they wouldn’t be able to celebrate 4th of July! [:D]). It gives the joy of finding one more treasure in the whole scene of the room, one that’s connected with the whole yet with a distinct identity. A world within a world!
That big space between Chicago Park and Grass Valley seems to beg for the Empire Mine, or at least space for Lyman Gilmore to get his airplanes flying before the Wright Brothers. Just a thought!
I quite admire your perserverance in the planning processes, as well as your commitment to developing the hobby with your son. I hope mine continues his love for trains past the age of 4, so we can share the love of trains and modeling as well. Cheers!
–Mark
I would love to model the NCRR in HOn3, but the locos I’ve seen were all around $600. That’s before they get sound. So unless, something happens, like it’s starts raining brass locos, I can’t see it happening.
On the other hand, the idea of operations on a closed system was intriguing. So even though I’m actually doing the standard gauge thing, I’m pretending it’s narrow gauge for the sake of operations.
You didn’t say what era you ended up in.
Interchange, even though 2 railroads shared the same gauge and town, was by no means universal in the 1880s. Manual transfer was quite common. It was the 1893 Act that started enough standardization to allow the interchange systems and processes of the 20th Century. And it was the implementation of interchange that doomed narrow gauge to financial failure. So depending on era chosen, having a closed system could have quite prototypical.
PS: I really like the plan and concept.
Fred W
Fred,
I was thinking 1899. They had two 2-6-0’s, two 4-4-0’s and an 0-6-0. So I guess I am limitied to 5 crews. I like Dave’s idea of one engineer, one train, but they didn’t use cabooses.
Mark McFunky,
I grew up in Marysville (at least until the 7th grade.) I guess you do model where you grew up. I did add a mine between Grass Valley and Nevada City.
The center area I am reserving for dramatic effect. A person coming down the stairs will see a vertical relief between 24-30" with a river, waterfall and trestle bridge. I wanted to keep the view “trains running through nature” if you know what I mean.
That’s a lot of dramatic effect! and will look grand!
I hope you have some groovy ideas for small scenes within it. Late 1800s? Individual gold panners, homesteaders building in the boonies, outlaws getting busted before robbing the train (since it was the only train not robbed), etc.
I’m also reminded of that film we all saw in 4th grade: Ishi: Last of his Tribe about, well, Ishi, who was found in the early 1900s up in the Sierra Nevada still living the old ways.
But your scenery will be impressive! That’s a lot of oak & pines to make! And long yellow grass! Good luck!
–Mark
All this layout questioning made me wonder if this was the same SpaceMouse that has the nice web page all about prototypical modeling. If it, I don’t think anyone should really be saying “well hey what about this” and “you should do that” or “this is the way you should do it”. If it’s the same guy, he knows what the heck he’s doing. If it’s not, well Mighty Mouse is still my favorite mouse.
Here we go again with the “no layout is complete without a stagging yard” battle cry. Chip I like the plan and your concept of operations.In a twist on history, SP did extensive surveys to determine if conversion to standard guage was a worthwwhile investement. No doubt the conection at Colfax would have assumed more importance had this occured, I suspect your play on history will be more plausable then you think, despite the neysayers.
Dave
Thanks for that M-R.
Actually, you never get good enough that another set of eyes isn’t a big help. Sometimes you can look over something again and again where someone else takes one look and says, “What about that?”
And frankly some of the guys helping here are far more knowledgeable than I. Some about the specific railroad, and others about layout design or railroading in general. One at least is a professional designer. Another worked for the railroad for many years. Others still live in the area being modeled.
The list of people helping are no slouches and I’m thankful for that. I consider myself lucky.
And I’m still listening.
Dave,
I’m as surprized as anyone about staaging not being appropriate. In fact, I have enough space suituble for staging about 20 trains, but since I am modeling both ends of a closed railroad, there is no other world to ship to, other than the transfers sheds in Colfax.
However, I will add that too many layouts end up either being torn down or run inefficently because staging wasn’t planned for. Most railroads ship and receive products from off layout.
I’m now sure the Dohn formula for operations does not work for closed systems like the NCNG. According to the formula:
I can have 105 cars on the layouts–(reasonable.)
I can have trains up to 20 cars in length–(reasonable)
I can move 8 cars in one session–(say what?)