Here are some shots of my SN belt line in its new home, plus a few shots with planned track layout crudely tacked on. I still need to get some CAD software that can handle PECO switches properly (which means Atlas’ freeware is out) before I can draw up some more official plans: most of my hand-drawn plans are more of the “back of bar napkin” quality.
The room is 24x11 feet, era is 1940s-60s, curve minimum radius is 12", 15" on the mainline. Scale is HO.
Here’s a shot of the room from the front door. Things probably are a little cockeyed.
Panoramic view of Haggin Yard module, 6’x1’ with four tracks. RIP track in upper right, caboose track in lower left, escape track between first and second track.
Panoramic view of industrial area, 3’x6’ L-shaped, with four on-line industries (total capacity 6 cars) and three-track freight yard and locomotive parking area (not much servicing is done here, other than fueling and crew changes.)
Panoramic view of the Libby McNeil Libby module, 1’x3’4". Two tracks holding maximum 5 or 6 cars serve a large fruit & vegetable packing plant.
Shot of planned expansion of Haggin Yard. This will make the yard double-ended, with mainline curving to the left to continue around the room. Track to the right is interchange track with Western Pacific, whose yard was adjacent to Haggin.
This is coming along very nicely…looks good. If you wouldn’t mind an unsolicited suggestion/observation (?), in your fifth picture, the one with the crimson rays depicting the continuation of the yard, I would find it highly advantageous to have a crossover or runaround between most of those tracks. Otherwise, you trap whatever gets into each track first. If it is a loco, no escape, and if it is a series of separable cars, no switching out.
I think you will have a lot of fun with it anyway, and you seem to have a good eye for scenery and details.
It does look good. Three questions, about that same 5th picture. Are those rope lights in the top, left, are they for dusk/dawn effect lightiing and if so, is it what you expected? Thanks.
Is the 12" & 15" curve radius a mistype? I model turn of the century (20th) and do not have anything that will handle a 12" radius curve. My minimum was 15" and I had to rework to 18" just to get 0-6-0’s and 4-4-0’s to work properly.
selector: Do you mean a crossover in the middle of the body track? The yard I am modeling was fairly simple, with a ladder at each end but no crossovers in the middle of any track: the one in place was due to the fact that it is currently a single-ended yard with no other runarounds. I assumed that a locomotive coming in to the north could simply do a runaround move along the “main” which will be kept clear for such operations.
Sapper82: Yes, they are rope lights. My original layout setup used compact fluorescent bulbs but I am less than impressed with how they look and I can’t get the same linking bulbs anymore, so I am attempting to find another solution. The rope lights serve several purposes: as a background “fill” light that is warmer than the fluorescents, and also as a dusk/dawn light. Currently I plan on adding another row of rope lights at the front of the layout, plus a few small 20-watt halogen spotlights, which will hopefully be bright enough to provide a daytime-approximate level of light. The single row of rope lights provides a nice warm glow, enough to see by but not enough to be called daytime.
Alan_B: No, it’s not a mistype. I am modeling a line that started with electric traction (interurbans, streetcars and freight motors/steeplecabs) and traction curves can get VERY tight: with all interurban-era equipment and radial couplers, 8-10" radius is practical (6" for streetcars!) but to pull short freight cars (40-50’) 12" is pretty close to bare minimum. I run diesels right now, mostly 44 and 70 ton GEs that are tiny enough to handle this radius and then some (the 44 tonner can do an 8" curve out of the box.) The big power on my layout are an S1 (the prototype S1 could handle a 50’ radius curve) and an SW7, and the most massive locomotive I ever expect to use is a GP-7, which can handle a 15" curve with ease. The 12" curve is a bit of a problem for the bigger locos, but that is just for one indus
What you see in the “aerial photos” are in fact a complete track plan of what I have built so far–except for the Libby cannery, which is basically two facing point turnouts holding 2-3 cars (2 50 footers or 3 40 footers) each. I don’t use track planning software, generally I rough out track plans on scratch paper and then fiddle around with flextrack before nailing things down. I’m modeling a real-world prototype fairly closely (with liberal doses of selective compression and omission.) Here’s a PDF of the area I am modeling, admittedly about 20 years before the era I am modeling, showing track layout in town:
You are really expanding your layout. What’s come over you? I’ve always liked your tight operational dioramas and have referred others to check out what you’ve done when they complain of no space. I’m just going to have to find someone else.
That’s what I get for buying a house with a basement, I suppose! I know, I know, it was weird spreading out those lovely 15" radius curves! I am still trying to maintain the cramped atmosphere where needed in the switching areas–the sense I want to create are those long, lonesome stretches of Central Valley railroad landscape alternating with dense, maze-like knots of busy city trackwork. That, plus the fact that I’ll still be using modular sections, means that I can cart around and display my smaller modules at shows or whatnot.
Hi Jetrock…really like what you have done Just a thought,If your inclined too…you might check out if you can do a presentation of your layout at the next WP convention in Livermoore next april. I would even assist you if you felt the need…but I dont work cheap…perhaps a cup of coffee…John
Thank you very much for pointing me out this map! I very like railroad maps, especially if they depict intricate city networks like Sacramento. Sometimes I draw my own maps (you can see a map of the past and present rail network in my hometon at http://grandunion.fotopic.net/p36805073.html), too, if nothing is available.
Speaking about your layout, I think will be very enjoying to operate. How many operators/crews do you think to use at the same time? I hope to hear more news about your layout in the future…
jwar: I plan on being at the 2007 WP convention, and since the 2008 convention is going to be in Sacramento (possibly only three blocks from my house) I definitely plan on giving a presentation and having an open house so convention-goers can come tour the layout! Consider yourself invited to visit.
ivanfurlanis: The plan is to allow two crews to operate independently. The real SN belt line featured small yards and locomotive parking at each end of Sacramento, and all trains were broken down upon reaching the outer yards. Normally two trains ran each 8-hour shift, one working north to south and the other working south to north, serving industries on the way and transferring through freight to the yard on the far end. The middle of the layout will feature a large passing track (known as X Street) that will be large enough to hold an entire train and then some (SN trains tended to be 10-15 cars or less) for a scheduled meet. However, the overall plan should be simple enough for a single operator.
Dear JetRock, on a seperate string a person who replied told me to contact you about information on the Sacramento Northern. I would like to ask you what kinds of freight cars were used and what did they generally haul. I would like to base a freelanced railroad on the SN. Also what industries could be found on the line. Thanks for the information.
