After about 6 months of planning, here’s what I’ve come up with for the lower level track plan for my (somewhat freelanced) model of the Alaska Railroad’s south end.
I really enjoy realistic point-to-point and switching operations, but I also know myself well enough to realize that, at times, I’ll also just want to watch a train run around in circles and do some model “railfanning.” This plan incorporates both possibilities, as everything on the ARR south end with the exception of the Seward coal train and a couple of passenger trains goes between Anchorage and Whittier, and if I want to run a 60 car coal drag in circles, that an be accomplished as well.
This plan shows only the lower level of the layout. The upper level (Whittier Branch) will exit the helix and run 15 inches higher than the lower level around the left, top, and right sides of the plan before entering Whittier (shown). It will comprise mostly of rural, tree-lined railroad and also incorporate the famous Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel between Portage and Whittier.
All yard/industrial turnouts are #6s, while the Anchorage passenger yard and mainline (siding) turnouts are #8s. Track used will be Peco code 83 flex and turnouts. Minimum mainline radius is 36", with a few sidings at 34" and a 30" helix going to the second level. 1 square on the plan represents 2x2 feet, and my available space is 19.5x30ft.
I’d love to hear any suggestions, critiques, or even down right laughter as to what you guys think of the plan!
I think it’s looking great. The walkways are a bit narrow for me, but thats me. I’ve never been to Alaska, but from what I understand they have alot of different terrain and elevations. Have you given much thought as to how much of that you will model?
It appears that you’ve drawn #3 and #4 turnouts, not #6 and #8 as you’ve stated. If you wish to keep #6 and #8 turnouts, some of your yard tracks will have to be shortened or you’ll need to use a compound yard ladder. Otherwise you’ve got a nice plan.
Tom: You’re correct, due to the size of my space, some compromises were necessary on the aisle widths. I’ve kept them all at 2.5ft or greater after building a “mockup” with a plasma TV box 2.5 feet from the wall. While I’d love 3ft aisles, I wasn’t willing to compromise below 36" radius on mainline curves, especially given all of the 85’ passenger equipment the ARR operates. RE: Mountains, etc., the first 50 miles of the south end of the ARR is very nearly flat, following the Turnagain Arm just a few feet above sea level all the way to Portage. I plan to keep with that (unrealistic but necessary helix aside, of course) and only feature very slight elevation changes of 1-2 1:1 inches.
Loather: Ambitious indeed, but I believe in doing something right from the get go. I’ve spent most of my 28 years working with HO scale trains in some capacity (from clubs, older layouts when I was in high school, etc.) so I feel like I’m coming into this with at least a general understanding of what’s going to be involved. And that’s the Twenty Mile River, a ‘typo’ due to the fact that my handwriting sucks.
Eric: Thanks for the compliment. I’m not sure what you mean about the turnouts, though. I’ve got boxes full of brand new Peco turnouts for this project, and the #6s are 9 inches while the 8s are 12, which is how I’ve drawn it into the plan.
The reference is to the angles of the diverging legs of the turnouts, not the overall lengths. This is sometimes a challenge with hand-drawn plans. Before you go much further, a suggestion would be to try out a complex section of your plan 1:1 with the actual turnouts. You may find they won’t fit as tightly as you have drawn them because they don’t diverge from the straight leg as sharply as you seem to have drawn them, but it’s hard to tell from the small image. Also a couple of the shorter industry sidings may only be sized to hold one car (if that) by the time you allow for the track-to-track clearance with adjacent tracks. Again, hard to tell for sure.
