I’m back to a 4 x 6 so I figured my largest sidings length would be 600’ N scale feet(45" 1:1) the freight train is 527’ scale feet, with two 60’ C424’s(rounded), plus 10 cars(3x 51’ reefers, 4x 50’ cars, 2x 40’, 1x 34’ caboose).
did I do my math right for calculating the siding length?
the passenger train is 391’ scale feet, should I dictate the longest siding length by the passenger train length or the freight train length?
Which train would take priority?
Passanger takes priority over freight, so to be prototypical, you will need to be able to have the freight train fit onto the siding. If your siding isn’t long enough for the freight either the passanger train will unprototypically have to sit on the siding and wait, or you will have a major wreck when that passanger train comes by the siding with the freight train.
I get 587 scale feet when adding it up, but that’s not enough. You have to allow for the spacing in between which depends on how close coupled your cars are - probably between 3 and 6 actual inches for the train. Your picture looks like 48" assuming that’s a 2x4 piece of plywood it’s sitting on.
Generally passenger trains have priority over freight. You can get by with the shortest train on the siding while the longer one goes by. But ideally your sidings will hold your longest train.
If you want to run long trains in minimal space, I recommend double tracking the mainline.
Good luck
Paul
A word of caution with the length of model train equipment. The smaller the scale, the more space there is between the cars as a result of clearance needles for negotiating the sharp curves found on almost all layouts. The extra space will add a couple of scale feet to each car and locomotive. So a 40 ft car may actually occupy a space go 45 or 46 fleet.
yeah, the train takes up just barely a couple centimeters over 4 feet, so my siding will have to be 5 feet. Sticking to SP&S trackage along the columbia, the siding will be around a curve. double track was not common along the columbia. hmmmm, I’ll have to expand it to 700’ scale feet which is 52.5 inches, so right under 5 feet.
Kind of looks like you’ll be chasing your tail a lot no matter how you calculate things. Have you considered shorter train lengths?
10 cars is abot as short as I can get it, they layout lengthwise will be 6 feet, so there will be a ton of space between lead loco and caboose. I’ll just have to assemble the benchwork to see what it will look like.
Gary,While long trains are nice I found 12-15 cars should be the max on loop layouts…That was the lenght of train I ran on my 36" x 80" HCD layout I had in the 80s.The train was 40’ cars and would fit between curves.I also set a loop up on Unitrack(great stuff that) on my square 3’ x 7’ antique dining room table and ran 16 car train and it look decent enough between engine and caboose.I used 50’ and 64’ cars.
Just thought I would share that.
Quote:
Burlington Northern #24 wrote the following post 5 hours ago:
10 cars is abot as short as I can get it,
Gary,
[:)] Are the couplers fixed, so that you can’t take any cars off? In your situation, what works and what works for You, should be the deciding factor. Not what’s prototypical. In My Opinion. [:D]
Frank
There is another option which if my memory is correct, John Armstrong described as a saw-by meet. The freigtht pulls into the siding as far as it will go with its tail still out on the main. The passenger train takes the main and pulls up between the siding’s turnouts. The freight then pulls on by and once it clears the rear turnout, the passenger train can proceed. This will still slow the passenger train down some, but as long as the freight gets to the siding first, the passenger train’s wait will be brief. If the passenger train gets to the meeting point, it has to wait regardless of the length of the siding.
I was doing some calculating with your train. The siding is a little short by 4 inches making it 3’4" to 3"8" but math only goes so far. I suggest a 3’10" or a 4 foot siding make sure you have room for your curve track too. Curve track can take up a foot on each side.
Agreed that your longest train should be that which will fit the clearances of the longest passing siding/ staging. But just trying to “jam” all that length to just work will many times not look great running on a smallish layout. Shorter local freights and commuter can still be as much fun to run and look better. I am guilty of “stuffing” staging for club shows, however we do have a rather large layout where 30-40 car trains look fine on many of the 40-50’ straights. We still need common sense as not to have 5-6 long trains chasing each other’s tail, the Dispatcher will try to keep it somewhat “sane”.
When I abandoned Standard gauge HO for HOn3, all my many years of acquired rolling stock became closet bound. Blessedly, I chose my new layout to be a fantasy, short line, mineral hauler and 8 car trains are a long, long haul. With near zero normal freight traffic and passengers, (what few there are), being herded into the road’s single combine caboose or shuttled in a mail Goose, there is just no need for long trains.
Good thing,too! N.G. rolling stock is pricey. Some of it I am going to bash or scratch build. 300 scale feet might be a long siding.
I realize that on most railroads passenger over freight may be the rule. However, two of the train rides I have been on, one in the '50’s the other in the '90’s (Amtrak), the passenger train pulled into the siding and waited for the freight to pass. Both cases were on single track mainline. So, it would not be totally unprototypical to have the passanger train take the siding.
Have fun,
Richard
I think I may have a solution, I could shorten the siding and use it as a stop for the passenger train. so a freight could pass, while the passenger train gets serviced, whilst dropping off and picking up riders.
Brakie, I think I can get 15-20 cars a freight train. In the Feb. 2014 MR, the workshop tip speaks of short length cars making trains of 10+ cars seem longer, I plan on gettig some more NP and GN mech. reefers to haul the apples from Eastern washington, same for boxcars and flats as the SP&S hauled lots of lumber. Maybe I could say some of the reefers contain fresh columbia river salmon?
If that siding works and fits into the trackplan w/o any difficulty, I would keep the length. This would allow you that ability to run a longer train if desired. If this is a station stop or depot, you could add a “tail/ siding” for RPO, baggage, express etc.
When faced with too small a space for long trains, I’ve found the best thing is to embrace it rather than fight it. The branch where I grew up averaged between 1 to 4 cars. Even on the prototype, I find these length trains more appealing that 100 cars of something racing by. Here’s another thought on the short siding. In a nearby town where the branch originated, the SR had a very short station track serving the depot. Only about a block long so a train could not run around itself there. Instead the siding was about a half mile east. What was really interesting was in just a couple of square blocks, the SR served the depot, a freight house, grocery distributer, small coal, lumber yard, and a cotton oil mill. Yet it was almost a perfect modelgenic layout design element to fit on one side of a 4x8.
yeah, I figured, I’d go back to my intended modular plan. I could move the track towards the center of the board, and add on another track a stub one so I can place a small REA office and truck so I can utilize the REA reefers and RPO car I own. I could amek the stub track 12- scale feet long so it’ll comfortably fit an REA reefer or two, an RPO, or a spare coache that’s been set out for another train to pick up.