Hi,
I’ve been busy lately trying to come up with a layout design for my new layout room that had everything I wanted and I’ve come up with this one, which I like.
Please, take a peek at it and post any comments you have!
BTW: at the top of the drawing the “wall” is actually a glass dividing wall, so you can see the layout from the living room.
[EDIT]
Fixed the link
[/EDIT]
Your link doesn’t work, it requires a username and a password. The link looks like “server/username/public/”, which to me indicates that you are linking to your own public web folder as you were logged in while working on it. I also suggest that you convert the png image to jpg before uploading it.
Svein
Your link leads to a web page that needs a login …
Smile,
Stein
Layout seems pretty wide in the manufacturing district - it is normally recommended to keep reach from the edge to no more than 24"/60 centimeter. Looks to me like the layout here is about 36"/90 centimeters wide ?
You have a lot of yard here. And no staging (“somewhere else” where trains can come from or depart towards).
What was you design goal - what is your vision for your layout ?
Nice primer on layout design: http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Primer
Smile,
Stein
If I were giving this layout a name I would have called it “the yard”. Is drilling trains your primary interest? My normal comment for most layouts that I see is that it is “over yarded”. This one is over the top of that. But if that is your primary thing then this is ok.
The classification yard has a by-pass track on the one side. I assume that is also where the yard goat grabs trains from the arrival tracks to break up. Connect the departure/arrival straight into the main there. Otherwise a departing or arriving train is blocking any classification activity that is going on. Is the track on the right that curves down the yard drill track? If so, is that industry tacked on to the end of it going to get in the way? You could move or add a yard bypass track to the bottom and also use it for accessing the loco servicing facilities on both sides.
I assume the two tracks off the main on the bottom curving up on the right are tracks to a hidden area. The layout is operated by bringing trains from the hidden yard. Breaking them down. Taking trains back to the hidden area. True? If so, is the hidden area big enough for this big of a yard?
The industries seem to be sprawling and disorganized. This isn’t necessarily bad, but generally, in the modern era industries that need rail service were built along the tracks. So they would be generally linear (like the two on the left). It was in the 1860-1890s that the tracks were built to existing industries. Were this prototype and I was in charge of the railroad I would at least connect the switch-back to the industry by the small passenger station stop to the entry track and eliminate the switch-back. The huge industry in the center seems to use the loading track of the grain elevator for a lead?
I find it interesting that there is a glass
I agree. Unless you want to spend your time simulating arriving and departing trains all day, you’d be better off to have some sort of off-layout staging (hidden or not) and use some of the space taken up by the yard as a place for more industries.
Most of the industry location and related track arrangements seem quite artificial and not consistent with prototypical practice.
Thanks all for the comments, they are something to consider.
Just to clarify some questions you have: the two “dead-ends” at the right edge of the layout are indeed going to the staging area which will be underneath.
The lead of the classification yard with the industry tacked to the end is actually a spur that is no longer in service as an industry spur. The depot at the end of it is now used for something other than railroading purposes.
The switchback in the middle, good point. Maybe it’s better to leave it out all together and put in the industry like the two on the left?
The fact the yard takes up a lot of ground was intended. I wanted to have a big yard because I love to build and break up trains. I put in the industries so I could run an occasional local or two and switch industries instead of the yard once in a while. I’m still coming up with track plans almost daily at this point. The problem is, I can’t seem to get it right with the industry on the layout. They either seem unnaturally sprawling as was mentioned here, or they seem to be uninterestingly straight and similar. I’ve got more than enough images of the real thing (open up Google Earth) but getting them onto a layout, compressed but still with the same “atmosphere” is what’s killing me at this point (but I guess that’s our hobby right?)
You might want to think about your yard a little. The class yard isn’t bad. It is designed to have two jobs working it, a switcher on the left side and a trim job building trains on the right side. That is very flexible except that you need a lead as long as the longest class track on the right end (parallel to the main, between the main and the industry spur). I would use the industry spur switch to come off with the lead and make the industry spur a switch off the lead.
The A/D yard looks like the tracks closest to the mains are the departure tracks and the tracks closest to the aisle are the recieving tracks. I would put a left hand crossover between the running track and the main just to the right of the departure yard. It will give you huge amounts of flexibility. Only caveat of your design is that the switcher will have to clear to recieve a counterclockwise train. I would also tie the engine tracks into the inside of the two sub tracks near the aisle instead of where you have it. That way while a switcher is switching a cut a set of power could use the track closest to the aisle as a running track and power could get to or from the shops. I would tie the shops into the lead at the left end of the class yard, just to give you a second route in or out of the shops.
Really the major problem the yard has isn’t the yard, its the main lines. If you run a “through train” out of staging and enter the loop, there is no way for the train to continue past the yard and go back down into staging. I have two suggestions.
One, break a main or mains off the main tracks just past the scissors crossovers on the left side of the loop and come along the front of the industrial area. the track/tracks would probably be going down and then at the left end of the industrial area they would make a 180 degree turn and then run hidden back to the right end where they would join the tracks to the staging yard. Alternately
OK, version 2.
I’ve changed the yard without sacrificing much of the action, see image for details. Basically, I changed the way the yard switcher accesses the arrival and departure yard. Also, the switcher can now classify without clashing with arriving and departing trains.
What do you think, better?
Oh, don’t mind the crossover at the top, that’ll move to the left side.
@ Dave: it was my intention to change the current mainline run to allow trains to make a round trip from staging to staging or from yard to staging - whichever way they leave the yard. I have a few options of my own, but haven’t put them in te drawing so far. Your options are valid options too, and I’ll have to do some brain frying to see which one I like best. 
I’m a bit of a rookie at this, but I’ll throw in my opinion. Overall, I like the plan and think the glass wall looking into a major classification yard would be an impressive view for your guests.
As far as the industrial district, and I don’t know what era you’re necessarily modeling, overall, I think you have too many industries that are too small. Industries that are served by rail tend to be larger. Larger but fewer industries on a model railroad tends to make it look more prototypical, in my opinion.
I like the two industries on the left, and the grain elevator, especially with the looping access track that seems more in keeping with a modern railroad. The three (or four?) industries in the middle could be condensed into two or one large industry (paper mill perhaps) using those apparently unused tracks above the grain elevator. That would open up the center of the industrial district for something like maybe a town scene, which would be consistent with the location of the depot. A town scene might also be seen through your glass wall, which would give the guests something to look at other than strictly railroad stuff.
If you relocated those industries to the suggested locations, you might be able to flatten out the track alignment, narrowing your benchwork and improving reach and access, as others have thought may be an issue.
Just thinking.
Doughless,
you make some interesting points. Originally, I wanted the town to be on the bottom backdrop, but I like the idea of putting that scene in the middle. The unused tracks were planned for something like a refinery, or a mill of some sort - haven’t really pinpointed that. I’ll try and get rid of the smaller industries to start with, and put in larger ones that look like they deserve rail access.
So - what atmosphere/feel are you trying to create ?
What era are you modelling - today ?
I assume that the Redondo Junction you are modelling perhaps is the one in Los Angeles, CA (maps.live.com: http://tinyurl.com/czjglc) ?
Did you find inspiration for your industrial district from the trackage north of Noakes Street and south of Union Pacific Avenue (http://tinyurl.com/caeh3a) ?
Or were you looking at industries between East Washington Blvd and E Pico Bldv (http://tinyurl.com/dbeobp) ?
Or somewhere else ?
What’s the effect you are going for ?
Smile,
Stein
Well I like the operational changes made to the yard. However, considering your preference for making and breaking trains some of those classification yard tracks now look rather short…
I’ve no new suggestions on the industrial area. It is something I think I would recommend getting some cardboard structures and sectional track and try setting up different things until you find something that works for you. It is a hard thing to make recommendations to someone else. What is way cool for me might be yucko boring for you.
Nice plan. I particularly like the industrial park, as this is my favorite theme. My only concern is the aisle space. If the total width is 6’ 3", it looks like it may be a wee bit narrow for comfort. Best of luck.
I haven’t changed the lenght of the classification tracks, hehehe. But with a little modification they can be extended somewhat…
Also, the isle width has been increased in my latest version by about 13cm to 75cm. That’s what I had on my last layout and it’s wide enough for me - I’m not that wide and I operate the layout alone for the vast majority of sessions. So 75cm is enough for me. It also means the industrial area is about 10cm smaller, making the total width 80cm.
Anyway, thanks for your input so far. I’m still pondering my industrial area somewhat, although I really like the idea of have the town scene split the area in two and putting some larger industry like a papermill in the remainder. From what I read, papermills require a good variety of cars and some hefty switching. So sounds like a good candidate.
