I thank all those who provided feedback on my trackplan that I posted a few days ago. It was definately helpful.
I tried a lot of different plans in the last few days, trying to incorporate everything I wanted. I kept coming back to my original plan, so my latest is very close to the original, but tkaes into consideration some of the things mentioned here.
When you look at the pgoto, it’s blurry because I was out of focus, but you can still get the picture. You might just not be able to read the names of the towns. The first track plan is still up for comparison’s sake.
The major changes are:
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Rounded corners on the peninsulas. I may be able to narrow the Reedsville peninsula to provide more aisle room since it only has 1 track on it, but I’ve drawn it full size anyway.
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The Lewistown yard has been enlarged and the attached NS main line is darwn more prototypically.
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Part of the wye at Reedsville has been abandonded to leave a single track spur, used as a team track.
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The addition of a spur and station at Gibboney park in the upper right. This was a popular picnic destination on the real KVRR.
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Belleville has been enlarged to allow more room and larger, more realistically sized buildings and sidings.
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I’ve tried to draw the turnouts a more realistic size all around the layout.
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I kept the large duckunder. I think it is just a neccessary evil for this layout, and I think I have ways of making it easier to deal with.
I tried downloading RTS, but was having problems with it, so to get something up I stuck with good old pencil and paper. The track plan is HO with a 6" grid. Link to the site is in my signature! I’d appreciate ny comments on my changes.
The penisula at reedsville seems like a waste of aisle space. It might work if you have scenery there but to me a single spur into an aisle sticks out like a sore thumb. atleast mine did when I did that. On the wall opposite of the lewistown yard, you might find that spur how it placed will be to short. With two tracks you’ll probably find that only one car will fit on one track. It might be a good idea to rework the turnouts or to take one out so you can hold more cars there.
All the improvements look good. just some ideas to throw out. You also got me motivated to draw up my track plan and post here so it can be critiqued. As I’m having problems with finding room for my industries. Best of luck to you
Andrew
Dave- going back and forth between plans almost made me dizzy-in focus-blurry-in focus!
I like the new Lewiston area, looks like it will be more serviceable. If you are going to stick with just one siding at Reedsville, could you make the peninsula smaller and get more aisle space? I agree with Andrew, a big peninsula for one siding seems a bit of overkill. Unless it is going to be a huge factory complex with a need for just one spur.
Still like the switching potential, it looks like a bit of fine tuning and you have your RR!
Thanks for the comments so far, as I said in my post, if I stick with this plan as is, I could narrow the Reedsville peninsula because it’s only one track. I’d like to keep it sizeable for scenery, but it could be narrowed somwehat to allow easier access.
Much improved. I think some of your turnouts are a little too close; I would suggest you do a dry run before gluing or nailing any thing down. That way you can easily make adjustments as you see what the actual track configurations are on the ground so to speak.
Enjoy
Paul
You are getting closer. My comments assume you are using #6 switches (which I would recommend if you are using modern equipment).
On the left hand side, the switches alone in the track arrangement are going to be 8 ft long, that leaves you only 3 feet of track for ALL the straight track. My suggestion would be to lose the crossovers on the bottom, then curve the top end around onto the area at the top of the plan. Use that for staging. You can put a low backdrop that can be buildings or a row of trees. Just high enough to block the view of the cars, but if you stand on a low stool you can reach over for access.
Rather than have that little 6 in stub track next to the turntable, put a switch there and make a run-around in the yard. The roundhouse lead is very cumbersome. Power has to go out the main and drive down the main to get to the roundhouse. The building shown at the station on the top side can’t be an industry. If you spot a car there it will block the main.
Here’s a different idea. Connect the mainline to the leftmost track on the interchange (the “siding”). Move the roundhouse to the top and orient it so the building extends onto the peninsula. What was the mainline along the aisle on the left side can now become an industry track. What was the main and lead to the roundhouse can now become an additional yard track…
The town in the lower right hand corner has about 7 ft of switches alone in it. Put 2 ft of track into the right end building, 2 ft on the run-around and 3 ft on the stub into the building on the left side of the town, the total length of the town is 14 ft. I would rearrange the switches on the run-around in that town so that a train coming around the main can either track of the run-around.
I think you will have better luck moving the two track industry on the right end to the upper right corner and move the single track industry to the right end. That way you could put the building for the two track industry against the backdrop, which
I took a quick look. There are two reccomendations I have. 1. provisions for staging. 2. the penensula that was occupied by the former Wye that is now just a single spur can be decreaced in sice. As a large person, let me just say that the more isle space you have. the better off you will be.
James
Much better plan than the first! But don’t feel that your first effort was no good. I must have made 25 different plans for my monster layout before I started building benchwork. Even now, I’m coming up with track changes!
I still say that you’ll do your layout a world of good by adding at least some basic staging. Since the NS connection is your access to “the rest of the world”, I’d suggest curving the mainlines under Reedsville, to an underbench 4 track stub yard.
Your yard still needs a bit of work. With a 6" grid, you should be able to get at least two tracks in per grid. I’ve got one staging yard where I was able to squeeze seven tracks into a 13" wide space. Move the turntable approach spur from the mainline to the spur. Operationally, you have them in two different towns! I’m also sticking with my suggestion of having a second track lesd from the TT to the yard, as a ready track. The new plan also lost the company stores track.
I’d still narrow down the duckunder as much as you can. Yes, that area’s on a curve, but you’ll grow to hate the 3’ wide duckunder, and chances are that the layout will eventually be abandoned. Trust me on this, it’s happened to me and at least two of my modeling buddies.
Finally, since I prefer a large amount of layout as just the mainline and nature, I’d get rid of Gibboney Park. It won’t add much to your operational scheme, but it will remove a large sense of natural isolation.
Dave,
Check out Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong (the bible on trackplanning). Your plan may be better as far as functionality, but it is still lacking in a few basics. What is your minimum radius??? What is the frog size on your switches? What length trains do you intend to run?? How large is your motive power going to be??? Answers to these questions will help you with minimum radius and siding length.
While the plan is better, most of your switching plan won’t fit in the space you have alotted and your curves are awfully sharp in spots.
Suggestion 1. Figure a minimum curve radius, scale it to your grid and use a compass to draw out a template on stiff cardboard. Cut out the cardboard and re-draw your curves using the template.
Suggestion 2. Re-draw all of your switches allowing 2 squares (1 foot ) per switch.
Once you start drawing to scale you will begin to see what will actually fit.
I would opt for less switches in a space with more storage length per siding. You won’t be able to get a train onto the last two tracks in the extreme left of your plan the way you have the switches set up at the ends of the sidings…
It took me three months to get a plan I liked, Hang in there.
Guy
trainnut,
I drew the mainline curves with a radius of 24" or greater. Some of the spurs may be tighter, but not by much. I took the time to draw them to scale. I know some of my switches are likely out of scale, but I thought I left enough room that they would fit even if the plan isn’t quite perfectly scaled. The tracks at the far left are NS main line tracks and won’t be used for staging… they are only there to represent an interchange.
My trains will not be any longer than 6 cars. Often they will likely be less than that. My motive power will consist of early and mid-generation deisels… SW-9, GP-38, SD-40, GP-15, SD-9, etc… Even my shortest sidings are over 2 ft long, which should be more than enough for 4 cars. None of my industries will see more than 2 cars staged there at a time.
My plan encopasses the entire length of a small short line, all the traffic the line handles is generated by the 5 industries modeled. Obviously there won’t be much traffic so I think my plan is good for that (short sidings and tighter than normal curves), and that’s what my prototype did too. I may still make some small changes, especially to the yard area at lewistown. And of course, once I get the house that this layout will reside in, I’m going to map it out on the floor before building any benchwork just to make sure it fits as I hope.
I like it!
It’s easy to see the opportunites for basic, prototype style operation. Good idea in rounding off the peninsula corners.
Roger that.