I’ve got an area of my layout that I have no good plans for. It’s relatively large, and surrounded by a teardrop loop of track.
The opening in the middle is for access. I do plan to put a liftoff section there, but it will not have track on it.
The white mock-up is a freight station, which will be a Railway Express Agency depot. It’s position isn’t fixed. The siding will come from the point of the teardrop to the right of the pictures.
The layout is freelanced, somewhere in the Midwest around the Great Lakes, with Milwaukee motive power. I’ve made the layout dual-era, Late Transition and 1930s, to let me run both diesels and steam.
So, what do you think? Right now, I’d probably be happy with just a hill to disguise the loop, but I’m sure there are other ideas I haven’t thought of. Thanks.
One possibility would be a string of two to four story buildings inside the loop behind the access opening. This would hide the loop configuration and allow the employees of the industries to the left in the photo a place to shop and eat.
I have a similar situation. Right now the hole is twice as big as I need to get through, so after all the painting, weathering and landscaping is done, I am going to fill in half permanently. (I saved the pieces of foam) On the lift out part I am going to “attempt” a pond. It will have enough foliage around it to hide the seam. In or near the middle I will have a small foliage covered Island. Hiding in the foliage on the Island will be a loop of wire or string that I can stick my finger in to lift the pond off.
There was a pond like that near my house when I was a kid. We couldn’t wait for freeze up so we could play Hockey on it. For that reason I may make it a frozen pond. I have seen sheets of plastic at Home Depot that look just like a frozen pond. The plastic is used for fluorescent light coverings. Ad a few Hockey playing kids, and some girl skaters, just to get in the way. It will feel like old home week.
The frozen pond (sheet of plastic) would probably withstand frequent lifting in and out more than a fake water product would.
Keep us posted on your progress. Someone might want to steal your idea.[swg]
I was going to suggest a big hill to hide part of the loop as Tom suggested, but then I realized that you are modeling a fairly flat area of the country. So instead, I’m going along with the idea of some large buildings since you like making structures. What about a brewery complex? You could make three or four pretty cool looking buildings with a siding in between them. Since you’re modeling dual eras, you could also have second set of building to fit the same foundations.
I think, though, that I’d still keep that small hill in the back. Maybe even make it a bit larger witha good many trees to form a small view block behind the complex. I’d also think about a small highway bridge over the tracks there going into the complex. If you go with an industry, I’d somehow try to put lower ones towards the front and taller ones in the back to form another view block.
Or just leave a big opening there and make it a quarry. A very deep one without a bottom. : )
Don’t forget “man made” hills and terraces. There is always a junk yard, land fill, cement / asphalt processing plants, and the like that make huge piles of things. People also tend to build terraces for many reasons. One could make a terrace that has a tunnel under. That way one could have that much more space for the scene on top. How about an abandon manufacturing complex with a large warehouse and separate assembly area. Seems the possibilities are endless.
A sand pit quarry gives a reason for a pit and huge piles of gravel / sand.
I’m planning a Railfan Area at the CR&T’s upper level helix tunnel portals inspired by the Pennsy “west end” prototype of Tunnel Hill at Gallitzin, PA. Note the adjacent tourist building, car parking, and homes overlooking the tunnel portals.
You don’t need tunnels for a Railfan Bridge or a Railfan Area – Perhaps a division of a railroad corporation that includes a subway system?
Another spin-off of this railfan idea might be an Excursion Station with nearby engine maintenance facilities – Something like that found at East Broad Top (note its Polar Express) and Reading Northern plus R&N Steam Photos <= Warning: Breath-taking Scenery!
Thinking-Out-Loud – To gain some “rolling hills elevation” might be track-spiral inside the reverse loop area while retaining the reverse loop.
A small town there, like Paul has shown, would give that depot a reason to exist. FOr the 30’s era setting it could even be a combination depot, not just a frieght house. For an era switch, a second model fo the same depot, but with the passenger portion boarded up and only the freight section operational, would fit right in. Or, modern era, perhaps the depot has been torn down and only the foundation remains, and the track is used as a team track. That way you only need one model. On, it’s the 30’s, off, early 60’s.
Some good ideas so far, thanks. Here’s another shot to show some context:
In the mid-section of this phase of the layout along this wall, I have a long row of mostly tall buildings. The idea was to hide the tracks behind, a 4-track staging yard, as originally conceived. So, I’m leaning away from that.
I do like the idea of the quarry, as well as the tanning complex. Keep those ideas coming.
in my plan the river is dividing the scenes. As if you are in an other part of the county. Filling in the area’s at both sides comes second.
I build company houses along the road, more industries like a tanning complex along the river in stead of Anglers Bar is quite possible.
Since quarries are away from town scenes, as far as I know them, you could build one where the freighthouse is now. A small hill to separate the quarry from the staging tracks would be needed. A small tree-lined hill, just a few inches high would be sufficient. Of course an abandoned industry would be another option. If you would like to keep the river a gravel pit, abandoned or still in operation could be a nice and dirty industry.
i would suggest a small town inside the loop. A few buildings for “main street” and a few houses, maybe a church should be easy enough to do on the lift out. It doesn’t have to be a lot to weigh down teh liftout, and 2" foam base should hold a town easily.
You coulsd also do an industrial area there…with industries, but then you mihgt want some sidings for the trains service to them.
One issue which immediately arose when I designed the pop up section and built the tanning complex on it was how to remove it and where to temporarily hold it.
In my particular situation, I have a crossover from one track to another on my double main line directly behind the pop up section. That’s the reason for the pop up section - - to provide access to the crossover.
Occasionally, I need to access that area to correct a derailment at the site of the crossover. Although the tanning complex is situated on a 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood, it is not that heavy. So, I use a putty knife to lift one corner of the pop up section and then lift it out and move it to a temporary holding area until it is time to replace the pop up section on the layout once again.
So, that is an issue to consider. How to easily remove the pop up section, where to temporarily store it, and how to easily replace it on the layout.
I know you like structure modeling, so how about a university campus? The central hall could have turrets which would provide handholds when you need to lift the liftout for access.
What university? Considering that it’s in Metropolitan Moose Bay, and the background of a famous moose who will remain nameless, Whatsamatta U.
Add another vote for a town. You could build it on a slight incline, with a retaining wall between the town and the track. Even a 2-3" elevation change, plus the height of the structures, would effectively hide the track from view.
There are two significant issues with that model. First, it’s only made in N-scale, and second, it’s sold out and out of production for the foreseeable future. It was high on the list, though…
Why is there that big 180-degree plus curve there?
Yes, I know. You have to build your layout in a room and it can’t go on forever so you need a turnback curve.
But what can you create scenically that halfway suggests a reason for the curve, something nthat forced the railroad to deviate from a straight tangent? Imagine that there is a river or stream that runs just inside the curve through most of 180. Better yet, imagine the stream ran there first and the railroad was located around the outside of the curving stream. Somewhere, eventually, the river will cross under the railroad, perhaps towards the front of the layout. Toward the back it can disappear behind something so you don’t need to have the track cross the river twice in fairly flat terrain.
That creates an interesting scene. Now what do you do with the space in nthe middle, where the liftoout is located? It has now become a relatively isolated piece of land, possibly separated by the river curve from industrial and commercial activity. It might be a natural park or campground.
Another possibility. Is there some kind of non-railroad served facility that is rarely modeled? The college campus was one idea. A fairly large cemetery maybe?
