I’ve been monkeying around with this for a week or so and I think I’m getting close. The track at the top right will be the main that will be added on to later. The tracks towards the bottom right are up along the shoreline with the long straight track running along the dock. There is a small yard with a switcher pocket and a decent lead. There is a small steam loco facility just off of the TT and even a rip track tucked up next the roundhouse. There is even a short caboose track up near the TT.
So what changes would you make to improve this thing? I think there must be something that can be done to the arrival/departure tracks to improve the flow, and I’d like to fit in a passenger station. It doesn’t have to be big as this is a run down shortline that see’s limited traffic.
I’m slightly confused. Where is your interchange/AV area?
My other thought is that a shortline probably wouldn’t have an engine facility the size you have shown. I’d recommend making it smaller and using the gained space for a station.
Then again, if you really enjoy these facilities, by all means keep them! Perhaps your shortline is located far from the big connecting railroad’s nearest shops, and therefore they contracted your shortline to take care of their locos.
My goal is to reduce redundant trackage and fill it with other things. For example, is there a benefit in the 2 tracks leading to the turntable? I like the multiple switchbacks. My thought is your railroad would be better served by 1 longer runaround than 2 short ones as shown. This will also mean trains have to travel further for this operation, something that will add interest.
Just some things to think about, overall, nice plan.
A few other thoughts came to mind. In the 3 track yard (if it is a yard), why are there 2 crossovers? These I doubt will help much. I’d also recommend slashing the short siding on the yard lead. These things seem hard to use, and would become inefficient.
Edit: A few more thoughts:
The turnout near the top (Box 4,2 if the plan was Quad I of a 2 dimensional graph) which gives you the choice of i’m guessing the turntable lead and the RIP creates a mini S Curve. This will only cause problems. I see the same problem with the extremely short spur on the yard lead if you do choose to keep it.
I’d say place the station on the track connecting what seems to be the upper and bottom portions of the layout.
I don’t understand the twin curves at centre, right of the diagonal track that runs and butt-ends at lower left. Why two small tracks there?
Could you pu***he house up so that the table straddles your median line? The house now crowds your upper edge, as diagrammed, a bit, but frees up a lot of space for a better yard tha can now lie more parallel to the front edge of the bench, closer to that long diagonal we just mentioned. That way, if you have the slightest hankering, you could place a double-slip in there to join a lead…or two?
I agree, the yard (if it is one) needs only one escape track. The second wastes both turnouts and capacity. Or even better, could you run the escape track directly into the loco facility instead of tieing up the second yard track. Also looks like #6 turnouts. With the limited space #4.5 or #5s would work better here. Do they make 3-ways in N-scale. Looks like the perfect application for it.
I would connect the left side of the run-around track in the dead center back to the diagonal lead in track. That would make it just slightly longer and free up the foul point a bit.
Unlike the other posters - I like the short yard goat track and the short supply or fuel track in the loco facility next to the round house. My “local” round house has a single car siding for a single tank car of diesel fuel.
Any thought of having a terminal or servicing track to supply your steamers with water, sand, and coal? Usually, if there is a TT, then there’s also an ash pit near by to dump the fire in and the above to repleni***he “necessities” in order to run.
You wont need the runarounds in the yard since you have a runaround leading to the TT,
all your arrivals/departures may be here.
take the runaround switches out and legnthen the yard.
The station can be at the runaround.
Thanks for the input everybody. This is just what I was looking for. This thing was close, but not quite, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I had missed the “S” turns so I corrected that. I’ve looked it over pretty good and I think I’ve got them all. I had to swap a couple of right and left turnouts but I should be OK on that. Good eye guy’s!
The crossovers in the yard were a bit much and the switcher pocket was not really necessary so I fixed that. Shinohara Makes a 3 way turnout in N but I don’t have one in my software so I will substitute a 3 way at the yard throat per Texas Zepher’s suggestion. This should help to lengthen the yard. I like the #7 turnouts even though they eat up some room, so I think I’ll keep those.
The engine servicing facilities (coal, water, sand) will be on the track closest to the roundhouse. Arriving trains are to be broken up on the inside track of the runaround towards the top of the layout pic. All trains are eight cars or less (mostly 40 footers) so the length should be OK. The idea of two tracks to the TT was to increase flexability. With the other track tied up with servicing facilities it would help with the flow of inbound (ash pit on this track) and outbound traffic(coal, water, sand). I know, I know, a small time operation isn’t going to have that problem, but my guy’s like to think big.[;)]
The short siding next to the TT is for MOW equipment (gotta have a plow or two in Maine).
On the switchback I’ve kept the runaround as I think it will be needed for sorting cars by the dock. The industry with two sidings was also bumped up towards the dock.
looking really good !
here’s an idea , it doesn’t change the operation of the layout much but see if you like the way it looks
rotate the turntable/roundhouse to the left somewhere between 90 and 120 degrees , and move it to the northeast of where it is now . gives you a bit of space in the upper left corner , maybe for a small industry or something
i don’t know why , but seeing the roundhouse running north/south just seems odd to me . LOL
The basic plan is great for a road that was built with big aspirations and sold enough stock to put in that engine terminal before financial reality caught up with it.
If this is a true short line (one train, when, as and if,) your little yard doesn’t need an escape track. Arriving freights (from the upper right, which I presume to be the direction of the class 1 connection) would terminate on the diagonal track that switches back into the primary industrial area and go directly to delivering fresh cars and switching out the cars to be pulled. After much pushing, shoving and running around, the train would back out, pull into the ‘mainline’ passing siding, run around the train, park the caboose, then sort the cars into the three yard tracks (outbound, empty awaiting orders, inbound awaiting spot.)
The logical location for the passenger station is dead center at the top. Off-duty passenger cars could be parked on the siding along the top edge approaching the roundhouse.
Only thing I see now is quite a bit of space between tracks that I fear might become dead space. You might want to think about how you will fill this space, and where you should condense.
Another thought. What if you moved the yard lead from where it is right now to the diaganol track? This will make your yard considerably longer and cut down on wasted space.
Edit, yet another thought:
You have 2 tracks going from the turntable that converge near the end of the diaganol track. I see that you have a crossover midway. What is this used for? What if you removed it and brought those 2 tracks close together to free up some outer space? You could probably retain that crossover if it was necessary even if you squeezed those tracks.
For some reason I was just thinking on being able to look right into the roundhouse. Then I could do some e detail work in there to show off some interior detailing.
I see where you’re going though and I’ll play with it.
I have my house situated so that it is nearly side-on from the vantage of my controller, but a single large step to my left lets me see into the bays…not that I have done any detailing…[:I]. It is nice to see into the bays, I suppose, but I am more interested in seeing the locos properly stalled. So, an oblique view will probably be okay for you, all things considered.
I think you see where I’m going with this. My prototype that I’m loosely basing my RR on is the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR. They were always pretty small time, but at the hieght of operations they were running 4 or 5 loco’s all day and 2 or 3 at night. They were maintained for many years by the Maine Central, so they had decent facilities, even if they were small time. My RR will be a little more then a “one horse” deal, but way off of a class 1.
Your view of the operations is pretty much dead on. I put the crossover between the two tracks coming from the TT so that a passenger station could go there. As to the escape track,…I’ve thought about that one and I’m still on the fence. My original plan had two of them, but that was overkill. I like the flexability of it, but your probably right.
Can’t go there, that’s the RIP track. Lot’s of work going o
The shoreline is along the bottom edge. The long straight track in the center is parallel to the docks. The “hole” with no tracks in it on the right side has a small fishery and a tide pond behind it. The track in the upper right enters the scene on a low trestle coming in through the tide pond. That’s how the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR was set up (thats the prototype I’m loosely basing this on). Center and left is town rising up on a hill. I know I don’t have the room for a hill on this layout module, but this will be part of a larger layout when it’s all done.
To get an idea of the scenery, check out this link. It’s all about the B&ML;
If I do that I’ll have to foul the main when switching, won’t I?
The passenger station goes on the top track. The crossover is to keep traffic flowing while the passengers load and unload. The tracks are kind of far apart so that I can have engine servicing facilities up by the TT.
I don’t know, maybe I could play with it.
I’d also like to get the tails on the switchbacks a little longer. A friend suggested that they might be a bit short, and I agree. Any ideas?
