Just uploaded the file on photobucket and I am going to try this again. Let me know if you can see it.
Here is my new Tonopah and Tidewater RR trackplan. I’d like everyone’s opinion about it. The T&T was a desert shortline that ran from the ATSF all the way to Goldfield skirting the edge of Death Valley. Ludlow really did have a baloon track around the small town. I will use it to turn locomotives mostly as radius is only 18" to keep everything in reach. The Tecopa RR was a very small mining road with only one engine, a 2-6-2T and a few cars. The one interchange track with the LA&SL at Crucero is mostly to access the staging area to turn trains between operating sessions. Let me know what you think. - Nevin
This looks pretty darned workable! Much better then the first efforts. Thats how there things go though. They get further and further refined until you finally hit paydirt. You don’t even want to know how many revisions I did on my three decked plan! I was ready to pull my hair out!
I like the continuous run option, and the sidings look pretty good. Those that don’t have a runaround are close to a town, so thats a doable. The staging area will add TONS to operations. The only thing I noted, and it’s not a deal killer, is the grey track (maybe tough to reach behind the backdrop?) that goes to staging is stub ended. Is that the plan? An off-stage branch of the RR. If so, no problem. It’ll be usable, though it might work better if it was a two track deal so you can have an “eastbound” or whatever pull into the siding and a duplicate (maybe with a couple new cars that it switched out) “westbound” is already ready to go whenever it’s needed. To do it the way it shows here, someone will have to use the “giant 0-5-0 switcher from the sky” to turn the train. Not a problem if you have an operating crew there to handle it, but if you’re by yourself…
Plan looks good. Is it HO in a 16x16 room? Can you turn Ludlow so it is on a peninsula in the middle of the room? That would make Ludlow a lot more accessable. Looks like it will fit with 3’asiles. Might want to round the corners. If you are in a space crunch consider clear acrilic 1 1/2 to 2" tall antidisaster fences.
I think it is brilliant the way you used Crucero for a way to have a reverse loop even if it ment flopping Crucero. That way you keep the T&T line out in front.
Are you planning to push the cars up to Tecopa?
I really like your plan. I had tried to put Ludlow and Crucero in a 10x12’ spare bedroom. Didn’t make it. I think I tried to cram in too much. This gives me something to think about.
Thanks for the comments. I had not thought about extending the Ludlow blob into the center of the room. That may take some negotiations with the wife but is doable. The two tracks in the Tecopa blob behind the backdrop that lead to the staging yard have a closet with a sliding door behind them so if something bad happens I can go under the layout and go into the closet to access that them.
The Tecoma RR had 1 engine, a 2-6-2T (I am thinking about modifying a Bachmann 0-6-0T) and a few cars. 2 cars was the limit for this line which featured prolonged 6% grades and a stretch of 13% up to the Gunsight and Noonday Mines. My idea is to have the train staged behind the backdrop, enter the scene, drop the 2 loaded cars, wait for the empties, and then leave with them. The engine would always be kept below the cars. From the few pictures I’ve seen, I may have too many tracks at Tecopa and an enginehouse may be modeler’s license. I have an inquiry on the T&T Yahoo group asking for more information. Any other thoughts and advise is welcome. I’ll post the new version as soon as it is ready. - Nevin
Here is anew version of the layout with Ludlow flipped 90 degrees and now in the middle of the room. It gives a much nicer desert run between ludlow and Mesquite. It allows much better access to the yard and the ATSF tracks. - Nevin
Nevin, good simple yet efective plan. This plan would be easy to build without too much complexity to get in the way. Some of us need this lesson from time to time.
I feel Phillip has a good suggestion to move the town a bit and create some distance between stops.
To answer the question about the right lower area, there is a bathroom door, the door to the room and a built-in cabinet on the wall that must continue to have complete access according to “she who must be obeyed”. Here is the latest version using everyones suggestions:
