Updated Layout Plan--for comments

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

This plan is very similar t the last one posted with a few exceptions. The lower section, the railfan jaunt through oak forests past the abandoned mine, remains unchanged.

I added 6" to the switching area be able to add the two tracks for the interchange (and future expansion). I’ll probably use those tracks as a staging area for an Amtrak train at the station to the left. And to the right, park a coal unit train. I also needed the space to add a road for trucks to get into the engine service area. For some reason the car service building disappeared.

The industrial area is more defined, and I picture the area as urban canyons with the switchers running in the streets. The actual trackage will be determined by the location of the buildings.

Without further adeu…

2

Chip,

After your prior posts and discussions the past few days, I assume that this is your N-scale layout plan? Just checking…

Tom

3

LOL! That would be an 8 x 16 monster in HO!

4

Looks like there’s a new view block. What’s going in the bottom where the 2 tracks are briefly curved inward?

5

Yes the view block on the bottom is actually 3 sides. In the upper, there’s other things going on, but I expect view block on at least two sides-if only partial.

The lower section is oak forest hillside. The curve inward follows the curvature of the landscape. There will be a stream bed and bridge. The spur is an abandoned coal mine. I’m thinking I won’t even use a turnout.

6

Space would it be possible to move the cross over turnouts between the main lines further apart so that they are actually on the radius of the curves rather than on the straight sections This would allow longer trains and smoother crossovers ?

7

Pardon the crude drawing but i’ve marked the change in red Forget the crossover to the lead track But the ones on the mains are the ones i was talking about By crossing over on a curve the train doesn’t make an S move and it is much less prone to derailments and uncoupling

8

Terry,

Thanks.

I was worried about that. I don’t know of such a turnoutfor the crossover. The inside ones are more problematic, because the crossover as you drew them are on the yard leads instead of the A/D track.

I was thinking that I would out the road bed and play with the templates for the turnouts until I could work out the best solution.

9

Here’s a photo of 2 turnouts on a curve that make a crossover from one main to another when the train goes thru this its very smooth instead of snaking as it would on a straight section These are HO scale hand laid i’m not sure if anyone makes curved radius turn outs in N scale or not.

10

The plan for doing this type of crossover is, naturally, covered by John Armstrong in Track Planning for Realistic Operation. It’s somewhere in the section on avoiding S curves.

–Randy