My trackplan for the new layout.

Packers#1

Ultimate Packers Fan
I've been trawling a ton of other forums for comments on my new trackplan, so I'll post it here. Feel free to comment on it. I want to make it as best as I can. Basically, it's a two level plan, w/ the two levels connected by a removable staging yard. The top is the Southeastern Continental Railway's (SEC [my fake railroad]) Aiken, SC - Darkwater, SC. It has a good yard in Aiken. Darkwater is kind of a agricultural/industrial switching place. There are two industries close to the yard served by the local yard crew. The yard has a four track engine house and a car shop. There is an rr musuem between aiken and Darkwater that runs a small excursion train. The bottom is the Southeastern Shortline Group (SESLG [branch of the sEC to take over financialy insecure shortlines/regionals]) Augusta, Ga. trackage. Basically, it's a small switching layout that interchanges with the SEC.
upper level:
SECdbltrack-2.jpg


bottom level:
ASBRANCHLOWERLEVEL-1.jpg
 
I don't see any thing wrong with the plan,looks like plenty of operations and fun.It's your layout,and as long as you like the plan then go for it.
 

Packers#1

Ultimate Packers Fan
The bottom level has a one-track staging yard. the train rolls onto that, it gets disconnected, and then connects to a yet-to-be planned switch on the staging yard at the top level. The train then rolls off, goes to the yard, conducts the interchange, then returns to the staging track, then gets moved back down to the lower level.
 

seanm

Member
Looks like a lot of fun switching. I take it your goal is an operations oriented layout. One thing you might want to consider is a yard lead on the upperlevel large yard. It looks like if you are assembling a train there you will be fouling the mains a lot. The bottom level smaller yard appears to have a yard lead that will handle trains the length of the tracks.

All in all, looks like fun!! Any ideas as to what industries you are going to feature? What sort of scenery?? Looking forward ot seeing more on this layout as you progress.
 

Packers#1

Ultimate Packers Fan
Well, in hope of not getting kicked off:
The MR forums
NTRES (National Teenaged Rail Entusiats society)
nscale.net
nscale.org (which uses a forum format like this one)
NJTM (new Jersey Transit Modelers forum [not just for njt])
Rails Of The World
Teen Association of Model railroaders.
BTW, this is a 6x6 layout inspired by the Red Rock Northern. It's my new plan.
IndianaSouthernRR-2-1-1.jpg

BTW, buildings not to scale.
 

pgandw

Active Member
To be honest, the 2nd effort (Red Rock-based) appears to be the better. In this latest plan, I'm not sure what you are trying to gain operationally with the extra loop. Is it intended to be a twice-around or 2 normally separate loops? The object of twice-arounds in small layouts (and yes, 6x6 in N is still on the small side) is to gain a longer run and the capacity for longer trains. The cost is loss of sincerity - the same train passes through the same scene twice, but on different tracks. If over-under is used, much of the distance is spent on a grade, requiring special arrangements to do switching - uncoupling part of the train causes it to roll away.

The yard, as drawn in your last plan, is not particularly functional. Classification yard design is discussed quite well at http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html. At it's very basic, a yard that is more than train storage needs the following:

  • a train length long arrival/departure track so trains arriving/departing in either direction can couple/uncouple their road power. This means either a passing siding or an escape crossover to get the road power out of the way. Using the main as the arrival/departure track ties up the main for great lengths of time - nothing can use the main while a train is being built or taken apart.
  • a yard lead or drill track at least 1/2 a train length long. This is where the yard switcher pulls a cut of cars from/to the arrival/departure track. Again, if the main is used as the drill track, it is tied up by the yard switcher.
  • 2 or more classification tracks. These are your typical yard tracks. They should be at least 1/2 a train length long (preferably a whole train length, along with the drill track) to make life reasonable for the yard switcher.
  • On a continuous run track plan, not blocking the main with yard operations is a big deal. On a plan where the track ends at the yard and with possibly just one operator, the yard can be simpler. There is only one direction of arrival and departure to design for. Blocking the main might be such a big deal, since the train is to be broken up, and a new one put together before departure anyway. This would be particularly true for modeling branch or short line operations.
In the last plan, industrial spur tracks seem to be scattered like confetti. In the real world, industry is generally clustered around towns, with miles of single track linking the towns. Mines are the big exception, but for modern mines requiring rail service, a single spur doesn't cut it. A mine needs to output cuts of car loads a day to justify itself and rail service.

The main problem with the 2nd (Red Rock-based) is that the center pit is too small. Even though you are young and skinny now, it doesn't mean the pit is big enough to share with anybody else. Even turning around in a pit with a 24" dimension will not be comfortable for most people. 3ft by 3ft is the minimum pit you should consider (for one person!). Set up some cardboard boxes at chest height to verify what I am saying.

Also, unless there is access on the outside, reaching more than 24" on a chest-high layout requires a step stool. The step can extend one's reach to between 30 and 36", but that's it.

Finally the place where you duck under to enter the pit should be as narrow as you can make it (preferably 12" or so). The wider the duck under is, the more likely you are to have a sore head, scraped back, and magnitude 9 earthquakes on your layout.

These are my thoughts, and your choices.
 

Packers#1

Ultimate Packers Fan
Fore some reason, i have to quote a message just to follow the link (can't click/follow)
Here's a narrative of a way frieght crew's day.
IndianaSouthern2-1-1-1.jpg

So, it starts out with the yellow. The U25B couples on to the head, and it departs. The first seout is at Indiana farm supply, today a boxcar of feed. It then continues on to town #2 (i haven't named the towns yet). The first set-out there is at a spur track on the outskirts of town. It then sets out a hopper of plastic pellets and 3 beer can tank cars at the soda bottling plant. It then places 2 boxcars at the local train/truck interchange. It's final moves in town are to put a boxcar of lumber on the siding, run around it, and shove it into the lumber supply siding. the train gets reassembled, and the crew goes to lunch. On the return trip, their only move is to set out a covered hopper for grain at the Indiana Grain Co-op elevator. It returns to town, and the local switch crew (which is done with classification for tommorow and has switched the 2 local industries) using their RS3, breaks down the train, while the U25B goes to the engine house.
BTW, I like the twice around and crossing. Even though they're owned by the same RR, it makes it seem like the Indiana Southern crosses another RR. The yard is strictly ofr local classification. Nothing else. Also, someones given me that link before. This time, I'll follow it, LOL.
 

Packers#1

Ultimate Packers Fan
actually, that's a 3x2.5 ft. pit. The yard would conform to the branch line yard details, mostly. The only trains into the yard are the local way frieght and the interchange runs between a major yard and this small one (usually lead by a first gen. or early sec. gen. diesel, either 4 or 6 axle).
 
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