A Update

brakie

Active Member
First things are still moving along on my N Scale layout..Of course there are changes.
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First since I like the NS and CSX I decided to model a "paper" railroad own by both roads thus I present the Columbus Belt & Terminal.This is a freelance 18 mile industry branch located on the south and south east side of Columbus(Oh).
Locomotives such as GP15-1s,MP15DCs,GP38s,GP38-2s and GP40 and GP40-2s B23-7s will be furnish by NS and CSX on a monthly rotating bases.
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The changes..
Like all plans things change and bogs down the progress.I fear the 2x4 footer will be to small for my plan industries

1.Walthers ADM mill with 2 sets of silos-one on each side of the main building.

2.Walthers George Roberts Printing Company.

3.Walthers Superior Paper Company.

4.Walthers Brach's Candy Factory when release.Due date 24-Mar-2009

5.Walthers RJ Frost Cold Storage when release. Due date:24-Mar-2009

6 Model Power Twin Oil Tanks and some type of office building.

7.DPM Gripp's Luggage

8.DPM Trackside Transfer
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What to do with my Helgan Foundry and Cold Storage?
Use 'em or use 'em at the club?
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The rethink:

Sounds like a 4x4 is needed or better a 36" x80" HC door or stick with my original plan


Probabably will add a DPM Woods Furniture Co in place of the Helgan buildings and maybe a Northern Light & Power Powerhouse for a off layout steel mill or ????.


All comments and thoughts will be welcome.
 

brakie

Active Member
Sounds good but,the switchback in the upper hand corner needs eliminated as I will need 2 tracks for the paper mill that will be located there.A three track overflow yard should suffice..

You are welcome to give it a whirl if you like and have the time.
 

Squidbait

Recovering ALCO-holic
Brakie,

What are the dimensions of the two Superior buildings? How do you want them arranged? Walthers doesn't list the N scale dimensions - I could take the HO ones and cut them in half, but it still doesn't tell me how you'd like them arranged in that corner.

Do you want the overflow yard up there too?
 

Squidbait

Recovering ALCO-holic
OK, here's just a quickie - stretched it out to 80", I left the upper right open to figure out how to fit the paper mill. ADM elevator on the one spur, just for scale (and also 'cos it's the only one of your structures in the XtrkCad library. ;) )
 

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brakie

Active Member
Looks good so far..

I would like to keep each industry on seperate tracks..I think this can be done if the face each other and a switch was added to each siding.
We can add industries across from the yard area as well.
 

Squidbait

Recovering ALCO-holic
Looks good so far..

Thanks!

I would like to keep each industry on seperate tracks..I think this can be done if the face each other and a switch was added to each siding.

OK, I'm with you on the first part, but the second bit? Which sidings (as opposed to spurs) do you want switches added to? (I'll label the switches to make it easier to reference)

We can add industries across from the yard area as well.

Yup - but inside or outside the main? The lowermost track I thought could be an engine servicing track - put a small fuel and sand rack there.
 
Looks good! Going door size is definitely a good idea if. I am working on one a door sized layout myself where I previously had a 2.5 by 4 ft layout. The extra straightaway space makes it look a lot more realistic an easier to fit in industries.

The one suggestion on the plan I have is to flip the crossover connecting the passing siding at the bottom to the yard. That way you can use the yard lead to switch cars from the passing siding into the yard without having to go out onto the main line.
 

brakie

Active Member
Brakie,

What are the dimensions of the two Superior buildings? How do you want them arranged? Walthers doesn't list the N scale dimensions - I could take the HO ones and cut them in half, but it still doesn't tell me how you'd like them arranged in that corner.

Do you want the overflow yard up there too?


OOPS! I missed the question yesterday.

I haven't order the paper mill yet-that's the next order.Those are fairly large buildings.I know that one-the main builing-is close to 12" long.


The buildings will face each other but,on seperate tracks.
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Yup - but inside or outside the main?
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Inside the grain mill will go on the two tracks you already have across from the yard.
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Keep the overflow yard where it is now-bottom left..
 

brakie

Active Member
Looks good! Going door size is definitely a good idea if. I am working on one a door sized layout myself where I previously had a 2.5 by 4 ft layout. The extra straightaway space makes it look a lot more realistic an easier to fit in industries.

The one suggestion on the plan I have is to flip the crossover connecting the passing siding at the bottom to the yard. That way you can use the yard lead to switch cars from the passing siding into the yard without having to go out onto the main line.


The "main" doesn't matter..This is a urban industrial branch in Columbus,Oh---well suppose to be..sign1


Thanks for the suggestion..It does have merits and something to mull over.
 

Squidbait

Recovering ALCO-holic
The one suggestion on the plan I have is to flip the crossover connecting the passing siding at the bottom to the yard. That way you can use the yard lead to switch cars from the passing siding into the yard without having to go out onto the main line.

Like this?

The only problem I see with that is that it limits the size of the switching lead with respect to what can be taken off the siding... move it more to the right so it's closer to the end of the siding, and you can only get a loco and a couple of cars on to the lead.
 

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Yes that is what I was thinking. I had envisioned it all the way to the right on the siding, but I see what you mean now about there not being much room on the lead at that point.
 

Herc Driver

Active Member
I think you've got an overall good looking and interesting design. Will you be running the layout clockwise or counter clockwise for the most part? I was thinking that...if you're running clockwise, you're engines would "head in" to the sidings and spurs. But looking at the bottom turnout positions at the southern tracks, I'm guessing you'll be running primarily counter clockwise? That way the engine would come off the "main line" onto the siding, then go into the yard area, then back into the yard ladder tracks?

I like the complexity of the whole thing...there's a lot going on in a pretty tight space with no "simple" switching answers. And I like the cross over at the northern section too...what degree cross over is that?
 

brakie

Active Member
Will you be running the layout clockwise or counter clockwise for the most part?
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I will run both ways equally..What goes out has to return to the "yard" and then off layout to either Parsons(CSX) or Watkins(NS) depending on the rotation...
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there's a lot going on in a pretty tight space with no "simple" switching answers.
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Actually those are basic switching moves that local crews encounter every day.Like the prototype I will switch industries on the return trip...:thumb::mrgreen:
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If you don't mind Squid,here's my additions in red.

brakie20door.jpg


The grain mill will be on the lower left side by the 2 tracks.The printing company will be where you have the mill..The upper right hand is the papper mill..The other industries will be 1 to a siding.
 

railohio

Active Member
From my experience grain elevators and flour mills need a lot of track to be convincing, especially in the unit train era. How about putting it up on the long red tracks at the top right? The paper mill can spread out over the three tracks across the oval on the same side of the layout. The printing company can go on the paired tracks at the left in the center which will leave the two paired tracks at the right in the center for other industries.
 

Herc Driver

Active Member
HA! Shows how linear I think...I see your point...you can run it in either direction and flow from one section to another regarless of a "preferred" direction. Cool layout - I like it!!
 

Squidbait

Recovering ALCO-holic
OK Larry,

*edit* Larry. LARRY! Brakie's name is Larry. Not Gus. Sorry about that! :eek:ops:

Here's the latest version. I re-arranged the sidings for the elevator so that you can get 2 50' hoppers in each, and spaced them so the elevator shed isn't quite so crowded.

I can re-position the others to fit buildings (to a point :D ).
 

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railohio

Active Member
The problem is that a two car track to an elevator will only be able to load one car. Remember that the loader is stationary and the cars are moving. You need to have a track that's nearly twice as long as the string of cars. To load two cars you'll need a three car track, to load ten cars you'll need a nineteen car track. I've seen a good many elevators that load between ten and fifteen car cuts when putting together unit trains starting at thirty cars.

This is only a model railroad after all. Maybe Larry is content to stuff four cars in two tracks, call them loaded, and pull them again. I don't know. We'll need to get his input on this before we can go much further.
 
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