Aha! There they are!
View attachment 31509
Here's the 'interchange' at Murdock's Landing. In the overall operating scheme, this is where some trains terminate and others pause before continuing on up the branch to a town (along the garage wall). Where this is located...along the 'aisle' next to the car, in the middle of the garage. The garage door would be to your right, and the timesaver to your left.
There's a little enginehouse for the "Critter"...this structure was started back in 1997 (I think) and needs finishing, but it's just long enough to hold a 44 tonner so the Model 40 fits with room to spare. The main track forms a basic loop with 22" radius curves. If I expand the peninsula area by 6" more towards the car, I may be able to use 24" radius plus run the track at an angle to the edge of the layout for a nicer look. We'll see. After spending more time in that room staring at the space and positioning the timesaver where it might go, I think that would work just fine.
Anyway, the inner track infront of the station is the 'interchange' track and/or storage track for cars destined for the timesaver or up the branch. Freights come out of staging (see the next pic) and either terminate at ML and return or head up the branch, following the inner track around an 18" radius curve.
The spur running behind the station will run down a steep grade so the switcher will only be able to take a few cars at a time, but that's okay since space is tight on the landing anyway. Ocali Creek runs from one end of the layout to the other behind the entire scene, visually separating the branch as it climbs through the mountain, briefly popping out of a tunnel along a cribbed cut before ducking back into a tunnel headed toward the town, located above staging (not drawn yet).
View attachment 31510
This staging area is actually from another sketch, but generally it's what would go in the space along the garage wall. An aisle would run in front of this area and the town at the end of the branch line would be located above this staging effectively hiding it. Access from the staging to the rest of the layout is via a wye, so trains can appear at Murdock's Landing along Ocali Creek from either direction, and also just make laps around the loop before returing to staging.
Yet to be sketched...probably tomorrow, are the town and a mine branch. The mine branch will come out of the town and head back toward the peninsula but will end opposite the town on the other side of the aisle (and the other side of the ridge from Murdock's Landing).
I haven't figured grades yet, but they'll probably be pretty hefty. Trains up the branch will be short anyway, so helpers may not be necessary.
Okay...whaddya think?
Galen
View attachment 31509
Here's the 'interchange' at Murdock's Landing. In the overall operating scheme, this is where some trains terminate and others pause before continuing on up the branch to a town (along the garage wall). Where this is located...along the 'aisle' next to the car, in the middle of the garage. The garage door would be to your right, and the timesaver to your left.
There's a little enginehouse for the "Critter"...this structure was started back in 1997 (I think) and needs finishing, but it's just long enough to hold a 44 tonner so the Model 40 fits with room to spare. The main track forms a basic loop with 22" radius curves. If I expand the peninsula area by 6" more towards the car, I may be able to use 24" radius plus run the track at an angle to the edge of the layout for a nicer look. We'll see. After spending more time in that room staring at the space and positioning the timesaver where it might go, I think that would work just fine.
Anyway, the inner track infront of the station is the 'interchange' track and/or storage track for cars destined for the timesaver or up the branch. Freights come out of staging (see the next pic) and either terminate at ML and return or head up the branch, following the inner track around an 18" radius curve.
The spur running behind the station will run down a steep grade so the switcher will only be able to take a few cars at a time, but that's okay since space is tight on the landing anyway. Ocali Creek runs from one end of the layout to the other behind the entire scene, visually separating the branch as it climbs through the mountain, briefly popping out of a tunnel along a cribbed cut before ducking back into a tunnel headed toward the town, located above staging (not drawn yet).
View attachment 31510
This staging area is actually from another sketch, but generally it's what would go in the space along the garage wall. An aisle would run in front of this area and the town at the end of the branch line would be located above this staging effectively hiding it. Access from the staging to the rest of the layout is via a wye, so trains can appear at Murdock's Landing along Ocali Creek from either direction, and also just make laps around the loop before returing to staging.
Yet to be sketched...probably tomorrow, are the town and a mine branch. The mine branch will come out of the town and head back toward the peninsula but will end opposite the town on the other side of the aisle (and the other side of the ridge from Murdock's Landing).
I haven't figured grades yet, but they'll probably be pretty hefty. Trains up the branch will be short anyway, so helpers may not be necessary.
Okay...whaddya think?
Galen
, YET!)
