I've been spending too much time designing and not enough building of my new N scale layout. I think I finalized the inital stage of the layout (for about the 15th time since April.) I started construction of the sawmill section of the layout when I realized that I could be designing for the rest of my life.
Briefly, the layout is two levels snaking around my office & living room. The first level is detailed, the second level is still a schematic. (Plans not presentable as yet.) Since I'll be doing more construction on the lower level next week, I thought I'd throw out the plans for comment & criticism. My main concerns is the size of the yard (will hold about 58 40' cars) and the station tracks approaching the yard.
Yard/town Detail:
Sawmill Detail:
Upper Level Schematic (Plans not designed yet.)
Aspects:
Setting: Fictional Adirondack logging & mining road, circa 1916.
Connections: NYC & D&H. 1 pass. & 1 freight into town each per day. Both drop & pick up cars only with no local switching. Both enter & leave town on a short, shared track after turning. Traffic estimated at 25 cars in and out each day. (For now.)
Locomotives: The loco roster will be very small with none of the logging locos spending any time in the yard and visiting locos turned and quickly sent on their way. A Consolidation or two and a switcher will be the likely residents of the yard.
Industries: Logging camps, sawmill & paper mill. Iron mine & furnace. Also, not prototypical as far as I know, the largest Tofu feedlot & packing plant East of the Mississippi.
Construction: Layout will be moved over the next few years, and since it will share my current office and living space, portions of it will be stationary with a short, removable connecting section and a large portion of the upper level suspended from the ceiling. As a result of these considerations, the layout is being constructed of very light materials. 1x2 open grid with rigid foam. The 7'-6X2'-8" sawmill section is already built, track layed & most scenery done, weighing in at a whopping 12 1/2 lbs.
Scenery: I've been experimenting with a rigid foam base with hills & mountains made of 2 part urethane foam, poured over bubble wrap & reinforced with fiberglass screening. This has proved very successful. Many thousands of trees are required and are growing quite nicely in the Muddy Creek nursery.
Transition between levels: Helixes and switchbacks were abandoned in favor of open running. Track at the sawmill doubles back and rises 8" in this section alone. Grade is about 4 1/2 to 5% but should be manageble with the very short trains climbing the mountain. Other than coal for the blast furnace, most trains will be hauling empties up, loads down. Track approaching & leaving the sawmill will contribute to the rest of the height gain.
Hidden track: There is a large bookcase with ample space behind. NYC & D&H trains run here to a staging area below the sawmill module and trains to the upper level will continue to climb while hidden here.
Upper level: Blast furnace on shelf portion above paper mill shelf. Track curves towards the large, suspended section roughly 6 1/2' x 10 1/2' in size.
The center of this section will consist of a large, tree-covered mountain forming a scenery divide around which will be located the iron mine, two small settlements (including the Ranakena Tofu Packing Company) and the logging operations.
Future expansion: Both the lower level has room to expand to the right of the Muddy Creek module. The area is currently occupied by an 1867 Steinway Square Grand piano in need of much restoration work. (Hopefully by someone else and soon.) It occupies 7'-3"x44" that could easily be used by the logging operation. In fact, Mr Steinway is lucky the charcoal burners didn't chop it up & stuff it in their kilns. (Most modern piano restorers would wish they did.)
All comments re: the lower level plan are welcome as are comments regarding the piano.
Wayne
Briefly, the layout is two levels snaking around my office & living room. The first level is detailed, the second level is still a schematic. (Plans not presentable as yet.) Since I'll be doing more construction on the lower level next week, I thought I'd throw out the plans for comment & criticism. My main concerns is the size of the yard (will hold about 58 40' cars) and the station tracks approaching the yard.
Yard/town Detail:
Sawmill Detail:
Upper Level Schematic (Plans not designed yet.)
Aspects:
Setting: Fictional Adirondack logging & mining road, circa 1916.
Connections: NYC & D&H. 1 pass. & 1 freight into town each per day. Both drop & pick up cars only with no local switching. Both enter & leave town on a short, shared track after turning. Traffic estimated at 25 cars in and out each day. (For now.)
Locomotives: The loco roster will be very small with none of the logging locos spending any time in the yard and visiting locos turned and quickly sent on their way. A Consolidation or two and a switcher will be the likely residents of the yard.
Industries: Logging camps, sawmill & paper mill. Iron mine & furnace. Also, not prototypical as far as I know, the largest Tofu feedlot & packing plant East of the Mississippi.
Construction: Layout will be moved over the next few years, and since it will share my current office and living space, portions of it will be stationary with a short, removable connecting section and a large portion of the upper level suspended from the ceiling. As a result of these considerations, the layout is being constructed of very light materials. 1x2 open grid with rigid foam. The 7'-6X2'-8" sawmill section is already built, track layed & most scenery done, weighing in at a whopping 12 1/2 lbs.
Scenery: I've been experimenting with a rigid foam base with hills & mountains made of 2 part urethane foam, poured over bubble wrap & reinforced with fiberglass screening. This has proved very successful. Many thousands of trees are required and are growing quite nicely in the Muddy Creek nursery.
Transition between levels: Helixes and switchbacks were abandoned in favor of open running. Track at the sawmill doubles back and rises 8" in this section alone. Grade is about 4 1/2 to 5% but should be manageble with the very short trains climbing the mountain. Other than coal for the blast furnace, most trains will be hauling empties up, loads down. Track approaching & leaving the sawmill will contribute to the rest of the height gain.
Hidden track: There is a large bookcase with ample space behind. NYC & D&H trains run here to a staging area below the sawmill module and trains to the upper level will continue to climb while hidden here.
Upper level: Blast furnace on shelf portion above paper mill shelf. Track curves towards the large, suspended section roughly 6 1/2' x 10 1/2' in size.
The center of this section will consist of a large, tree-covered mountain forming a scenery divide around which will be located the iron mine, two small settlements (including the Ranakena Tofu Packing Company) and the logging operations.
Future expansion: Both the lower level has room to expand to the right of the Muddy Creek module. The area is currently occupied by an 1867 Steinway Square Grand piano in need of much restoration work. (Hopefully by someone else and soon.) It occupies 7'-3"x44" that could easily be used by the logging operation. In fact, Mr Steinway is lucky the charcoal burners didn't chop it up & stuff it in their kilns. (Most modern piano restorers would wish they did.)
All comments re: the lower level plan are welcome as are comments regarding the piano.
Wayne
