hey everyone, i have a dilema.....

[trainsteve2435]

hello everyone, as you probably know, i have posted a new track plan that TC was nice enough to create for me. i have asked for suggestons regarding the placement of a TT and roundhouse. well, after much thinking and listening to everyones suggestons, i have come up against a dilema sorta. heres my situation... my layout is approximatly 11' 6" wide and 19' long includeing the nook at the bottom right. the bench is 2' wide all the way around the walls. (this is just to give you an idea of my space) the era i have picked is the later transition period. all but one of my 60 plus locos are disel, older GP's and F units. i have 1 steam engine and probably wont buy anymore as i prefer the old disels. my queston is this.... Would it be practical to add the TT and Round house to my layout for only one steamer? im just not sure i want to mess up a good first plan from TC in order to have all the wasted space for a TT and RH, not to mention, the revised plan TC was nice enough to make, which actually shortens my yard space just so i can have access to the turntable. now its true, i have already purchased and constructed the TT and RH kits, but is it really worth giveing up that much realestate just for one steamer, not to mention takeing away from a great plan? i really need your guys opinions, so i gladly accept any and all suggestons and comments. tell me waht your opinions are! thanks everyone!

 

[jon-monon]

IMHO skip it. If you need to turn it around, add a reverse loop or a wye. Even if you get more steam later, a wye works.

 

[pdt]

You could always make the roundhouse in a state of demolition and fill the turntable pit, laying more tracks over it that feed a diesel service area, caboose track, etc. That way you don't need all the space required by the roundhouse, maybe only one or two stalls.

 

[NYC-BKO]

The Maine Central at Portland, ME and the Bangor & Aroostook at Northern Maine Jct., Me used their turntables and roundhouses in the eighties. You can be justified if you want to use them, I know you don't model those roads but they were in use someplaces.

 

[brakie]

Wow! A loaded question..You see that would depend on the era you are modeling.You see for years railroads still used roundhouses for diesel maintenance rather then build a new engine house.But over the last few years railroads begin to remove these high maintenance and drafty buildings as most was beginning to show their age..

 

[TrainClown]

If you decide not to put the TT and RH on the layout, you can always make a display out of them. This is a good idea as it hones your modeling skills and a display is much faster finnished. You can display it in another room in the house and take it to club meets or shows to display your work. You could even build a moduel/display so you could hook it to other guys moduels at meets and have fun that way.

I'm amking a display out of an old fish tank to display my engines in the living room. This way my wife can't complain. Well..........she still complains.........but the engines aren't taking up her pressious glass cabinets any more. Her dern Christmas crockery gave my trains the boot.

TrainClown

 

[Glen Haasdyk]

You could do away with just the roundhouse and still have the turntable, or even false-front the roundhouse on the edge of the layout to give the impresion that there is one there. That way you would still be able to turn engines around without using valuable real estate building a wye

 

[Goattee]

Steve your LP must hold you in high regard with 60 head to do daily running repairs and scheduled inspections on all out in the weather:-

The CN (old IC) here in Memphis has a 20 stall roundhouse (built about 1919) that is operated every day. Some things have changed over the years, cranes installed and the pits deepened. Diesels are still being serviced in roundhouses.

One thing you might like to know. When I went to work there in the mid 60’s the place was really dirty. There was caked oil sand and dirt about 2 inches thick on the floors. The posts beams had safety slogans painted on them and could not be read for the soot. In the mid 70’s they started cleaning it up and today it is livable.
I vote for the round house.
I guess after 37 years working in one it just seems like you need one to me.

Goat

 

[SteamerFan]

Roundhouses are still in use, however most turntables have been replaced with a tree of Wye's for the roundhouse. this is due to two things, one being it's cheaper to maintain a bunch of switches than it is a single turntable, and two deisel engines really don't have to be turned. if a deisel has to be turned, they just deicate a simple wye off the service line to turn it around.

 

[pdt]

Guess what this used to be...

Southeast of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Granted, this is last year, so it wouldn't be appropriate for a late transition era layout necessarily, but it might give you an idea of how it might look to have a portion of a torn down roundhouse on your layout.

 

[trainsteve2435]

thanks guys for all the great suggestons. i think i have decided to use the TT but not the RH. i just dont think it would be feasable to use up that kind of room for something i probably wouldnt use, other than looks. dont get me wrong, i love the sight of roundhouses and wish i had the realestate to accomodate the full service facility, but as luck would have it i dont. so instead of haveing a TT and RH in the bottom right of my plan, i have decided to have a coal mine which works out fine. the outer line at the bottom of the track plan is elevated, so the coal mine will be up on a mountain also. i have posted the re vised plan with the mine in the track planning forum so take a look and see what you think! thanks again everyone!