CNW switching layout
- Thread starter stevezrx
- Start date
Ok here is a small project I'm pretty excited to post. Here is one thing I have learned every layout needs a team track. I have been experimenting with different ideas. One is to get a truck to represent what is being unloaded. Here is a gasoline car. If I had a diesel truck I could have fueled my engine. I also picked up a sun kist truck which I figured I could spot reefers next too. Anyway for the cost of a vehicle and a matching car. You have an industry and it isn't permanent so it could add variety to operating sessions. I am also thinking of getting multiple fuel cars with different brands of fuel.
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new guy
Active Member
Ok here is a small project I'm pretty excited to post. Here is one thing I have learned every layout needs a team track. I have been experimenting with different ideas. One is to get a truck to represent what is being unloaded. Here is a gasoline car. If I had a diesel truck I could have fueled my engine. I also picked up a sun kist truck which I figured I could spot reefers next too. Anyway for the cost of a vehicle and a matching car. You have an industry and it isn't permanent so it could add variety to operating sessions. I am also thinking of getting multiple fuel cars with different brands of fuel.
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Brilliant! Will use that idea, THANKS!
They look like they may be Blue Box Athearns. Plastic wheels, metal axles? Change the wheelsets to metal, or trucks/wheelsets both. Change couplers to KD's if not done already. Give those silver walkways on the CNW a dirty up. A good buy.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
Looks like lots of track and switching so if that is what you want, go for it.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
I think some "space" on the layout is a good idea. I think if you get rid of your rural scene you will regret it later.
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
I agree with David. An open rural area would act as a scenery break. Most of my layout is rural, with a yard at each end of a point to point layout. The majority of my layout is in a rural setting and in order to make scenery breaks, I would add a cut through scenery at a higher elevation of have an open rural area of some size (which I notice you really don't have room for) to separate the towns on the layout. Looking at the track plan you posted, things do look a bit crowded. An open rural area would probably be a good idea.
NIKO_SUAV3
Member
Well a good friend of mine had to come up with a great design that already incorporated a lot of my layout so what do you think.
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I think that is a pretty interesting layout! What are the dimensions of the space you're working in if you don't mind me asking? Ive been poking around looking for Ideas on my layout but haven't landed on anything I like just yet.
Secondhandmodeler
All new now!
I guess it depends on what drives you in this hobby. If you're a scenery guy, there won't be much in the way of that. If you're an operations guy, I don't think you'd ever get bored with it. Personally, I love watching the trains run through my rural areas and then pass through towns. As you can tell, I'm more into scenery. Maybe you could incorporate parts of the new plan into what you've already built and have your cake and eat it too!
Layout levels
I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, it is now a bi level layout. The Darker yellow is 4 inches of styrafoam above the plywood. The dark blue area is the interchange between the WSOR and the CNW. So technicially you could run two seperate railroads in the same space. Avalon is on the lower level and behind is the staging for the CNW. 4 inches means I would need a 2% incline which is t he dark blue section. this layout is prototypically correct to match up with janesville, wi and the cnw yard
I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, it is now a bi level layout. The Darker yellow is 4 inches of styrafoam above the plywood. The dark blue area is the interchange between the WSOR and the CNW. So technicially you could run two seperate railroads in the same space. Avalon is on the lower level and behind is the staging for the CNW. 4 inches means I would need a 2% incline which is t he dark blue section. this layout is prototypically correct to match up with janesville, wi and the cnw yard
So this layout will utilize my current layout and represent Janesville dark tan is the cnw railroad and 4 inches above the lighter yellow bench work which will just be stacking foam. The yellow area will represent the wsor. The green area is a 2.8% grade representing the interchange between the two railroads. The wsor will interchange with the cp as we'll heading towards Rockford il. I pretty much get two switching railroads in the same space. What do you all think
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Having just tried out the little switching layout at the club yesterday (they take it to shows for the kids to try, that suits me to a "T") I think yours would be great, compact but very busy.
I have been there a couple times and live an hour or so away. The GM truck factory is gone and all of its related switching. Most of what rail activity I have seen is SWOR when I have been there. But I was there for work and didn't have much spare time for fanning.
