I've been working on this cryogenic, helium plant scene for a couple of weeks now,..on and off and slowly. As I mentioned before I have now found space to put both a helium facility and cryogenic plant between the cryo-loading tracks/tanks at one end and the refinery at the other.
This is still preliminary, but the basic idea. That's a large cooling tower separating the two facilities, helium on the far side, cryo on the near side. There will be additional cylindrical stacks/towers associated with both plants, and the cooling tower itself will be a shared facility.
There are two tracks running parallel and to the inside of the 'ramp track' that is the upper deck loop mainline. That cryo tank car in setting on one of those tracks I call a primary holding track. It is utilized to hold a variety of cars at different times. It can hold cryo tank cars waiting to be shuffled to their loading sidings. This is accomplished by pushing them to the end of that track that can hold up to 2 such cars at any one time. These are then pulled by a switcher along the inner track to their specific loading stub tracks.
Notice there is also provided a siding for the switcher loco dedicated to moving a variety of cars around the cryo, helium. and refinery tracks.
Both of these 'holding tracks' might also at any time be used to hold a variety of fuel tankers and propane cars waiting to be shuffled into the 2 refinery loading tracks. And they might also hold some helium cars waiting for their turn to be shuffled to the two helium loading tracks.
That holding track next to the ramp might also be used to line up coal hoppers from the mine above, that are waiting to be picked up by a coal hauling train coming around that upper deck mainline.
This entire area could be a bee-hive of switching/shuffling activity without interfering with mainline activity.
This is still preliminary, but the basic idea. That's a large cooling tower separating the two facilities, helium on the far side, cryo on the near side. There will be additional cylindrical stacks/towers associated with both plants, and the cooling tower itself will be a shared facility.
There are two tracks running parallel and to the inside of the 'ramp track' that is the upper deck loop mainline. That cryo tank car in setting on one of those tracks I call a primary holding track. It is utilized to hold a variety of cars at different times. It can hold cryo tank cars waiting to be shuffled to their loading sidings. This is accomplished by pushing them to the end of that track that can hold up to 2 such cars at any one time. These are then pulled by a switcher along the inner track to their specific loading stub tracks.
Notice there is also provided a siding for the switcher loco dedicated to moving a variety of cars around the cryo, helium. and refinery tracks.
Both of these 'holding tracks' might also at any time be used to hold a variety of fuel tankers and propane cars waiting to be shuffled into the 2 refinery loading tracks. And they might also hold some helium cars waiting for their turn to be shuffled to the two helium loading tracks.
That holding track next to the ramp might also be used to line up coal hoppers from the mine above, that are waiting to be picked up by a coal hauling train coming around that upper deck mainline.
This entire area could be a bee-hive of switching/shuffling activity without interfering with mainline activity.