Denver, CO Industrial Switching Modules

[Trucklover]

La Mirada, CA BNSF Switching (No longer Denver Project)

I think i have decided to go with this particular area around Franklin St & E. 66th Ave. in the city of Denver, Colorado. 2 Members on the gauge pointed this area out to me, and it caught my attention with all the building supply places

the following pictures show the branchline i would like to model. It has alot of lumber and building materials yards along this short little branchline

We start here with this shot of the area. This is where the line comes off the mainline (actually the line comes off a little ways up further, but for mine it will just start right here and serve this industry first) Im not sure what mainline this is right here to the left, ill have to do a little research and find out, but the business that is on the corner and rail served is called Gypsum Products. They specialize in Wallboards (drywall...), Steel Framing, and Acoustical Ceilings. After the siding, the branchline curves around the GP yard and travels up and serves rather large building (not sure of the business name yet).

Then it continues on to serve a Budweiser building/warehouse and also another building materials yard/business. The track continues and does a S type curve

This is just after that S curve and the view has been flipped. At the bottom is a large paved yard and home to yet another building materials business. The branchline also serves a few small buildings along the top

This picture is just off to the left of the last picture. It is a line that branches off and serves 2 industries

Here you can see the branchline, its pretty much in the center of the picture. It branches off and serves a few industries, and one of the tracks that goes off to the left and one that goes off to the right goes down a little ways and serves 2 industries on each side

Referring to the last picture, this is the track that branches off to the left. It serves 2 industries and then continues down a ways and serves 1 more industry

This is the end of the line, it splits up into 3 tracks and they all dead end in businesses, would make an interesting model point

I know that everything is a little hard to see, i would draw in some black lines but i dont have a program to edit them in on right now lol


This is what i have to work with right now, now its off into the track planning program to start up a design going off the pictures

 

[jbaakko]

Looks like a good choice Josh...

 

[Trucklover]

Thanks Josh, im really liking this area

 

[Trucklover]

Okay so, here is where im at in the planning stages. I started with this aerial pic from the mainline:

this is the area that the branchline starts.

and here is what i came with so far. I had to do some minor modifying to make it fit on 18" modules:

Basically the left most module and 3/4 of the middle module is for staging and does not exist in the prototype. The reason i added it was so i can use to pick up cars to switch to all the other various industries and businesses. Theoretically if the yard kept going to the left and mainline kept going in either direction, i could have a train pull in off the mainline and pull into the yard. Who knows, maybe this could be an expansion spot or somewhere i can connect to other modules in the future....

The right side of the Middle Module is actually where the prototype starts. Mainline is below and the branchline is just above it. It starts with that switch on the right side of the middle module. This is where the siding starts for the Gypsum Products facility (on the right most module). I also included the business next to the Gypsum Products facility (on the middle module, need to find out the business name still). i had to modify the mainline from 2 tracks down to one in order for the curve to fit in right.....

Above the right most module is another module that starts the branchline going up like the prototype. On this module is another business (again, have not found out what it is yet) and a switch for a business above that is not yet been drawn in.


Specifications of the modules include:

Name: Denver, CO's Franklin Street Switching District
Gauge: HO Scale
Size: Coming Soon lol
Prototype: Denver, CO's Franklin Street - Union Pacific
Era: Modern
Style: Modules ranging in size from 4-6' long x 18" wide
Mainline Run: 16 feet
Color Code: RED = Mainline, BLACK = Branchline, Sidings, and Yard Tracks, Orange = Buildings
Minimum Radius: 28" all around
Minimum Turnout: no. #8 Central Valley's
Grade: None
Benchwork: Box Frame with 2" Blue Foam
Height: 50"
Roadbed: Woodland Scenics Foambed
Track: Mainline ~ Central Valley Code 83, Branchline and Sidings ~ Central Valley Code 70
Control: MRC Prodigy Wireless


Well thats all that i have so far, comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome

 

[Trucklover]

After a little more work:

First the aerial shots of what i worked on this morning:

This first picture refers to the area of number 5 on the plan below

And this area refers to number 10 on the plan below

and the plan where it is at right now:

BLACK Numbers are module sizes:

1. 18"x60"
2. 18"x60"
3. 18"x48"
4. 18"x24"
5. 18"x60"
6. 22"x60"
7. 17"x17" Triangle
8. 24"x36"

RED Number are Buildings, roads, yards, and special tracks


1. Small Yard (non-existent in the prototype)
2. Jorgenson Steel Co.
3. Gypsum Products
4. Hamilton Linen and Uniform
5. Transportation Services (Im not sure what the business is for this location, it does not tell me a true definition of what is there, all it says is transportation services...)
6. E. 62nd Ave.
7. Franklin Street
8. Budweiser Truck Maintenance Building
9. Walthers Code 83 #6 Curved Turnout
10. Budweiser Warehouse


Here is a overhead of the business listings i found for the area so far, as you can see, the D is the business in question. It is labeled as Transportation Services and is not on the building itself, appears to be in the parking lot... A is Hamilton Linen and Uniform and B is Gypsum Products. I will need to dig a little deeper to try and find out what this business is for sure. As you can see, it is rail served....

 

[DaWolf85]

Looking good there. If I had the space I'd do this for my layout.

 

[68 Camaro]

Josh,

This looks real good. I think that running a prototypical layout will give you a feel for the actual switching movements that are involved. Don't forget to add structures along the back wall. Even though not every business receives rail service, they are part of the total scene.

You might want to try Google "Street Wise" on a in front of the Transportation Services structure. If you haven't used it, it places you right in the middle of the street in front of whatever building you choose. Use the stick figure in the upper left hand corner of the Google satelite map and drag it to the street location. It allows you 360 degrees of rotation at street level. You may see some vehicles or description or name of the business. If you can get the name of the business at street level, then it is just a matter of Googling the business in Denver, CO.

If this don't work, Google "Transportation Services" on Franklin Street in Denver or whatever street that it resides. It may kick out a address and website as well as description of what they do. I have had luck doing this with just a business and a city location. I enclosed a link of the Seaboard/Archive Americas warehouse in Miami as an example of Street Wise. You can pan the camera 360 degrees to get an idea of names of businesses, street sizes and general activity.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=...EgSKCRvB5cTi2Rw&cbp=12,59.61200703419074,,0,5





Larry

 

[Trucklover]

Larry thanks for the reply I use Google Street View alot, as well as the Google Maps to find businesses, Microsoft Live Search for fine quality aerial pictures, and Google Earth