SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Or does it work.
Southern Pacific 1891
#4 Turnouts
Code 70 and 55
18" Min Radius
Southern Pacific 1891
#4 Turnouts
Code 70 and 55
18" Min Radius
Is this dumb or what?
- Thread starter SpaceMouse
- Start date
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The only place that exceeds 30" is where the words train city are and it is all trees on a mountain.
Sacramento will probably get some ballast and that's it. It is in a shelving unit so it is not too obvious. If I can find a better spot for the freight station, It'll proabably get some trees.
Crandell,
Yep, 4 double slips: three in Train City; one in Rock Ridge.
I don't know about the wye. The river run is pretty twisted.
FYI: I gave up on my PRR Indiana Branch. I just can't see doing two layouts. That is why Rock Ridge got more space. It absorbed the PRR.
Edit. If I connect the wye, I can turn the trains in staging without the 0-5-0.
'S what I mean, dear fellow. You're already 2/3 of the way there, and your worst/tightest curves are the ones you have drawn already. Just link the two throats, somewhere where it makes sense, and you have a turning wye.
Oooh yeah!
Here are the changes I've made from your suggestions. Perhaps the biggest change is Crandall's suggestion to make a wye out of the staging spurs. To do that I had to put a double slip in a tunnel--I figure that is about as dumb as I can get. I'll have to figure a scenery option that will make it very accessible.
I need to get a long siding somewhere near Rock Ridge. I can actually get 5 cars plus a caboose and 2-6-0, but that is splitting hairs. I see my options as putting a curved turnout in a tunnel or running a siding along the river. Neither excite me. I'm open to suggestions. I do have a long passing siding in Train City.
I also moved the freight station away from Sacramento Staging and put it on the spur with the Bear Wiz Beer brewery. Not may favorite option, but it was the only one I could think of. I can semi justify it as being near the passenger station. Again, I'm open to suggestions.
Here it is.
And here is a detail of the Train City Yard.
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wheeler1963
Aurora & Portland Owner
Chip, how do you get from one side of the layout to the other??
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
The only wall shown is the grey area in the upper right. The rest is free standing so you can reach all sides.
wheeler1963
Aurora & Portland Owner
Chip, it looks like a lot of long reaches in the ends. Some are 7' across and 5' deep??
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
The only place that exceeds 30" is where the words train city are and it is all trees on a mountain.
wheeler1963
Aurora & Portland Owner
Chip, OK, i see it now. I was looking at the darker brown lines as walls.
Selector
Well-Known Member
I like it, Chip. I would, as a personal preference, urge you to make the track just before your curved dotted (hidden) track leading to the rightmost yard a curved turnout that allows you to join the other dotted track, thus providing you with a turning wye. It adds variety and flexibility, and would be well worth the effort in my opinion.
Are those a bunch of double-slips I see? I can't really tell, but if so, what a great system you have there. If not, it's still a great layout and should provide you with a lot of fun over the years.
-Crandell
Are those a bunch of double-slips I see? I can't really tell, but if so, what a great system you have there. If not, it's still a great layout and should provide you with a lot of fun over the years.
-Crandell
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Sacramento will probably get some ballast and that's it. It is in a shelving unit so it is not too obvious. If I can find a better spot for the freight station, It'll proabably get some trees.
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Crandell,
Yep, 4 double slips: three in Train City; one in Rock Ridge.
I don't know about the wye. The river run is pretty twisted.
FYI: I gave up on my PRR Indiana Branch. I just can't see doing two layouts. That is why Rock Ridge got more space. It absorbed the PRR.
Edit. If I connect the wye, I can turn the trains in staging without the 0-5-0.
Last edited by a moderator:
Can you 'stack' Carson City and Sacramento so one is above the other? It would save some steps in case the 0-5-0 wants to swap stock between the two. It may also free up some space.
Raising Sacramento and lowering CC will reduce the needed grades but still leave them at back comforting levels.
Swapping from Train City yard to Sac is at least on the same side of the layout.
If you REALLY want to be greedy with staging, a switch back at Sac or CC will permit even more staging under the rest of the layout parallel to the edge of the layout. Lower though and worse for the back.
Just my nickel's worth. Feel free to disregard.
Edit: Freed up space could permit larger radius.
Raising Sacramento and lowering CC will reduce the needed grades but still leave them at back comforting levels.
Swapping from Train City yard to Sac is at least on the same side of the layout.
If you REALLY want to be greedy with staging, a switch back at Sac or CC will permit even more staging under the rest of the layout parallel to the edge of the layout. Lower though and worse for the back.
Just my nickel's worth. Feel free to disregard.
Edit: Freed up space could permit larger radius.
Last edited by a moderator:
Selector
Well-Known Member
'S what I mean, dear fellow. You're already 2/3 of the way there, and your worst/tightest curves are the ones you have drawn already. Just link the two throats, somewhere where it makes sense, and you have a turning wye.
Oooh yeah!
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
THis what you mean?
Here are the changes I've made from your suggestions. Perhaps the biggest change is Crandall's suggestion to make a wye out of the staging spurs. To do that I had to put a double slip in a tunnel--I figure that is about as dumb as I can get. I'll have to figure a scenery option that will make it very accessible.
I need to get a long siding somewhere near Rock Ridge. I can actually get 5 cars plus a caboose and 2-6-0, but that is splitting hairs. I see my options as putting a curved turnout in a tunnel or running a siding along the river. Neither excite me. I'm open to suggestions. I do have a long passing siding in Train City.
I also moved the freight station away from Sacramento Staging and put it on the spur with the Bear Wiz Beer brewery. Not may favorite option, but it was the only one I could think of. I can semi justify it as being near the passenger station. Again, I'm open to suggestions.
Here it is.
And here is a detail of the Train City Yard.
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Fazby, I tried every way I could think of to get one yard higher than the other. There is just not enough room. Little steamers have a lot of issues with grades above 2%.
Selector
Well-Known Member
Chip, if you have a motorized curved turnout, and would rather keep the two leads to the yards separated and parallel, place a curved turnout somewhere nearer the lower right tunnel portal and have a track diverging over to the parallel lead. I suspect you will incorporate access to the region below your mountain, so a Tortoise and a curved #7 turnout should have you in a wye. and be repairable. The double slip works as well, but maybe you'd rather try the curved turnout quite a bit further "south". You could even have a double wide portal to allow the curved to be there with its throwbar out in the open for you visually inspect. It's a thought.
To be clear, using your outer scale markers as a grid pattern, if you go to position 13 and 16.5, that is where your turnout could be. The inner diverging route would lead to your eastern yard, while the through route would end up connecting to the other yard's lead someplace to complete your wye.
You know I'm doing this by eyeball...I have no reliable way of estimating the radius, but it is not inconceivable that a curved #7's diverging (tighter, inner) route would come out close 19", maybe even 20", so well within your specs for access to your eastern yard.
-Crandell
P.S. -but you know me, Chip...never met a double-slip I didn't like. I sure like yer thinkin', too.
To be clear, using your outer scale markers as a grid pattern, if you go to position 13 and 16.5, that is where your turnout could be. The inner diverging route would lead to your eastern yard, while the through route would end up connecting to the other yard's lead someplace to complete your wye.
You know I'm doing this by eyeball...I have no reliable way of estimating the radius, but it is not inconceivable that a curved #7's diverging (tighter, inner) route would come out close 19", maybe even 20", so well within your specs for access to your eastern yard.
-Crandell
P.S. -but you know me, Chip...never met a double-slip I didn't like. I sure like yer thinkin', too.
Last edited by a moderator:
Trussrod
Well-Known Member
Hi Chip,
Very interesting revision of your origional plan, the double slip's you mention, I don't believe are prototypical for your time period or the location IMHO but what ever works for you.
The new plan does give you, it seems, more operation. Also as a note for others unfamiliar with the two Calif. areas Sacramento & Carson City are seperated by a hugh mountain range and about 100 miles as the crow flies apart.
The Wye as mentioned could be advantageous but does detract from the implied prototypical distance between the two areas. Are they even on the same level?
Happy Thanks Giving!
Very interesting revision of your origional plan, the double slip's you mention, I don't believe are prototypical for your time period or the location IMHO but what ever works for you.
The new plan does give you, it seems, more operation. Also as a note for others unfamiliar with the two Calif. areas Sacramento & Carson City are seperated by a hugh mountain range and about 100 miles as the crow flies apart.
The Wye as mentioned could be advantageous but does detract from the implied prototypical distance between the two areas. Are they even on the same level?
Happy Thanks Giving!
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Trussrod,
Yes, Sacramento and Carson City are separated by quite a bit, but I'm only modeling the the short run between the mining town of Rock Ridge and Train City. As soon as the train enters the tunnel, they are officially off layout.
By extension, the double slip in the wye is also off layout.
Crandell, I have no problem with the double slip. I chose to do it that way because of the economy of motion that would be involved with resetting the layout for ops.
Yes, Sacramento and Carson City are separated by quite a bit, but I'm only modeling the the short run between the mining town of Rock Ridge and Train City. As soon as the train enters the tunnel, they are officially off layout.
By extension, the double slip in the wye is also off layout.
Crandell, I have no problem with the double slip. I chose to do it that way because of the economy of motion that would be involved with resetting the layout for ops.
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Here is the layout in relation to the rest of the basement.
And here is the layout with buildings, street, river, and trees.
I've been thinking about the ice platform. I've been told that the SP wouldn't have used it in 1891.
If you notice from the plot plan, I have left room to expand along the walls. It is a matter of finding storage for the stuff that is there now. So when I build this layout I'm building storage under it as I go. The top wall will be the first. Virginia City staging will move to the corner and that area will sport a logging operation.
When I expand the layout I am probably going to jump to 1909. Did the SP have working refers by then?
And here is the layout with buildings, street, river, and trees.
I've been thinking about the ice platform. I've been told that the SP wouldn't have used it in 1891.
If you notice from the plot plan, I have left room to expand along the walls. It is a matter of finding storage for the stuff that is there now. So when I build this layout I'm building storage under it as I go. The top wall will be the first. Virginia City staging will move to the corner and that area will sport a logging operation.
When I expand the layout I am probably going to jump to 1909. Did the SP have working refers by then?
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