I've designed myself a problem


jacon12

jacon12

Member
If you'll note in the diagram below, I've set aside the spot for my passenger station in a difficult spot for my passengers to get to without getting killed. From the bottom, come up halfway on the bottom row, then come over 7 (large) blocks from the right, the area between the yard and the 'passing sidling'. That green area between the yard and the mainline is where I'd planned for it to be.
53210154.layoutforweb.jpg

My passengers have no way to get to the station, I don't see a logical place to bring in a street or road to it without crossing several tracks. To complicate it further, the yard area will be two inches higher than the area where the passenger station would sit. The track directly in front of the station and the siding for the passenger train is at 0 elevation. Getting on deeper, the siding for the passenger train is ACROSS the mainline from the station, so they not only can't drive down to the station but they must risk getting killed crossing the mainline.
One solution is to move the yard forward on the bench and put the passenger station on the back track (swap them in other words, then the yard would be closer for switching and uncoupling etc Plus I wouldn't have to build up all that area to 2 inches where the yard presently sits.
That make sense to you?
I'm open to suggestions please.
Jarrell
 
Jarrell

You could make the parking lot, off layout with a walk over pedestrial bridge as access to the station inside the track are?
 
Well it appears to be a easy fix..How about adding a access road coming from the edge of the layout crossing both tracks of the passing siding and into the station's parking lot?
 
I like Brakie's idea. Jarrell don't worry about congestion. Our Amtrak station (built in the 20's) sits in the middle of a triangle of two streets with very limited parking. The base of the triangle is a mainline, passing track, and a siding track. The sides of the triangle are the streets which crosses all these tracks before coming together.
 
I appreciate the suggestions. I also like Brakie's idea and I think that is what I'll do. The street will come across both tracks right into the station parking lot. I was speaking with a friend tonight about it and he said, "Man, you oughta go up to Atlanta and see how they've got the Amtrak station squeezed into an impossible situation. Freight trains FLY through the place"
I don't want a big terminal there, just a smaller station house and maybe a passenger platform and thats it. 'Course, I know by now how that is in this hobby, it gets bigger and bigger.
Another guy suggested a large terminal that actually sat up on the 2 inch high section that the yard is on and the terminal extended out over the two tracks and trains ran 'under' that portion of the terminal. That was a kind of neat idea too, but using a little bigger building than I was planning on.
Anyway, thanks for the help!
Jarrell
 
Jarrell,

I like your idea of swapping the station and yard areas. That would put your "working" yard area close to the front of the layout (easier access!).

The station would then be on the raised portion, which would allow you to have a highway bridge to the station running OVER the yard, a really neat scene!

Unfortunately, that would also cut your yard length and cause problems with your drill track.

Another possible location is to put the station and siding on the left side, about where your drill track ends next to the mainline. If you can shift the whole yard to the right, you could probably squeeze the drill track next to the station.

Just a couple of thoughts to make your job harder! LOL

Darrell, quiet...for now
 
Hmmm! Jarrell, Darrell (you guys twins:D ) makes some very good points. I screwed up and was looking at your drawing from the wrong perspective. If your only operating side is the grid side, then I personally would rather have the easier reach to my yard.

Two good methods to look at and scratch your...ah...head about.:D
 
On the real railroads, anytime you have passengers, crossing "live" tracks to board a train, the dispatchers will hold all other movements, until the passenger train departs the station. You could do somthing like that, and just as others suggested, that the parking lot is on the other side of the tracks.
 
You've got two problems now, as the image isn't visible. Not sure if you deleted it, or exceeded your bandwidth?
 
jacon12,I fully agree with keeping your yard in reach..I really like Darrell's idea about a highway bridge to the station..I haven't studied on it but,I fully believe the yard lead/drill track will work as you will be reversing the yard and the yard lead should end up on the right side.
 
"Unfortunately, that would also cut your yard length and cause problems with your drill track."
Darrell, this was why I had almost abandoned that idea. But not yet.. :) I sure like the idea of the yard being in the front and the passenger station and siding at the back though.

"If your only operating side is the grid side, then I personally would rather have the easier reach to my yard"
Rex, yes the aisle is the grid, green area the benches. Although I can reach the yard as it is, it would be a lot better up front. Why the h*ll didn't I design it that way to begin with! grrrrr

"On the real railroads, anytime you have passengers, crossing "live" tracks to board a train, the dispatchers will hold all other movements, until the passenger train departs the station. You could do somthing like that, and just as others suggested, that the parking lot is on the other side of the tracks."
I had no idea railroads would even let people walk across live tracks!

Jarrell
 
jacon12 said:
I had no idea railroads would even let people walk across live tracks!

Jarrell
Click to expand...

You have never been to Chicago ;) I remember seeing a video were folks just about got splatted when one train was leaving and another was running threw. Pretty scary sight :eek:
 
dthurman said:
You have never been to Chicago ;) I remember seeing a video were folks just about got splatted when one train was leaving and another was running threw. Pretty scary sight :eek:
Click to expand...

Been there but with the wife. Spent most of the time on the Miracle Mile...;)
Jarrell
 
jacon12 said:
I appreciate the suggestions. I also like Brakie's idea and I think that is what I'll do. The street will come across both tracks right into the station parking lot. I was speaking with a friend tonight about it and he said, "Man, you oughta go up to Atlanta and see how they've got the Amtrak station squeezed into an impossible situation. Freight trains FLY through the place"
I don't want a big terminal there, just a smaller station house and maybe a passenger platform and thats it. 'Course, I know by now how that is in this hobby, it gets bigger and bigger.
Another guy suggested a large terminal that actually sat up on the 2 inch high section that the yard is on and the terminal extended out over the two tracks and trains ran 'under' that portion of the terminal. That was a kind of neat idea too, but using a little bigger building than I was planning on.
Anyway, thanks for the help!
Jarrell
Click to expand...
Morning Jarrell. I was wondering,have you given thought to maybe using pedistrian walkway bridges? Maybe put one or two in the parking lot over to where the station is? That might work.Good luck.Also neat track plan boss.:)
 
L&N Castle said:
Morning Jarrell. I was wondering,have you given thought to maybe using pedistrian walkway bridges? Maybe put one or two in the parking lot over to where the station is? That might work.Good luck.Also neat track plan boss.:)
Click to expand...

I had thought about doing that. This moring, with that first cup of coffee, I'm still running the options through my mind.
I gotta get out more....:)
One thing I thought of is that IF I moved the yard to the front and the passenger stuff to the back and IF I kept the mainline and passenger siding two inches from the backdrop, like it is now... then the viewer would be looking at the backside of the passenger station. I know it could be built so you're looking at the FRONT of the station and the trains pull up to the REAR of the station, but I'm not that great a modeler so I'll probably go with one of the Walthers kits.
IF I leave it as it is now, with passenger station at the front and yard to the rear, walkway bridges are an option and would be interesting to model (with my limited skills). The entire yard area will be 2 inches higher than the passenger area so that is going to make the tracks in the yard a little easier to work with also.
I dunno. I appreciate the suggestions and I think they ALL have merit, it's just a matter of deciding which way to go.
Jarrell
 
jacon12 said:
I had no idea railroads would even let people walk across live tracks!

Jarrell
Click to expand...

Well, if you're modelling the '50s, it was probably more common to do that then, rather than now.

Even so, at Joliet IL, there is a passenger platform between tracks.

Kennedy
 
I'm going to leave it like it is and put a road across the tracks into a parking lot beside the station.
Thanks for the suggestions fellas.
Jarrell
 
I think I know of at least two locations where the depot was located in the center of a Wye/between tracks. One is Greenwich OH; there's a triangular area bordered by the tracks, and a couple of grade crossings. The depot used to be in that triangular area:

http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=17&X=1864&Y=22718&W=3&qs=|Greenwich|oh|

The second location is Vancouver WA. The depot used to be right in the middle of that Wye, right below where you see those cars parked.

http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=10&X=2622&Y=25264&W=3&qs=|vancouver|wa|

Kennedy
 
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