Keeping two tracks visually separate

[DairyStateDad]

So, my plan will include various locations where tracks are in close proximity that are supposed to be miles and miles apart.

The usual gambits for isolating them visually from each other include elevation, a stand of trees, a scenic ridge of some kind to act as a view block. In my situation(s), elevation may not be the best option, but the others are. (The most complete separation, a double-sided backdrop, is out of the question in this case.)

So how have you done it? (irocinblue89's retaining wall/ridge/tree line I thought was especially good, although a bigger footprint than I have, which is what inspires this question.)

Edited to add: Invitation to show off your work!

 

[Motley]

Ya ironcinblue's retaining wall there is a good idea. Another idea is a row of buildings. Warehouses or industrial area type of thing.

Or even a small hill with trees.

 

[trailrider]

Depends on how far apart the two tracks are, and how much clearance you need for rolling stock (i.e., are the tracks so close that you can't really put anything between them and still have clearance for trains going around curves)? If the tracks are at minimum distance apart, you may not have much choice other than building or scenery flats.

 

[Motley]

I just looked at your track plan. Are you talking about the top side, the Atchensburg & St Mathew? I see those tracks. You could seperate them more by moving the top track closer to the top. Then you'll have plenty of room for a town with buildings and such there.

 

[DairyStateDad]

Depends on how far apart the two tracks are, and how much clearance you need for rolling stock (i.e., are the tracks so close that you can't really put anything between them and still have clearance for trains going around curves)? If the tracks are at minimum distance apart, you may not have much choice other than building or scenery flats.

Thanks for responding -- I guess I'm not asking for direct advice on what *I* should do. I'm figuring that, in the primary situation from my plan that I have in mind, the path of least resistance will probably be a sort of shrub-covered berm or something.

But I figure to prime the pump and maybe get myself thinking outside the box, it would be interesting to see the variety of ways people have specifically dealt with this issue on their individual layouts -- especially approaches that might be particularly clever or novel.

Cheers!

 

[DairyStateDad]

You could seperate them more by moving the top track closer to the top. Then you'll have plenty of room for a town with buildings and such there.

Not so much the top side -- there will be a fair amount of height difference between St. Matthew itself (elev. about 1 inch) and the track above leading from Aaronsburg to Eagle Junction (a grade going from about 2.5 inches at the end of the passing siding to 4 or 5 inches elev. by the time the track gets to Eagle Junction).

Now, when I get to 1:1 planning, I do expect to move some stuff around more, so I do want to keep in mind ways to further move those two lines apart.

The main thing I'm pondering is between the Aaronsburg passing siding and the track to the right of it that climbs from St. Matthew around to the other end of Eagle Junction. Those two stretches are fairly close to each other in elevation, at least right at that point.

As I mentioned in another response (that I was writing while you were writing yours), the easy solution there is a sort of shrub-covered hill or berm. But I'm interested in "stretching" my thinking on this and opening up to some particularly creative alternative...

 

[bnsf971]

To further visually separate, you can have different foliage, ballast, and architecture on the two lines. Not huge differences, that would be too jarring, and cause more trouble. But for example, a slightly greyer ballast, slightly greener trees, things like that.

 

[DairyStateDad]

... you can have different foliage, ballast, and architecture on the two lines. Not huge differences, that would be too jarring, and cause more trouble. But for example, a slightly greyer ballast, slightly greener trees, things like that.

That's a cool idea that I hadn't thought of. Thanks!

 

[cajon]

Erik
If your layout is 3'-4' wide it seems like you could use any combination of tall structures, hills/trees & back drops to separate the two "sides" of your layout. Heck why not let the kids help you to give them a little pride in "helping" you build it.

 

[DairyStateDad]

If your layout is 3'-4' wide it seems like you could use any combination of tall structures, hills/trees & back drops to separate the two "sides" of your layout. Heck why not let the kids help you to give them a little pride in "helping" you build it.

Fair enough, Andy... although the specific situations I'm thinking of occur not 3 or 4 feet apart but more like 3 or 4 inches

(Sometime back I realized that many layouts are a bit like Escher paintings in the way they bend space... Classic example being John Allen's Cross Junction/Corsa crossing, served by a two level station -- on his fictional prototype map, the two locations are quite distant and served by two different buildings... or, for that matter, the way Great Divide and Port were back-to-back and shared a skyline, even though they were separated by a mountain range or two... )

... As for the kids.... Well, the older one is in his own house now (although I did point out to him what a great train room his basement would make -- not that he was that interested... ). The younger, at 16, has other interests as well... but said if I wanted to put a zombie scene on the layout that would be pretty cool...

Again, for my specific context, I'm pretty confident that a small, shrub-covered ridge can separate the two "distant" tracks, but I'm always curious to see if others have found a different way to address this common challenge by thinking "outside of the box"...

 

[scroggin]

Another Idea is to use terrain to put one or the other of the tracks inside a tunnel- not the complete answer but it could be used for some of the area you want them separated and would allow the tracks to be very close.

 

[Greg@mnrr]

DairyStateDad:

Talking about John Allen, John stated in one of his articles, "that tracks that are in close proximity can be visually separated by a slight change of grade between the two tracks." Also, a variation in the color of the ballast can make a huge difference.

On my layout, I have a spur that leads off the main and it is on a downward grade and makes the two tracks appear more apart than they actually are. In this case, I plan on using a completely different ballast color to suggest that this spur belongs to another railroad who has trackage rights on the main.

Thanks.

Greg