Revision review please!

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


C

chimmike

UP and BNSF freelancer
Okay, here's another revision, N scale layout. The very bottom track is the spur line that goes up a grade to the yard on the bottom right for my ore mine. The switch on the curve on the left is for the main.

Up at the top, the very top track is a yard lead that can also be used as the main if necessary.

I'm thinking of doing a single-track to staging that spurs off the section in the tunnel on the right, going straight up to some removable staging.

I think I've made it more operations friendly as I've looked to see what is absolutely necessary and what doesn't make sense.

If anyone has any suggestions or revisions, I'd be happy to send the xtrkcad file.

FYI, I'm using code 80 Atlas, those visible switch machines likely will be replaced by motors or something, I haven't decided just exactly what, yet.

And also FYI, I'm getting the digitrax zephyr to run it.
 
It's ok..I guess. I have a smaller version of that design and it's sort of fun to operate. I think you need to look at John Armstrong's "Trackplanning for realistic operation" after you've read it, I think you'll design a much more fun layout.

It has extreme limitations, and in the space you've alocated for this layout you could do A LOT more interesting things.

Remember, a model railroad is a minirature transportation system, and right now you have a doughnut with a yard and an industrial district.

I think you need to focus on two or three real-life major industries and model those, so you have a reason for your railroad, then build up the yards, industries and trackage for them, and at least a double mainline, with each mainline going somewhere different.

Good industries to model include:

Ore>Steel>Manufatcuring>Finished goods

Coal>Powerplant>Ashes&Waste>Landfill

Fresh Produce Packing Co.> Distribution Facility > Frozen Goods to Market

Pulpwood > Paper > Warehouse

Logging > Lumber& building materials > Distribution Facility

Gravel > Cement Plant > Local Cement Silos

Grain silo > Milling Facility > Bread/Cereal Factory > Warehouse

Oil > Refinery > Liquid Oil Products (Gasoline, Diesel, Butane, Propane, & Various Chemicals) > Local Tank Farm.

Oil > Refinery > Plastic Pellet Manufacturer > Furniture, Toy, Auto plant, Goods factory

Intermodal Container off Ships > Warehouse

Ore > Steel > Autos >Local Distribution Facility

Carbon Black > Tire Plant > Auto Plant

Junk Yard > Steel Plant > New steel> Manufacturing facility.

The list goes on and on...
 


I'm just really lost as to how I can expand on what I've designed without somehow making it a bigger table (which I don't have room for).......

and I haven't found any examples really, that could help me.
 
Mike (Right?)

Making the most of your space on your layout makes the layout larger, it's not the size of the board, it's how you use it. :D

By intellegent allocation of each and every track, you make your mini railroad work for you, by having a purpose and completing a task, if only in emulation of the real thing.

"Realistic Track Planning for Model Railroads" will broaden your mind, and hopefully open up alot of things you didn't even think about before, I know it certianly did for me. Making your layout not only nice to look at, but fun to play on more levels than sending a train out of a yard and having it do circles will hopefully extend the depth of your intrest in one of the most broad-ranged hobbies on the face of this earth.

You're not only modeling Trains, but an entire minirature world, with you at the controls, the creator of all of that you see before you. You also learn alot about nearly everything, from locomotives and cars, but how rocks form, how industries interact, and how a transportation company works.
 
MIke,

Give me your lists of givens and druthers again. Maybe I can help.

Givens (Things your absolutely cannot change, like layout size.)

Druthers (Things you'd like to have--yard, coal mine, air boat rides, 1950, Conrail, San Diego, Rockies, Niagra Falls)
 
Givens: table size: 12' long, 4' wide x 4' long sections on either end, leaving a 4' section in the middle that is 2' wide.
Table is flat, almost 2" of foam on top of mdf. Bottom of Bottom and left/right sides of layout are against a wall. Right side (when looking down and bottom is against wall) depth portion stops right at window (possible lox for removable staging, however).
Atlas code 80, N scale.

Druthers: Ore mine on spur elevated above most other track. Yards with plenty of switching activity. Intermodal traffic and ore/coal traffic. Refridgeration storage facility. Dual track main. Detatchable staging. Road running industrial switching, such as a propane/natural gas sales shop, etc.
Intermodal traffic runs from staging "outside town" into town and yard for splitting to trains, UP and BNSF going back "out of town" different directions.
Ore processing facility. A river somewhere in there. More modern diesels and road switchers. Grade to ore spur could be 3-4% grade (maybe)
Location: Northern Utah, southern Idaho. No specific town.
 
Have you built this bench?

If so would you be willing to make some modifications?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
yes and possibly. I didn't build it like typical benchwork though, so keep that in mind, and the foam is already placed.
 


I came up with this design.

At one end is the ore tipple (on the left) It's really mountainous and the lines cross over each other in tunnels.

In the middle is the yard, which is acessable by the specificied double main lines. The main lines can be completely independent and continiouos, but the yard is like a huge interchange, serving both lines, with each yard throat serving a different line.

On the right is the rock formations found in utah, kinda like Castle Rock. Then in the middle is a small town with the refridgeration facility, and on another unadded spur, the propane dealer. Throw in a passenger station in the yard and in the town and you have some nice scenery, or a (somewhat unlikely) reason to run commute trains, or excursions.

I hope you like it.

What do you think?

decoratedlayoutjpg.png
 
Oh, as a note, all the radius on the mainline is 19" except in the top corners of the inner line which has occasional 11" radii. The dark black lines are roads, there's a small town to the left of the yard too.
 
Just to make sure I'm right, you will be running probably Dash-9's, SD-70+ modern stuff. Switchers maybe Geeps?

So we are looking at #8 mainline turnouts, etc.

Mainline traffic over mountains? Etc.

I'm sure you want it to look really cool, right?

First lesson you've learned--never build your benchwork before you finalize your plan. I'm going to assume you have nothing built and see what I can come up with. I probably won't get anything until the holiday weekend.
 
The only problem I see with that is the center portion of my table is in line with the bottom against the wall....i.e., it's not exactly a dogbone. The design is awesome though, it'd make for a fun layout! I'll have to consider that as a possibility for sure. Maybe with another couple of spurs on the right side industry.

It's kinda like the attachment. And I've already got foam glued on the mdf. Modifying might be tricky, haha.



That and I'd like a little more industrial switching and a line to connect out to removable staging going up from the right side.

Yeah I'll be using some modern diesels like dashes and geeps as road switchers, probably a couple RS machines as I just love how they look.

Since I'm using code 80 track......does anyone make #8 turnouts? I had just planned on using Atlas #5's. I've got a bunch of code 80 flex already.
Yeah, I'd like it to look cool, mountainous area where the ore mine is, but other than that, I'd like a river crossing somewhere and the rest is pretty flexible.



Thanks guys. I'm going to work on a couple ideas tonight as well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mike,

At this point, I'd like to point out that your layout is going to cost you around $100/sq ft and take you 50 hours per square foot to build if you plan on taking it to completion. Making a $50 modification now to get the layout you want, rather than settling because you already built something is faulty thinking. I tore out my layout last year for just such a thought.

I bought $200 worth of EZ Track turnouts because I had an EZ Track loop that came with my son's set. Just before I started building, I came to the conclusion I had made a mistake. Rather than sell the turnouts on eBay and get flex and better turnouts, I decided to make do. I had nothing but problems making things work and finally after 2 years work and almost $2000 invested, I tore the layout apart because I tried to make the turnouts do.

Now chances are, you can modify what you've done. You can use a saber saw from underneath to cut holes that you need in the plywood and frame, and a drywall saw to cut the foam.

traincity50.gif



chimmike said:
The only problem I see with that is the center portion of my table is in line with the bottom against the wall....i.e., it's not exactly a dogbone. The design is awesome though, it'd make for a fun layout! I'll have to consider that as a possibility for sure. Maybe with another couple of spurs on the right side industry.

It's kinda like the attachment. And I've already got foam glued on the mdf. Modifying might be tricky, haha.



That and I'd like a little more industrial switching and a line to connect out to removable staging going up from the right side.

Yeah I'll be using some modern diesels like dashes and geeps as road switchers, probably a couple RS machines as I just love how they look.

Since I'm using code 80 track......does anyone make #8 turnouts? I had just planned on using Atlas #5's. I've got a bunch of code 80 flex already.
Yeah, I'd like it to look cool, mountainous area where the ore mine is, but other than that, I'd like a river crossing somewhere and the rest is pretty flexible.



Thanks guys. I'm going to work on a couple ideas tonight as well.
Click to expand...
 
at this point, I'm open to suggestions on how to modify the table. lol.

I'd prefer to stick with code 80 N scale simply due to the mass quantity of old rolling stock I have. If I absolutely HAVE to, I could go otherwise, but code 80 would be safest for my rolling stock I think.
 
There's nothing wrong with code 80 and yes you can get any size turnout for it. It is the most popular N scale size. I take it back in XtrkCAD, the highest they go is the Atlas and Peco #7 unless you go with the NMRA build your own standard.
 


You must log in or register to reply here.




Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top