Western Union Ry. track plan


Fishplate

Fishplate

Member
OK; here's my first attempt to post with an image...let's see if it actually works. :)

This is the track plan for my N scale Western Union Railway, under construction. It's based on a plan by Iain Rice from his book Mid-Sized & Manageable Track Plans. Iain's plan was an around-the-walls type, but I added two turnback loops to create a walk-in layout.

The space is about 11 ft. by 20 ft., and the theme is upper Midwest in the 1950s, with an industrial city area, a small farming town, and a small staging yard. Any comments are welcome.
 
The general plan looks great to me. Once you get down to the detail level, you'll need some crossovers in the yards but that's the only change I can see you'd have to make.
 
Steve;

As you have said, this is a first step. I've made many of those! These comments are just MHO.:D

As drawn, I initially thought for a first go it was fine, but after studying it for a while, I saw these potential problems. I hope that this critique helps and not hurt.

First off the biggest problem I see is that you actually have only 1 track in the main yard, that can function as a yard track. Plus this track is very short. The rest of the "yard" tracks either serves as a mianline or services the roundhouse, ashpit, TT & coaling tower. Using any of the other tracks as part of the yard will block either the main or access to the roundhouse and its associated tracks.

There is a "bypass" track that runs from one end of the right loop, "through" the yard, and reconnects to the main. This track turns the end loop into a reversing loop, which turns the train back onto the track it came from. If you're going to use DCC, wiring is simple, use an auto-reverser on this track to change the polarity. If it's DC, then there is some special wiring that has to be done.

As drawn the section to the left of the station, appears to be a diamond crossing and not two switches back to back. If this is a switch arrangement this causes another reverse loop. This will make the wiring even more complicated if the layout is to be DC.

As it is drawn now, there are no passing sidings. This means that you can only run one train at a time. There is no way that two trains starting in different directions can meet or pass each other.

Lastly, since the engine terminal appears to be the main focus of the layout, the yard, drawn as is, can't support such an elaborate terminal without there being more tracks in the yard, even if the purpose would be to bring in a train and change the power on it. without fouling the main.

Suggestions;

Redraw the right hand loop to come out on the opposite side of the turntable, and move the station some toward the backdrop. I would also move the yard "throat", (the beginning of the yard in this case), a little more to the left. This will allow you to draw in more "true" yard tracks and makes the engine terminal look more like it belongs there.

Draw in a least one siding. The old rule of thumb is you can run one more train than there are sidings. If you have one siding, you can run two trains, 2 sidings 3, 3 sidings 4 trains, etc...

Definitely include more spurs for picking up and dropping off cars.

I do urge you, if you haven't already, to get and study John Armstrong's, "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" and for you to read online;

Our own Spacemouse's beginners guide at here; http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html

or this one from the NMRA;

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/

As you said this is a first step and while artistically it looks like a big step, unfortunately, the functionality turns it into a very small one.
 
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I like the overall layout. looks like it will look realy nice and fun to operate. The only changes I would think about would be down near the round house yard. A redesign to get better use or add a few more yard tracks wold help store cars and still let trains pas each other. maybee add an industry on the back side of the station becasue I see you have alot of yard and not many places to bring the cars. also maybee tie in a junction to look as your trains have a way out. simple changes. otherwise it looks great!

Trent
 
Jim, Carey, and Trent, thanks for the critique and suggestions. Since I want to be able to run two trains, I will have to find room for a passing siding. Carey, I'll experiment with your suggestions and see how they work. The crossing to the left of the station is a diamond crossing, not a slip switch, so that should be OK. And yes, I did plan to wire the cutoff as a reversing section. Back to the drawing board....
 
bridge pier

I’m concerned with the bridge on a turn that crosses over the other main. The center pier that supports the bridge is going to be put where? In this type situation you would have to use an off set steel pier. Putting a concrete support pier under the bridge would be very hard to do the way the two tracks intersect each other. There’s a bridge like this on the NYC at Croton Falls, NY. I had to use the idea on my layout. I scratch built the bridge below to solve the problem.

NYC_George
 
George, what I had in mind was a truss bridge where the upper level crosses over. Although it looks like a continuous curve on the plan, this segment would be straight. I'm hoping this provides just enough span so the piers don't interfere with the lower track. The truss bridge would tie in to trestles at each end. Do you think that would work?
 
Steve
If the truss bridge is long enough it will work. I just wanted to alert you that there may be trouble at this junction. I would make sure it all works before laying the track. I had trouble at two locations on my layout and had to scratch build two bridges to make work.

George
 
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