Critique please, bedroom switching layout plan

[Doughless]

Nicely done! I hadn't considered a drill track in the NW. Although you're right, you probably don't have a reason to use it considering your theme. And I agree with you about the second runaround. I can't think of a reason why you need it.

 

[TheGloriousTachikoma]

oh if you think that's nice...

http://sadpanda.us/images/1155595-FMIFXOB.jpg

I was thinking that having sidings on both sides of the main, and the resultant warehouse buildings that they serve, would provide a substantial viewblock, especially at the height this shelf will end-up being. How then, to allow a view of the tracks and cars being spotted...

Well, you can see above what I did. I am supremely satisfied now with how this has turned out, though I still think the other end of the layout is a little light. But then I do want some good marshy bits and even a river, so the space is needed. And there's still...9-10 cars worth of traffic on that end.

And that tail is no longer a drill track. Originally it was just there because somehow it floated in there when I first designed the yard and stayed. I'm thinking that's where the engine house will go. A bit of backstory for the RR there as well.

 

[TheGloriousTachikoma]

So...switching gears here. I still really like the general plan I've been revising so far. But, my mind tends to wander.

A little while ago I posted my interpretation of Iain Rice's Mount Galena Mines. And the general consensus was that 18"R curves was too small for anything other than 36' boxcars and 20' ore jennies. Well, I revised the plan so that the runaround in Steel Creek has a very broad curve. I'm not sure if a 60' bulkhead flat and 65' LPG tank will handle the runaround alright, but for the most part it's 50' boxcars, and I just recently bought a lot of Roundhouse 50' tanks so LPG can become oil recycling or some other such tank-car receiving. And the lumberyard can make do with GSC bulkhead flats. I just need to find them for less than $20 apiece.

This plan is designed to be treated as a large, single-operator switching layout. If another 2' can be swung to make the runaround at Steel Creek into a passing siding, it could be two-operator.

In this plan the bulk of the layout would be over my bed, the turnback over the foot. Actually, looking at it, the turnback will extend past the foot of my bed. It would look really nice to build a curved bookshelf to support that end. I digress...

http://sadpanda.us/images/1161732-PRHF9GG.jpg

 

[TheGloriousTachikoma]

Did some more tweaking and prodding. Added structures, so I figured I wouldn't bother with the plan view and just show the 3D render.

Overview
http://sadpanda.us/images/1170755-JTBA41Q.jpg

South Steel Creek
http://sadpanda.us/images/1170762-PVFYTYY.jpg

A couple things not readily visible. There will be foliage in the back of the dark-gray building so that the track can burrow unseen into the hill. This means the track will hold two boxcars instead of one. The blue building has a curved siding inside and the track will dip down towards the back so that the end of a boxcar can fit under the roof of a small shed on the back. Again, this will enable two boxcars to fit inside. The red building is the engine house halfway up the mountain and the spur opposing it is the LPG dealer.

And North Steel Creek, as well as the interchange @ Groundson
http://sadpanda.us/images/1170780-URA3RVJ.jpg

Team track, distribution terminal, and a limestone bin for the railroad's biggest customer (and reason for existing in the first place), Groundson Cement. some tweaking got rid of an expensive curved turnout and made the interchange tracks longer. As it stands, a 'drag' of 8 greenville 100-tonners up to the quarry and back down will not be out of place on this layout.

And the track plan with the pavement removed
http://sadpanda.us/images/1170790-BHTNZ2F.jpg

The extra tracks off the table are so that the drag of hoppers up to and down from the quarry can run without interfering with the wayfreight operating in South Steel Creek. It drags the empties up, and then carefully shuttles the loads down-grade of the cut. Said wayfreight ties-up the road enough as it is. The unscenicked track is also where the 'rest' of the shortline goes. (Groundson Cement, CSX interchange).

 

[TheGloriousTachikoma]

Change of plan...?

I was cruising Youtube and found this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7np89bFcX80

for some reason, RBR's micro layout serving just the grain elevator intrigued me. It's a yard of track, a runaround, and a high-profile structure all in one.

But his is only 60" long. I have given myself 96" to work with...
So here is RBR's original 18"x60" switcher simply expanded to fill 18"x96"
http://sadpanda.us/images/1202933-KDDACRT.jpg

The first revision. Things adjusted around, but largely the same. It seemed like a waste of room to have 8' just to serve a grain elevator, so I added a flour/sugar mill.
http://sadpanda.us/images/1202934-8CKIISB.jpg
the only problem is that RBR's current expansion of his layout extends the spur for the grain elevator and gives the elevator it's own lead/siding. My above plan permanently captures the spur. I had the idea of using a GE 25-tonner owned by the elevator, but why have a dedicated locomotive for such a small task. And my intent is to design this layout to be switched by a SD38 without aid. (10" for the loco and 8" per grain hopper is the standard I'm using.)

So I come up with this, one which I'm fairly happy with.
http://sadpanda.us/images/1202936-CCMX7XJ.jpg
The runaround, instead of holding two cars, holds four. The right lead is enough for the loco and two cars, the left runaround lead holds one car with the loco. The grain elevator will probably lose it's shed, or shrink to a sub roof. So there are four customers; the elevator, the mill, and the team track which usually holds one LPG tanker for an offsite dealer too small to have it's own tank (but a sufficient list of customers to justify rail service) and a spot for random traffic as well. I imagine the mill putting out bagged flour and sugar as this is current-day, I refuse to pay $30 a pop for Atlas pressuraides, and I need a source of boxcar traffic to balance out the grain hoppers.

The only thing that worries me...RBR posted a picture of his wiring diagram for that Shinohara 3-way... Nah, if I can 'properly' retrofit a two-speed E-fan into my RX7 that turnout shouldn't be hard.