New shelf layout thoughts please

[Fifer]

I have negotiated an L shape space in a sewing room to construct a super detailed shelf, switching layout and came up with this modified atlas HO plan. I have added some under table staging and a mainline to switch to and from. I am looking for some thoughts (no I DO NOT) have any more space.

Thanks Guys, Mike

 

[steinjr]

So - what are you trying to model? What type of place, what era, what function will the various tracks have?

At the moment, all I see is heaploads of tracks and a pile of switchbacks.

Smile,
Stein

 

[Fifer]

So - what are you trying to model? What type of place, what era, what function will the various tracks have?

At the moment, all I see is heaploads of tracks and a pile of switchbacks.

Smile,
Stein

Yep , that is the idea. It will likely be 1960's and I have not planned industries yet but most will be flats.
Thanks , Mike

 

[steinjr]

Hi Mike --

You write "that is the idea". But what do you mean by "that"?

Having lots of switchbacks? Or something else?

And what sort of comments or thoughts are you looking for?

Stein

 

[Fifer]

Hi Mike --

You write "that is the idea". But what do you mean by "that"?

Having lots of switchbacks? Or something else?

And what sort of comments or thoughts are you looking for?

Stein

The idea is create moves for switching hence the switchbacks.

Mike

 

[steinjr]

Interesting switching moves can created from a simple track plan and the use of car spots, instead of creating a need to move cars one by one in a boring game of move-the-tile through too short switchbacks.

Here are some examples industries with a bit more flavor than just "I'll decide later what will be on that track", from Linda and Dave Sand's website (http://www.sandsys.org):

http://www.sandsys.org/modelrr/modelbuilt/crt/

Or you can read some more about various switching instructions for industries on their Plymouth Industrial layout, at the bottom of this web page: http://www.sandsys.org/modelrr/modelbuilt/pi/

Here is another simple track plan, drawn by me, based on inspiration from Dave Hill's New Castle Industrial Layout:

Trains start the session by arriving (with 2-5 cars) on the main from the right. There might be cars left off spot by previous trains on the set out spur. There might be cars that need to be moved between spots at the recycling plant. There might be cars to be pulled, cars to be respotted (since they have not finished unloading), cars to be spotted.

A simple track plan like this can take an hour or more to switch. The trick is to look at car spots, instead of looking at at each track as a destination for a single car, and add the complexity in sorting cars, pulling and respotting cars etc, instead of just doing runaround moves and switchback moves with one car at the time.

Smile,
Stein

 

[John P]

Building a switching puzzle might be fun if your mind works that way, but that diagram didn't look satisfying as a railroad. "Time is money" for trains as everywhere else, and no railroad would make work unnecessarily. You might have a siding or two reached by a switchback, but it'll look better if there's a reason for it. And you'll definitely improve the appearance if you don't lay track on every possible square inch.

Check out Bill Denton's famous Kingsbury Branch, and yes, It's N scale:
http://mrsvc.blogspot.com/2008/10/dentons-kingsbury-branch-inspirational.html

(I thought he had his own website, but this was all I could find.)

 

[Shortliner2001]

Kingsbury branch http://home.comcast.net/~skytop35/Kingsbury/index.html

I'd take a very serious look at Lance Mindheims site http://www.lancemindheim.com/ and at Jack Hills site http://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/ and suggest that, like Stein suggests, simpler is better. That maze of trackage will get VERY old, VERY quickly! Look at Carl Arendts site http://www.carendt.us for ideas if you are short of room, and at some of the layouts on this section of Big Blue http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=46 Layouts that are crammed full of track always look like an early beginners design, and never like anything prototypical. If you think a simple layout is too easy, you can make life more difficult for yourself by adopting games theory and simulating weather and its effects on the job, by rolling a dice, and if needed using an electronic kitchen timer to give you delay times while your brakemen shovel snow out of the switches. If you'd like an example weather table, PM or email me (chacmool at lineone dot net) Operating at prototypical switching speeds, throwing switches by hand, uncoupling by hand and delaying the next movement while you pump up the air to let the brakes off (10 seconds per car in the train) will always make the session last longer. If you'd like a trackplan (which should fit your space along the top wall) that is reasonably complicated, and will keep you busy for a while, try this

 

[Fifer]

Great plan but nearly all of it is switching in one direction and very little running around. Beautiful but not my idea of fun or challenging.
I have a layout to run on and do that type of switching.
Thanks , Mike

 

[Shortliner2001]

Mike - the prototype doesn't make more moves than it has to, complicated trackwork and maintainance of turnouts, means they keep it as simple as possible - crew time costs money - that doesn't mean it may not be either fun, or challenging! On Ness Street above - put four cars on spots, and loco+three on the interchange track. deliver the cars to the industries, pick up 3 of the cars(your choice) from spots and put them on the interchange, and if you have to move the fourth car, put it back - remembering that the owner of the business isn't going to be happy having his workers standing around on his dime! Want to make it more difficult? Run a road across the tracks, and a town ordnance says the RR crossing must NOT be blocked for more than 3 minutes - you need to keep the Sheriff and the Mayor happy

 

[Fifer]

Mike - the prototype doesn't make more moves than it has to, complicated trackwork and maintainance of turnouts, means they keep it as simple as possible - crew time costs money - that doesn't mean it may not be either fun, or challenging! On Ness Street above - put four cars on spots, and loco+three on the interchange track. deliver the cars to the industries, pick up 3 of the cars(your choice) from spots and put them on the interchange, and if you have to move the fourth car, put it back - remembering that the owner of the business isn't going to be happy having his workers standing around on his dime! Want to make it more difficult? Run a road across the tracks, and a town ordnance says the RR crossing must NOT be blocked for more than 3 minutes - you need to keep the Sheriff and the Mayor happy

Those are valid and great ideas. I am at this moment looking at another layout that is more spead out and not congested. I have also looked into Boulder Creek Models as they have car scales and defect detectors that may increase operation fun.
Thanks , Mike

 

[Fifer]

Here is this weeks project. I got this Revell Model which has been released in many forms,and is N Scale. I will use it on the new layout at the docks as A small freighter.

Mike

 

[tooter]

Hey Fifer,

Have you taken a look at this?

Small Layout Scrapbook

It has thousands of really neato ideas for small layouts!

One of my all time favorite shelf layout ideas is this one...

It uses a switchback and an overpass to get from one level to the other.

Greg

 

[Fifer]

Hey Fifer,

Have you taken a look at this?

Small Layout Scrapbook

It has thousands of really neato ideas for small layouts!

One of my all time favorite shelf layout ideas is this one...

It uses a switchback and an overpass to get from one level to the other.

Greg

Thanks Greg , I actually had a similar HO 16 ft module to that plan.
Thanks , Mike

 

[402drvr]

Hey Mike, hadn't seen you on here before. The original idea looks neat but complicated. I have been finding on my own shelf layout that I design it to require many moves, but then i am bothered by the fact that it is inefficient. So, I end up re-designing it to make it simpler. For instance I had a set of switches set up to switch industries but it ended up you had to clear out one industry before switching the other. This didn't make sense to me as it seemed the real thing would just add a diamond instead, so I did, and now its more fun.

But then, the hobby is about what you want not what anyone else wants so have at it. Plus I know where you can get a killer backdrop for that.

-Dave

 

[Fifer]

Hey Mike, hadn't seen you on here before. The original idea looks neat but complicated. I have been finding on my own shelf layout that I design it to require many moves, but then i am bothered by the fact that it is inefficient. So, I end up re-designing it to make it simpler. For instance I had a set of switches set up to switch industries but it ended up you had to clear out one industry before switching the other. This didn't make sense to me as it seemed the real thing would just add a diamond instead, so I did, and now its more fun.

But then, the hobby is about what you want not what anyone else wants so have at it. Plus I know where you can get a killer backdrop for that.

-Dave

Thanks for the thoughts Dave , I think you are right about clearing.
Thanks , Mike