3X4 N-Scale plan

[Papa Bear]

Here is a plan I drew up for a 3'X4' N Scale layout. It is loosely based on the Pensacola and Perdido railroad in the late 1800's. Basically, timber is hauled from the logging camp to the sawmill, and finished lumber is then hauled to the wharf for loading onto ships.

Since the motive power will be old-time steam with "cow-catcher" pilots, I made all of the spurs so that you could work them from the same direction (except for the interchange spur which is there mostly for effect and to allow for future expansion).

Let me know what you think.

 

[Tileguy]

Lots of room for scenery, operationally sound , Good trackwork for a turn of the century shortline.
Simple elegance, I like it.
How about a simple fiddle yard extension off that interchange track just for a little added variety. You could hinge it to fold forward for storage and be the length of the layout and maybe 8" - 12" wide. This could then become your yard and interchange and free up that spur for another related industry (acetic acid plant or perhaps a tannery)
You would end up with a 4x4 or a bit less folded .
If later you decide to extend the layout, that yard extension becomes a perfect size for a shelf display to show off your favorite Locomotives and cars
Use drop in hinge pins rather than a Piano hinge and it can become a shelf display any time the RR itself is put away

 

[Drew1125]

....
Simple elegance, I like it....

Ditto for me John!
With some tastey scenery, that will be a real gem! :thumb:

 

[Will_annand]

Looks good PapaJohn.

I like the fact that it is NOT a spaghetti junction. Some people cram so much trackwork into a space that there is no room for scenery.

You have the balance just right in my humble opinion.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Are you running link and pin couplers? If so the old steamers had a long link in the center of the "cow catcher" that was hinged vertically, there would be a loop at the end near the bottom of the "cow catcher" maybe an inch or so above the point. If you run link and pin, you can switch trailing or leading point turnouts.

 

[Papa Bear]

Thanks for the comments, Tileguy, Drew, Will, and Russ. Tileguy, I like the idea of a removable fiddle yard and will work one into the plan.

Russ, the link and pin couplers would definitely be appropriate, but I don't know how practical that would be in N scale.

 

[Papa Bear]

Okay, here's an update. I relocated the interchange to use the right leg of the loop and lengthened the wharf track. I'm still working on the removable fiddle yard, which will probably be attached next to the wharf. The "yard" area will probably have some more industries, too, which I'm still working out. I'm planning to use trees and buildings to separate the two scenes.

On the sawmill side, further research revealed that on the real Pensacola and Perdido, the logs were floated down the river to the sawmill. On the layout, I could duplicate this by moving the sawmill to the edge (riverside) of the layout. The siding where the mill was in the previous plan could be used for another industry. I'm thinking of a turpentine still as that was a big industry in Florida at the time. Or, I may stay with the idea of hauling the logs by rail to the sawmill since that would give me the opportunity to model logging equipment on the layout.

Anyway, here it is. At least until I come up with another idea.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Since you have a warf, how about the removeable fiddle yard being a car ferry on a cart that could be rolled iinto position, then switched just like the prototype.

 

[Papa Bear]

Since you have a warf, how about the removeable fiddle yard being a car ferry on a cart that could be rolled iinto position, then switched just like the prototype.

Hmmm. That's a good idea. Thanks, Russ!

 

[Papa Bear]

Adding another foot...

I added another foot to make the layout 3' X 5'. This will allow for adding the truss bridge in the front and a double-ended siding in the back. The siding can be used for staging and to hold an extra train for when the in-laws come by and want to "see something else run."

This is version 1.5 (been through a few modifications since the last post ).

Version 1.6 is similar, but without the double-ended siding.

Went to Lowe's the other day to pick up some supplies, so construction should begin soon!

 

[Drew1125]

Hi John!

I like your plan, & its variations...I think any of them would be interesting!

I did some daydreaming at one time about a layout with a Gulf Coast connection...
I was thinking about an iron ore hauler coming out of the Red Mtn. area in N. Alabama, & connecting to a shipping port at either Pensacola, or Mobile...
I was thinking of something along the lines of your oval plan, divided into visually isolated halves, one side being the mining area, & the other being the harbor/terminus...

 

[Papa Bear]

That would make a nice layout. If you model Mobile, you could have banana trains going back north, too. I have a Micro-Trains Mobile and Ohio banana car. Hmmmm...

 

[Drew1125]

Heh Heh Heh...it's contagious, aint it?

 

[Papa Bear]

Indeed it is.

 

[Papa Bear]

Construction Begins!

Well, I have started construction of the layout. Here's what I decided to go with.

• Reduced the size back to around 3' X 4' to keep the local "authorities" happy.
• Use Tileguy's idea for a fiddle yard extension.
• Keep the track plan simple.

I'll post some more pictures as construction progresses.

 

[kchronister]

Looks good PapaJohn.

I like the fact that it is NOT a spaghetti junction. Some people cram so much trackwork into a space that there is no room for scenery.

You have the balance just right in my humble opinion.

Ditto Ditto Ditto. I really dislike the "how much track can we cram in here" type layouts. And a surprising number of 'professional' grade layouts, layouts featured in magazines and in layout design books fit that description.

When I posted my layout for thought, I got a lot of "you could fit this here or that there, and you have a lot of room here for something"... (Mind you, I also got lots of invaluable suggestions that really helped!)

I think you've got some nice plans going here. Have fun building it, and don't give into the "Mo' betta track" fallacy. FWIW, I like them all, but your very first design is my favorite, and the one with the double-ended siding/passing track at the top is my least favorite.