Layout Plan 1,000,001

[rich maiorano]

well with a lot of help from RTS Expert SS he came up with this for me and any more ideas you can come up with and a few changes I have in mind maybe I can get this one to work for me Rich


opps forgot the pic

 

[rich maiorano]

Here it is I hope

 

[belg]

Rich I think that you had better start building that monster of a layout and let your brain rest a little. There seems to be plenty of opportunity to do all kinds of switching and running so it's time to get to it. You can always make some last minute changes as you go along. GOOOD LUCK

 

[Topo]

My God!!

Rich, I'm tired only to imagine the WORK of building that enormous layout!!

In the other side, you will have fun for years...

Ahhh, You made me jealous. If only I had ½ of this space to expand my layout... But... wait a minute... I NOT EVEN have started to build mine!!!
(Boy, my natural laziness is hitting hard on me. I need a beer...)

 

[Ralph]

N scale, right Rich? It looks like the benchwork is just a little more than 2 feet deep so access doesn't look like a problem. Lots of action and operating possibilties, THREE turntables! Cool! Time to start buying lumber!
Ralph

 

[brakie]

Ok,Ralph you heard one side of the coin now I will let you see the flip side.

If I was building that layout first thing I would do is ditch the track work in the middle or redo it(sorry SS) as it looks like a dump bowl of spaghetti and makes the layout look dumpy.
Outside of that it is a nice looking layout over all.

See Ralph,I wasn't to harsh in showing you the flip side of the coin.

 

[Ralph]

No problem with me Brakie, let's see what Rich thinks!
Ralph

 

[brakie]

Oops! I meant Rich..(BIG BLUSH)

 

[rich maiorano]

the bench work is up and already have some of the track just have to move it a little and going to lose that reverse loop if I can too
Rich

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I just saw it this morning and didn't have time to post then. Question #1, what is the point of a "balloon track" going from one leg of the turntable to another leg of the same turntable?
My other comment concerns the track work at the top of the grade to the coal mine. I think you can simplify that track quite a bit. How many coal mines are you serving up there? Since it is a branch line, you can use the branch and a double ended siding one train long as a run around, you might want to make it a double runaround with a second siding at the same place for holding loads you've pulled out while switching in empties. Then put a ladder under the tipple to move empties in and loads out. If you are servicing more than one mine, you could still get by with one run around track and put in a second ladder to the second tipple. A ladder track system consisting of three tracks capable of holding 5-6 cars each for loading under the tipple will make a train 15-18 cars long. Two such ladders will yield a train of 30-34 cars. That is a lot of operation, especially if you are bringing up an empty train, spotting the cars as you pull the loads out for a loaded train going back down grade.

 

[jon-monon]

Looks like you have a nice double loop going almost all the way around. Why not remove the yellow reverse loop (lower right) and trun around the double main at that end too? Thataway yus cans runs trains till yer blue in the face without touching a single knob Apprears that is not the priority, but it seems easy to do and can come in handy, like if you wnat trains running while you work on something, or you have a youngster running the throttle. Just a thot

I'm buyin' stock in atlas, cuz when Rich buys all that track, their stock price is goin' up! My personal preference would be to thin out the track and have more scenery, but I'm not going to suggest that, because I'm hoping to get rich, erm, uh, sorry, Rich, uh, wealthy off this stock deal

 

[screwysquirrel]

As the designer, I think I'll speak up a little

Brakie said:

If I was building that layout first thing I would do is ditch the track work in the middle or redo it(sorry SS) as it looks like a dump bowl of spaghetti and makes the layout look dumpy.

the 'Spaghetti bowl' is because Rich asked for a 'meandering branchline' thus all the rolling around.

Russ Said:

I just saw it this morning and didn't have time to post then. Question #1, what is the point of a "balloon track" going from one leg of the turntable to another leg of the same turntable?
My other comment concerns the track work at the top of the grade to the coal mine. I think you can simplify that track quite a bit. How many coal mines are you serving up there? Since it is a branch line, you can use the branch and a double ended siding one train long as a run around, you might want to make it a double runaround with a second siding at the same place for holding loads you've pulled out while switching in empties. Then put a ladder under the tipple to move empties in and loads out. If you are servicing more than one mine, you could still get by with one run around track and put in a second ladder to the second tipple. A ladder track system consisting of three tracks capable of holding 5-6 cars each for loading under the tipple will make a train 15-18 cars long. Two such ladders will yield a train of 30-34 cars. That is a lot of operation, especially if you are bringing up an empty train, spotting the cars as you pull the loads out for a loaded train going back down grade.

Ok, there are 2 mines: the Coal mine in the top center, which has 3 storage tracks all linked to the engine turntable, for a turnaround.

the other mine is an Iron mine, which has the 'parking space' like storage track where you assemble a train' the baloon track allows you to build a train, serve the mining camp siding, and run an engine around to the back of a train to park empty cars. It also means operations at the Iron mine and the Coal Mine look different.


As for changing the reverse loop and keeping it double track, that should be done easily enough with a number of crossovers. I'll make some changes and get back to rich on it

 

[screwysquirrel]

Some changes

This shows the changes I just made to the trackplan... the reverse loop is now a simple 19" radius curve turnaround (the outer loop uses several short straights around the turn).


the yard space is now purple, with the A/D track a different shade

 

[rich maiorano]

as you can see that was one of my ideas Jon got to let the kids run it sometimes and sometime i just like watching too and as for the bowl of spaghetti theres room to play there too got to get the main down first and thanks SS for the redo there too Rich

 

[Hoss]

It's a bit overwhelming to me....but I'm sure it would be awesome to operate.

One question on the yard....it looks like there is only one track going into the purple yard...and it's in the middle of the yard instead of the end. Is that one track the only way in an out? Seems like it would make more sense to have a turnout going into the yard on each end instead of one in the middle....the trains could enter the yard from either direction.

On edit...looks like this hasn't been posted on for almost a month. Didn't mean to bring up a dead thread.

 

[screwysquirrel]

re: the yard

the yard works this way: theres the double main which connects to an arrival/departure track. the yard connects to that by a single turnout, because the a/d track is where you build or tear down the train. the A/D track also connects with the engine storage area, to attach the road engine after the train is built

 

[Hoss]

I see. Is that a prototypical practice (or WAS it)?? I ask because I don't know. Doesn't matter I suppose...it just seems to me that it makes it a little harder to get to the yard. I do like the track plan though.

 

[screwysquirrel]

pROTOTYPICAL

yes it was pretty much prototypical practice

 

[Hoss]

Cool. Learn something new every day.