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Track Plans for North American Layouts


trisonic
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To misquote Jack Shortliner, track plans for North American layouts often bear little relationship to UK/European plans.

 

This is the place to post your ideas for trackplans, links to interesting trackplans or your drawings for trackplans. It will not be limited by the size of trackplans or whether they are based on Class A railroads, Shortlines, Industrial or anything else that I can't think of right now, like narrow gauge.

 

The one thing linking them should be North American practice.

 

Carry on, Pete.

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Being interested in switching layouts, I'm redrafting the "Deepwater Ry and Navigation Co" (Plan 19 in "102 Realistic Track Plans") in N scale, along with a few modifications to convert it to an urban industrial district. I really don't want a car float and port, I feel they are rather cliched.

 

For anyone who wants a large urban shortline switching layout, I would suggest M.C Fujiwara's "Dogeared and Broken Spine" - you will need to search via Google or Yahoo for this, it's an old thread in the Model Railroader forums.

 

Dennis

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I love the description of the Staging Yard for Plan#2 :- "Some sorta slidey rack thing".... we call them Traversers in the UK ;)

 

My own favourite plan under consideration at the moment... a good ol' Inglenook. Gentlemen I give you Randolph, MN on the Progressive Rail's lines (ex-CNW main line).

Okay so the yard carries on for quite a way north-east, and has turnouts at the far end that make some of the spurs actually sidings (or sidings into loops in UK parlance), but at the yard entrance it's a classic two-turnouts/three spurs Inglenook.... :)

Edited by F-UnitMad
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Hi,

 

Firstly, I like to say what a great idea (thanks Jack) to have a Track Plans thread. Track Plans are such a great source of inspiration.

 

As I'm gradually getting to grips with Anyrail (thanks Talltim), I've started to put together some plans.

 

Thought I might as well add my current layout CSX Palmetto Spur, which has been well documented on RMWeb.

 

 

post-7898-0-93755800-1320581041.jpg

 

 

Next, I'm currently at the early stages of planning a new layout and looking for something a bit different, I found a small CSX branch

off the Amtrak main line at Deland,FL about 30 miles north of Orlando. The branch serves a facility which receives plastic pellets in

covered hoppers. Here's a pic

 

 

post-7898-0-86016900-1320581534.jpg

 

 

I'm planning to use Walthers 'Magic Pan Bakeries' as the basis of the plastics facility, as the kit includes 2 sets of hopper unloading pipes

 

 

post-7898-0-01186300-1320581861_thumb.jpg

 

 

Also, in order for the plan to be different from Palmetto, I've included a run-around and a trailing spur serving a Food Processor.

 

 

post-7898-0-87046700-1320582149.jpg

 

Like Palmetto the plan is 9ft x 15ins, using Peco Code 100 with medium radius turnouts. I've still got to do lots more research etc, so

it's unlikely that this project will commence until 2012

 

 

regards,

 

Mal

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As Mal has taken the initiative and posted about his new layout project, here and on Big blue, I thought that I'd share my idea for my new project also.

 

The layout will be built in a Chicago environment and will be based on a track plan that caused a storm in a tea cup a few weeks back. I'll leave that debate to others but its based on the track plan from Nick Palette and Fabrice Fayolle. Although will be closer in appearance to Alex Losch of Fat city terminal RR fame.

 

I found these two charming locos and small shortline in the South of the city, unfortunately of this year the shortline on BNSF leased rails went out of business and is no longer although the locos are still sat in their compound waiting for a buyer.

CIRY 1206

 

4924803255_e2592288a7_z.jpg

 

and

 

1209

 

6161272690_7e921c46e6_z.jpg

 

 

The layout will be a very urban affair using a mix of industries and buildings taken from this district of Chicago and below is the track plan in its basic form:

 

 

6311574707_0e61ba39c8_b.jpg

 

The layout is designed as a self contained 5' x 1' layout with exhibitions in mind. The two locos are SW9s although there is very little in it 1206 is actually painted up as a SW1200 but this is incorrect.

 

Regards

Dave

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Thanks Jordan,

I have a feeling that most of the photos of the CIRY that are on the web have come from a small group of photographers as across the usual sites there appear to be a lot of duplicates. However there is a chap on flickr who seems to have been a chief engineer at the compound. He was also responsible for deciding that 1206 should be painted in a CB&Q style paint job. See here http://www.flickr.com/photos/18682661@N06/sets/72157624642065468

 

Plus youtube has some good videos to gain some of the atmosphere:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z5wnOdzeok&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuPWaT_9gPU&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooySb-vxzlM

 

Then if I get tired of those little SWs then post CIRY the BNSF have continued to switch the industries with a GP50 amongst other locos:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuW3R9Hv448

 

 

I suppose I should put up a seperate thread for this.

Dave

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Pete asked me to put some of my trackplans on here, which I will do, but I'd like the first one to be by a friend who is no longer with us, Petar Kanuritch (who posted on here as Versif).This particular one is, as were most of his, a shelf switcher, called Turner Point Yard - relatively simple, but capable of keeping an operator busy for a while - Roads/hardstandings are grey, buildings are green - note that extension cassettes could be added to the diagonal track top left, to the diagonal track top right (which was the original "fiddle" track, and to the track that passes inside the building bottom right

 

post-6688-0-77109100-1320774917_thumb.jpg

Edited by shortliner
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Although Versif's plan has a double slip (as does Jack's classic "Box St" plan) that does remind me of two types of track layout that are (or at least seem) common in the US and very rare in the UK - part of the reason for this thread as I understand it?

They seem to use far more diamond crossings in the US than here, and especially on mainlines where one Railroad crosses another, even at 90degrees. The only example of this I can think of in the UK is at Newark (I'm not thinking of Stations where it was more common years ago, e.g. Newcastle on Tyne).

Allied to this situation is where there is also a track curving between the two lines to link them, ironically as shown in that link at Newark!!, and to interchange trains.

So flat crossings and Interchange tracks are what stand out to me as different/much more common (in terms of track plan) in the US to the UK/EU.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One thing I've noticed about all the track plans here, is that they have a very 'British' modellers' feel to them. They all include an 'everywhere else', off-scene track, which really adds to therealism, for me.

 

The majority of small to medium US track plans that I see, all seem to want to run round and round, filling the available space with track. The most unrealistic of all aspects for me are the preposterous tunnels, which are built into the smallest of hills that suddenly appear, like a boil, in an otherwise flat landscape....and there are often tracks skirting the hill anyway.

 

That said, I really need to get track plans sorted for Sweethome Alabama and Sweethome Chicago. Can anyone suggest user-friendly and easy to use software, so I can upgrade from pencil and paper...or back of fag packet...drawings.

 

Thanks

 

Jon

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Next, I'm currently at the early stages of planning a new layout and looking for something a bit different, I found a small CSX branch

off the Amtrak main line at Deland,FL about 30 miles north of Orlando. The branch serves a facility which receives plastic pellets in

covered hoppers. Here's a pic

 

 

post-7898-0-86016900-1320581534.jpg

 

 

 

Love this photo, Mal. I must get myself a plastic pellets siding

 

Jon

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That said, I really need to get track plans sorted for Sweethome Alabama and Sweethome Chicago. Can anyone suggest user-friendly and easy to use software, so I can upgrade from pencil and paper...or back of fag packet...drawings.

 

Thanks

 

Jon

 

Hi Jon,

 

Have a look at 'Anyrail'. The basic version is free to download, and fine for small / medium sized layouts ('empire builders' will need to pay for the full package)

It's reasonably easy to learn, and looks good. I used it for the 2 plans in this thread.

 

regards,

 

Mal

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Very interesting thread!

I agree that there is a difference in U.S. Vs European design for U.S.-style layouts.

I searched the web for inspiration when designing my layout, and got tips from Forums both here and in the U.S.,

wich in the end resulted in a layout wich suited me perfectly:

6sdpc8.jpg

It is an urban style layout, 10' by 16".

A regular operating session takes 90 minutes, and is very fun to do with two operators.

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