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Track Plans for North American Layouts


trisonic
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I thought that it was about time to add something to this thread so here is what I hope will be my project for the coming winter. It will be Norfolk Southern around 1990/1995 and is in an industrial area not far from Norfolk in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia. I have noted that some of these industries have already been suggested for other layouts on this thread and I do think that they all offer a fairly flexible traffic flow. I have photos of both Montgomery Liquor and Allied Plywood which were around when I paid a visit during the early 1990s although I will have to move them further south as they were both in Pennsylvania and were switched by the CSXT!

 

I have approximately 25’ x 12’ available along two walls of the room. I have 2 options; one is a sector plate to terminus and the other is a sector plate at either end which, although shortening the layout, would give me more flexibility. This would be my first option and the one that I am inclined towards. I wondered about a continuous run but there are a couple of freezers, etc. along the other long wall of the room and they will have to remain there.

 

Constructive comments would be well received.

 

Willy

post-7068-0-50237600-1322397577_thumb.jpg

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Willy, that looks like fun! I'd go for the sector plate at each end option if you have the space to fit them. It gives you much more flexibility, and allows no only through trains, but also two lots of off-scene destinations with east & westbound departures and arrivals. Do you have room to get a third and/or fourth track in where the loop is? It would give you an arrivals and departure track, and a sorting track, which would give much switchability, even if it meant widening the long wall board to 18". As it is you would have to use the main/runaround loop, thus blocking any other traffic

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This is an idea that I'm currently toying with - a minimum space switcher , approximately the size that an A2 Boxfile would be, if one was available, It is an enlarged variation of the 13th Street, Miami, N scale layout by Tom Lloyd in MTI 97, scaled up. with additions, to HO. Any of the off-street sections of track can be used as team track for local offloading/loading. Left hand Cassette/sector-plate serves 3 tracks, right hand cassette provides two inbound/outbound tracks. Cassettes are detatchable for transport, and are either non-seniced, or possibly just with grassy overgrown ballast.- they could also be extended to 30" each. It may also be moved across country to California There are no crossing gates - fusees to be used. post-6688-0-91514100-1322410965.jpg

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Thank you for your comments Jack.

 

I prefer the two storage yard options myself so I will go for that. As for the third and/or fourth track in where the loop is I am with you on that as well although I don't think I would want to go beyond the two loops. I have quickly redrawn it as such and I do think it looks better and as you say it will not block the main thereby allowing me to hold the switching turn to allow a runthrough ........

post-7068-0-54478000-1322411667_thumb.jpg

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I like the nice long spurs on that plan, Willy! Despite having just acquired a space 17ft long myself, 25ft still sounds enormous!!!

 

Thank you Shortliner.

 

The concept of the long spurs is taken from Jack Hill’s idea on his “Newcastle Industrial Railroadhttp://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/search/label/INSPIRATION where it is the number of car spots that count rather than the number of sidings.

 

Jack's was a great blog and it is a pity that he hasn't made an entry since last January.

 

Willy

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Jack's was a great blog and it is a pity that he hasn't made an entry since last January.

 

 

Agree completely - it was very informative, as well as being a great layout. I keep going back to it, just in case he updates it, but so far no joy... :(

The only thing about the lack of updates is that it lessened the temptation on me to attempt something similar in O Scale....

 

Jack - looking forward to seeing you inset that diamond crossing in the middle of the road..!!! :D

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Oddly enough I was discussing it with the gentleman from Unit Models at Newcastle - (Oh dear, we are going to get awfully confused with all these "Jacks" and "Newcastles")! I was considering cutting down two of his angled Left/Right crossings to fit the angles - but I may need to think on!

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Hi, Willy - Yes that will make your life easier - , and let you switch your inbounds/outbounds without causing a block on the main

 

I am sure I can fit it all in Jack if I tighten up on the curve under the two over bridges by the Montgomery Liqor warehouse. I had envisaged 3’ but I can cut that down to 30” or perhaps even less and hope the bridges disguise it!

 

Willy

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Jack - looking forward to seeing you inset that diamond crossing in the middle of the road..!!! :D

 

How very wierd! - after reading this I was checking an earlier post by Pointstaken, and the very first thing i saw after googling for a link, was this 1st photograph!

 

http://www.trainboar...Broken-Spine-RR

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For a trackplan for the "Dogeared and Broken Spine", you would need to go via a search engine (Google or Yahoo), because the search facility on the "Model Railroader" forum only goes back 12 months. I must admit I do very much like this plan, but SWMBO will not agree to my taking over our lounge for it.

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Here's an interesting one for a switching layout, it's probably been done before but I am planning a version in O. The morton salt site has a small loop which with facilities for hoppers and boxcar loading/ unloading.

 

Track will be Peco nicely embedded in concrete, loco is an atlas UP GP15. The track layout will need a little reworking to fit the available space, possibly relocate the line to the outside world to run behind the building or build a layout as a "T" shape.

 

http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?articleid=96

http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?articleid=71

http://www.chicagoswitching.com/maps/mapArticlePhotos.asp?displayType=articlephotos&photoIDstring=751|752|753|754|755|&lat=41.90716386476535&long=-87.65994429588318

 

 

Colin

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There's a very useful little Kalmbach book (already mentioned by Dave1905 over on the 'Recommended reading - mine & yours?' topic) called 'Track Planning for Realistic Operation' by John Armstrong (ISBN 0-89024-504-5). While it does contain a few layout plans, it concentrates on how to achieve interesting operation of a layout, while sticking to prototype railroad practice. As someone with experience of British railways, I found it very useful in illustrating and explaining some of the things that are typical of North American railroads. I have a second edition, published in 1979. I don't know how many (if any) editions there have been since then, so it is likely to be a bit out-of-date on some things, but I think it's excellent for the basics.

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Colin,

I did contemplate building a layout based on Morton salt. Especially with that sign on the roof canopy. But I got attracted to the CIRY railroads two SW9s, further along the river.Would be impressive to see in 0 gauge!

Hi Dave

 

That would be nice in O, especially with the nice running atlas locos, I also considered Peerless sugar on lakewood but plumped for morton salt as I have a soft spot for GP15's

 

Colin

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Here's an interesting one for a switching layout, it's probably been done before but I am planning a version in O. The morton salt site has a small loop which with facilities for hoppers and boxcar loading/ unloading.

 

Track will be Peco nicely embedded in concrete, loco is an atlas UP GP15. The track layout will need a little reworking to fit the available space, possibly relocate the line to the outside world to run behind the building or build a layout as a "T" shape.

 

http://www.chicagosw...sp?articleid=96

http://www.chicagosw...sp?articleid=71

http://www.chicagosw....65994429588318

 

 

Colin

 

I find it really funny that everyone is suddenly doing Chicago based switching layouts. :no: I'm currently buiding a 9' HO pike along a bedroom wall using a version of Lance Mindheim's 'Skills Builder' plan but with adapted versions of industries based on the Chicago Tribune Freedom plant and Bloomer's Chocolate. I've been fascinated with UP operations on the ex CNW River West line since 2005 / 2006. UP GP15-1s pulling rakes of tagged CN / ONR 50' Newsprint Cars and the opportinity to run tanks and hoppers too was too tempting. It makes a nice change from the BR Blue 4mm P4 stuff I have been on with of late.

 

Cheers

 

Chris M

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I find it really funny that everyone is suddenly doing Chicago based switching layouts. :no: I'm currently buiding a 9' HO pike along a bedroom wall using a version of Lance Mindheim's 'Skills Builder' plan but with adapted versions of industries based on the Chicago Tribune Freedom plant and Bloomer's Chocolate. I've been fascinated with UP operations on the ex CNW River West line since 2005 / 2006. UP GP15-1s pulling rakes of tagged CN / ONR 50' Newsprint Cars and the opportinity to run tanks and hoppers too was too tempting. It makes a nice change from the BR Blue 4mm P4 stuff I have been on with of late.

 

Cheers

 

Chris M

Hi Chris, funnily enough I stumbled upon the MR dawings of the CN newsprint boxcars last night and a similar though occurred, the Chicago Tribune, still with GP15's and space saving, push a boxcar into the building and it disappears into a vertical travereser - an oscale engineering challenge!

 

Colin

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