Help required with new Layout plan - upper level plan revised.

[beejack]

I took the decision late last year to rebuild my layout.

 

The original baseboards were now over 10 years old and had been altered and modified a few times so I thought why not take the opportunity to redesign the layout.

That was last October!

In November the layout was dismantled and all the old wood taken to the tip.  The Idea was to rebuild in March/April once all the expenses of christmas and an MOT were out of the way.  In hindsight what a bad decision!

 

The Original design was for a roundy roundy layout on a 10 foot by 8 foot 6 inch baseboard with a centre well.  This morphed into an L shaped design which is just under 16 foot long, 4 foot wide at one end with the foot of the "L" being 8 foot 6 inches long and 4 foot wide at it deepest end.  The rest of the layout Varies in width as required.  It will also be on two levels

The two inclines are roughly 24 foot long and around 2% incline so hopefully most stock will have no issues.

 

Anyway at the moment it looks a little like a train set track plan, probably not helped by the use of colour for the sections!  

The plan was done using Anyrail.

 

What I looking for is any improvements that could be made to improve it.  I not too keen on the Depot area and sidings on the upper level, but don't want to change the station area too much.

 

Here are the two parts of the plan:

 

Upper Level.

 

 

lower level

 Any suggestions on changes that could be made would be most welcome.   It is intended that the area on the upper level above the two inclines would be a raised area with a town scene or housing etc. and the blue line shows the area designated for this.

 

Brian

Edited May 17, 2020 by beejack

[Harlequin]

Hi Brian,

There seems to be a lot of hidden track that might be difficult to access and pointwork above track below making point motors and wiring difficult to fit in.

What is the separation, rail top to rail top, of the two levels?

The intense track density in the station might be another reason why it looks like a train set.

 

[beejack]

The actual difference between the two levels is 6 inches.  

 

On the lower level only the areas with track will be have baseboard.  On the right side both upper and lower loops will be accessible from the middle. the lower loop on the left will also be the same.

 

I had thought about loosing the two sidings at the back of the station. I wanted to keep the loop at the rear of the station for freight etc. 

Edited May 3, 2020 by beejack

[Zomboid]

What's the era? I'd hazard a guess at blue diesels, but that is just a guess. (And presumably it's supposed to be somewhere on the British mainland).

 

The light blue area is a bit of a trainset style tracks everywhere thing - what's it for? freight of some sort? Is it a loco facility? both? I think you'll need to expand on the purpose of it to get some useful suggestions, and whatever you get to, the suggestions are likely to involve less track.

 

If it is a diesel era plan, I would lose what I assume is a double slip, and replace it with just a turnout from the inner line - any slipping it offers is repeated by the crossover on the corner. And I do like the fact that anticlockwise access to the bay/ goods loop is by running wrong line through the short tunnel - definitely a relatively recent kind of feature which modellers shy away from more than BR/ Railtrack/ NR would have done.

[beejack]

I did forget to mention this is OO gauge

 

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

What's the era? I'd hazard a guess at blue diesels, but that is just a guess. (And presumably it's supposed to be somewhere on the British mainland).

 

Yes 1970's to early 1980's but using rule no1 from time to time!

No fixed area of the country

 

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The light blue area is a bit of a trainset style tracks everywhere thing - what's it for? freight of some sort? Is it a loco facility? both? I think you'll need to expand on the purpose of it to get some useful suggestions, and whatever you get to, the suggestions are likely to involve less track.

 

Exactly, which is why I need a little help  and yes it is a diesel depot.  

The two sidings were there for storage of locos or stock but not essential.

Ideally I am looking for two sheds, a refueling point and some loco storage, which is where I'm struggling.  

 

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

If it is a diesel era plan, I would lose what I assume is a double slip, and replace it with just a turnout from the inner line - any slipping it offers is repeated by the crossover on the corner. And I do like the fact that anticlockwise access to the bay/ goods loop is by running wrong line through the short tunnel - definitely a relatively recent kind of feature which modellers shy away from more than BR/ Railtrack/ NR would have done.

 

The station area was actually pinched from another track plan.  I was quite keen on the the bi-directional working of the passing loop and the station loop. 

The double slip is there to increase operational interest.

Without the double slip a train in the station loop going anticlockwise would need to wait for a train going closewise to clear the cross over points before departing. 

With the double slip in place it allows a  train to enter the Passing loop going clockwise whilst allowing a train to leave the station  loop anticlockwise via the double slip.

 

[73c]

I would lose the 2 yellow sidings and drag the shed over to the right a bit, giving a bit more space and longer shed roads and extend the 2 short light blue sidings.

The light brown loop round the back of the island platform could be a freight only line, avoiding any passenger trains at the station.

[DCB]

That's one  ugly shape shape to fill.   It wants one of Harlequins swoopy stations sweeping majestically across the main board. That way you could get sidings by the baseboard edge off the outer line, and lose some of the  squeezed in track at the back which would be a pig to operate, You effectively have to stop the inner line train to shunt the sidings and that train will a) take a long time to get round, and b) unless you use a decent controller will need driving all the way round, otherwise it will stall up the banks and overspeed back down.

Maybe you could  put some visible track inside the end loop?   You can't disguise all the sharp curves without hiding 80% of the layout, 

The H/S dead ends would require reversing out round 2nd or 3rd radius curves, it will cause constant derailments with std OO Tension lock couplers, I would make them them loops and also add a coupe of crossovers so trains can reverse, maybe even a loco turning wye,  and of course an ole so you can get at derailments.   See doodle

[Zomboid]

37 minutes ago, beejack said:

The station area was actually pinched from another track plan.  I was quite keen on the the bi-directional working of the passing loop and the station loop. 

The double slip is there to increase operational interest.

Without the double slip a train in the station loop going anticlockwise would need to wait for a train going closewise to clear the cross over points before departing. 

With the double slip in place it allows a  train to enter the Passing loop going clockwise whilst allowing a train to leave the station  loop anticlockwise via the double slip.

Would a goods loop be expected to see enough traffic that parallel moves to/ from it and platforms 2 & 3 (as I'll call them) would be necessary? Feels a bit unlikely given that the other end of the station has a "BR Rationalised" feel to it. But it's not a major thing really.

[Zomboid]

37 minutes ago, beejack said:

The station area was actually pinched from another track plan.  I was quite keen on the the bi-directional working of the passing loop and the station loop. 

The double slip is there to increase operational interest.

Without the double slip a train in the station loop going anticlockwise would need to wait for a train going closewise to clear the cross over points before departing. 

With the double slip in place it allows a  train to enter the Passing loop going clockwise whilst allowing a train to leave the station  loop anticlockwise via the double slip.

Would a goods loop be expected to see enough traffic that parallel moves to/ from it and platforms 2 & 3 (as I'll call them) would be necessary? Feels a bit unlikely given that the other end of the station has a "BR Rationalised" feel to it. But it's not a major thing really.

[beejack]

44 minutes ago, DavidCBroad said:

That's one  ugly shape shape to fill.   It wants one of Harlequins swoopy stations sweeping majestically across the main board. That way you could get sidings by the baseboard edge off the outer line, and lose some of the  squeezed in track at the back which would be a pig to operate, You effectively have to stop the inner line train to shunt the sidings and that train will a) take a long time to get round, and b) unless you use a decent controller will need driving all the way round, otherwise it will stall up the banks and overspeed back down.

Maybe you could  put some visible track inside the end loop?   You can't disguise all the sharp curves without hiding 80% of the layout, 

The H/S dead ends would require reversing out round 2nd or 3rd radius curves, it will cause constant derailments with std OO Tension lock couplers, I would make them them loops and also add a coupe of crossovers so trains can reverse, maybe even a loco turning wye,  and of course an ole so you can get at derailments.   See doodle

 

You're right not an ideal shape!

 

The additional dead end sidings on the lower level were mainly for DNU's and similar but may need to be looked at again.

I hadn't thought about adding a crosover on the lower level so I'll look to add that.

The short tunnel was an idea and may not be in the final build if it ever gets under way.

 

Control will be DCC- I have the NCE powercab and SB5

As far as access holes are concerned, there will be three, one where you have identified and one on each level at the bottom right of the board.

I taken a few ideas and altered slightly the upper level.

The space below the depot will allow for a few builds etc.

 

[beejack]

I've altered the lower level removing the dead end sidings and adding a crossover

Edited May 3, 2020 by beejack
speeling mistake

[Iskra]

I might be being daft here, or perhaps I've missed something, but why don't the blue and green tracks meet at the top of your layout?

[beejack]

The layout will be on 2 levels.

Half of the two inclines is on the upper level plan and the rest on  the lower level plan.

[beejack]

I have slightly revised the upper level plan, removing the crossover on the west curve and moving the position of the double slip to rationalise the junction slightly.

The East end curve has also been altered slightly to allow larger radius curves and now all curves are at least 3rd radius on both levels apart from the loops at the toe of the 'L' on both levels.

 

Still not sure over the access to the inclines at the back of the layout but apart from the fiddle yard, station area and MPD all the rest will be open frame so access from below should be available.  storage boxes will close to the bottom of the lower level so should stop anything falling too far and if neccessary I will add something to the edges of the incline to help.

 

As nothing much has changed I have not re-posted the lower level.

 

In case you're wondering the siding off platform one will be for parcel coaches as there is a Royal mail Depot not far from the station.  It can also be used for storing DMU's awaiting for their next service duty. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by beejack

[beejack]

Here's a first draught of the framework for the layout.  

The framework is intended to fit snuggly into the area available and will be fixed to the wall  whereever it touches it.  The vertical supports are there for only for aiding drawing the upper level framework and will more than likely move positions.

Edited May 20, 2020 by beejack
added dimensions to drawing