Catch/trap point positioning - New track-plan for consideration

[Geep7]

You guys have got me thinking now.... if I replace the lower medium RH point with a short Y, I can then use the medium RH to replace the 3-way point. And reduce the top sidings to just the single siding.....

 

Hmmmm.... 🤔

[Flying Pig]

24 minutes ago, Geep7 said:

You guys have got me thinking now.... if I replace the lower medium RH point with a short Y, I can then use the medium RH to replace the 3-way point. And reduce the top sidings to just the single siding.....

 

Hmmmm.... 🤔

 

Looking at your photo, that sounds like a workable solution.  To go back to your earlier question, where you need traps depends on where the platform goes as the platform road will need protecting.

[Geep7]

5 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

 

Looking at your photo, that sounds like a workable solution.  To go back to your earlier question, where you need traps depends on where the platform goes as the platform road will need protecting.

I think I'm going to go with having the remaining platform on the lower track and the disused on the upper track.... I believe that means a trap needed from the factory siding, and somehow fitting one from those 2 sidings at the bottom.....

[Geep7]

 

I think, with the space I have available, this is the track plan / diagram i've come up with. Please note that the plan is not to scale, and the area in the solid line is the intended as modelled area.

 

I might, as something different, actually model a gang still lifting the track going into the tunnel, which would give me an excuse to run engineers trains, and leave some wagons positioned at the end of the loco release. It should be long enough with the extension board in place to allow this.

[The Stationmaster]

16 hours ago, Geep7 said:

Just to show exactly how much room I have, this is the layout from above, as it currently is.

 

 

Taking that 3-way out, and making the exit double track would make much more sense, and just having a single siding into the factory at the top. However, I don't have a right-hand point to spare at the moment to replace it with. If I did do this, I could move the loco-release crossover further to the left.

 

I definitely want to keep the lower 2 sidings, as I have a definite idea of what I want to do with these.

The release crossover is almost unusable as the length available to run round anything is very short.  That crossover needs to be the other way round and the platform line then to be used also for freight train arrivals in. order to give the maximum runroud length (as was the practice at the vast majority of small termini).

 

Traps - as already pointed out need sorting but could be done using dummy traps which is a cheap approach and saves a bit of length compared with using an R-T-P trap

[Flying Pig]

I'm not too keen on a tunnel as the scenic break, because the necessary high ground  will be intrusive in such a small space.  All you need is something to block the view of tracks dropping off the end of the world and a station building or even some trees would probably work.

 

I like the idea of continuing the upper track - if you ever have room to extend you have a ready made freight only branch.  Track recovery trains aren't often modelled either.

[Geep7]

4 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

The release crossover is almost unusable as the length available to run round anything is very short.  That crossover needs to be the other way round and the platform line then to be used also for freight train arrivals in. order to give the maximum runroud length (as was the practice at the vast majority of small termini).

 

Traps - as already pointed out need sorting but could be done using dummy traps which is a cheap approach and saves a bit of length compared with using an R-T-P trap

Yeah, i've always been a bit troubled with the short length of the run-round. it's a throw over from when I designed it as a small shunting layout / test track. Removing the 3-way point and extending the run-round onto the fiddle yard sector plate should resolve this issue, allow me to keep the crossover the way it is, and suggest a former double track route that is / has been rationalised.

 

Yes, I have thought I can make some of my own dummy traps, although, they have to be as part of some of the points. Fortunately I already have a couple of catch points already to hand. Who said trackwork wasn't complicated? 🙂 

[Geep7]

2 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

I'm not too keen on a tunnel as the scenic break, because the necessary high ground  will be intrusive in such a small space.  All you need is something to block the view of tracks dropping off the end of the world and a station building or even some trees would probably work.

Yeah, i'm not too keen on that either. Originally I was going to go with a retaining wall along the backscene, so as to make it more of an inner town area, but the more I look at it, being somewhere out in the countryside would be better.

 

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I like the idea of continuing the upper track - if you ever have room to extend you have a ready made freight only branch.  Track recovery trains aren't often modelled either.

I always like the option to extend layouts, even if my wife doesn't. 😄 I have a couple of Cambrian Salmon wagons to build, and this would be ideal for that...... Now, I might just have to extend the fiddle yard a bit as well.....