Never Enough Room

[sjrixon]

It's got the flangeless wheels as the trailing wheels, as it doesn't move. Runs fine on everything apart from the settrack curved, so I'll stop using them.

 

I've also looked at adding the crossover just out of shot, then the inside loop can feed the outside. There is room to cram a couple of sidings into inside for goods traffic and short branch trains that could run end to end. 

 

Need to plan the station now :)

Edited February 23, 2023 by sjrixon

[sjrixon]

Quick picture after a tidy. 

 

You can see the long road on the down line, with Mallard on the up. 

 

From the other side, I've set the points after the curve as there is a viaduct just behind me in the picture. 

 

[sjrixon]

With the fiddle yard coming together I thought it time to plan he station area.

 

The back road is planned to be a bay, I've an auto coach, rail car etc, so needs somewhere to go. Then also have a dairy siding to fill the back corner. 

 

The goods needs some expansion, I've got a nice long headshunt, but 2 sidings is simply not enough.

 

The loco area at the side is more to fill the space, an engine shed always looks nice though :)

 

 

[Harlequin]

Hi Scott,

 

You have facing connections to your goods yard, loco shed, dairy and a facing crossover. Those are all things that would have been avoided if at all possible on the real railway. (If you mirrored the plan left to right it would be a lot better!)

 

Think about how a goods train on the inner circuit would shunt the goods yard. How would it place any wagons in the goods shed without getting trapped?

 

You also have reverse curves into your top platform loop that could easily be avoided.

 

The gap for the top island platform is probably not big enough.

 

[sjrixon]

Facing points, argh, shouldn't do track plans while in tedious meetings. 

 

How would you tackle the reverse curve into the top platform?

[Michael Hodgson]

3 hours ago, sjrixon said:

 

 

How would you tackle the reverse curve into the top platform?

I wouldn't have one !  I'd use a curved point

[sjrixon]

Curved point on each of the curves.. I'll continue to practice my rubbish anyrail skills in the morning.. 

[sjrixon]

Not sure I've got this quite right, there is a viaduct on the right side, not sure the loco shed will actually fit. But, reverse curves gone, facing points sorted and the good yard has a long head shunt.

 

The good can pass on the down, backing into the yard. If I really want to shunt from the up, you can run around, but more likely would come back down the line from the 'rest of the world' and shunt when coming 'down. 

 

The back line is now a lot longer and I think I've a lot more space for that back platform. 

 

So tempted to push some industry of the other end of the back line, but I think it would look silly with a mirror of the dairy.. 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by sjrixon

[Harlequin]

The platform loop turnouts don't have to be curved if you don't want them to be. They can be any of the straight turnouts, if required, depending on which one best fits the radius of the track curve.

 

Streamline curved points are a bit more prone to derailments than straights when propelling through them, in my experience. Much better than the Settracks but they still need to be laid carefully.

 

The tracks up against the edges will be very hard to make look scenically convincing. The simplest option is a retaining wall right behind the track but that is boring and you can't do it everywhere. So I suggest you pull some of the tracks in from the edges if you can to leave a bit of room for buildings, trees, whatever scenic things like you, between the track and the backscene.

 

The facing crossover top right could be smoother if it started in the curve to avoid another reverse curve but it would be much better if it was trailing.

 

Will AnyRail offer you any help in removing the kinks and sharp curves or in getting the main running lines to be parallel?

 

[sjrixon]

Thanks again.. Good feedback. 

 

The points top right are clearly the wrong way around.. 

 

Your comment on the curved points makes me think the one into the yard should be straight, as that's going to cause issues based on your statement. 

 

I was a little lazy with anyrail.. Hence the wobbly track! 

[Michael Hodgson]

The headshunt looks disproportionately long compared to the sidings it serves.

I would look at trying to balance it to length of sidings. but they are rather short.  Maybe lengthen them by removing loco shed?  Perhaps loco shed could fit at left hand end?

 

The dairy should be accessed by trailing point, so I would move it to left hand end, or turn it through 90 degrees and put a trailing connction just off the viaduct approach.  The latter approach allows you add another industry (factory with private siding?) without them being mirrored as both would be trailing connection but at 90 degrees from one another.

[RobinofLoxley]

10 hours ago, Harlequin said:

The platform loop turnouts don't have to be curved if you don't want them to be. They can be any of the straight turnouts, if required, depending on which one best fits the radius of the track curve.

 

Streamline curved points are a bit more prone to derailments than straights when propelling through them, in my experience. Much better than the Settracks but they still need to be laid carefully.

 

The tracks up against the edges will be very hard to make look scenically convincing. The simplest option is a retaining wall right behind the track but that is boring and you can't do it everywhere. So I suggest you pull some of the tracks in from the edges if you can to leave a bit of room for buildings, trees, whatever scenic things like you, between the track and the backscene.

 

The facing crossover top right could be smoother if it started in the curve to avoid another reverse curve but it would be much better if it was trailing.

 

Will AnyRail offer you any help in removing the kinks and sharp curves or in getting the main running lines to be parallel?

 

Just needs more practice. Five/six years ago I drew up my first loft layout and it wasn't that good - well it was cr*" actually. It was amazing things ran on it at all. Practice and focus on small improvements.

[sjrixon]

Ok - Had a re-think yesterday while doing some gardening! I'm really enjoying this process! 

 

 

By removing the full loop I have a better excuse into the backscene, I can build the station and platform into the flat back, meaning it is less cramped. 

 

The local can pull into the station and push the tanks back into the diary, then back into the bay for the return trip. I couldn't decide if I wanted one or two cross overs in the station. But with 2 it helps with some nice GWR 'tail traffic'. That bay is also good for parcels, siphons etc, etc. 

 

Pushing everything back also gives more room for the yard, so I added another cross over and loading dock. I think the headshunt might want a second spur, because why not.. 

 

The right side then flipping that point, provides a cattle dock with quite a nice length siding.  

 

It's a bit more square that I originally intended, but, really helps the operational value.

[Coder Tim]

That looks better to me, but I would make a few suggestions:

 

Remove the crossover between goods shed and loading dock, you won't be able to use it with wagons standing on the siding anyway.

 

Swap the turnout to the dairy from facing to trailing and remove the headshunt.  This will make shunting the dairy easier, is more realistic, and let's you have a longer passenger platform.

 

Remove the headshunt from the goods yard, I believe most yards this size would be shunted from the main, but you might want to leave it so you can have a train running on the main whilst shunting the yard, more a matter of personal taste that one.

[sjrixon]

Moving the dairy siding , but then I'd lose the bay platform? 

Edited February 26, 2023 by sjrixon

[Coder Tim]

Good point, I'd forgotten about the bay.  In that case it works as it is but does make the main platform quite short.  If you can find the width you could have the bay siding further from the main line and extend the main platform between them.  I think that was more common but the version you have currently definitely existed, Keighley on the Aire Valley line being one example.

[sjrixon]

Yes, about a 5cm gap between the main and bay, so plenty of platform space.. Just... 

[sjrixon]

Although... 

 

Quick flip of the cattle dock point, I can pull the running lines forward and make that bay much more of a platform. Probably extend it all the way down, right up to where the building will be. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by sjrixon