I'm working on a track plan for a layout that I would like to build once the boy's 4' X 8' layout is completed.
I think I have finally got something worth posting for comments. Please tell me what is wrong with my plan.
It is in HO. The area is roughly 12' X 15' along the two walls.
What are your goals?
What is your theme?
Are you wanting to dispatch trains across your railroad in some prototypical manner?
Are you wanting to switch and move cars across your railroad in some prototypical manner?
If the answer to either of the above two questions is yes, then you may have issues.
Your line has no passing sidings on the main, that limits you to one train in one direction on each loop. Since the plan is basically a pair of loops with a pair of crossovers connecting them it makes it harder to feel like you've "gone" someplace because to transit the whole railroad you have to pass through the same visual location 3 or 4 times. Since the reverse loop is on the inside loop it makes it a short run out of staging to the reverse loop. If you reversed the direction the lead came out of staging, connecting the lead out of staging in the other direction or kept the staging lead in the same place and connected it to the other side of the inside loop, then kept the reverse loop in the same place but connected it to the line to the 4x8 instead, you would have to transit virtually the entire railroad to get from the staging loop to the reverse loop.
Simplify your yard. All the crossovers and connections eat space and in the end don't increase your flexibility much. Have one or two longer tracks (at least one of them double ended) and two or three shorter tracks with simpler leads. Every train to or from staging will bring your entire yard to a halt. Tie the connection out of staging into a main track, not the yard.
A way cool option would be to bring the connection out of staging along the aisle, out side of the outside loop. At the back in the lower right corner, cross over the 4x8 branch at grade and then connect into the outside main. Connect the reverse loop to the 4x8 branch. A train would come out of staging, run completely around the outside loop, crossover to the inside loop, run completely around the inside loop, work the yard, then around the inside main, crossover to the outside loop, run completely around the outside loop and up onto the 4x8 branch, reverse directions and retrace its steps. To cover the entire railroad would take 4 orbits and a trip up the branch. Running loop to loop would take 8 trips around the layout.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Dave,
Thanks for the quick reply and all the ideas!
WOW! Lots to digest and consider. Lots of things to think about. That's why I asked for critique! So many good ideas already.
dehusman wrote:What are your goals?
That is a tough question. Having read Spacemouses tutorial I should have all the answers but I don't. I guess my goal at this point is to come up with a track plan that will not cause me too many operational headaches. Prototypical operation is not at all important in my case but a smooth running reliable network of track is.
dehusman wrote:What is your theme?
I'm modeling a fictional area and a freelance railroad. This layout will be Deisel era. Probably in the 80's-90's.
dehusman wrote:Are you wanting to dispatch trains across your railroad in some prototypical manner?
No.
dehusman wrote:Are you wanting to switch and move cars across your railroad in some prototypical manner?
dehusman wrote:Your line has no passing sidings on the main, that limits you to one train in one direction on each loop.
You are right. I need to have at least one passing siding on the main.
dehusman wrote:Simplify your yard.
Yes, the yard has been the hardest part to draw thus far. You should have seen it before I simplified it the first time. Well back to the drawing board with that!
As expected there is a lot about my plan that needs improvment! Thanks for any and all input, it's appreciated greatly!
Since you don't have a scale on the plan it's hard to tell how much aisle space you have in the peninsula area. make sure you give yourself enough. What may look fine on paper can be much different when actually built.
What are your loop radii? You have some switches along the walls that may be hard to reach if they are hand thrown.
As far as the peninsula goes; what industries are going to be there? Picking up or dropping off cars will cause you to leave a good portion of your train on the mainline with no opportunity for another train to pass (if you plan on having multiple trains running).
What other industries do you have planned? Right now all I see are a big yard area and the peninsula. There are no other sidings along the main. Was this intentional?
What are the lines on the r/h side? Are they depicting walls? Room structure?
Be prepared to go thru several iterations before you get a plan that you like and is workable. Don't fall in love with your first few plans.
most of all, have fun.
-G-
Guessing at the scale by saying the thickness of the walls is 6" it appears you have a rather long reach from aisles to the back of the layout along the left side and bottom. Unless you have access over there (because they're not really walls) this will be a big problem during construction, when a train derails there, and during maintenance.
In the upper right turnback curve area you have a parrallel tracks on a curve with the inner track hidden in a tunnel. There appears to be very little space between the two tracks to do scenery there. Are you planning a mountainous hillside there or an urban scene with a retaining wall. And all that hidden track will be a pain to keep clean and will require some kind of access for when (inevitably) a train comes off the tracks or something goes wrong with the tracks themselves.
What is the distance between track centers (near the label 'to future expansion') on the inner (loop) track and the inner mainline? It looks very 'tight'.
It's really hard to get a feel for distances on your plan without a grid on it.
From the plan itself, it appears you're not interested in any form of prototype operation but instead are a railfan and want to sit and watch trains in orbit. Is this a correct assessment?
I agree with Dave H's comments that the yard area needs simplification - too many turnouts for what would be happening there. What will be the purpose of the yard? Storage of idle rolling stock? Or will you use it to build and break down the trains that run?
Regards,
Charlie Comstock
If you are not interested in prototypical car forwarding then I suggest that you make your yard simply 2 or 3 long "train length" tracks with the spur to the roundhouse. Then use the rest of the space for a couple industry spurs (for scenic buildings) or for general scenery.
Another thought would be to reconfigure the double crossover to make the routes through the diamonds look like the main track routes and what are now the mains look like interchange or connection tracks. Has all the same functionality but would be more scenically appealing.
Ok. First of all I am learning lots about asking for critique on a track plan!
I have not provided enough information...forgetting that while the situation is very familar to me, none of you have seen the layout in person so the drawing is not as telling as it should be.
I'll be back after I take some of the suggestions back to the planning and improve on my details. Thanks guys for all the valuable input!
To answer some questions...
The tightest radius on the plan is ovr 18 inches. Most of the curves are 22" radius or more. I will not be running passenger equipment. Freight only. Car lengths will be kept to around 50' maximum because of the tight curves
The penninsula will feature a coal mine.
Turnouts will be remotely controlled and either electric or cable operated. Access is planned where track is hidden. There will be other industries...hmm good point about the sidings, duh.
Lines on the right do indicate room walls.
This plan has already gone througha number of iterations before I thought it was ready for critique. Now I know it still wasn't ready!
Thanks again for the input guys. I'll be back with a better drawing and more details.
I thought instead of criticizing the layout directly, I thought I would give a few views and mistaken assumption.
Assumption 1: If I don't want my loop layout to be boring, I add more loops.
Reality: Watching a train run 6" from where it just was is just as boring as seeing it run the same track twice.
Assumption 2: I'm a railfan. I just want to watch trains. I want a lot of track.
Reality: Your train will look better and excite you more running once through a well-developed scene than the same train running on a Disneyland ride through the Land of track.
Assumption 3: You get more variety by running a train more places.
Reality: You get more railfan variety by providing staging and running different trains through your landscape.
Reality: you get several times more operations by providing staging because you extend the layout infinitely in the the direct of the staging.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.