Well I got Industries from Along the Tracks #3 through the interlibrary loan. This book has some spotty and very random coverage of its subjects. The part on the cement plant is much more detailed than that of the team tracks and transloading section, which concludes with "There are so many possibilities for modeling transload centers that it's impossible to list potential models and arrangements." What is that supposed to mean? The author is just lazy? The book itself *looks* good with lots of color photos of random things, which don't really give any additional insight into the subject.
I hope the other 3 are better. I'm so glad I checked this out of the library instead of paying for it.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
cuyama The tracks you have drawn as a yard will be very awkward to operate and are not an efficient use of space or turnouts. I'd suggest reading John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation before finalizing your plan.
The tracks you have drawn as a yard will be very awkward to operate and are not an efficient use of space or turnouts. I'd suggest reading John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation before finalizing your plan.
I've ordered it from the library, thanks.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
cuyama A diverging turnout at the end of a curve as you have on your new plan can create a potentially troublesome S-curve as shown in the image at the left. The alternative arrangement at right creates no S-curve and allows for a longer diverging track in many cases. Note that most real-life railroads avoided having the mainline path passing through the diverging route of a turnout, but if the turnout is broad enough to match up well with the mainline minimum radius, this can be a handy trick on the model.
A diverging turnout at the end of a curve as you have on your new plan can create a potentially troublesome S-curve as shown in the image at the left.
The alternative arrangement at right creates no S-curve and allows for a longer diverging track in many cases. Note that most real-life railroads avoided having the mainline path passing through the diverging route of a turnout, but if the turnout is broad enough to match up well with the mainline minimum radius, this can be a handy trick on the model.
Alright, I've taken your advice into account and rearranged the yard. it's not quite done, as I may add another outside track to the left. I've tried to leave ample spacing in the yard between sidings.
As far as industries go, I ordered the 3 Kalmbach industry books via interlibrary loan, so I expect those will be here in a week or so.
I suppose it's also worth mentioning that I have a DDA40X and several 85' passenger cars that will go on the layout, and I plan getting the Scaletrains Big Blows sometime in the near future. The D-D wheelsets on the DDA40X seem to be okay over the turnouts.
fieryturbo John Busby You don't mention the period you are working with knowing that could also be helpfull regards John Hey John, those are some very helpful tips. I'm modeling something that's late 1960s-80s, mostly Union Pacific, and all diesel. I've also revised the layout to give better gaps between the tracks as suggested earlier in the thread, and stretch out the S curves a bit more.
John Busby You don't mention the period you are working with knowing that could also be helpfull regards John
You don't mention the period you are working with knowing that could also be helpfull
regards John
Hey John, those are some very helpful tips. I'm modeling something that's late 1960s-80s, mostly Union Pacific, and all diesel. I've also revised the layout to give better gaps between the tracks as suggested earlier in the thread, and stretch out the S curves a bit more.
One suggestion I had is putting a turnout at either the top or bottom of the layout (where the track is straight) for a siding. There are plenty of possibilities for modeling large industries in small spaces. Reading the Kalmbach book on industirse is a great idea. I have the 1st one and learned many things, including you don't need a large structure footprint for an industry.
jjdamnit Hello All, Check out the Kalmbach Publishing series of modeling industries. This might give you some ideas to work from. Hope this helps.
Hello All,
Check out the Kalmbach Publishing series of modeling industries.
This might give you some ideas to work from.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, I will do that.
Anyone have suggestions on the changes I made?
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Hi fieryturbo
Well with the scissors cross over where it is that sugests to me where the passenger depot is.
You have a double track main line use it as a double track main line one track up main the other track down main.
So freight and passengers on both.
I would think the first order of business would be a loco depot of some sort
So if we consider the scissors crossover to be the pasanger depot then somewhere there is where the enterance to the loco depot will be.
So that needs to be arranged to allow acsess to both main line tracks how the loco depot is laid out will depend on the depot's size loco's to be serviced is it a major depot or just a local running depot.
You may also want to concider a couple of coach sidings in the same area so they can be cleaned and serviced between runs stabled over night for first run, and have an express depot at the back of the small coach yard.
So the express cars can be seperated and shunted to the express depot for unloading and delivery into town.
You will note I have kept all the point work in roughly the same area.
That makes it easy to keep an eye on.
Where ever you enter and leave a yard you will need to have acsess to both main lines in and out but all yard work should be able to be done without blocking the main lines.
Without really knowing what you are doing thats the best I can come up with, untill there is something a bit more concrete to work with.
You are going to have areas that at first seem a bit crowded but that is often the way, real railroads only have a certain space to work in as well so just like us have to make the best of what they have.
It is indeed HO.
I didn't want to eat up all the available straightaways on the layout with crossovers. I could potentially make the S curves more gentle by expanding the track toward the edge in one direction, but that seems less than ideal.
I'll revise the layout and post another picture.
This response assumes HO.
If it's all working well now pinned down, then that's fine. But you've got a couple of things that may pose problems later. The double-crossover arrangment creates potentially troublesome S-curves through some routes.
The potential problem is similar to this sketch
Also, if you have 22"- and 24"-radius curves with the same center and thus only 2" between them (center-to-center), some equipment combinations may sideswipe. Most folks find that they need broader track-to-track spacing (2½" or more) for curves this tight in HO.
As far as adding spurs and a yard, those can come off anywhere that you don't create sharp S-curves. But if you can add a bit to the outside of your benchwork (or re-arrange tracks), placing a yard outside the ovals might allow it to be longer and thus more useful.
Best of luck with your layout.
So I have the following layout. Passenger trains will run on the outside, freight on the inside (generally). I need some ideas for yards and/or industries I can add to this layout based on the benchwork I have laid down.I had planned one 2x2' corner section to be a small town with a couple of department stores facing. Prototype is (very loosely) Union Pacific.
Baseboard is 6ft x 8ft, hole in the center is 2ft by 4ft.
Outside loop is 24", inside is 22", turnouts are #6.
Nothing is nailed down, it's all loose, held down with cloth staples in the foam temporarily. I haven't laid roadbed either.