Hi again everybody.
My most recent endevour is to build a small switching layout that represents the town of East Aurora, NY 1945. This is the town where my Grandfather lived and near where my parents grew up and several of the elements on the layout I remember fondly from my childhood. I'm planning on doing it in (4) 2' x 3' modules mounted on shelves when in use.
The town was located on the PRR mainline between Emporium, PA and Buffalo, NY on the Buffalo Division. Prototype maps from 1945 as well as the track plan are below. I had a few questions for everyone as well as welcoming general feedback, you guys always have great feedback.
I've never done a layout based on a protoype track plan, I reversed the siding at S.H. Peek to allow more length and reduced the passing sidings to the station track and the main (not sure if these were good changes or if more could improve operations). I also allowed 24" of straight track after the turnout on each end to facilitate running around with a cut of cars, will that be enough? The last module also seems very bare, only containing grassy areas, is there any way to add interest or will this look fine as is?
The running session idea is to have a small local run onto the layout and begin working the local industries based on a random draw. I've been able to aquire town purchase records for the local industries to base car loads and building information on. In addition the local will have to clear either the main or the station track as a random "event" while a passenger train runs on/through the scene from future staging extnsions. The whole sessions should last 20-30 minutes.
Edit: This is planned for HO scale.
Historical Town Fire Map
Historical Map - Annotated
Track Plan
Your previous posts talk of both HO and N, are you doing this in N?
I'm not much of a layout person, but it looks like a workable plan to me. If I'm looking at it right, the maps are one side up, track plan the other with no buildings sketched in, only words in a general area. The only thing I see is the crossover close to the station, which would probably mean blocking that when there was a train at the station.
Are you planning steam or diesel power? Assuming N scale, a 24" tail should let you move a cut of about 4-6 cars, depending on the locos. My HO RS-3, with 2 40' box cars and a caboose is just over 24", can't quite double that, being that N is about half the size.
Have fun,
Richard
Rich, you are correct, the map is one way the layout facing the other. I also have a number of pictures of the original buildings and plan to compress them to fit the space which is why there's no building's marked out. Sorry I forgot, it is in HO scale, I'll add that into the orginal post. Thanks for your feedback!
It's an elegant plan. I have no criticisms, but a few questions and comments:
* I noticed that the original line was double track throughout. Any reason you chose to go to single track at the "Peek" end?
* I see your reason for reversing the direction of the S. H. Peek siding. Too bad this was necessary. The track arrangement now means all switching is done from the same end, with no need for a runaround. If at least one spot could be switched from the opposite end, that would require a runaround, which would increase the operational interest and challenge. Correcting the Peak siding direction would necessitate another two feet or so of length. A little more length for the switching leads can pay dividends if you have the space. If you don't have the space, you must live with what you have. Your solution makes sense under the circumstances.
* I don't see the pasture area as a scenic problem at all. Picture an undulating (NOT FLAT!) grassy surface, with a very small stream meandering through it. It appears there was such a stream in reality (Tannery Brook). A bit of vegetation along the stream, with a few cattails & tall weeds. A few cattle grazing, or wading in the stream. Bridges carry the stream under the railroad and highway. I would base those bridges on those that actually existed at the location. I rode through the area many years ago on the PRR's Baltimore Day Express, and can assure you this would fit right into the character of the region.
Best of luck with the project!
Tom
(edited)
Google Maps aerial view shows the railroad crossing Tannery Brook on a small culvert. Chances are, that's what was there in 1945, too. For the nearby highway bridge, I would suggest Rix's concrete single span, which was a common design for this type of location in 1945.
The Keystone Crossings web site shows PRR L1s 2-8-2's and I1sa 2-10-0's as the dominant road freight power on the Buffalo Division in 1945. Lots of 2-8-0's in classes H6sb, H8 variants, H9s, and H10s were also assigned to the Division, and likely would have handled the local switch runs. Cabin cars on the local were probably mostly N6b's ala Walthers, although a few 2-axle ND's were still being used in the State of New York at that time.
Tom,
You beat me to it with your second post. Yes Tannery Brook runs right through that area and should add some interest. As for the double track mainline, it actually is single track. The map only shows a portion, but the track that all of the east side industries ( Ersnt Automoive Side) is actually a long passing siding that ran the length of town. So on the cut off map it appears to be two mainlines (with the turnouts north and south of town).
I agree that it would be better to have S.H. Peek the other way. I could move it to the other side of the bridge facing the other way but I fear that I would lose the "recongnizable" layout design element. I could also place another turnout on the mainline facing the correct way, but that would reduce my track lengh clear of the points to about 15" on that end of the layout, I'm not sure if that would hinder operations too much? Designing switching layouts is new to me.
Thanks for all your help and feedback, it's always appreciated!
So I've taken all the input into account and redesigned the track plan with an opposite facing spur. My next question, is 16" too short as the lead on one end? I currently own k4 and that scales out to about 12" long so I'd have to get something smaller to switch that end. I was thinking about shifting the whole plan down so that instead of 24" and 16" leads on each end I had 20" and 20". I've also added in some preliminary building kit placements for the industries as well as labeling all spur/lead lengths on the plan. Thanks for reading!!
Layout Plan 29JAN17
A K4s was PRR's universal passenger engine, commonly seen in passenger service on the Buffalo Division, but it would very rarely be used to switch freight cars at local industries. My BLI K4s with the short 110P75 tender, plus one 40' PRR X29 boxcar, requires about 17-1/4". The K4s with one PRR GLa hopper requires about 16-1/4". Specs for an L1s Mikado would be about the same as for the K4s. My Key Limited PRR H10s no. 7009 plus one 40' X29 boxcar requires about 15"; about 14" with the GLa instead of the X29. If the H10s had a larger tender, it would require more space. You could only switch one car at a time into the Peek siding. Cars longer than 40' would not work on this siding, but that shouldn't be much of a problem because most tank, box, reefers, hoppers, and covered hoppers were 40' or shorter in that era. Some flats and gons were longer, but there were lots of flats and gons in the 40' range, such as PRR GR, GS, G22, NYC USRA rebuilds, etc.
A longer lead is always better, but we all have to live with the constraints of our available space. Depending on the type of equipment you choose to operate, the new arrangement might be workable, but it would be close. Shifting everything about two or three inches, to give you a bit more lead at the right end, might be all you need to do.
Coupling on the sharply curved Peek siding would probably require manual assistance with a wooden skewer or similar tool, but that's to be expected. If you use Kadee's delayed uncoupling feature, you shouldn't have any trouble with uncoupling. I would install an uncoupling magnet, centered one engine length from the end of track.
Tannery Brook makes a nice scenic "bookend" at the left edge.
You could also save space on the tail track by using a somewhat smaller engine on the local freight. Your location is fairly close to Buffalo, so it might be reasonable to see a B6sa, B6sb, or B8 0-6-0 working a local out of Buffalo. The very first PRR diesel switchers didn't show up on the Buffalo Division until July, 1948. A three year adjustment of your time period would allow Alco S2 switchers to be used, if you chose. Of course this all depends on how much you fear being ticketed by the ever-watchful Prototype Police.
I'll send you a PM with a bit more info on this.
As mentioned, a small steam freight loco would probably handle the local. It appears that the most numerous single such class would have been the 23 H6sb light 2-8-0's on that Division in 1945. There were other classes, but the group of 23 H6sb's vastly exceeded the next largest groups (7 each of B6sb, H9s, and H10s).
Brass H6sb's were produced by Lambert, Sunset (several versions/eras), and Railworks. I have no experience with the Sunset versions. The Railworks engine is very fine and has details probably most appropriate to 1945. Its overall length is just about the same as that of the Key H10s mentioned earlier. The Lambert is also quite good, and has a slightly shorter tender, which could be a plus on that short tail track. Of course a B6sb 0-6-0 would be even more compact.
LION looks at plans in MR, and tries to figure them out. It is not as easy as you think. While sitting in the little room this morning, looking at the latest MR, a simple switching layout, it becomes obvious that two locomotives are required.
The road engine comes in, uncouples and moves into the siding. A switcher waiting on the team track then pulls the consist in, does the work, some times with the assist of the roat poer depending on who the switches face. The road power then moves out onto the mane lion, while the switcher shoves the outbound consist up to the road motor.
These days trains would just come in with two locomotives, perhaps even with one on each end.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
BroadwayLionlooking at the latest MR, a simple switching layout, it becomes obvious that two locomotives are required.
If you are talking about the West Deerfield Industrial Park track plan in the Feb. 2017 magazine, the published track plan is a bit misleading because it does not include the staging yard that the author describes connecting at the upper left. In any case, one locomotive could handle all the switching of facing-point and trailing-point spurs by using the runaround -- that's why it is there.
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The location is a small town on the Buffalo-Williamsport main line, not far from Buffalo. In 1945, these industries would probably be typically served by a daily local working out of Buffalo, probably handled by a single H6sb 2-8-0 with an N6b cabin car. With all due respect to Bro. Lion, the town was certainly too small to have its own dedicated switcher waiting in a pocket for cars to be dropped off. In any case, there isn't really enough room on this module to fit such a switcher pocket into the plan. So one small engine should suffice, just as long as there is provision for running around the cars.