https://imgur.com/a/vZCFA0BHi All,I've started to tighten things down on this layout. Will be mid 50's diesel featuring Black Diamond passenger and Lehigh Valley and Delaware Lackawanna & Western freight. Room is 16'x14' no part of layout is deeper than 30". Main line (outer) will vary from 1.5" to 5" higher than yard. I believe Max grade is 2.3%. Lift out section will carry 3 lines on 2 elevations. Upper complex will be salt mine, left complex will be coal plant(possibly modeled while under construction) narrowest radius's are 22" on freight line 26" on main line"
Questios;
Thanks
i see I posted this to general discussion,is there a way to move it to layouts?
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
I do not see any reason for an auto-reverser anywhere on the layout.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
FlattenedQuarterStill a little confused on auto reversing,will pink section lower left work as auto reverser?
You don't have a reversing section unless you have a loop, wye track arrangement or turntable that reverses direction of a loco (or train) back to where it came from.
Your pink connection is just a crossover that connects your upper and lower loops. Envision that both loops were on the same level and the mainline one was a bit larger than the yard one and encircled it. Run a train counterclockwise around the outer loop and use the crossover into the inner loop and it will be going clockwise there. Rather simple.
I imagine you are aware that you have no way to reverse a train or loco direction. If you take the crossover to the other loop (only works in one direction going forward, depending on the loop), you need to back up to get back to the original loop. It would take another crossover on the right to add flexibility. But, any crossovers need to have reasonable grades (be sure that the pink one not too steep?).
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
FlattenedQuarterThe pink section gains 1.5” in 72”
That is a 2.1% grade. Most people would say that is pretty reasonable in the model railroad world.
SeeYou190That is a 2.1% grade. Most people would say that is pretty reasonable in the model railroad world.
Once one allows for transitions from level-to-grade and for not changing grade within (or too close to) a turnout, I think it will end up being less run and thus steeper. I don’t know if the difference is enough to be a problem, but it’s more than that nominal grade.
I see also that there are a couple of potentially problematic S-curves in the upper-left corner, one through the diverging leg of the turnout.
All of these could be easily fixed in the available space with a redesign. If this is the Original Poster’s first attempt at layout design, some time spent away from the CAD learning basic design principles with a resource like John Armstrong’s Track Planning for Realistic Operation would be worthwhile.
Good luck with the layout.
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
As others have mentioned, I also do not see a reversing section in the pink.
As cuyama didn't explicitly mention, there might be problems in the upper left blue area because there is actually a double-double ess. One ess formed by the turnout, and another formed as the track sweeps 90-plus degrees around the corner.
The turnout ess can be mitigated by using a left-hand turnout and realigning the track slightly. The big ess can be mitigated by adding a straight section between the curves (the longer the better).
Good luck.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
What scale? 22" radius S curves will likely be an issue with HO. With N you will more than likely be able to get away with it as that is quite a broad radius in N, assuming same type of equipment in both scales.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
peahrens You don't have a reversing section unless you have a loop, wye track arrangement or turntable that reverses direction of a loco (or train) back to where it came from.
Rich
Alton Junction
Layout will be HO
Does the whole yard need to be double ended? Double ended yards take up a lot of real estate. If half the yard was stub ended you would gain a lot of capacity.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
As others have mentioned, the NW corner contains 2 "S" curves that can cause uncouplings or derailments as the cars shift from side to side. Looking at the bigger blue building with an X, if you changed that LH curved track to a LH turnout, the diverging route could lead into the siding and the tangent route (straight part) could start the other siding track. It would eliminate one of the Ss and even give you a bit longer siding.
The other S is just before that where you have two opposing curved section abutted with no intervening straight section. Not to mention, that entire blue curve seems unnecessarily sharp (assumed you have a vision for a scene there).
Edit: you may be able to simply angle the blue track from top left to lower right as a complete straight track, angling the grain elevator to fit.
Also, when operating the outer loop counterclockwise, pulling a train onto the left side pink track to then operate counterclockwise on the blue track does not allow the train to return to the outer loop. If that is what you want, then okay. But most people would probably prefer to have another track with which to alternate the same train back and forth between the loops, which would require another "linking" track.
- Douglas
Thanks everyone for the input, I'm working on a couple of revisions and will post them in a couple of days