Doing more with less, part 2: Started redesigning

[rrinker]

Did some more work today, removed a turnout that won't be used when I start the exapsnion project, removed the Tortoise for use elsewhere, plugged the gaping hole that used to contain the Tortoise with a scrap piece of foam (the block that got cut out from that spot - good thing I saved all those chunks), and started doing a little drawing of the new single deck plan.



The tracks on the bottom left are on a grade and will descend below the main level to hidden staging. The top center is the existing layout section (still not finished...). If you saw the plan on my web site, the only changes in this area are the removal of the siding/runaround at the bottom edge, the outer loop will get broken (I didn't actually do this yet - what exists today has both loops still connected), and the double siding on the bottom right was changed to a single track so there will be more room for structures alongside it.
I mentioned it in another thread, but the use of the adhesive caulk as a glue for the track and roadbed is working GREAT. I was able to peel up the turnout and section of track I needed to remove without damage to either the track or roadbed. I was able to pop the Tortoise out of the hole (also held in with adhesive caulk), and after patching the hole with the scrap foam and still more, you guessed it, adhesive caulk, I was able to cut in a small piece of roadbed to fillt he space, and tomorrow I will put in a new section of track to re-close the loop. Oh yes, I also pulled up a pair of turnouts to disconnect them from a third and replace the joiners with insulated ones - my 'oops' I discovered the other day. The inner and outer loops will be two seperate DCC power districts with Tony's circuit breakers and so need to be insulated from one another..

--Randy

[Anonymous]

Randy,

I presume that you are interested in comments on the track plan??

A couple of questions:

Is there a specific direction of travel???

What is the theory behind the loops at the top? I see that the outside train will go around the outside and beyond, but what about the inside train?? It runs around twice to get to the siding at the far right??

Speaking of the upper big loop area:

From my perspective you have a lot of tracks eating up real estate that you might want for industries and scenery. Many of these tracks are redundant in that there is already a track going in the same direction to the same location.

I would get rid of a lot of the tracks by losing the inner most loop and not connecting the tracks at the bottom left corner in a giant loop. I would flip the yard at the bottom of the loop and work it from the inside main. I would install switches at both ends of the the mains to create runarounds on the lower straight away.

On the top I would also install switches to create runarounds on the straight and connect all the sidings to the inner main. This would mean that your outside track is your thru track (highball) and traffic on the inside will have to dodge the local working the industries.

One more question: What is the function of the yard at the bottom of the loop?? Does it build trains? Interchange? Car storage? You could gain more room by losing the third track off off the lead . It is on the small side and you might want the space more than the five cars that will fit there.

Regardless of what else you do, I would put in run arounds. To show you what I mean: Imagine that a train on the inner track comes from tracks at bottom left up from staging all the way around as far as it can go to the siding in the inner right side. It will be loco forward. How will it get cars from the siding behind the loco and into the train???

I know that your post didn't ask for opinions so I hope that all this makes sense and is taken as friendly critique of your plan...

[rrinker]

No, your comments are fine. But without more background info (based on the hits my web server is taking, I figured by now everyone must have seen it.. I sure hope either Verizon or the cable company steps up here soon, I need more bandwidth), it's hard to know what I was doing.
The portion with the loops in the top half is a partially completed layout I am working on now. With the second loop closed on the lower left instead of branching out to the new track towards the bottom. Based in Plan 56 from 101 Track Plans. The middle is completely open. I have 4 sections, each 2x8, bolted together to make an overall 8x12 with the center 4x8 opening. The idea was to get something going that would allow us to run trains, and expand it later. The scale on that drawing is, well, no scale, it was sized to the screen. The area show is about 14' high and 17' wide. The small squares are 1'
It's a double-track main, right hand running. The two tracks at the bottom head down to staging, and a loop. For continuous running without going via the staging tracks, that cutoff on the left center is used, along with a short distance of running on the wrong main.
The existing part, I don't intend on tearing out. It's a self-contained layout that is perfect for test running equipment and still have some operational interest. I don't know how soon the expansion will start, but since the track isn't all down for the original section yet, probably not until later this year. The connection between the original part and the rest of the 'world' is probably the most complex track arrangment, and also most unprototypical. You probably don't want to see what I came up with when I was planning to go to double-decked - between the helix, a continuous run loop, and all the connecting track..yikes! I have a long but narrow space to work in for the rest - the basement goes about 8 feet to the right of that picture, and from the bottom to the top is a bit over 50' - except most of it is only 8' wide.

--Randy