FINALLY have some sort of a track plan

[rrinker]

John: There's a few things not shown on the plan, because I turned off all layers except the actual track. I will do another shot witht he room and other obstructions shown, maybe that will help. One thing not seen is that directly tot he left of the upper loop, where the 4 track begins, is where the workbench is. Immedately below that is likely where a passenger station will go, so the 4 tracks will widen out bit to make room for the station platforms. Perhaps some coach yard tracks also.

Adelie: Yes, I know! [:D] But since that's not really a turntable (just a circle with a piece of track in it..have t find a good turntable element to plug in) and the rest of the service trackage is also not drawn... I just wanted to leave room - roundhouse will probably be twice that size, as well. Elevation changes? Haven't figured that out, either. Probably not a whole lot of variation in the track, but the scenery will go up and down.

--Randy

[Adelie]

Uh, Randy, you do realize that your turntable and roundhouse need at least one track attaching them to the rest of the layout, don't you?[D)][%-)][;)]

Seriously, it looks good, especially considering it is a compromise. I think you made the most out of the situation. Looks like you will have some places for reasonably good industry movement and scenery.

What type of elevation changes are you planning?

[canazar]

Randy,

I like it. But then again, I think its hard to critique a track plan because everyone judges it by thier standards, and everyone's is different. One thing that I really like is it appears pretty stretched out. Lots of walkin and letting big trains run.

I also I like the oval/loop deal you have at the top. Make a nice "hole" for someone to work during operations. Put someone in there and they can work the yard and "local stuff".

Only thign I can think of (And of course, personal opionin here) is that you have that 4 track expressway on the left side, I would maybe break it up with some curves or maybe even put some mild split between the two lines here and there. Could be a great spot for nature scenery runnng throught hte country side. ...[:)]

Good lcuk with it. Keep us posted

Best Regards
John k

[cheese3]

Nice![^][8D]

[rrinker]

Dave, Wayne: I was planning to use a low backdrop, it's not goingup to the ceiling. Maybe even removeable. I can't really move it a foot out from the wall, the 'waist' part of the room is only 8' wide so as it is, and those big squares in front of the stairway area are some sotrage cabinets that MUST stay - I've tried negotiating those out by offering to build shelves that will store more material in a smaller space, but the cabinets stay.
Keeping with a Reading flavor - down by the big yard I was planning to put a flat of a large freight house on the backdrop and run a couple of sidings in front of it.

George, Dave: It only looks that way because I've drawn in none of the industrial tracks or anything. Yet. I want to get a main line more or less established and then fill in the details. I've mentioned before this isn't REALLY what I wanted, but since I also have to accomodate my father-in-law, it will have to do - if it were just me it would be more like the actal Reading. Anyway, i know I'm in trouble because when I showed him this plan, he said "there's a lot of operation in there". Maybe if you liek to just watch big passenger trains roll past - I need to take up one of my offers to attend an operating session and make sure he comes along.

ereimer: True, but it's only a short trip around the loop. Where the outside tracks branch off, that's actually another complete loop right now. That yard in fact isn't even in place yet - just the turnouts temporarily pinned in place while I check the alignment and mark the locations for the Tortoises. I started that part last year witht he idea of getting SOMETHING running to maintain interest, while being able to later add on and continue around the room. So it's sort of out of character right now, but I figure that area will become an industrial complex of some sort. Maybe the small single-ended yard will become a coal marshalling yard, most of the other sidings will go to various coal loaders. Yet another udecided part.

Tom: Interesting, I see it actually works. It doesn't in preview. Oh well, all this time I've been thinking when I post pictures they don't expand like the others, when in fact they do. Good to know.

Thanks everyone!

--Randy

[ereimer]

looks really good !
i didn't see a runaround track in the yard in the upper left . dunno if this was designed that way , or if you haven't drawn it in yet , or if it's there and i just don't see it [:)]

[Anonymous]

Even more cool when it looks like the track is laid around a natural barrier like a river or hill.

[dehusman]

Ironically I just built a very similar single track layout for my son. What you have as staging is a passenger station on my son's.

The staging tracks will be accessible if you use a low backdrop. One just high enough to hide the cars on the furthest back track. I have done that on my layout and its very effective. Then just use a low step stool to reach over the backdrop for repairs or malfunction correction.

I would add some curves to the long straights of parallel tracks. A train sweeping around a curve on a 4 track main is way cool.

You could add some industry to the right hand loop also.

Dave H.

[tstage]

Randy,

The layout expanded for me when I clicked it. Actually, it zoomed in better than the link did...

Tom

[wrumbel]

Randy
I'm glad you finally have something going. I was looking at your plan and I see a possible problem. Those 4 tracks that you're using for staging will not be excessible with a backdrop in front of them. I have an 11 ft wide room. I'm going to leave 1 ft between the wall and a 1 ft wide shelf for staging, that leaves me 9 ft. If I have 2 shelves 30 inches wide, one on each side of room that still leaves 4 ft between, lots of room to operate trains in. So I guess what I'm saying is if you can leave about a foot along the wall where your staging is you will be able to get into that area to maintain the track and rerail any mishaps back there.

Wayne

PS I'm also modeling the Reading and as you said before in name only. I'm modeling the last days of a once great railroad.

[claycts]

I think you got a good one Randy. Looks more buildable than mine!
George P.

[rrinker]

Just the basics - plus the 8x12 part I already have, and the rough-in for the yard. I omitted the room walls in this view, but the walls go along the left side and bottom of this plan. The wider spacign between the two top tracks and two bottom tracks is where a backdrop will go to seperate the main line from the staging. The tracks closest to the wall on the bottom are staging. On the left it's all exposed to simulate a 4-track main (remember my father-in-law is a PRR passenger freak, and he wants some 4-track running). That S-curve lookign thing in the main line to the right is somewhere around a 15 FOOT radius - purely cosmetic yet it serves a purpose in sliding the main over to provide enough aisle space (about 30", a little tight but liveable). The engine terminal are obvious isn't finished, nor have I added any industries anywhere. The circle for a turntable is drawn to fit the Walthers 130' table.
Any ideas and criticisms gladly accepted.



I don't know why Photobucket images don't expand, so to see it full size go here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/Megaslug/testidea0616.jpg


--Randy