How do you get from one level to the other? How far apart are they going to be?
I don't think you are going to be able to see, let alone reach, most of the lower level.
My advice is still, less is more.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Okay, so I changed the bottom to have a large engine terminal. It is the SEC's leasing co. (SECL) terminal for yard switchers and road switcher. I'll probably end up making most of the roundhouse stalls longer. this line is now owned by the Augusta Switching co. (ASC), which is owned by the SEC.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Another fresh plan. a little more dbl. track, and re-did its orienetation. added a four stall engine house, made the yard lead longer, and connected it to the turntable. eliminated roundhouse, added a pocket for the roadswitcher on the wayfrieght, and added some tracks for a car shop.
P1-I understand that you are trying to explain things,it's just the way you word your replies.
If you're happy with your track plan then I hope it works out for you.Keep us posted on your progress.
Sorry, Foulrift, I just explain why I won't use them. Most guys here want to know.
I cleaned up the levels. The bottom now has the industrial sidings all pointed the same way. The top has been completly dbl. tracked now. I cleaned up Darkwater (only 4 spurs, 5 industries [one serves a co-op transfer and farm supply house]).
upper level:
lower level:
Jake, I drew all these plans with Atlas right track software. I got the link to it from this thread (Rotor's post, first page). I download xtrakcad as well, but that thing is way to confusing, the atlas software is easier to use.
http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm
P1-You are arrogant aren't you?Those were only suggestions.I don't care if you use them or not.You asked for a critique and that's what you got but you seem to reject most suggestions that are being made.Why not try listening to others for once.
Here's the code 55 version.
Packers, what software was that drawn with? I've been using XtrkCAD (which is also free, BTW) but I think I may want to get away from it for a while.
I'm keeping the roundhouse. I like the yard, there's going to be acces behind it in that empty space. There are 4 industries in Darkwater (right), and there are two industries close to the yard. I'm really happy with it.
dbl. decker, no helix (the lower level only interacts w/ the top level once [interchange]). Top level-Aiken-Darkwater line:
Lower level- Augusta & Southern's Augusta trackage
P1-just a few suggestions
If you get rid of the round house you would have space for either an industry or possibly a team track.
I feel you need to re-think the track design that you have to the right of your yard and the track on the right side of your layout.Looks way too busy.Less is always more.If you try and reduce the amount of track you would still have room to run trains and have space for more industries and switching if you wanted to include that in you plan.
I went thriugh the same thing when I was palnning my layout and it took many tries before I came up with a workable design.Bob
P1,
There are a lot of places to run trains and some of them look like you'll take a couple moves to get there. That's okay, but for some people that would get old.
My main concern is that you seem to have designed this layout around track as opposed to thinking about where the buildings are going to go and what kind of buildings they would be and how it would fit with stuff like roads, parking lots, and scenery.
Grab yourself a Walther's catalog and get the foot-print sizes of buildings and see how they fit--especially how they fit in relation to how the track services them.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
I'm pretty sure this is the plan I'm going with. i took my previous plan and cut out the engine house I dropped one switch, which cut out about $10, and every bit counts. I'm going to just use a roundhouse.
oh, and I'm going to drop the auto plant and just make that a connecting staging yard. it drops costs, and that little bridge needs to be removable.
This version has a long passing siding, and the spurs are more concentrated into the towns. that one spur that sticks out in the middle of nowhere from the passing siding is for a small train museum, that runs a small excursion. this excursion will be like the Gila Tomahawk, featured in the July 2008 Model Railroader. i think it will use either a vo-100 or NW2 (vo-1000, most likely), and 2 coaches, no head end cars.
I'd get rid of one of the sidings on the lower part, where you have a double siding. I don't think that fits in.
Really, it's a small branch line conecting 2 towns.
Then I don't know that you need such a large yard, a turntable and a roundhouse.
I need to look at the yard some more, and make sure you have a yard lead that will work.
Much better, I think.
OK, how long will your trains be? If you plan to have more than one run at a time, you either need longer passing tracks, or to double track the whole thing. On a small layout, double track is actually easier to do than single, because there isn't enough room for passing tracks. I'd also cut down on the number of industry tracks, so you can get some space between things. Trains want to cover distance, everything is too close together for my taste.
Okay, so here's a plan that I think has a much better yard, and some good space for scenery.
The extra track back to the turntable is killing your yard.
I think I'd just double track the whole thing, the (double?) passing track at the bottom, just after a double track section on the right looks wrong to me.
As far as the yard goes, read this:
http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html
Don't try to get evey possible track on the layout. Space can be your friend.
Every track does have a purpose. Most are for auto industry/heavy industry. Those tracks that run from the top of the yard to theturntable will be covered by a car shop (removable roof, for emergency), and it is a nice way to tye it all together.
I slightly modified that plan for a continous run design. three track staging yard + an auto industry. Still waiting for the plan to load onto photobucket.
For some reason, the url link isn't complete, but you can view the plan here: http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh55/Packers_1/SEC/optional%20plans/?action=view¤t=SECcode55continousrun.jpg
Simplify.
Make every track have a purpose.
Why all the seperate ways onto the turntable?
Don't try to make the yard double ended, if there is nowhere to go.
With the length of track you have on the switchback on the lower right, you can't get anything onto the tracks to the far right and top.
Figure out what you want out of your layout, and then try to design it.
For the cost of two turnouts, get John Armstrongs "Track Planning for Realistic Operation".
new plan. this one has 19 in. radius on main, and uses less 9 3/4 in. radi turns. Some spurs are double track, but thsoe are almost impossible to draw w/ this software, so where the three siddings on three spurs cross, those will be double track.
Stein-
Curves= 9 3/4, 11 in. radius.
largest car= 50' boxcar on most, auto racks on small portion.
I'll be running mostly GP30s, GP9s, MP15s, and other GP units. Maybe an early SD unit. Might have some modern units runing in a restricted portion of the yard.
Sorry about the labels, I just downloaded this not even 24 hours ago.
I agree on the curves in plan #2, Jeff. I'll play around with it some more.
There is no way the curves in the upper left of number 2 are goin gto work.
I'd try again, with about half as much track, and see what you can come up with.
Sawyer --
A suggestion - turn off "show labels" (or whetever it is called in your program). Showing labels on all pieces of track makes your track plans extremely cluttered to look at.
N scale (1:160).
Okay - what curve radius are you using ? Yard curves in upper left hand corner on last drawing looks pretty sharp.
How long are your various engines (in inches) ?
How long are the cars you plan to run (in inches) ?
Stein
This is another plan I have. I call it "The Bridge" because it offers continous running. There is a 3 track staging yard and two sidings for auto racks on the one foot wide bridge piece. That spur in the upper part which looks like it's cutting into the area of another: I think I'll have trees and such painted on the side of the building that shows there.
Thanks to Rotor, I found Atlas Right Track planning software.
The plan: