I want to build the N scale Blue Coal & Stafford RR that appeared in the March 1998 issue of MRR. Anybody have more detailed info on this layout? I was going to try to reproduce it in Atlas Right Track software first to see what track i needed. Any info or links would be appreciated. Also, i am looking for a nice old style brick N scale Brewery structure. Any ideas on that? Thanks.
MR track plans are not drawn on the basis of a certain brand of track - the are more generic. You will have to redraw the track plan on the basis of the brand of your choice. This can be a tedious job, though. I have tried it a couple of times, but did not manage to come close to the look of the MR track plan.
Heljan (via Walthers) offers a nice kit for an old time brewery. Maybe that suits your needs:
Alternately, Woodland Scenics has a nice building, which could be turned into a brewery:
hi,
Not an easy plan, loads of tracks and a couple of issues.
1) a drawing of your space is missing, assuming you will place your layout along a wall, you will encounter severe reach-in problems. Everything wider then 30 inches is asking for trouble, especially since N-scale layouts "should" be build rather high.
2) I would use the east wing better, pulling the loop more outward or you could use that space for the mine.
3)The length of the passing track in the yard is very short, should not be a major problem; lengthening is possible.
4)The switchback to the freight house from the brewery is not handy.
5) I changed the orientation of the cross-over leading into the yard.
6) Any form of staging is missing, so are passing sidings. Running more then one train at a time will be almost impossible .
7) The placement of the turntable is very unlogic, it should be near the station. You might interchange the mine and the turntable.
The most important question is about the use of your space. Without a drawing it is hard to judge if an other footprint is an option.
Smile
Paul
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Going to start working on this. What I am looking for is a roughly 3' x 8' table top that will be put against the wall. It will be a module I can eventually expand upon. I would like to run two trains at once and stay away from the simple loops. This plan just caught my eye and was interesting. I drew up a plan today and when I figure out how to post an image I will. I am a newbie so any more suggestions are appreciated.
Another try at the Blue Coal & Stafford RR. Still have a ways to go. Removed turntable and replaced it with a coal tipple. Removed the reverse loops (I think) and relocated the yard. Being 42" wide I know there may be reaching issues, but I plan to have the table on wheels. Hope to add a small town and a brewery in the open space on the left. Prolly need some help on the yard. I would like to be able to run a passenger train on the outer loop with a steam engine and a diesel freight on the inner. However, could swap with the cross overs. What do I need in the engine yard?
hi Rusty,
just some idea's. If you are building your layout on rollers you could make it accessible from both sides with a scenic divider in between.
Lap-running is not that obvious now. The underground tracks could be used to hide a train.
IMHO it is not such a great idea to have both trains on their dedicated ovals; due to the passing sidings in my design it is rather easy to change routes. On most railroads passenger traffic would have been "dieseled" first.
The interchange at the bottom is rather big, an engine service area could be build here as well. If you should focus on one sort of power (diesel or steam) this facility could be simple: water, lubricants, ash and coal, all on one track.
RustyParks I want to build the N scale Blue Coal & Stafford RR that appeared in the March 1998 issue of MRR. Anybody have more detailed info on this layout? I was going to try to reproduce it in Atlas Right Track software first to see what track i needed. Any info or links would be appreciated. Also, i am looking for a nice old style brick N scale Brewery structure. Any ideas on that? Thanks.
According to the information that accompanied the article, the size was 42" X 128". The track was Atlas code 80. The minimum curve radius was 9-3/4 inch. Turnouts were #6 on the mainline and #4 on spur tracks. The maximum grade was 2.8 percent.
Paulus,
Thanks for the suggestion. That is an interesting plan. I never considered using a scenic divider, but I like it. Hides the trains going round in a loop feel. Also, allows me to add to it later.