Fugate's Trackplan Analysis

[Gandy Dancer]

Has anyone analyzed their track plan using the method described on Joe Fugate's web site, and what is your opinion of the method?

No I haven't, but now you have me currious.  A few years ago for a Youth in Model Railroading Project I sat down and tried to come up with an Algebra for evalutating various aspects of a layout.  Everything I came up with always had so many exceptions the statistics didn't mean much.   I've known about Fugate's Analysis but never took the time to look it over.  Perhaps he discovered some vital variable I was missing.

[SilverSpike]

Yes, I have used Joe Fugates analysis and calculations for my track plan, and I like the results of the analysis. I created a spreadsheet based on the analysis items and came up with the following statistics (see below). I use this as a guideline, find it very helpful, and will keep it updated as the layout plan changes.

Currently the lower deck of the layout is 95% complete with 90% of the around the walls grade leading up to the upper deck done too! The upper deck construction has not started, and I am back to the drawing board for the upper deck, so these figures will change, and most likely will improve as I plan to add more staging to the upper deck that was not in the original plan when the analysis was done.

 

Layout Design Statistics - Piedmont Division HO Scale
Basic Statistics		# of Cars
Room Square Feet	224.31
Layout Square Feet	300.75
Turnouts All	58
Total Track	538.33
Mainline Track	150.48	241
Staging Track	28.86	58
Passing Track	117.48	235
Storage Track	123.52	247
Service Track	25.89	52
Connecting Track	92.11	184
538.33
Passing Sidings	4
Avg Passing Siding Length	29	59
Longest Passing Siding	54.22	108
Shortest Passing Siding (Passenger)	17.80	36
Staging Tracks	7
Avg Staging Length	4	8
Longest Staging Length	14	28
Shortest Staging Length	2	4
Maximum Number of Cars	134.93	108
80% of (storage + staging + passing/2).
Number of Cars Moved
40% of (staging x 2 + passing + connecting)	267.30	107
Trains
Number of Trains	4
Average Train Length		27
Total number of cars moved / train
Dispatching Threshold
(3 x shortest passing siding + 2 x average passing siding + longest passing siding) / 6
If you want to ease the dispatcher's workload, keep the typical train length at or under this size.		28
Typical Operating Session	Locos	Cars	Total
Passenger - Eastbound	3	8	11
Passenger - Westbound	2	8	10
Freight - Eastbound or through freight	2	32	34
Freight - Westbound or through freight	2	32	34
Switcher	1	10	11
Total	10	90	100

[bearman]

Roy/Rooster-Gotcha, which is why I asked the question in the first place.  My layout is freelanced and no where near as big or as complicated as the ones you describe.

Stein-I think you are, once again, correct.

[steinjr]

There was no misunderstanding of the question..You see a layout is a personal thing base on our givens and druthers which is based on our observations of the prototype and our operational needs.Even using Joe's analysis we must remember that is his views which may or may not suit our needs.We may not have room (say) for staging or even for a modest size yard.

Make no mistake I fully agree a layout plan should be analyze by the designer and especially if a layout is chose from one of the many layout books or magazine to insure the given layout plan fits our needs for years of enjoyment..However,we should follow our guide lines in choosing a layout design.

 I think you guys may be speaking past each other. The Fugate track statistics just describes various capabilities of a layout in fairly compact and standarized notation. They do not say "this is how your layout should be".

 By all means design your layout to fit your own givens and druthers. Nobody has suggested anything else.

 Grin,
 Stein

 

[orsonroy]

I just went through Joe's calculations, and it doesn't work for my new layout, in any of the parameters.

My new layout will be a double deck, around the walls layout in a 30x32 basement, with a five lap helix. My trackplans are taken directly from railroad track charts, and in certain areas include two different mainlines paralleling each other, being crossed by a third (active) mainline. That blows my mainline ratios all out of proportion. In addition, one city takes up fully 1/3 of my benchwork and features a LOT of long spurs, all of which have the potential to hold three times as many cars as they really will (a six foot spur to service a two-bay freight dock, for example).

The operating potential stats are all out of whack. The layout is designed with nineteen staging tracks to service four different railroads, each with a different role to play. The NKP, which is the main player on the layout, uses 12 of the tracks to run 16 trains plus one town switcher. The P&E uses two tracks to run four trains plus one town switcher. The IC uses four staging tracks to run four trains plus one industry switcher. The ITC uses one staging track to run four trains. That's a grand total of 31 dispatched trains in a 24 hour cycle. Joe's formula is giving me a dispatching threshold of 171.6 trains!

I'm looking at all of the numbers that Joe told me to calculate, and while neat to see, they don't tell me a thing about the true operating potential of my layout. Of course, I figured in the real potential of my layout before I started drawing up my layout plan, by looking for prototypical features along the stretch of mainline that I wanted to model, to look for that potential. I then just slapped down a few LDEs and fiddled with compression until I had something workable that held to the flavor of the real line(s). Joe's formulas MIGHT work for a completely freelanced layout with no connection to real railroad engineering and traffic patterns, but I don't see how it's useful for proto modelers. 

[IRONROOSTER]

I think that there are some useful things to look at such as actual sq ft of layout when planning a layout. But the analysis part is really most applicable if you're interested in the the kind of operations that Joe does.  If you're operations are different then his analysis part won't work for you.  For example say you're recreating a PRR 4 track main under wire, then passing sidings may not mean much to you and staging of whole trains may be more important.  OTOH if you're modeling a one horse shortline then staging is less important and passing sidings only have to be long enough and frequent enough for needed run arounds.

Enjoy

Paul 

 

[bearman]

Stein-

 Exactly.  Although from what I understand adapted someone else's initial work.

Brakie-

I just guess we will have to agree to disagree on the point of my question.

[BRAKIE]

There was no misunderstanding of the question..You see a layout is a personal thing base on our givens and druthers which is based on our observations of the prototype and our operational needs.Even using Joe's analysis we must remember that is his views which may or may not suit our needs.We may not have room (say) for staging or even for a modest size yard.

Make no mistake I fully agree a layout plan should be analyze by the designer and especially if a layout is chose from one of the many layout books or magazine to insure the given layout plan fits our needs for years of enjoyment..However,we should follow our guide lines in choosing a layout design.

[steinjr]

 Or rather - Joe Fugate has come up with a way of *describing* the operating potensial of a given layout - he calls it Track Plan Statistics.

 Here: http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/layoutDesign/layout.html

 It is a neat idea - allowing you to compare the operating characterisitics of fairly different layouts, allowing you to chose the layout that gives you the level of operation you want. 

 I did consider trying it on my Minnesota Transfer Railway layout plan, but in the end it seemed like to much work for a lazy guy like me

 Grin,
 Stein

 

[bearman]

I think you may have misunderstood my question.  Fugate describes an objective method for analyzing ANY track plan, and I was just wondering if anyone had used the method to analyze their track plan and what their opinion of the method is.  I'm not commenting on his track plan or anyone else's, for that matter, since I agree with you regarding personal preferences.  The reason I ask is that I am analytical by nature and education and his method is the only one I have found that attempts to take a subjective situation, a track plan, and breaks it down into metrics.

[BRAKIE]

I haven't seen Joe's layout analyze since that will be his observation based on his perferances..I prefer to analyze my layouts with my own preferences.We get the same results.A layout that fits our personal preferences based on our givens and druthers.

[bearman]

Has anyone analyzed their track plan using the method described on Joe Fugate's web site, and what is your opinion of the method?