N-dustrial Switching Layout

The majority shareholder of the Dogeared & Broken Spine RR has gotten over her acute case of Wegottamoovitis, so it's back to a layout for the office nook in the apt. Inspired by many of the switching layouts discussed over the past couple weeks, I've been working on a 9'6"x7' "L". Basically I combined & reworked two shorter switching sections: one Stein posted as an example of combination of elements (originally Byron's?) and the other called "Boxcar Haven" that the author cited John Pryke's Union Terminal as inspiration.

Thus, "The City" line of the D&BS:



The idea is that 6-8 car trains come in from either 1. the staging top left ( from D&BS mainline outside of town), 2. across the water (island / peninsula) on the carfloat or 3. the interchange at the bottom. Cars would be broken up / stored at the yard, then smaller jobs (like a coal job, or a dock job) created to service the industries (in green).

I'm thinking early 50's. Mainly early deisel (NW2s, RS-1, etc.) and some steam (2-6-0, 2-8-0). I've numbered the slots for cars at the industries. Also tried to make sure there is enough room along the 2 main routes for runarounds. The track is code 55, and most turnouts are #4.5s which I hope to handlay for greater flexability. I used the peco turntable (6") cause that's what Anyrail's got for 55, but I'd drop an Atlas (7 1/2") down in a pit, so it'd take up a wee bit more space than the plan shows (though I've left space around for it). The arrows point out the main viewing directions, as created by some industries and overpasses / elevated roadways. I hope two people can work this layout.

The layout will have to be moved at some point (hopefully a couple years), and so the benchwork is in three sections: a 3'6", a 4' & a 7' section. A portable desk (at 32") will go under the center part. The layout will be at 42", with a 18" backdrop.

My questions:
--does the yard arrangement work? I'm planning with 4" cars. Does having on track double as freight work or create too many probs?
--do the sidings work? enough space? both at the industries and out on the lines?
--do I need the double crossing on the far left (originally I had a single, from the top right to bottom left)?
--do I need the runaround at the docks? seems I would need for the engine to runaround the 1-3 cars depending on the placement, or at least would keep a train out of the main.
--or any suggestions, comments, criticisms are appreciated. Smaller switching layouts need to be well planned out to work well, so I have no problem working on this for awhile.

Thanks for all your feedback!
(and patience!)
--Mark

 

Overall the plan looks solid.

I think the yard works but is too small. The runaround in the yard isn't needed. I'd eliminate that. This will just force you to plan your switching a little more. I'd really want two more working tracks in that yard. You really can't do much doubling the freight house track with a yard track, so you only have two tracks. I'm assuming the longer track to the right of the caboose track is an arrivals/departures track? Of course it's nice to have two of these and a yard track could double as a make-up track if you have one or two more yard tracks. It will be tough to switch efficiently with the two yard tracks you have, and it will leave you with little or no storage for inbounds and outbounds.

The top arrangement seems like a little too much of a nice thing to me. I'd toy with reversing one of those spurs just so things don't line up so neatly.

Because of the way you've laid out the track there is really no discernible 'mainline'. I think the overall sense of direction would be better if you could rearrange the way one of your lines flows from one staging area to the other. By that I mean doing all you can not to use the curved portion of a turnout for the main track direction and trying to keep that line from wandering seemingly from one side to the other of a natural line between the two end points. I don't know if I'm making anything clear here. If I could sketch on the trackplan I'd be able to make a couple of specific suggestions.

You have a lot of switching options, so should have fun with this small layout. My top priority would be to gain an adequate sorting yard.

 

Like this for the yard & industries?
(I'll deal with the turnout / main issue later)


Thanks for your feedback!
Much appreciated!
--Mark

 

Is there any way to lengthen your yard? I like the plan and your first revision. I just think the yard is a bit short to be practical. Is there a way to make the tracks go under a bridge and just angle off to the back of the layout so they're longer? I don't think that having the tracks go under a railroad bridge would be that hard to do and the elevattion change might produce some visual intrest. I know that makes something simple complicated, but it was just a thought so the yard would have more usable trackage.

 

I guess I don't know how big a yard needs to be.
Left to Right, the 5 tracks hold 3, 3, 4, 5 & 5 for a total of 20 cars (plus 3 cabeese).
I can lengthen the 3 left tracks so the numbers go to 4, 4, 5, 5 & 5 for 23.
Can't really envision grade change.

Considering that most in/outbounds are 6-8 cars long, how big does the yard have to be? Is there a formula for calculating yardspace vs industries or length of trains?
I don't know much about yards, so any help is great.
Thanks!
--Mark

 

I like it, but I'd probably try to simplify it some and make room for larger cuts. Some of the crossovers seem redundant, and I'd loose the Double crossover outside of the upper staging yard.

I'd take the two tracks that cross in front of the yard and make them an A/D and main and remove some crossovers to make for a longer A/D.

As far as industries, I'd try to place the switches in a way so that when I cut away from my train to work the industry, I leave the standing cut on straight track. Otherwise, it can be a real pain getting the cars to couple back up. (Short explanation: Don't leave cars on a curve) For example on your plan, Coal Dump good; Canadian Barden Supply not so good.

Plan 2 yard is an improvement.

Some Ideas:



Overall, I think it's real nice and should be a fun switcher. Good luck.

 

I like the concept of a city switching layout for smaller spaces, I think they look much more realistic than trying to create wide open spaces on a small board.
Just looking at it a couple of things I'd consider are moving the carfloat to a spot near the yard so it doesn't have such proximity to the interchange staging track, carfloats usually serve areas that are remote from the other sources of traffic. With the carfloat near the yard it could be the center of the harbor side operations and the two outlying interchange tracks could be locations in further out industrial areas. I'd also eliminate most of the loco facilities and just keep the turntable to turn steamers or eliminate it and use diesels or add a small loco turning wye somewhere. The loco facilities look too big for a city switching district, to save valuable real estate they usually had very compact facilities or serviced the locos at an outlying point, the space could be used to stretch out the yard and industrial trackage for smoother operations.
Here's a link to a site with lots of examples of railroading in tight spaces with carfloat operations. http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/nyd.html
If you plan to move soon don't get too heavily involved in construction, it might make more sense to design some scenes that could be assembled into a future layout and then just build one module to start with and then another if you finish the first before moving. Tearing down complex partially finished layouts in not a fun way to proceed ....dave

 

I like the car float idea. I got one of those Sylvan floats years ago and have yet to use it. I think making the yard go back into the corner as mentioned might not be a bad idea. In fact, you might be able to do a trick with a mirror or something and make it look like it continues on. Or maybe that whole area back there could be on a higher level. But I guess you might have a hard time climbing that high in a couple feet.

Dave
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Ry. Archive & Email List
Elgin, Joliet Eastern Railway Archive

 

Thanks for all the feedback: much to think about!
Here's a new version:



I got rid of a turnout in the middle of the approach to the service area, which allowed me to lengthen the "A/D" tracks and the yard by a car each track, plus one more track.

The yard now holds 28 cars plus 3 cabeese. That's as big as its going to go without major redesign. The tradeoff is that the yard lead below is shorter by a car. I guess I could cheat and use the interchange as a yard lead, but I'd rather not.

The "A/D" track, near the yard, can hold 6 cars (more if DeQuincy Pharm. doesn't need access). 6 cars is the longest track in the yard, so that fits.

I also tried to straighten out some industry sidings: on the top right, the Candide Garden Supply ("The Best of All Possible Worlds") is serviced only at the bottom of its building (two spots), got rid of Nabbo Cough Drops and let George Sand Paper Co. expand and so now has separate incoming & outgoing sidings.

The RE:Joyce Brewery still has 3 spots on a curve. I'm manually uncoupling so that shouldn't matter, and, as far as coupling goes, a right curve still allows knuckles to pass over each other and couple. So is the curve a prob? What might be a problem is that if an engine takes 3 cars out of the brewery, it need to back up almost to the watertower to get out.

I think I'll leave the carfloat where it is: I'm imagining it's coming from an island / peninsula much like port townsend on the olympic peninsula to seattle, bringing specialized freight (lumber, fish, etc) and requiring specialized deliveries (finished goods, wheat, etc.). Other freight will arrive from either the D&BS mainline (top left) or the interchange with the Asyettobenamed Line (bottom right).

As for some of the redundant crossovers, I just thought the line would have them to allow easier running around and maneuvering of smaller cuts for industry placement. Otherwise, its going to look like a typewriting with the local job returning to the far left (or right) every time it needs to runaround.

All of yr suggestions are good to think about! I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of them, so feel free to keep them coming! Thanks again!
--Mark

 

I think this is a great improvement over the first design. I like the way you cleaned up the route through the layout. The yard is much more useful to you now, and I think the switching at the top is more interesting. I do wish there was a way for you to have a freight house near the yard but having a workable yard is more important.

I'd think about removing the run-around near the canning plant. You have one just 'up' the mainline you can use, so I doubt a real railroad would invest the money to install an extra one where you did.

I also don't see the need for the cross-over on the removable staging at the top. I assume it was for engine escape. However you have no way to turn an engine there.
You could just lift, turn and replace the engine to serve the next inbound. Afterall it is staging (and therefor 'off the layout').

Have you thought about the kinds of cars that you'll spot at the various industries? Box cars would be your car of choice for most lading, but consists are more interesting in some ways if they have a variety of cars. Don't know if you've thought about that and if you have that built in, but if not you are at a good point to think about it.

Overall a nice plan and it has been cleaned up nicely.

 

Hi Mark,

I like your plan. I liked your first plan. But then I too am modeling an Industrial switching layout, mine is base only on my imagination. I have been reading the thread and all of the suggestions have been good. I am a long ways from being an expert when it comes to track planing, a lot of mine is trial and error. More then once I have put down track and a few days or months latter removed it because it just did not work the way I had planned. What I'm trying to say here is no matter how much planning you do, something is not going to be right. One thing to remember is, it is you railroad and you can do what ever you want. Have fun with it. Go For It.

Gary

 

It's in the mail wink:
Going with the yellow unlettered (which seems to have been taken hostage by pirates for the time being).
It just looks. so. cool.
Will need to decal "The City" and "D&BS" on there. Know any good lettering techniques?

Thanks also to Mr. Smith for all the good points to think about, like:
"I'd think about removing the run-around near the canning plant. You have one just 'up' the mainline you can use, so I doubt a real railroad would invest the money to install an extra one where you did."

While imagineering my switcher (currently a NW2, soon to be GE44tonner, and hopefully some 2-6-0s or 2-8-0s, though it'd be nice to have one of those 0-6-0 bigassboilers-on-wheels, but current n versions are crapola, according to spookshow) & operations, I figured with all the different traffic from the docks (various bulkfreight from crane, the cannery, plus anything in customs / security at end) that a short runnaround to take care of the 1-2 cars from each siding would help keep stuff off the more main and help organize things sitting on the dock by the bay. Maybe that's making it too easy, and more of a real workout up one of the two mains would be better.

Just figured that sometimes an empty would be ready for a load, and the ships came in out of order. Or it would easy loading the carfloat while the City Job was working the other side (Caskets / Tobacco / Freight).

I'm still figuring out the monster I've created, and hoping it'll start singing "puttin' on the ritz" all on its own.:we2-jimlad:

Thanks again for all the feedback, everyone, and if yr ever in the bay area (berkeley side) I'd be happy to buy you a beer. (gpa: I've got moocho fam in seattle, so next time I'm up, the Ranier's on me laugh.
Cheers!
--Mark