Railway Yard: Need Help Planning...

Moose2013 Mar 27, 2022

  1. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose need assistance planning the final bits of Oban Yard:

    Do you have any ideas for the following?

    * Design of, number of and location of buildings in the yard that would be appropriate for warehousing and transferring products between trucks and railway freight cars, using Sidings 1, 2 and/or 3.
    * Any other ideas to make the yard more prototypical?

    OBAN YARD 032622a5SM.jpg

    Important: The following items are fixed and shall not be changed:
    * Location of tracks, turnouts, turntable, roundhouse, coal tower & coal dump, the town of Oban, train station and freight house.

    Note 1: The elevation of the town of Oban is ~ 35 feet above the yard as one of two mainlines travels beneath it. Thus, a road accessing the yard will emerge from a tunnel beneath the town.

    Note 2: Tracks shown in the lower left corner of the image:
    * Left track is one of the mainlines which passes the base of the town and heads off to the upper right corner of the image.
    * Center track is a turnout connecting the mainline to a logging branch line.
    * Right track is a turnout connecting the logging branch line and A/D track # 2 and the adjacent track leading to the turntable.
     
  2. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

    13,396
    12,182
    183
    Moose have water tower? If not a simple water column would suffice and save space. I would make the tracks at the bottom of the freight house drive over so trucks can load from that side. I would use Blair Line wood crossings for that.
     
    Moose2013 likes this.
  3. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Thank you for the suggestions. :)

    Moose considering putting water tower near turntable with two water columns between the coal tower and sand tower.

    Would it be prototypical to have trucks back up and park on a railroad track while transferring freight between the freight house and trucks?
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  4. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Additional questions to all:

    1. Suggestions on where a small two story interlocking tower might best be placed?

    2. Since MT&P RR passenger trains originate and terminate at this location, would it be plausible for Sidings 2 & 3 to be solely for placing, storing and interchanging MT&P RR passenger coaches, and would it then make sense to add a narrow building at the end of the passenger station stub track for servicing passenger coaches?

    3. Should the "external track" just above the track that leads into the turntable be eliminated to make more room for the water tower?

    4. Should the coal dump shed be moved to where the ash pit is shown and the ash pit moved to the track that leads to the turntable? (Seems awfully weird to have a shed on an A/D track; The turntable lead track is shorter than the turntable bridge suggesting that some locomotives would be partially on the bridge when stopped over the ash pit)
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  5. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

    13,396
    12,182
    183

    In locales that had a good pressurized source of water just a water column would be needed or several of them.

    Would it be prototypical to have trucks back up and park on a railroad track while transferring freight between the freight house and trucks?

    In the town I grew up in there were tracks on both side of the station with one being the main, Mail and express trucks backed across the rear track to an elevates station platform at one end of the station. Since they were mail and express trucks they did not stay long. Also the back track was used to unload boxcars or mail car. The main at the front of the station was always open.[/QUOTE]
     
    Moose2013 likes this.
  6. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

    10,673
    44,836
    142
    Yep, gotta have a tower with a muscular moose working the armstrong levers. :) If you were to place one at either end of your yard, you'd be fine. Back in the day, yards often had a tower at each end, but even by the late '20s and '30s, tower functions were being consolidated as remoting technology was deployed.
     
    Moose2013 and BNSF FAN like this.
  7. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    @John Moore @Hardcoaler

    Oh, thank you very much! Moose wouldn't mind having two wee towers if that might have been prototypical, and if there's room...
    :)

    Now to consider how truck access for trucks would look along with re-configuring the adjacent bus stop and parking areas....
    :confused:

    And yet another question for everyone:

    If a building were added for servicing passenger coaches, would it be better to place it along side the round house enclosing a pair of the exterior tracks shown in the image, or possibly the single external track next to the disease'el service track, rather than at the end of the passenger stub track on the left side of the yard?

    Moose like having such a facility nearer the round house since the round house will include a machine shop. Probably would be far easier to build a stand-alone building on the lone external track to the left of the turntable than modify the roundhouse.

    EDIT: On closer inspection, there's not nearly enough room for a building on the external track to the left of the turntable.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2022
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  8. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

    13,396
    12,182
    183
    For passenger service facilities think simple. A covered open platform on one side, a dumpster and maybe a small 20 foot container or small shed on the platform for storage. Some small piping for a central vac system.
     
  9. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    And on even further inspection...

    The turntable bridge cannot accommodate a passenger coach and the MT&P 0-8-0 switcher at the same time.

    The 0-8-0 is ~ 6" length near end coupler to far end truck axle. The MT&P 0-8-0 switcher is ~ 4 1/2" length aft axle to front coupler.

    Possible solutions:

    1. The MT&P purchases a short tank engine that will fit on the bridge track along with a passenger coach, or

    2. Passenger coaches are set onto the bridge by one switcher on the lead track, and a second switcher on the external track to the left of the turntable moves the passenger coach between the bridge track and the one external track just below the roundhouse that lines up with it. None of the other round house or external tracks line up with the left side lead or external tracks, or

    3. Have an imaginary cable winch system that moves passenger coaches on/off the bridge into the round house or onto the external tracks, but that doesn't sound too fun!

    Moose like the idea of some how building a tank switcher, but then that's another "some day" project that will cost more money and test Moose's skills. Yipe!
    :eek:
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  10. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

    13,396
    12,182
    183
    Well my little DD12 only measures 2 and 3/8ths inches Kato coupler to Kato coupler or 27 N scale feet. Might want to look to Japan for something smaller and reliable. I noticed while shopping there they have some little 0-4-0s.
     
    Moose2013 likes this.
  11. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    @John Moore

    Thank you for the suggestion on 0-4-0's. Moose looked at them and Kato 2-6-2T's. Might possibly use a 2-6-2T chassis, remove the pilot & trailing trucks, and scratch-build a kinda of sort of prototypical replacement shell. The drivers will be a wee bit large for 1:160 switchers @ ~ 58 3/4", but Moose would be okay with that. Another "some day" project...
    :unsure:
     
  12. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose updated plan:

    OBAN YARD 032722c2.jpg

    This creates a large warehouse building that loads/unloads freight cars at the yard level and loads/unloads trucks at the town level. The building would extend over the mainline and a stub track as well as the two lane road to the station, depot, etc. The road would vanish into a tunnel under the left side of the building, so that addresses "hiding" the tunnel to no where...

    This allows Moose to add another warehouse in the yard, OR possibly a brewery instead! Yippee!

    Moose moved the ash pit to the turn table lead track. Not sure Moose likes this because longer locomotives will have to sit partially on the turntable bridge when dumping ash. But at least this allows the adjacent "external track" to be used for gondolas to remove the ash.

    To better place the LCL & REA truck access to the freight house, this plan swaps the station and freight with each other. That makes the station and freight house face the wrong directions, in Moose's brain. Moose designed the freight house to have a "jetty" on the 2nd floor that was supposed to face the parking area, and instead it faces the turn table in this updated plan.
     
  13. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose updated plan -- again...

    Moose no likey the gigantor shed over the coal delivery pit and is seriously considering discarding the shed. The bloody thing just appears to be completely out of proportion with all of the surrounding buildings and doesn't seem appropriate to be located on an A/D track.

    The only reason the shed exists is to hide the absence of a modeled coal delivery pit beneath the tracks.

    Moose concluded ash pit definitely can and should be placed at the turn table lead track. All locomotives including the 4-8-8-4 can position their ash pan's over the pit whilst clearing the turn table bridge.

    Moose thinking that Moose could just do some "suggestive" modeling of a coal delivery pit beneath the tracks and locate it to the left of the turnout on the lowest track. Have to do something similar for the ash pit any way, so why not model both...

    Also considering making the brewery and beer distributor of other fine ales, lagers, porters and stouts!

    Here's the latest plan:
    OBAN YARD 032822a2.jpg


    Your thoughts:
    1. Keep the shed and coal pit in the same location or discard the shed and move the coal pit to the left of the turnout?
    2. A brewery that is also a distributor of their own and other breweries' tasty products?
     
  14. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose updated plan -- yet again...

    Changes:
    1. Moved the sand house & sand storage area common to the left-hand track off the turn table;
    2. Moved the coal dump pit to be under the left end of the left-hand track off the turn table;
    3. The right side of the left-hand track off the turn table will now be used to transfer sand to the sand storage area by hoof;
    4. Shifted the sand tower to the right and rotated the coal tower 180 degrees so that the coal dump pit and coal tower elevator are aligned with each other;
    5. Moved the ash pit to the left side of a turnout below the coal tower;
    6. Extended a service road to the ash pit to allow the ash to be transfer by hoof from the pit to trucks;
    7. Added a wash rack facility on the lead track to the turn table;
    8. Added the two water columns for steam locomotives to the right-hand side of the coal tower;
    9. Moved the water tower to the closest area to the steam and disease'el servicing areas that can accommodate its 2"x2" footprint.

    Here's the latest plan:
    OBAN YARD 032922a1SM.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2022
    Hardcoaler likes this.
  15. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose make paper mock-up of the brewery... Comments (and suggestions) welcome!
    :)

    Views from da east:
    0_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123838.jpg 1_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123832.jpg

    Views from da south:
    2_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123735.jpg 3_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123744.jpg 4_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123756.jpg

    Views from da west:
    5_BreweryMockUp_20220408_123805.jpg 6_BreweryMockUp_20220408_124020.jpg
     
  16. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

    747
    3,490
    47
    Moose make paper mock-up of the yard warehouse:
    :)

    1_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155327.jpg 2_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155338.jpg 3_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155354.jpg 4_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155407.jpg 5_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155437.jpg 6_WarehouseMockUp_20220408_155542.jpg
     
  17. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

    3,259
    6,172
    70
    Good stuff, but that appears to be a really long cantilever on the "receiving/brewery" building.

    Will there be support columns underneath?
     
    MetraMan01 likes this.
  18. in2tech

    in2tech TrainBoard Member

    2,703
    7,639
    78
    MetraMan01 likes this.
  19. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,890
    29,158
    148
    That is really going to be an impressive building when done. I do like how it fits into the space. (y)(y)(y)
     
    MetraMan01 and Moose2013 like this.
  20. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,508
    2,441
    55
    Nice MockUps Moose!
    That really gives you a taste of what things will be like.
    Now get the Hooves moving!
     
    BNSF FAN, MetraMan01 and Moose2013 like this.

Share This Page