Here is the layout plan I have been working on this past week. Highlights Name: A & J Railroad Scale: N Size: 11x4 Prototype: Freelance Shortline Period: Late 60's Turnouts: #4's Minimum Radius: 9 3/4" on lower passing track minimum elsewhere is 11" Location: Midwest The 2x8 section is an industrial switching area. The 3x4 section has a small yard that I was thinking about using as the engine facilities for the railroad. In the upper right hand corner is going to be city buildings. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
First question: Is this the optimal benchwork arrangement? What space is this layout being placed in? Something I've learned from John Armstrong's track planning books is to adapt your benchwork to the track whenever possible instead of the other way round. A late-60s shortline - probably all 4-axle diesels and freight cars, and not many autoracks or long intermodal flats. That must be one of the few circumstances where an 11" radius will handle any appropriate equipment. From those blobs you drew on the turnouts, I'm guessing you're planning on surface switch machines. Is this your first layout? Remember to include an interchange track - it's useful on any layout and essential on a switching shortline. Maybe even a two- or three-track interchange yard, or else a line to a fiddle track. In addition to its role as a connection to the "rest of the world", you can use it as a location for a non-freelance engine to show up - CNW, SOO, MILW, CB&Q, whatever you declare the interchange to be. That way, you get to indulge the prototype interests you surely have, and ground your line in reality.
I have always used sharp radius curves because I had to. You've got a 3 foot wide area where your oval is. Why not expand a bit and let the trains run smoother. Even going to 13 inches will really make a difference. It isn't an issue of can they run on sharp curves. It's more of a "should they run on sharp curves?"
I'll agree with Geeky's suggestion. If at all possible to do so, loosen up the curves. Trains will look better, and operate much better as well. Boxcab E50
I made some changes based on your suggestions. The outside curves are now 13.5" radius. The inner curves 12.5" radius. There is now an interchange track coming off the wye. It can be extended all the way to the edge of the layout for future expansion or staging. The blobs are surface mount switch machines. I don't plan on having them though. I didn't know how to get rid of them. I'm planning on either below level remote switch machines or ground throws on the closer switches.
I like the concept and over all design. My feelings on it: 1) If possible put the deep / oval section on the long side 2) If not then put a small yard on the long side. Using a compound ladder you could get 3) The 3 tracks area on the inside would result in less than a foot of storage on each track. To me that is not worth it. Maybe a second track could go off at an angle to a separate industry which would give it greater length. What the others said is also very good advice. [ August 18, 2005, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: Grey One ]
I like greys idea. I also like your staging idea as well. I think if you could put two long tracks in your staging area, you would be able to keep your crews (you ) very busy. The wider curves look fine and they'll look really good when you lay the track.
Steve- Those three tracks inside the oval weren't meant to be a freight yard, rather, a diesel shed/service area. The short tracks were in fact ideal for that purpose. Mustang- If you're going to ~13" curves, then #4 turnouts are disproportionately tight. Use #5s.
In that case, I would say I really like it the way I redrew it it but that is just me talking. As for ideal length of any track, that is subjective.
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'm still not for sure how I'm going to end up doing the trackage in middle of the oval. I do want an engine shed there though. I have another 6 feet I can extend the layout on the long end. I was thinking about running the interchange track down there to make a staging yard down there. I think your right about how the #4's a tight. I might change to bigger ones on the oval part but keep the #4's in the industrial area to keep the whole tight industrial switching district. Mainly I would like to use some #4's due to the fact that I have 6 of them from my last layout. Tonight when I get home I will throw all the ideas together and draw it up. I will post it once I get done with it tonight.
Sometimes we just want to run long trains. For longer continuous running trains you might want to consider making a loop with some tight curves at the left end. You would have to limit the length of rolling stock on it. You can hide the curve with adroit use of some buildings. Ye Olde “under the over pass behind the building and gone” trick. And yes, I can see a couple of staging tracks out of sight and a nice engine faculty as a focal point in the oval. That would be cool.
Mods to this one is the staging yard off to the left. It has a runaround on it. The switches without blobs are atlas custom line #6's. I added a curve for a longer continous running line. The radius on it is 9 3/4. I could make it 11" if I make the bench work wider there. To hide the curve I thinking about making a large factory that has 2 buildings connected by an elevated addition above the track and a street. Joe Joe
So, what you now have is basically a large oval with a reversing connection (yes, that's what the top left of the wye has become) and a cutoff track that allows continuous running on a smaller oval (the lower right of the wye). However, I see a problem. Assume you want to run a train out of staging, around either the long or short oval, then back into staging. You can't do that without backing up - the reversing connection can't be used by a train going that way. It's easy to fix: change the wye switches so the left one connects to the upper track at that point, not the lower one as it currently does. You follow?
Nice I can sketch up what Triplex said if you like. He is right on. You can get more storage out of your yard if you go to a compound ladder. Looks like you have a lot of great! potential in that layour.
I redid the wye this morning based upon Tripex's suggestion. It looks alot nicer. Tonight, I will try to post it. I know I'm going to sound silly but is a compound ladder, where the yard branches off both sides of the center track? If so I will see about making that change to the plan. I was also thinking about adding another turnout to the turnout leading to the staging yard. By doing that, it would make a crossover that would allow me to have a track that allows switching the yard without fouling the main.
I made some more changes. Now it has the compound ladder that you were talking about. I also added a longer lead to the staging yard. There is also a new passing siding by the wye which allows for a complete circuit without going over the same peice of track twice. I think it will make wiring the track easier.
First, you don't switch in a staging yard. Only complete trains run in and out. It doesn't need a lead separate from the mainline. Second, that's a split ladder you drew. A compound ladder has extra switches branching out after the initial ladder. But the split ladder achieves the same purpose. Third, you already had a complete circuit, as I pointed out before. Sorry if I sound harsh. I'm just trying to teach you how to be a better track planner.
"Staging Tracks" are _usualy_ a few tracks where trains are made up by hand and held there with the engines ready to make a run or what ever on the system. Frequently they return to the staging tracks. What you have drawn is a full blown yard which can be used for stanging and / or switching. If you decied to go with the switching yard vs the staging tracks then I'd suggest also building your engine facility there, (just a personal preferance. You have the room for it. I tend to agree that you don't need the 2nd "passing" track in the "Y" but neither does it hurt. It will not help with the wiring. I also would suggest you redo the switching area. I have to admit I don't know how.
