Preliminary Layout Plan - Need Help Getting Frustrated

Hello All - Here is my latest attempt at a Layout Plan, starting to get frustrated. I know I have yet to add industries and the like, but something about this plan strikes me as not right.

I just cannot seem to get my head around a plan for this area. Before I go any further I wanted to get some input and help.

Any comments would be appreciated

Nscale
Grid is 1 foot square
Layou planned to feature Coal, Paper and Steel as industries

 

Okane, I think where you are having trouble with accepting the design is the yard. It appears you are trying to cram as much as possible into that area.

What would happen if you reduced the size and then put a 2nd yard on the pennisula to the right. One for clasifying and one for storage and an engine terminal.

Just a thoght.

 

The layout, in itself, looks quite good, but the notable ommision, from my perspective, is sidings remote from the main yard.... trains will be calling into industries on the mainline...not on spurs or sidings. I'd also do what Steve recommends...perhaps that reduction could be achieved by making the right side of the yard double ended.

 

Rather than critiquing your plan, why not start at the beginning and work up an overview paragraph to describe what you want to achieve. This paragraph will help you to keep focused and a spring board for us to critique your plan.

It took me a year and a half and approximately 8 distinct layout plans before I settled on a plan I liked.

Here is a sample paragraph: "I am proto-lancing a layout which features mainline running with ample switching for interest. The layout is in the modern era. Although the primary trains will be modern freight, there will be passenger service. I would like to have two distinct areas to represent a part of a city or a town so that my trains have a place to start and end. Staging is also important for me. I would like to maximize my layout footprint to create as much main line as possible."

This paragraph would give me a place to start criticizing your layout. For example, in your layout, the yard takes up so much room, it will be tough to have more than one distinct town. So why not get rid of the yard, and instead add another level for staging only which would be your "off the layout yard". Instead you could have several switching areas representing industries in your town or city segment.

So why not draw up a paragraph describing your layout and put that forward here in this thread, then we can focus on your desires rather than reacting to a plan without knowing the thinking behind the plan.

 

Owen:

The yard are appears to be too congested. It might be a good idea to place some isolated sidings off the mainline for some appropriate industries.

Stay cool and run steam...

 

Remember too, when you work on anything too long it will turn your brain to mush. It's important to give yourself a break, paint an engine, build a building, do somerailfanning. After your head clears a bit you can look at your own plan with different eyes. Frankly it's a great track plan.

 

I like the plan myself.
It's perfect for a nice long train to wind through the scenery
Add a few 'drop offs' for industry as you mentioned and I think it'll grow on ya.

 

Awesome plan. I really like it. I think if you make your straight sections into really long arching curves it might make it more dramatic. Just my view on long track sections. If you like them straight the way they are, then go for it. Either way I think this is awesome.

 

This is very true. If you are planning on using Unitak I'd suggest transitioning to flex track for long sweeping curves.

 

owen,
i like the looks of it. i have a couple of suggestions for you though
1. are you planning on any scenic dividers on your legs where you have track parallel that goes opposite directions?
2. top right hand corner, a wye would be tricky to wire, but would add some operational options
3. a few more sidings away from the yard, passing, industiral, etc.

looks great!

beast

 

I think some of you are missing what Owen said:

He wants to know if the mainline and yard are good. I'll offer my opinion...

Yes, the yard is proportionately large. That's exactly how I'd do it. I want a yard big enough to make up heavy mainline freights "on-stage". The double-track main goes twice through each scene; that's also something I would do. I like the divided mains at the left. I emphasize track over scenery. If that's what you want, then the plan as you show it is good... however, it might get crowded once industry spurs are added. A coal mine, a paper mill and a steel mill will all be large, multi-track industries. I don't see where you'll find room for all of them. Also, I don't see any staging.

 

Owen-

You have a main going into the yard and one main going out, but the only way to get out at the other end of the yard is by backing your entire train back out the way you came in far down the line.

 

Guys

Thanks for the input, keep it coming, gets the blood boiling and the brain or lack of working again.

When I really looked at the plan the Yard although appearing to be congested really is not, IMHO. The real problem I believe was the lack of sidings and industries, as well as that boring double mainline.

I took your sugestions, got rid of the double track and came up with this, Still needs further refining, so please keep the critique coming, I want to get the benchwork built and some trains running



Full Size Click Here

http://www.railimages.com/albums/owenkane/acm.jpg

Thanks for all the support, you guys are great

 

okane,

I'm not sure if the layout designing software would tell you, but you got several reverse loops which would make wiring more complicated. I see at least two.

Unless you know how to wire some sort of automatic polarity reversal circuit (if you are going with straight DC) or buy some kind of reverse-loop power module (if you are going DCC), you might want to look for and eliminate those reverse loops.

 

My $0.02 is to keep the yard, and then decide what industries it is that you want. Also era and locale.

Then start planning for those industries and then connect them together with some appropriate mainline.

The first version of the layout is really more appropriate to modern day railroading. Add in an intermodal facility, and you would have what some railroads do today - make up and move trains of boxes from one area to another along a double main.

But if you put the industries requirements first (eg. some many tracks, building takes this much real estate) then you get more of a local operations flavour. Your second version is more appropriate (except the yard) to small time branchline operations from the 1920s - 1950s before many smaller industries started to rely on trucks instead of rail service.

Andrew

 

I like the first mainline arrangement more. The second version has lots of interconnections and doesn't really "go anywhere". I'm willing to accept a layout that looks very twisted-up as long as the schematic would be relatively linear.

 

For me, the most helpful suggestions for layout planning could be summed up as follows:

1. Trains should appear to come from somewhere and go to somewhere.

2. Make a specific list of which trains you are going to run and their specific consists. For example, I am going to run the following:

* Hotshot merchandise freight (east & west)
* Coal drag (west empty, east full)
* Overnight passenger/mail (east & west)
* Hotshot passenger (east & west)
* Road switcher/local freight (as needed)

A rough 24-hour schedule tells me where and when I will need sidings; the coal drag, for example, has to wait for the hotshot merchandise train.

3. You probably don't need such a big yard. I started with a similarly impressive plan - initially, I was confused by advice that said you had to have yard tracks as long as the longest freight you want to run. I now realize that this isn't true. The hotshot merchandise freights and the coal drags are "through" trains that I don't switch; the originate in staging areas and wind up there. My yard is much smaller (and more fun) than my original plan because I am only building the local road/switcher and overnight/mail trains.

4. Which brings me to staging - one or more of those reverse loops should descend to a lower level and have sidings for storing full-length trains, which are ready to be brought into play when they are needed.

If you haven't yet read John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Railroading, I'd strongly suggest that you do; it is enlightening and well written, and just may be the best book ever written on model railroading, period.

 

If you're modelling, say, a big city that will originate and termnate a lot of through trains, then you need long yard tracks. If you're modelling a small town where only locals stop, you don't need them. It depends on what you put on the visible area , what you relegate to staging, and what you leave out entirely.