Hi folks, I have been collecting N scale rollingstock for about 5 years, predominantly BN/BNSF/ATSF with the intention of building a layout based on the BNSF funnel through Spokane Wa. My new layout building is under construction & I will have a space of around 12' x 36'. Hopefully I will be ready to start the layout in a few months. I have designed a few plans to fit the space, but as I want to do a prototypical representation of the line, I find that I cant really fit it into the space I have. Probably most modellers have had this problem at some time. I am lucky to have a good space for a layout at all. Can anyone suggest another BNSF prototype that locale/terminal that is a bit more manageable? If I cant find a new prototype, I will go mad, I have been agonising over this for months. I am even considering going to HO & being forced to model some small branch line. Help!!!
Wow, I'm not intimately familiar with the Funnel, but I know a little bit, and I can't imagine not being able to come up with a decent layout representing the area in 12x36! (no offense intended, I'm just drooling over the possibilities!) Can you supply some givens and druthers? (search "druthers" to get some ideas if you aren't familiar with the process) Being a BNSF fan, I would love to help and I'm sure others on the board will jump in, too. Beside a givens/druthers list, a room diagram will be the best starting point. Like, where are the doors, windows, etc. Don't give up! If we can't help come up with a good track plan for you, I'd be surprised!
I agree with Doug. 12 by 36ft seems to be a pretty good area to model a area like the funnel, which if I recall, is only 50 some miles long? I am not really familar with the Funnel as well, but 12 by 36ft is a heck of a lot in N scale. As Doug said, give a few more details and you'll be amazed how much help some will give.
Hi Doug, no offence taken!, I have followed your posts with interest. (I know I am lucky with the space, but I have been working on that for 6 years!)., I agree, it would be a shame to change from the funnel, or as I prefer to call it, the Pend Orielle Sub, as I have amassed aheap of info on that area & even been there twice, once in 2002 & again in 2004. Here is a list of the givens. 1) 12 x 36' space, needs to include staging. 2) BNSF prototype 3) Early 2000's era (pre hauser fuelling facility & I not a fan of the swoosh) 4) Run through staging. 5) 18' Trains. 6) Lean towards prototype LDE's for all track layouts. The issues stem from my druthers. 1) To model the entire line from the Amtrak station in the west, to Hauser Jct (Coer D'alene Branch) in the east on the lower deck. This includes erie st yard (UP interchange yard), Napa St interlocking (BNSF kettle Falls line, UP ex SI line to Eastport, Id) Yardley (Old main & yard lead), Parkwater, Wye & baloon track, Spokane intermodal facility, south side industries, Spokane river bridge, Velox industries. These all require a deep bench to accomodate. 2) I want to have open run through staging per cat mountain & santa fe 3) I want to avoid multi deck layouts & helixes 4) The Kettle falls, UP lines & Coeur D'alene branch can be represented by staging, although I want to include some visible running. See the attached for an LDE of Parkwater / Yardley My concerns are that I am modelling a line of noted scenic beauty, but only actually modeling the industrial spokane end of the lien. Also all the scenes are very deep way over the recommended 20' reach in distance. I am having trouble making compromises. Peter
How about Stockton ca? Nice medium size town with traffic to and from the bay area, the northeast, and tehachapi. You'd also get to model a little bit of the UP as they cross there. Another choice might be Bakersfield? Here's the Santa Fe switching by the old Amtrak station.....dave
CTXM thanks for the Stockton suggestion, I will do a google earth survey for a closer look. Here is a bit more info on the current Pend Orielle sub design. Druthers 1) North oriented design ie west is left 2) Duckunder cannot be avoided on a single deck around the walls design. Here are some more plans of the train room etc (jpg this time, didnt know I could do that)
OK, looks like you have a good line on what you want, and compromise is the major issue. Noooo problem, right? hehe Well, I'm processing the info right now, and I did a quick Google search to get a frame of reference. One site I'd visited many times before and both have good info and photos, so I figured I'd provide the links in case someone wants to join in. http://www.icehouse.net/funnelfan/funnel.htm http://westernrailroads.com/funnel.htm also http://www.pnwrailfan.com (I think this one is linked to the first)
To me, this is achievable, and I think a mushroom layout or nolix would be possibilities to that end.
Matt13, thanks for the input. I had discounted a nolix, because I require flat areas for switching at all the yards & industries in spokane. No matter which way I look at it, these areas fill the entire main level area... no room for a continuous grade... allthough the prototype has an average grade of about 0.5% from Spokane to Hauser. Doug, Thanks for the links, I am very familliar with Ted Curpheys site, But Marlins site is new to me & has some new info & some excellent photos.
Here is how I would do it...(attached). It would need some tweaking, but I think the basic idea would work. I wasn't familiar with this area, I just looked at it in Google Earth. )) The general idea here is that because you can access the center peninsula from both sides, you can make a much wider bench and still reach everything. You can actually make that balloontrack wide enough to run an 18' train around. (Maybe. ) The aisles in are 2.5'. The center peninsula is 5.5' That leaves 1.5' for the Hauser run. You would want to cheat a very slight upgrade in any areas you could. Sorry if I misunderstood how the UP line comes in. Maybe there's another way to use that lower left space to get that right if I got it wrong. (An access hatch somewhere there along the middle of the left wall would be useful, too.) The only big place where I really deviated from your druthers is the helix. I just don't think you can get away from that. If you put your staging on the same level as everything else and you have no room for the places you actually want to model. I'm not sure why you have a prejudice against a helix. You'd only need a couple loops. I think this lets you model most of the areas you're interested in at almost 50% the size of the real thing. You have to compromise somewhere.
Jagged Ben, Wow, Thanks, Your plan is something new, that I havent considered yet. I like the way it funnels the UP, BNSF kettle falls lines & main lines down to staging. You are right to make the centre wide so as to fit the widest areas of the plan into it. I will have a shot at developing that plan a bit to see how it all fits in. Compromise is something I am have trouble with! Thanks again mate!
Sounds like a great area to model. I can't wait to see your Latah creek trestle!!! That thing gives me the creeps every time I drive by it. Way higher than any locomotive sould ever be off the ground :tb-biggrin: If you do in fact build it, you should add an interchange so the PCC can interact. If you make it DCC we could have a killer ops session! Brian
Brian, Youre right about the Latah Creek Bridge, it is quite a structure, I dont know of too many other Wye Bridges (except obviously for Keddie Wye on the WP). I am not sure I can fit it in on my layout yet. I was going to finish the west end at the SPO amtrak station. I have digitrax DCC, so maybe one day we can run trains!.
