G'day Fellow L&N Fans! Today I offer up a little sketch of a heavily modified plan by Paul Zack that originally appeared in the May/June 1983 issue of Prototype Modeler Magazine. It's a bedroom-sized operations oriented layout based on the L&N Henderson Subdivision. With staging at both ends and two decent sized passing sidings this has the potential to be a good medium sized operations oriented layout. The grain elevators, coal mines and other online industries would provide plenty of opportunity for switching as well as run-through freights. Staging also incorporates a continuous run option. I'd be interested in hearing comments, and if anyone wants the XtrkCAD files for this one let me know! Mike Collier Pittsburgh PA
I Like it alot,.,, staging is nice. I like how you drew a train at the bottom to give a reference of some sort. Great going!! adios wyatt
Bill of Materials from Xtrak: 1 Atlas 90 Degree Short Crossing 11 Atlas #5 LH Switch 11 Atlas #5 RH Switch 7 Atlas #7 LH Switch 8 Atlas #7 RH Switch 77 pcs N Flex Track Based on prices from an online retailer it comes out to $582.24 for the (Code 55) track. Mike
Nice plan. Well thought out. Could fit about any railroad or era as well. Who's gonna be the first here to build it?
This plan reminds me alot of the famous N scale Clinchfield that Gordon Odegard built for MR magazine. However,... ... I think this plan is actually better. Good work, Mike.
Mike, Really nice plan! One thing I see that might be needed is a run around track at Hopkinsville, which you could easily tie one of those spur tracks back in to the main/passing siding. The other thing, and granted, this would be if you are running major traffic, is a 3rd passing siding at Crofton. That way when you are switching out loads/empties to those 2 coal mines, you can still have 2 trains meet at that passing siding. You could put the siding on either side, but I'd go on the inside by the grain elevator. If you still lived in the Phx, I'd be coming down alot to run trains Mike
I agree with those observations Mike. I was just thinking how great this layout would be if it was opened up into an "L" shape.
Howdy Guys, Thanks for the feedback. I'll try it out as an "L" shape and see how it looks. Will post up version 2.0 when finished! Mike
This is a good plan and one that I may do. I asked for the file and Mike has been gracious enough to possibly draw it out to fit the dimensions of my room. I am going to take a look at it and see how I can fit this in. I am at the stage of assembling material for my benchwork and painting it. This would be a good time to consider this one. I know that a lot of work has gone into my plan, but 1) I do like this one and 2) I do have some L&N motive power in storage.
Here's the version I came up with to fit the dimensions of Charles train room. The first pic is the layout without staging when you're in the mood for just running trains around, or showing it off for visitors. This one shows the portable staging yards attached. I was initially a little disappointed with my first drawing when I wasn't really able to work in any "off-layout" staging for operations when Charles mentioned the possibility of "roll-away" staging that could be moved in/out of the room as desired. I thought that was a fantastic idea, and that got the creative juices flowing again. What I came up with then was an 8 foot staging area that could be built in two sections for ease of storage. When Charles mentioned "roll-away" I immediately envisioned these two sections could be built on casters/wheels, kitchen cart style, with drawers or shelves below for storage of locomotives/rolling stock or what have you. For operations, they could be rolled into the train room and connected via the four yard leads "N-Trak" style, and you're ready to go. When the staging yards aren't needed the leads can just be used as a team track/spur/car storage track. The last pic shows the yards "in use" and the planned capacities. I just emailed this over to Charles to look at as well, and will be waiting for his feedback. For operations, with the modifications to Henderson, that increases the grain elevators along the line to four, and the misc. industries to four, along with the two coal mines. Train numbers during the late 70's / early 80's were the same on the Henderson Sub as they were for the Chicago Sub, as they continued on through to and from Evansville. Northbound: 722 - TOFC 792 - Fast Freight 718 - Fast Freight 720 - TOFC 790 - Fast Freight Southbound: 723: TOFC 791: Fast Freight 721: TOFC 717: Fast Freight 795: Fast Freight For local (peddler/way freight/turns/whatever term you prefer) activity, you could run one "south" out of Evansville to handle switching duties at Henderson and Madisonville, and another "north" out of Nashville to handle Amqui and Hopkinsville. Another could be assigned just for the mines. To my knowledge all of the unit coal trains on the Henderson/Chicago Subs were run as extras. Mike C.
REALLY digging both of these plans -- I'm currently working with a 9'10"x10'11" room, door and bifold closet in the bottom 10'11" section, window across the front across from the doors -- I'm thinking that the first plan would work. What dimensions are both and could you send me the file? Thanks!
Hey man! Glad you like the plans! The first one is 6' x 12' and second one is about 9' x 12'. Send me a PM with your email address or drop me a line a cactusdx@gmail.com and I'll send you the Xtrak files for both of these. Mike
Wow, nice job! Both plans are very nice! Version 2.0 looks like a single track Bend track system. Did you intend to make it completely modular, like the yard? I have the similar space to use, 6' x 15', and these both beat what I have been coming up with. Thanks for sharing! Steve
Steve, Thanks for the comments. It wasn't my intent to make the rest of the layout modular but it certainly lends itself to being constructed as such for portability. I did get your email and I'll send those files over to you. Mike
