Basement PRR Track Plan

eric220 Oct 13, 2010

  1. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm rapidly coming to the point where I need to finalize a plan for my railroad. Construction has begun to finish my basement and give me about 400 square feet of railroading space! My plan is to model various locations along the transcontinental PRR according to the alternate history that I created over the past 10 years (jeez, it's scary that I've been working on it for that long). I'd like to ask for feedback on the plans that I've developed. The grid is 24".

    Lower Level:

    [​IMG]

    Upper Level:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2010
  2. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    I know they're a little big, so I've cut them down into sections. Here's the tour:

    Beginning at the lower left at Altoona (which is already built), we come around to Paradise Yard. This has been one of the areas of consternation for me, trying to get this right in the space that I have.

    [​IMG]

    After River City comes Horseshoe curve, which needs no introduction.

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    Next comes the coal mine at Panther Creek.

    [​IMG]

    The line that disappears into the mine comes out in Newark at the power plant, providing loads-in-emptys-out switching. Newark is an industrial town, and is not modeled on any specific prototype location.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2010
  3. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    Next comes Morrow, which includes an interlocking with the B&O, which serves as the entrance to hidden staging.

    [​IMG]

    And after Morrow comes the biggest undecided factor for me. There will either be a turnaround or a helix. I've never done a second level on a layout before, and I'd like to try it. On the other hand, I don't know if I'll be able to complete scenery on the lower level or not, let alone two! For now, I'll continue around my plan for the second level, which is much less advanced than my plans for the lower level.

    Out of the helix, we have arrived in Clear Creek Canyon in Colorado. First up is Idaho Springs, where I hope to re-create the G-scale scene my dad created, followed by Loveland Pass.

    [​IMG]

    After Loveland Pass, comes the Snake River Valley and Keystone Ski Resort.

    [​IMG]

    Next comes a mountain lumber mill, followed by a tunnel.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2010
  4. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    We come out of the tunnel to find ourselves in suburban California.

    [​IMG]

    Followed by River City, which is more commercial than Newark. The city will be built on a removable piece of plywood, and the tracks to Penn Station will go underneath. The station platforms are 10 feet long.

    [​IMG]

    Finally, the tracks disappear into the transbay tube to head into San Francisco. On the model, after going into the tube, the tracks form a return loop with two layover sidings, beginning the return journey.

    [​IMG]

    Comments?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2010
  5. Jerry Tarvid

    Jerry Tarvid TrainBoard Member

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    Eric,

    This appears to be a well thought out layout design and track plan.:thumbs_up:

    I fully understand your dilemma with regard to Paradise Yard. There never seems to be enough room for a prototypical yard design.

    It would be helpful to this review if you could provide more information about your layout design criteria. Pictures of the layout area and any work in progress would also be beneficial. I would personally like to see grid lines on the track plans.

    Look forward to seeing this layout progress.

    Jerry
     
  6. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    Jerry-

    I added a 24" grid to the plans, hopefully that will clear it up a bit. Unfortunately, any pictures of the layout space would not be terribly helpful right now, as the area is currently an unfinished basement. We are in the process of finishing it, so it will look completely different when we are done. Here's another schematic of Paradise that shows the different areas.

    [​IMG]

    The mainlines are red
    The A/D tracks are blue
    The class tracks are purple
    The small coal yard is green
     
  7. Coalman

    Coalman TrainBoard Member

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    Love the the power plant connected to the coal mine. I've always wanted to do that since I saw it in Armstrong's book 40 years ago.
     
  8. Fotheringill

    Fotheringill TrainBoard Member

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    The plans look great. I have but one question- How big are the grids? If they are what I think they are, how are you going to get to the middle and rear?
     
  9. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    Grids are 24". Max shelf depth from the aisle is 36", minimum aisle width is 30". If you're referring to reaching distance along Paradise and River City, I'm thinking that I'll probably move the benchwork edge in until it's within a few inches of the track. The main body of the yard is only about a foot deep, and the coal yard is another four or five inches behind that.
     
  10. Jerry Tarvid

    Jerry Tarvid TrainBoard Member

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    Eric,

    I think you have done an excellent job on Paradise Yard.:thumbs_up::thumbs_up: I like everything about this layout.

    There is an entrance to staging; however I missed how trains are to be returned to the layout. Is there another return point or is staging a return loop?

    There appears to be an auto reversing condition whereby a train coming from the mine passes over the Newark mainline turnout. This is only an observation of an electrical issue.

    If you intend to build two levels (not counting staging) I would highly recommend building the upper level bench work and install lighting at the same time you construct the lower levels. This will also resolve deciding on a helix.

    This is going to be an awesome layout!

    Jerry
     
  11. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you :) I had quite a bit of help refining Paradise, and I think I like where it ended up. As I said before, though, yard design is somewhat confusing to me, so I'm not sure I could tell a good design from a bad one.

    The staging yard and a workbench will be under Morrow. (I'm planning to run track from the layout onto the workbench.) Staging is double-ended, and the far end goes into a balloon loop. Trains enter and exit staging on a single track.

    Yep, and there are also polarity problems at the turnaround loops in Altoona and in the Transbay Tube. I've already installed an auto-reversing section in Altoona, and that's my solution for the others as well. Panther Creek/Newark is a bit of a problem because of the track length, but it's designed for short trains anyway. If I need to, I can include some of the track in Newark in the reversing section.
     
  12. SecretWeapon

    SecretWeapon Passed away January 23, 2024 In Memoriam

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    Looks huge!!! Good for you.
     
  13. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    In case you don't check the Layout Design forum, I posted some updates to my track plan over there a couple of days ago. Construction on this beast begins in one week. Any feedback on anything that I could do to improve operability would be very much appreciated.

    The Layout Design thread: N Scale PRR Track Plan - TrainBoard.com
     

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