Jadestown Junction - a fictional freelanced mountain short-line with interchanges to major railroads The goals: 1. Create strong mountain scenery in which to watch trains roll with some switching capabilities. 2. Finish my first layout and learn (more) through the experience. 3. Leave potential for expansion. 4. Keep the thing portable - moving tends to happen. Industry Switching Interests (Not all will make the cut): Mining (coal or ores, undecided at this point) Lumber Brewery Oil dealer Station at Jadestown Team Track Other Details: N-scale Atlas code 55, flex track (drawn with sectional for convenience) Mainline min. radius 11.25" Max. grade 3% 38" x 74" table (plan drawn at 3'x6' to ensure at least 1" space from edges) Cab control - DCC down the road. Primary interest in railfanning, with switching secondary. Trains around 6 cars long. The table is given, already built and being used for our Christmas town and train layout at present. The table will sit against a wall on the left and bottom sides. It is built on wheels so can be rolled out from the wall if necessary. The layout itself will just sit on top of the table and be removable. The scenic divider will really just be a tall enough mountain ridge to separate the scenes, with a removable section to access the hidden reversing loop. And the reversing loop is really part of the main branch-line, and only becomes reversing-capable with the crossover thrown at the team track in Jadestown. Initially the bottom half will be used only as staging and remain unscenic'd (SP?) in case I change my mind on the track. For serious train playing sessions with the kids or grandkids, the table could be pulled out and the staging area used as a yard. I've never wanted to pin myself down to a particular prototype or time period until I have discovered through experience what I like best. "Around" the transition era has always seemed to me the best with big steam and early diesels being some of my favorite engines, but I expect Santa Fe and PRR engines to make appearances, and who knows what else strikes my fancy. The top level where the mystery-mine and probable logging operation is elevated 2" from the rest of the track. The loop back down, just right of the logging area may develop some hidden track as well to help break up the scenes, and because I like tunnels and mountains. There will also be a wooden truss bridge built somewhere on the west end nearer the mine because I find them fascinatingly beautiful on layouts. I'll probably also run a river along the edge somewhere, but I haven't got the perfect spot for it yet. Scenery is still developing in my mind. This is probably my 50th plan drawn up (I like planning), and will be my second serious attempt at building a layout. The last one was a little bigger L-shape that was too unwieldy to move, ended up being cut in half to facilitate basement storage, and then it grew mold and died a horrible death. Any thoughts or suggestions would be more than welcome. I'm still in planning stages but construction is not far off. Thanks for reading!
I just joined her myself and will get a lot of great ideas here. For other reasons my first set up was also cut up and disposed of. I kept all the features(buiildings,etc) and discarded the rest. Your plan looks good to me but most important is that you are happy with it.
I learned the hard way after I started on my N-scale layout in 2007, that you should go bigger on mainline curves that will have cars over 50" and 6 axle engines. Than 11" and up for any industrial spurs or yards. I still have three 9.5" curves but they only see MP15 switchers on them. Next layout will have nothing less then 11" curves.
Hey Lego, welcome to the board I studied your plan for a few minutes, and I have to say it's excellent. I really like how you integrated the reversing loop with one end of the dog-bone. Any idea how soon 'not far off' is? I can't wait to see this one come together because you seem to have really great vision-also like that you don't feel the need to stick to a single prototype. I feel your need to plan plan plan I'm starting construction after Christmas on layout number two (still tearing down layout number one) and have spent months working on the new plan-thank goodness for track planning software!
This plan looks like one which has been well proven through the years. I once built something similar and certainly enjoyed it.
Thanks for the encouraging replies. I've been letting the plan sit on my desktop while I mull it over, run the occasional Xtrkcad train over it, and tinker here and there. I've made some small adjustments on the plan for scenery space, but it's still basically the same. I'll post the latest image when I get back home. Construction will start after the holidays.
It looks good overall. The only potential problem is that the industries on the upper level are reached by downgrades on both sides, with very little level track at the top. That means that, as soon as the engine uncouples from the train to do some switching, the cars will roll away downhill, unless some kind of artificial brakes (like a pin between the rails that rises up to snag an axle) can hold the train where you left it.
Cke1st: I'm adding an image of the plan with the 3% grade sections highlighted in blue. I'm thinking there is enough level track on the high side to do switching without having to stop cars from rolling. If I have to leave part of the train on the mainline it would have to be on the left side.
hi Lego, if I read your drawing well, the vertical clearance between the high level tracks (2,00) and the low level tracks (0,90) is only 1,1". You will need space for the road and subroad bed, you might need about 2" . Leaving a carlength between the turnouts and the start of the grade and allowing space for vertical easements ( a carlength extra for every 2% change of grade and you'll need two of them) your grades will become much steeper. A closer look at the 3/4 blue circle at the right is showing a total length of about 50". Subtract the needed extra length, the remainder will be no more then 30", when you are lucky. With a 4 percent grade the max rise is about 1,2"; not sufficient. The curve adds friction too, the effective grade would be: 4 + (17/11) = 5,5 %. Since a steeper grade goes along with longer easements you might have to exept severe limitations for the length of cars and trains you will be able to operate. Some experimenting might be wise before sticking to this design. Smile paul
paulus: The plan should be all flat track at 0.00" or at 2.00" elevation. It's a bit hard to read with that screen capture, I admit. I had the same concerns with vertical easements, I appreciate the rule of thumb you provided. I had come up with an altered plan (pic below) that might address the issues, but it places the turnout on the grade and easements after it, on the siding. Other than not being able to place one or two car cuts on that easement, would this be an issue? I didn't highlight the other grade - it shouldn't be any issue to ease into and out of without affecting things.
looks good, but remember plausibility, cut it down to: Oil dealer Station at Jadestown Team Track and one other industry at the most, most likly the mine, since it does not take up too much space if done right. Also, look at using a GP loco and SHORT freight cars, 40 ft'ers will be best, you can get a longer train with them and not look as toylike. 10 feet in N is roughly an inch, so a 7 car train of 40 ft cars would be shorter than a 6 car train of 50 ft'ers....and if you go with 33 ft coal hoppers.....
I think you'll be disappointed by having your siding partly on a grade, you'll more than likely find yourself uncoupling cars just to watch them runaway down the hill... I've been thinking about what if you move the left end of the siding further into the curve. Since you're using flextrack, you can move the whole siding up and to the left, away from the grade on the right side without having to modify any sectional track. You made no mention of how the upper track will cross the lower track at the end of that siding, but if it is a single track trestle then having the switch end the siding near it would be plausible and prototypical.
I do plan that upper left crossing to be a single track trestle. Trying to get the switch farther into the upper left either requires a curved turnout, or will encroach farther right into the lower level scene at Jaydestown. From what I've heard, the Atlas code 55 curved turnouts aren't reliable. Encroaching into the lower level scene a bit might be doable. I'll fiddle with the plan a little more.
I did some more looking at the plan, and the more I look, the less I think I'm going to be able to make that upper left, upper level track any kind of wooden trestle like I want. The track underneath it is just at too odd an angle to make room for the bents of the trestle. I'll have to move the trestle to one of the right side curves I think, and perhaps run a river under it. I'll post again with modifications soon. Thanks everyone for keeping me thinking!
Unless the building model demands it be where it is, what if you took the spur near the yellow what I assume is parking area, and place it parallel to the track about to enter the tunnel going under the central upper level siding? That might allow you to make the shift I suggested without crowding that section of Jadestown? I wt ould experiment with it in Anyrail but without knowing what radii curves and the like you are using, its hard to thread that needle, know what I mean?
I originally had that spur you're talking about in that orientation you suggest in an early version of the plan. It can certainly go back that way. I'm sticking with a 11.25" minimum radius for any mainline track. Industry spurs can go down lower. The inclined loop on the right side of the layout that leads up to the top level is 13" radius. I fiddled with trying to squeeze a #5 turnout (Atlas code 55) into that area but just can't get it to look right. I'm open to modifying the turnout a bit (since #5's have about an inch of trim-able track before the points), but dont have xtrkcad parameters for a modified turnout to make my plan work.
I finally got around to making some progress! The table construction went slowly over the winter during the warmer weekends in my non-heated garage. But now that it is back indoors, transferring the plan to foam has started. Here is the working plan, subject to modification at any time: And here are some progress pictures:
