“Dock” section plan- Island Seaport layout

Kenneth L. Anthony Feb 18, 2007

  1. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    I am working out detailed “section” plans for an N-scale around-the-room layout representing a Santa Fe terminus in the island seaport of Karankawa (my version of Galveston, Texas.) The room has about 9’ x 12’ available for layout space.
    LINK TO OLD ROUGH PLAN (click to enlarge)
    [​IMG]
    The layout would be made up of sections hopefully small enough to lay down on the workbench for wiring the underside. The first stage of layout construction would be a shelf about one foot deep around the room, containing “outside staging”, both hidden and open, the dockside switching spurs of a port terminal railroad, and a continuous run loop which would NOT be part of the normal “hard operation” of the layout.

    SECTIONDOCK PLAN
    [​IMG]

    This section, labeled “Dock” would be 13 inches deep by 4 to 5 feet long (TBA, depending on design of corner section to the left, and alignment of another corner section across the room.) The back of the section holds three hidden tracks, one for run through and two for hidden storage of passenger trains. I feel it a priority to put passenger trains that are supposed to be hundreds of miles away somewhere out of sight. A long row of port cargo transfer sheds hides these tracks most of the length of the section, with a tall multi-story Lipton Tea blending plant at the right. Tall enough that the lack of a roof cannot be seen, the Lipton bldg would allow a view of staging tracks from an overhead mirror.
    Visible in front of the cargo sheds, one track provides railcar loading/unloading access to the sheds. A second track could be used as a lead for switching grain cars to an elevator on the section to the left (not shown) or, during certain port cargo movements, used as a second loading track for the cargo sheds with access THROUGH the doors of the cars on the track directly against the sheds. A switch engine can pull cars onto these tracks from the left and escape via the tail track on the right end, and the “running track” in the street.

    PERSPECTIVE VIEW
    [​IMG]
    This section is a condensed version of the operations AND the view of prototype scene in Galveston, as it appeared one block north of the Strand Historic District and the Railroad Museum (former ATSF passenger station)

    PROTOTYPE VIEW (click to enlarge)
    [​IMG]

    Use of track in operations:
    Using the running track in the street, a port switcher can push cars from the left end to switch the Lipton Tea spur, and the spur serving the ice plant and peanut butter warehouse. The tail track allows a place to hold cars which swapping loads for empties on the two spurs. By the way, the ice plant and peanut butter warehouse would NOT be located on this section, but on another section about a foot deep in front of this section, to be built at a later date. Of course, in my backwards way, I have already started construction of model buildings for the ice plant and peanut butter warehouse…

    Traffic commodities:
    PORT CARGO SHEDS: bananas- import 1 ½ trainloads of refrigerator cars once a week from shipside, 2-4 boxcars coffee beans, 2-4 boxcars jute, based on imaginary ship movements. 1-3 carloads daily in fishing/shrimping season 50’ “superinsulated” reefers of seafood. Export- 5-6 boxcars lumber, 2-3 boxcars paper, occasional boxcar oilfield machinery. Occasional boxcar pallets for port usage.
    LIPTON: bulk tea, packaging in; packaged blended tea out.
    ICE PLANT: 1-2 refrigerator carloads/ day meat & produce in, occasional tankcar ammonia refrigerant in, “ice car” out for crosstown move to ATSF icing platform.
    PEANUT BUTTER WAREHOUSE: peanut butter, canned groceries IN.

    PASSENGER STAGING #1: ATSF “Texas Chief” streamlined train staging
    PASSENGER STAGING #2 ATSF “Ranger” express & secondary train
    HIDDEN THRU TRACK: 8 or more freight trains/day thru to open staging 2 sections further to left.
     
    badlandnp likes this.
  2. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Ken:
    Very Impressive!:thumbs_up:

    In your older, rough plan of KK, it looks like you are modeling sidings for spotting cars at about a half dozen industries. As your plan has evolved beyond the old rough plan, have you added other industries, or has your preferred ratio of yard track capacity to industrial siding track capacity stayed about the same?

    What factors did you consider when designing this plan to help you chose a particular ratio of yard capacity to industry capacity:
    a. the prototype's ratio of yard to industry capacity in Galveston that you based Karankawa on?
    b. the type of switching you personally prefer to do (transfers, classification, industries)?
    c. space considerations in the train room?
    d. combinations of the above?
    e. something else?

    Would you please describe what a typical operating session will be--what trains or jobs will be run?
     
  3. SecretWeapon

    SecretWeapon Passed away January 23, 2024 In Memoriam

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    Looks very thought out :thumbs_up:
     
  4. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    Question: (quote): What factors did you consider when designing this plan to help you chose a particular ratio of yard capacity to industry capacity:
    Basically, I am just trying to accomodate the trains, traffic and industries that appeared at Galveston in 1950-1957, as much as possible in the space: Two manifest freights a day in and out, solid
    unit grain trains, 2 a day in harvest season, heavy sulphur traffic (but since carried in cars that will have to be custom-made, will be limited.)
    I really need more yard capacity AND more industrial spots. I am developing some ideas as I work out the details.

    Prominent traffic: export wheat & rice, export cotton, export sulfur (inbound to this rail terminal, outbound on ships), also bananas, coffee beans, tea, raw sugar.
    Some people like modeling engines, some cars, some like doing switching. One of my big "things" is modeling the flow of commodities.

    By the way, this will be an END OF THE LINE terminal. Nothing goes "through". Every freight car that comes in will have to be switched to an industry or its equivalent.

    Question: (quote) How about some Comet passenger cars & Cab cars with directional lighting?
    I am not familiar with "Comet" passenger cars as relating to Santa Fe passenger service at Galveston during the 1950-1957 period.
     
  5. Matthew Roberts

    Matthew Roberts TrainBoard Member

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    Kenneth, amazing operations, and detail as always.

    The Comet car comment is in his signature. You see in all of his posts. The "Trainboard.com" img marks the top of the sig. ;) ;)
     
  6. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Ken:
    It seems like you've used all the wall space available...are you considering adding a penisula into the middle of the room and/or maybe going for double-decking?
     
  7. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    Quote "are you considering adding a penisula into the middle of the room and/or maybe going for double-decking?"

    No double deck for this layout and this room. My prototype is "delta"...flat, near sea level, no hills. A second-time around room visibly gaining elevation would destroy scene I am trying to create, so I don't want to have any higher second-time around in scene. Also, the island seaport should be the LOWEST elevation on layout, so except for very limited hidden staging, I can't do much UNDER the scene. I must hunt for more space by maximizing all possibilities-- trying a dozen ways to fit every turnout and every track...

    One double deck I am considering for distant future, if I completely develop island seaport scene and cannot get a "supersize" train room. I might possibly build an additional deck above this layout that represents a portion of the same line somewhere inland- but not actually connected on the model railroad. Would not do much operationally- just allow me to model a few more scenes I like to model. It would not be much of a model railroad by itself, pretty much just scenery and trains going through. That's about all that would fit.
    Haven't ever heard much of anybody doing that---

    Actually, I have another part of the same railroad that is on "another level". I have a 2x3 foot portable layout "on another level"-- stored on edge under my existing train table. It represents the tracks on the WWII Navy base for the blimps that protected Island Seaport shipping from Nazi submarines. It is a prototype scene that was some 10 miles inland from the Island Seaport.
    http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/548/ScratchLTA.JPG

    If I ever get my Island Seaport layout operating enough to be on a layout tour, I will set up the portable layout on the dining room table for visitors to view and operate while waiting for a turn to get into the main layout room. But it is/will not be physically connected.
     
  8. Caddy58

    Caddy58 TrainBoard Member

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    Ken,

    all your plans appears to be very thought out. I like the way you explain the operational possibilities and how it all will come together.

    Adding a second deck is always an option. To stay with the flatland theme I would not look for an incline but rather at a hidden helix (which will require a lot of valuable real estate) or an elevator.
    There were articles on Model Railroader about constructing a train elevator. All you would need is a track (preferrably straight?) long enough to hold your longest train and a lift mechanism.

    So straight up might be a solution to go double-decking. You can even hide the mechanism behind a removable section of backdrop...

    Cheers
    Dirk
     

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