This is a detailed plan for one section as part of an scale layout for an 11’x 9’ space, representing the island seaport of Karankawa, based on Galveston, Texas in the middle 1950s. Rough early overall plan for orientation (link): This section, designed to fit a corner, represents an export grain elevator where wheat, sorghum and rice arriving by railcar are collected for transport by ship. (Ship not modeled but painted on the background behind the elevator…) This section is centered on an elevator with a tall headhouse (some 14 inches in N scale)… plus rows of silos and two “dump tracks” that run under a covered shed where railcars are unloaded. The right end of the section includes one end of two double-ended tracks where railcars are loaded and unloaded with “dry cargo” from dockside sheds. The elevator and dockside sheds hide 3 through tracks, two used for staging passenger trains and one for through freight trains running to open staging. The exit from behind the elevator is marked “sneak” on the plan. Trains supposed leaving town and going to open staging come out there, and the “sneak” connection can also be used for continuous running. On the prototype, Sanborn’s Insurance maps show a through track running behind the elevator headhouse. This right end of this “ELEVATOR” section connects to the left of the “Dock” section described in another thread 10 days ago: Link to “Dock” plan (plan only, for reference): http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/554/SectionDock.JPG Link to earlier discussion thread (if you haven’t seen it before…) http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=86053 I am trying to plan this layout in sections small up to move to the workbench for underside wiring and etcetera, preferably no more than 4-5 feet long. On the other hand, I don’t want to break apart a group of related switches which would require an awkward section joint. Laying out a ladder at the left/bottom end of the section for the three hidden tracks at the back was not much of a problem. A set of 2 Peco medium-radius turnouts to join the three tracks adds only 11 inches to the space used by the 90 degree corner curve, making the left end of the section 3’4” long. Without adding anything to the length, an additional optional turnout can be placed on the inside of the hidden curve, to make a hidden stub spur, labeled here as “Pelican Point”. (The real Galveston has a Pelican Island which will not be modeled, across the channel from the modeled elevator.) The visible part of the section provided a length problem. A port railroad “running track” that runs the length of the section provides access to to 2 sets of loading tracks on the section and continues beyond. The loading tracks for the cargo sheds at the right MUST be adjacent to the shed, ie behind the running track. The 2-turnout ladder from the running track to the loading tracks takes at least 11” of length. If the grain dump tracks were also placed behind the running track and to the left of the shed tracks, it would take an additional 11 to 13 inches of length. With the corner curve, this would make the right side of the section a whopping 5 feet “plus” long, making the section somewhat unwieldy. This was avoided by running the grain dump tracks off the FRONT side of the running track, and overlapping the ladders to the two pairs of tracks to take a length of only 10 inches over the space available for car spotting. This is possible because grain dump tracks do not need to located immediately adjacent to the elevator headhouse. Grain can be moved below track or above track to cross the running track, just as pipelines from tank racks can carry liquid products across a track to a refinery. The dead-end spur in front of the cargo shed closest to the corner is a compromise. Since the spur comes off one of the other loading tracks, it requires moving cars on those tracks for access. However, since it is part of the same cargo shed complex, the cars would often be switched at the same time, and the stub gives us about four cars additional capacity. Car capacities on this section- (in addition to extension of same tracks on adjacent sections) grain dump- 16 40’ cars cargo sheds 7 40’ cars Pelican Point- 7 40’ cars Passenger staging- 12 80’ passenger cars… (plus keep one hidden track open for through trains…)
