This is my Layout Design, all 13 Layers of it. I am Modeling the VGN in H0scale from the Beginning in 1909 to 1939. Imagine the Center of the Layout Picture is the Top of the Mountain where Deepwater is and the curved Tracks are at Incline going in and out of the Mountain Valley curves of West Virginia. Because the Tracks are basically going around the Valley curves in Real Life, I decided to have All the Tracks do the Same Shape. The Town Narrows VA has Track following the curves of a River and is Included in that Area. West Virginia Starts after Glen Lyn in the Mountain Curves in Real Life but the Curved Mountain Area is My West Virginia. Like wise the straight Tracks represent the Flats of Virginia back to Norfolk Virginia (Lambert's Point). The Reason for the Concentric Curves is to Get 2700 Feet of Track into the Train Room and to have the Towns in a Group, the Bridges in together so the Water of the River can Flow beneath them etc. Each Layer (lap) is 10 Inches Higher than the Previous Layer except where the Elevation changes to Incline/Decline. This is One Big Mountain that Will have Passing Terminals at the Major Towns so the Trains with 100 cars can wait for the Oncoming Haul. The Virginian Railway is 442 Miles Long and I wanted to Imitate it as Much as Possible. As the Real H0scale Length would have Required 5 Miles of H0scale Flexi-track, I needed to Shorten the Distances between the 44 Towns so the Scale Length would be a Tenth of the Length to be 2700 Feet. Now having said all this, the Xtrackcad Drawing is not finished Yet as I will have Passing Lanes at the Major Industrial Towns. After Getting the Results from Google Earth and Jotting down the Distances and Elevations as Follows:- VGN Place Elevation (ft) Distance (mi) Corner (1-4) Lap (1-13) 0-Coal Loader 0 0 1 0 1-Lamberts Point 9 2-Goff St Junction 10 3-Dexter Street 10 8 2 4-Suffolk 43 23.5 3 1 5-Jarratt 151 73.7 4 2 6-Alberta 385 97.9 1 3 7-Virso 583 133.6 2 4 8-Altravista 550 199.2 3 5 9-Roanoke City 926 243.1 4 7 10-Salem 1020 1 11-Wabun 1138 2 12-Christiansburg 2100 3 13-Pepper 1771 4 14-Whitethorne 1741 1 15-Pembroke 1632 2 16-Narrows 1600 313 3 9 17-Glen Lyn 1581 4 18-Oakvale 1747 1 19-Rocky Hollow 2249 2 20-Princeton 2400 345 3 10 21-Mercer 2391 4 22-Kegley 2334 4 23-Rock 2300 1 24-Giatto 2455 1 25-Covel 1962 2 26-Alpoca 1571 2 27-Elmore Junction 1400 3 28-Mullens 1506 385 3 11 29-Otsego 1556 4 30-Maben 1605 4 31-Hotchkiss 1693 4 32-Slab Fork 1892 1 33-Lester 2031 1 34-Surveyor 1942 1 35-Eccles 2082 410 2 12 36-Cirtsville 1661 2 37-Lively 1606 2 38-Oak Hill Jc 1890 429 3 39-Lick Fork 1548 3 40-Hamilton 1268 3 41-Page 1131 4 42-Robson 879 4 43-Deepwater 670 446 4 13 44-Alloy 665 447 I Place Marked the CAD Drawing and needed to do some Adjustments, so here is the Altered State:- The Room/Layout Size as Being 38 Feet x 44 Feet, so the Incline Rate at the Steepest Area would be 1 inch rise every 200 inches. Mountains are Steep and the Mountain Incline would be about 60 Degrees where the Tracks are.
WEST VIRGINIAN MOUNTAIN RANGE Here is an Image of a Typical West Virginian Mountain Range:- If You look to the Right of the Picture where the Valley is, this is where the Railway curves in and around.
Sorry. I can't pass up the sad humor in showing a photo of a mountaintop removal operation as a "typical West Virginia mountain range." Best of luck on the project, looks pretty ambitious. What is the center/center track spacing from one layer to the next?
VGN Sorry about that TwinDad, I guess it is not Typical to have a Mine on every Mountain. But it is Related to the Railways. The Center Track Spacing's Will be 4 inch for the Straights as this Area has less Elevation and 6 inch Spacing's for the Mountain Ranges .
Here is the Revised CAD Drawing to get the 6 inch Track Spacing's for the Mountain and added Turntables:- Lambert's Point in Norfolk had a Return Loop so I have to put it in. Always Adding to this Layout Drawing.
This is a heck of a good concept. I haven't seen one like this before. I certainly would like to see it in action.
Hi Flash, Thank-you for Your Interest as this is a Real Life Railroad to Model. Had to Make sure I cover Most Bases and Still keep it Feasible. As this is an Unfinished CAD Drawing, I placed this here to Show Progress. I basically had to get the Overall Dimensions in place First and then I can Alter the Finer Details. Almost there as the Research is Done and the Final Details to put into the Town's Passing Lanes and Deepwater's Bowl. The Materials at hand are 10 tonnes of Timber I beams, 2 Tonnes of 2x4's and 36 off 36 x 142 inch Flooring for the Curves. The Room is a Second Floor of My Shed. Best Regards Dave I
