So over the past few weeks I've been doing some concept planning for a theoretical 12 x 16 ft On30 layout. This layout would model the fictional John Day Valley Railway in Grant County, OR, loosely based on and connecting to the actual Sumpter Valley Railway. The track plan in question runs from John Day up to Seneca, OR. The plan has a 22" min radius, max 3.3% grades, and uses a mix of Peco and Micro-Engineering track. Thumbnails posted below, let me know and I can post fullsize images. Any thoughts? (Clearance between John Day and the upper Central Peninsula is 17.5", the helix is 2 1/4 turns.)
I think that is a pretty cool layout. What are you aiming do do with it? Will it be a tourist railroad or freight, or both? One thing I am looking at is the runaround at the wye in the first picture. (Bottom level?) What purpose does it serve? If you are using it to let trains pass going in opposite directions, then you are fine, but my initial impression was that it is kind of redundant. I don’t know how you are operating your trains so these may be non-issues. Do you need another yard at the other end or will trains originate and terminate at the main yard? I noticed you have turntables at both ends but only one yard. And finally, how do you get in the layout? Will there be a door or a duckunder?
This layout is intended as freight/pass in 1920. First image was top level (Seneca right, log camp left), with the wye/passing track at a summit. Trains originate at John Day Yard (bottom level) or in staging, coming from points east (SV interchange) or west (other parts of line). I haven't worried about access too much yet; this is just a for-fun concept that can be expanded to fill a space. I don't have a dedicated space for a layout of this magnitude and likely won't for a while.
