A little help with branch line operations in N

Hi guys. After being static for close to five years, I have been running trains on my B&M layout. I believe the best way to test a layout is to run it. Every day I run the local, picking up and dropping off cars. I have found some snags I don't like and have already planned to take up track and re lay and solder all connections. First an overview and an explanation of what my layout is, and what I'm trying to show.



This is the overall picture of the 6 foot long, 3 foot wide layout. I'm modeling the last decade of the B&M with most operations taking place in 1978. This is a branch in rural northern New Hampshire. This stretch serves the small town of fictional Prescott Mills. The B&M serves Steambeke and Sons Lumber with a box car (upper right spur) and centerbeam or flat car (lower right spur) daily, North Eastern Machine with a gondola (lower left spur) daily and Quebec Cement (large facility in upper left with two spurs off the main at the 11:00 position) with anywhere between 2 - 6 covered hoppers and 2 - 6 gravel cars. The crossing just to our right and slightly out of frame is the connection with the Maine Central which sometimes serves the lumbar company.

The main, comes in from our right. Cars ready to go back to Concord (south or right from our point of view) are left on the large siding which starts just to the right and extends around the curve and near the Cement facility. A lone GP7 or 9 brings up the cars from Concord, does it's switching then runs back down to Concord.

Here is my take on things. My focus has changed on more of a layout of scenery than operations for a few reasons.

A: I'm shooting for believable branch line operations based on a regional prototype. My goal is to have every locomotive, car and buggy as we B&M guys call them, painted, detailed and have body mounted z scale couplers. All the structures will be New England specific and will match a prototype even though Prescott Mills is not an actual town. Focus will be on scenery so trains will only be a part of the layout, not dominate.

B: I still want some operations as I enjoy the challenge and connection with the real world, but nothing crazy. I can justify a large customer such as Quebec Cement as they do get a fair amount of traffic and could be a large employer for the area. I may change this into a sand and gravel pit however, this is still up for debate. Steambeke and Sons and Eastern Machine may only get a car a few times a week.

So with that said:
Does this sound believable?
Do I have too much in the area I have allocated?
Is the cement or sand and gravel too big of an industry for this layout?

More to come, but until then, please feel free to weigh in.

 

A cement plant would seem OK, as far as operations. I just wonder about it dominating your scenery?

 

Thanks guys, input is appreciated. Most of my plans were put on hold because the flooding in my garage was worse than I thought, so for three days I sorted and moved stuff from garage to spare room. The layout is in my dinning area now. Not ideal, but ok.

The problem with modeling the B&M after 1962 especially in New Hampshire is the lack of main line customers. I know what your thinking. "Why are you modeling a dead line like this?" Simple, it is what I remember and I like the area and doing it in 6X3 is do able. B&M always had that branch line flavor I enjoy, even today the Pan Am RR still has some of that flavor.

After doing a bit of research, I may do one of two things.

1. Continue with the Potter Place scene, removing the #5 turnout and the dual spur for the concrete plant and placing the #5 turn out inside the siding to service the freight depot.

2. Minimize the current spur to one track and half the length to service a sand and gravel facility. Something that is all over the former B&M route.

Unfortunately for now, the garage rescue is taking all my time and with rain all day yesterday and continuing for the better part of this week.......

 

Last night was the first I really had a chance to do some planning on the layout. I've technically upgraded the layout from branch line to main line, however, anyone who knows about the B&M in NH will realize that that it isn't too far from the branch line look. Rather than look at the big picture, I concentrated on the one side and determined the following.



Here is the layout as it stands now. The outermost line is the main, the next piece of track is a siding, followed by the switch on the main that goes out to the two track spur that was to service a concrete plant. After doing a lot of research in my books and online, the concrete plant would have taken over the layout.



Here is the proposed track layout to model Potter Place. Ignore the concrete spur, it will be removed. The line furthest out is the main. The right or south leads to Concord NH, the left or north goes to the Potter Place station and White River Jct. VT. The track with the three cars is the siding. Track with two cars is the spur that services the town freight house. In reality, the small stretch of track that services the freight house is a siding. I may do that if I can find the right radius curved turnout for the other side. Also it may look small, however the prototype is also small as I will illustrate soon. The siding will hold at least two 50' cars without fouling the larger siding, but for most op sessions, this would only receive a box car or flat car, once a week. That is using modeling license considering this line saw little service in the late 1970's.



Finally, a street view of what I'm trying to accomplish. Again, the cars near the freight depot are off enough so as not to foul the siding. If we were at the prototype, we would be standing on the right side of Cilleyville Road looking south towards the B&M freight house. The building I'm using here is not the final product, in fact I'll probably end up scratch building this.

 

To further illustrate my point, here is our perspectives. First in N scale.



We are standing on what today would be the Northern Rail Trail. We are facing north and have just walked from Andover NH. Beside us is the main, followed by the siding that reaches into Andover and finally our spur with a 50' FMC B&M box car. The freight house is to our right, Cilleyville road and the Potter Place station is a few hundred yards north.



Here is the similar view on the prototype. As you can see, it is easy to imagine the rail trail being the main line at one time. While this may not be "dead nuts on", it is certainly acceptable I think.



Same area as the post above, view as seen from Cilleyville Road. Again, notice the siding is not that long and at an angle, much like my layout.

In the end, I'm 98% sure this is going to happen. I know most model railroaders try to pack as much operating track into a layout as they can, but I would rather concentrate on getting this scene, small as it is, "right". The goal is to have anyone who is from NH look at this and say, "Hey, I've been there." Also, even though I'm modeling B&M in the late 1970's, nothing can stop me from using the way back machine as the area has changed little in 50 years. It's not out of the frame of my mind to see a brace of maroon FT's, coming around the corner from Concord with passenger cars.

There you have it, operators, please weigh in. I think I figured out the other side of the layout after a few hours research, but I'll get into that later.

 

Hank, that is what I'm looking for. I have a set of IM F units in the Minute Man scheme, would love to see them run through here!

Based on the feedback, I think I'm going to do it. I worked on doing more operations last night, the front of the layout needs work too, but after researching the line, the simple answer is to just remove one turnout and place it some where else.

Hopefully I can start working on the Potter Place scene this weekend. May even do one of those build threads in the N scale forum.