An N Scale Short Line in 3' x 8'

Revised sans switchback

Well, Mark, your description of the switching moves made a believer out of me. Here is a quick screen capture of the revised plan without the switchbacks. I used a 3.5 wye to start the mine spur and had to shorten the turntable lead just a bit and rearrange some of the spurs to make it fit but I kind of like the flow of it now. The only thing I'm not crazy about is having to move the depot to the West side of the main. For some reason, I always prefer to look at a depot from the track side.

 

Well you could think of it this way. About 90-95% of all other depots are also positioned on the far side of the track from the viewer (or at least it seems that way). This way you're giving yourself a unique scene where the train ducks behind the depot.

Or.. You could always put the depot between the main and siding.

 

Excellent point. Different is good.

 

I was thinking more literally to flip the switchback - as illustrated. That way you stay off the main/siding if you want. Either way works.

 

I think so, or I might scratch-build something. Thanks for the offer but I also have one that is collecting dust in a box . At the very least I'll probably use the pit and maybe build a new bridge for it.

Yeah, I tried that too but ended up not liking it as much as getting rid of the switchback altogether. The switchback was really just a relic from the MR Carolina Central plan that I used as a starting point. Once I started looking at it I realized I had just included it without really questioning the reasoning. It's one of those things that looks cooler on a plan than it operates.

 

Here is the new and improved plan with some suggested scenery. Once I made the decision to eliminate the switchback and move the depot across the tracks I realized that the new arrangement opened up some scenicking opportunities that I had previously overlooked.

If there is a prototype for the town of Rio Verde it is probably Clarkdale, AZ. In Clarkdale the town actually sits 100' or so higher than the RR tracks and there is a large dry gulch separating downtown from the depot and yard area. I've tried to incorporate this vertical separation into the new plan and I think it will make for a very interesting scene with trains in the foreground and the town up the hill a bit in the background.

 

I'm still having problems with that switching situation. What about increasing the layout width to 4' and lengthening the arrival track? This would also allow you to add a couple more staging tracks, adding more operating possibilities.

Mark

 

Of course, more space is usually better but I am pretty well committed to 3'x8' here. And, as Bremner points out, this is a down-on-its-heals-out-in-the-sticks short line. Motive power is small and trains are relatively short. 90 ton hoppers and 40' boxcars are the rule. Passenger service is via mixed trains with an old combine and coach tacked to the tails of north/southbound runs. Think the late-era V&T. Modern double stacks, six axles, and streamlined passenger equipment are not going to be run through here.

 

I had already figured out the short train/cars thing. I still feel the arrival track needs to be longer. Also, what track would you use to make up a train/how do you plan on exchanging cars? I'd like to see the freight station moved to where the depot originally was and fail to see a reason for the location of the rooming house.
Food for thought!
Mark

 

I can certainly appreciate what you are saying and believe me, I have thought about it. But if the passing siding was to be longer where would the space come from? Remember, I'm stuck with 3'x8'. If I took it from the left it would cut way into the canyon/river scene which was one of the main reasons for building the railroad. Not going to do that. If it came from the right side I could, in theory, wrap a bit of the passing siding around the turnback curve but what does that gain me? In my experience N scale trains don't couple very well on curves and the layout starts to lose its "single track main" look and becomes the bowl of spaghetti I was trying to avoid. So the third option, the one I've chosen, is to simply content myself with trains that are 7-9 cars long. Makes a class 1 guy cringe, I know, but this is life in the slow lane .

As to your other questions:
• Making up and breaking up trains will be done right on the main. Where else?
• I might agree with you on the freight house. None of the structure/industry locations are set in stone.
• Perhaps "Rooming House" was a poor choice of words. The location, just a few yards down from the depot is based on the arrangement of the section worker's bunkhouse in Perkinsville, AZ. It could certainly go elsewhere.

I should have laid out my goals for this layout in the OP but here they are, better late than never:

1) Smooth, trouble free running.
2) A high ratio of scenery to trains. No train passing through any scene more than once.
3) Continuous running.
4) Good opportunities for structure modeling (one of my favorite aspects of the hobby).
5) Good opportunities for modeling the unique scenery of central Arizona.
6) Laid back, short line operations with just enough switching to keep things interesting.

 

As a person also working in a confined space (36" x 80") I concur 100%

 

I like short trains and will be running them. You are not alone:
What is the Length Train You Run? - TrainBoard.com

 

I'm into HOn3, so that's is why I am interested in this layout. Instead of 7-9 cars, we're looking at 3-4.

Again, even with the present dimensions, you should be able to add another staging track, or 2, without doing any harm.

 

And what a cool model that would make .

Though there will be no grades on the layout, theoretically there must be some pretty good ones somewhere on the "real" T&S since it climbs the rim to a junction with the Santa Fe somewhere outside of Flagstaff. Fortunately that's not a problem I have to deal with on this layout - but if room for expansion should ever be found then all bets are off!

 

Ah, that makes sense. If that is the case then adding another foot to the depth wont help much. If the layout was 4x8 instead of 3x8 that would just give you room for larger radius curves, in which case the passing siding would actually get shorter. If you've got the room I'd expand the whole plan to 4x10 for HOn3, that would give you a larger turn radius and a longer arrival/passing track.

True. It all depends how involved I want to get with operations. I might add more track back there if I find the two too limiting.

 

And speaking of expansion... Should the room ever become available, I would extend the railroad from the right end, loosing the turn-back loop there and extending the arrival track/passing siding. In this scenario the rear staging tracks would be replaced by a long grade and the line would pass up and over itself into the new section of the layout. This would be the town of Tonto, a route 66 town similar to Winslow, AZ, where the line would meet up with the Santa Fe. Under that would be the staging for Sudinero and a junction with the SP.

Nice to daydream ain't it