This is just the top level of a 3 - level layout I am looking to start on in the spring. As you all can see there will be a helix in the back of the closet using a single track at 22" radius. At the top level the helix comes into full daylight and continues to curve at the same radius and incline and stops in the back corner of the room, making the first leg of a wye. A secondary main and passing track branches off at the front of the layout at Tower #85 and runs to the left to the left end of the layout. A 4' drop-down extension will allow trains to pull their cars clear of trailing switch of the passing track and sort out cars to be shoved under the Primary Main track to the Blast Furnaces and Power Station. The extension will also allow the switching crew to place cars on the Rolling Mill track as well as the rear leg of the wye. After the switching crew has spotted their cars and assembled their train the train can be doubled on the secondary main and the passing track and the locomotive or locomotives may turn on the wye, re-enter the primary main, run to the left end of the passing track and reassemble their train and depart for more work on level 2 or continue on to staging on the bottom level. I will continue with design of Level 2 (Natural Gas Extraction Facility and a Cement Company) and Level 3 (Open Staging and Mainaintence / Heavy Repair Facility) after hearing feedback with this first design. Thanks for the comments and criticism!
I see two problems.That turnout with the 90* crossing through it. I see only trouble, how good are you at laying track??? and I would change the right side and eliminate the short siding and crossing.something like this.....Mike
Supposed to be a curved bridge on the Primary Main over the switch leading to the Blast Furnace/Power Station, just couldn't find a data file that had a curved bridge.
Removed the short track that crossed over the Rolling Mill spur and hand drew a curved bridge over the Blast Furcase Switches.
I have an idea...a recent MR magazine detailed how to make fold away bench work. This might work here. Can you give us the dimensions of the closet? If not fold out, then modular bolt together...stack the section on rack in the closet when not in use. You could eve do multi-level with the helix you have planned now.
I would personally forget about the wye, the grade would be too steep to get a flatcar under, let alone a boxcar. Other than that, i like the track plan
Gabriel... The closet space is 4'-0" wide and 9'-6" deep. Once again, something else I forgot... I should have put a hidden line down to show where the module sections will come together. bremner... I was worried about that when I drew the plan, you are probably right about that.
Have you thought about making it a balloon track? I know, not too common, but the D&RGW Durango yard had a ballon track, as do many flood loaders
Hmmm...move the wifes sewing and crafts stuff in here, and take over the larger room. Instead of tehe helix, you could run a track along the bottom of the room with a removable bridge in front of the door...that would get you to a second level I think.
Good idea, never thought of that, just a small shelf for the train to run around the room on a gentle incline and arrive on the next level. This would also allow more open benchwork for scenery and railroading action.
I'll just pretent I didn't see that. :wink3: I'll work on another track plan tonight and this weekend and try again.
why? you'll all but double your room, and the turning radius would look a lot better. I have a F7 operating manual printed in June, 1947 (2nd edition) and it clearly says that the minimum radius for a F7 is 274', which scales out to 37.75" in HO...many O scalers use that as their minimum, and the O Scale minimum radius for the same F7 would be 68.5"....my 13 year old is about that radius in height. I guess that the minimum radius for a F7 is a great arguement for N Scale, since we are talking about a 20.55 inch radius. Imagine taking a 4x8 HO scale track plan that calls for 18" radius turns and building it in N Scale, it would be not only longer in scale miles, but would have almost scale radius turns!
Oh the cost of getting rid of 225+ freight cars and 30+ locomotives, and replacing with N scale is daunting. I tried N scale before and I just couldnt deal with it. Too small for me to detail locomotives and freight cars. HO is bad enough. I would go S scale if there were a decent amount of affordable equipment on the market.
