How would I scenic this section?

Hi Paul, If you want a city scene, then you could put in a road, at track level between the two double tracks in front of the window, have it go uphill and run parallel to the front edge of the layout, just behind the front tracks and above them. There would be a wall between them. When the track curves under the road, it would not bew seen again till it comes out from under another road, which would come out of a 90 degree intersection with the other road just ahead of the diesels. The entire city area would be at that height, you would need to cut an opening in your roadbed for access(you will want to do that anyway). If you want a mountanous scene, add a river from the aisle to the backdrop just to the left of the loop, model the right of way as on a narrow shelf blasted along the river, when the track curves away from the river it goes into a tunnel(near the wall) emerge from the tunnel in front of the window. Sorry neither of these ideas are terribly original, loops are a pain!

Gary

 

Paul,

Looks like the perfect place for a mountain, or part of one with a small town. The mountain could be worked into the tracks below. It would all work very well together. Also depends on what your railroad dose for its living. I saw some intermodal cars and what looked like Union Pacific cabooses on the end of the trains in the lower part of the pick. A steal mill could be put in the center of the loop or maybe some other factory or maybe a refinery. Take a look at what your railroad dose for a living. What is it most famous for. Then see if you can work it in. If not maybe there is something else the railroad dose that grabs your fancy. If it were me, Id put in a mountain with a small town that was supported by a coal mine. But that's me and my railroad being of Norfolk Southern and one of there big money makers is coal. I hope this is of some help.

 

What about a flour mill? Run grain from the elevators to the flour mill. Then you can run flour in Airslide hoppers and boxcars out of the mill complex.

 

I have been struggling with this very same problem. One solution I am seriously considering is to use a port theme. Along the wall would be a long container ship. But the ship would act as a tunnel for the back track. Of course, the track would disappear behind some industry (granary - like here in Vancouver) but in reality would run down the inside lenght of the ship, like in a tunnel. If there was a derail, you would simply lift the ship up and correct the problem, then put it back. The track would then emerge from the far end, again from another industry (in Vancouver - the BC Sugar building).

 

You could put in a 45 degree mountian half, so that it slopes up into the corner, then put in a rural district with the district's highlights being small rural pivotal businesses, a brewery a little higher up, and then shacks, cabins, and small houses into the higher elevations. The roads would all have a nice light clay tan color, be windy, and trees on either side. this way, your grain that goes to the mill or else where comes to this are as the product, the flour or bulk grain comes to the center, and is then dispersed by the small town into the rural parts of the region.

It could be the base of the Rocky mountians or the Ozarks or any other mountianous region in the UP valley.

Enjoy!

 

I like the idea of adding industry to the city scene I described earlier. You could add a turnout in front of the building sitting by the window, have a track run upgrade between the main and window, cross over the main on a thru girder to the industry(industries) of your choice. The mains, after pasing beneath this industrial spur, could pass thru an open cut for some distance, with the sides of the cut being concrete walls enabling the tracks to pass thru town without grade crossings. The road which was to disguise the rear main tracks disappearing would now run parrallel to the tracks instead, and cross them further back, where they curve. The industry could easily be integrated into the city scene. The saying " a picture is worth a thousnad words" comes to mind here, I hope you can visualize what I mean.

Gary