I'm in the middle of doing some track planning for my new N scale Frisco layout, and I ran across a photocopy of an article Andy Sperandeo did on the KCS Texas Subdivision. It's a 9-foot by 2 1/2 foot layout, which would almost fit my footprint (just a bit too wide), and depitcs the area around Greenville, TX on the KCS circa late 1970s, featuring F-units and F-unit slugs. On the footprint available to me (9 feet by 5 feet, 27 inches wide), I could just about make it work- this would give me the chance to use my N scale paper mill kit, plus add a plywood mill and chicken feed mill and a small yard for the local to do some switching. And yes, it'll be a Frisco layout Has anyone seen this trackplan? If so, any comments?
I guess I missed why the plan is too wide for your space? I love that plan. The only gripe I have with it is that I prefer modern equipment, bug 6 axel units etc... and the curves going into the power plant (large industry) don't really allow for modern equipment. That plan inspired much of my recent track planning though. If you're using 4 axel equipment, and shorter rolling-stock, it would be fantastic.
Bob, There was a discussion of this pkan in this thread http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=86524&highlight=INRD
The maximum width I have to work with is 27 inches- this plan is 30 inches wide. As for that tight curvature, I plan on using no more than 11 or 12 inches for a radius. And yes, this is four-axle territory- I'm modeling a Frisco secondary main line. Where the power plant is located in the MR track plan, there will be a paper mill with no run-off staging-all stub sidings. I also plan on including a plywood mill and a poultry feed mill. Lots of chicken farms, and those birds get hungry. Plus, the mill trackage should give an ex-BN switcher some work to do. ALso, I'm gonna put a bit of a twist and go 5 feet along the right side. I'm not going to copy the plan so much as adapt some of the things I like off of here for my layout.
When I was working on the plan, I had taken the turnout that makes the 2nd power plant track and run it back to crate an extra industry access along the backdrop. The plan has lots of potential for adaptation to different locations. I love the scenic possibilities with it too. Post up a plan when you have one, please!
Great minds think alike. I'm planning on starting a layout using this plan with my own Westfalen & Gulf replacing the KCS but with a similar operating scenario. Or depending on my mood the Santa Fe somewhere in Texas in the mid fifties or sixties, the plan looks like a good setting for my Walthers Santa Fe depot. I don't think the sharp curve into the power plant would be a great problem as its mostly hidden by the backdrop or inside the building, anyway I've got the club Ntrak layout to give my big SD's a gallop with a long train. One change I'm thinking of making is to have an extra two staging tracks so I can have a passenger and a freight train facing each direction as well as the loaded and empty coal trains on the power station leads.
I redrew the plan with some changes suggested by how I want to operate and in a 30"x8' space. The wife liked the original plan, but we only have 8' instead of the original 9'. Maybe this will help you to, Friscobob.
Searched the NMRA magazine index and it looks like the plan was in the December 1979 issue of Model Railroader. Which makes sense as the author of the article references a 2 part series on the Texas Sub featured in Trains magazine in the Aug and Sept issues. The track plan is also in the book "Track Planning Ideas from Model Railroader" ISBN 0-89024-555-X. The copy I have is a library discard so it's got a few years on it and it's in pretty bad shape but worth the quarter I paid for it for the layout. I have built something similar in design but with less switching and no power plant. The plus is I've 12 feet to work with instead of the 9 feet in the article. Now I'm thinking of re-visiting the idea I've plenty of coal trains to operate on it.
