Planning is now in full swing for my newest layout: The Cold Creek Subdivision II; a proto-lanced coal hauling subdivision of the C&O somewhere in Appalachia. (The first Cold Creek Subdivision was an HO scale 5x9 that was unfortunately lost during construction due to water damage.). The layout will be mounted along the wall in my office, but portable if I wish to set it on my desk, table, or travel with it. The idea is to have a layout in my office, not turn my office into a layout room. The initial idea was to build a 2'x3' based off the following track plan found here: (can't post links yet, but it's Mike's Small Trackplan page). I immediately fell in love with this plan, as it allows some modest switching duties or I could just sit back and let a train run. Unfortunately it is just too small for my needs... I'd planned to run a small subdivision of the C&O and wanted to haul coal with some other industries to service. The main locomotive is going to be a Bachmann 2-8-0, pulling 2 bay hoppers and other mixed freight cars in the 40' to 50' range. My initial 2'x3' plan had curves that were just too tight, so I scaled it up making use of all the available room I'd dare use in my personal office without making the layout be obtrusive. Even so, trains are short and grades are steep, but I'm okay with that! Track is Kato Unitrack, as I already have more than enough and I love it's dependability. I made the track plan below using trial version of AnyRail, so to stay under the 50 piece limit of the demo I've skipped some of the details on the sidings to give an overall general look at the track-plan. The upper level "branch line" functions as an interchange and the spur there serves the modest coal mine. The siding has just enough room for 2 cars + caboose, allowing me to run a short local of 2 empties up the branch line, swap them out and do a run-around move to glide back downgrade into town. It's a steep 4% grade, but you have to make do with this little space. The larger size allows a minimum radius of 11" on the inside branch-line track with a 12" radius on the loop! I am still able to keep the track a minimum 2" distance from all edges of the layout and even tilt the oval at a shallow angle to avoid tracks running parallel to the layout edge. The "town" of Helen (named for my Grandmother) is that switchback spur, which will serve a small Textile Mill and a Team Track. I may add another track to that single spur on the bottom to better serve as the freight yard for picking up and dropping off cars (all like, maybe 4 of them!). So, thoughts? Is it too much? Am I trying to over reach what you can do in 2'6" x 4'?
No. Not at all. The nice thing about Unitrack is being able to set it all up temporarily, and be certain it works, before permanent attachment of tracks.
I don't think it's an "overreach," but I do think simplifying the plan just a little may result in a better layout. For starters, does that grade take into account the fact that the runaround at the mine needs to be dead flat? Also, I'm not sure the switchback on the lower level adds much. And the crossover at the beginning of the brachline might need to be flipped, per the original plan; otherwise, using the runaround on the lower level results in having to pull onto the graded branchline. This version I tinkered together requires a 3.8% grade on the branchline. It also offers more separation between the branchline and mainline, avoiding the "stacked track" effect. Also, by moving the siding at the bottom right to the other side of the main, the industry is no longer backed up against the raised branchline.
You got me thinking, which is good! I'm going to try to address everything you brought up... The "less is more" is more approach was just the reminder I needed. I was working on a new version of this plan which included cramming in a 3 track freight yard, but I took a "step back" and looked at it and figured I was trying to cram too much in, which resulted in scaling back my changes and even inspiring me to create an "oversimplifed" version (see bottom track plan). Yes it did. The grade starts climbing at the turnout for the siding and peeks right before the turnout for the run-around on the branchline. The grade is a hefty 4.0% (give or take .2%). That's rough, but there's not much space to play with, and trains will be short (3 cars) climbing the grade. The switchback let me add a 2nd industry and so offered variety to the switching plan, though I see your point about it. I have still included it in the next version of the trackplan, since it loses an industry because the lower right has now become a yard and the switchback lets me still serve two other industries. However, if testing shows it to be too crowded then that spur can be altered. Good catch. I had flipped the crossover during a draft of the plan to try to make use of the turnouts I already owned, to minimize buying new ones. However if I go with the more complex versions of these plans, buying more is an eventuality so that becomes a moot point. I was also trying minimize what S-curves I could. The new plan flips the crossover back the way it was. The stacked track and keeping it simple comments made me think of how the yard would look, and as a result rather than try to cram in some 3rd track I decided to go with just two. I'd planned on that side being a vertical rockface anyways, but with that now being a yard it would definitely be the side towards the wall when the layout is stored. So viewers would be looking at the town and I'd only see the stacked track effect on the business side when I took the layout down for operations. While making the spur into a yard sort of negates this, I was concerned that if I did the way you moved it, there would be little to no room to indicate what sort of industry it was. Another option for how it originally was would be to use a backdrop divider and building flats for the industry. Without further ado, here is Plan B: I reversed the crossover and added a 2nd track in the lower right to make a small freight yard. The siding can double as the ready track for making up or breaking down trains. This plan still retains the switchback spur in town. Here is the "Oversimplified" version: No passing siding, but all the spurs point the same way so no run-around moves are needed, except for the mine. The mine branch still has the run-around for added interest (ie: fun).
For Plan B, having the two spurs at lower right inside looks like a potential small problem. Switching those will have the train backing into kind of a squiggly situation. The type where derailments become a possibility. I'd hope you'll look again at what David suggested in post #3.
Bleh. Yeah I see it, now. I'm liking the 2-track yard idea and would like to keep that. I tried tinkering with it for a while but I just can't get two spurs on the outside, so I just redesigned the yard to be "less squiggly". I see what David did with his track plan, but what he did can't be exactly replicated with Uni-track. Here's a focus on the corner with the new yard design:
Ahem. It most certainly can. It's all designed in AnyRail with Unitrack. No tricks, no special track sections; all stock. If something can't be built with stock track as I draw it, I will indicate this. Yes and no. You'd need to empty out the siding in front of Industry #1 in order to spot a car on Industry #2. Only then can you spot the car for Industry #1. Awkward and unrealistic to me, but YMMV. Not to mention that two industries start to crowd the space. Notice, however, that I located it as close to the curve at the top right as possible in order to lengthen the branchline, thus reducing the grade. Every little track section counts! Well, to be honest, those two tracks are far too short to really use them as a "yard"; plus, it means fouling the main to assemble a train. Much better, IMO, to squeeze in an industry--more interesting. An "industry" can require virtually zero space--for example, if it's a team track. Even still, a small loading dock connected to a building flat can easily be located in the crotch of the siding and the mainline curve. Or... you can use the siding as an interchange, which would add even more interest to ops. Either way, I think there is plenty of room to suggest an industry-- Lots more food for thought! Happy New Year!
Could you please repost your track plan displaying the piece #s? I'd like to see how you did that as I haven't been able too. Usually S60L/Rs are used with #4 switches, though I know you can just cut the plastic roadbed of the Uni-track, I have done that in the past and I'm not afraid to do it again though I'd avoid doing so while just test assembling the trackplan. I am trying to maintain minimum radius of 11 7/64" (282mm) and 2" clearance from the board edges. I see how your switch arrangement maximizes space, I just couldn't get it to work. As for issues like short yard tracks and fouling the mainline during switching: This is a tiny layout that I am just trying to have some fun with, so I operate on the C.H.E. principle: Can't Have Everything. I am not concerned about fouling the main, I'd just rather have a smooth track plan (no squiggle yards) and the yard spurs really only need to be able to handle two 33' or 40' cars each. Anything beyond that is extra gravy! Industry #1 is already planned to be a Team Track, Industry #2 (if it doesn't get eliminated from the plan) would be a textile plant-ish building custom made to fit using Cornerstone or DPM modular kits. The "mine" will either be a lineside elevator/chute style tipple or just a simple scratchbuilt truck dump.
Yes, you may need to nick the corners of some track parts to keep the #4s all happy; I don't consider this a showstopping process (two seconds per piece with a pair of wire cutters). It's custom-cut sections (changing their length) that I consider "non-stock." 2" clearance from the edges is a tall order; this version will get you about 1.75"... And, at the risk of contradicting my own KISS mantra, you can have it all, if you really want...
..or 45 seconds with a razor saw to make it really line up well! By the time other landscaping is added you don't notice the pieces were cut. 2" helps in case of derailments, but a thin strip of plastic/plexiglass does wonders to stop base-jumping locomotives. Really though it is more about the scenery aspect. I think a little bit green between the rails and the board edge does wonders, even more so if you get the occasional small knoll or bit of scenery. Thanks for posting the sections, I am off to tinker!
Are those colors and stuff features of the full version of AnyRail or did you add that in MSPaint? I tried to replicate plan 2x4c (my favorite one of the 3 in that post) but I ran into 3 trouble spots. These don't line up perfectly in AnyRail and took some trial and error with both AnyRail and playing with actual Kato Uni-Track to see what fit best. I've highlighted the trouble spots just for anyone's future reference. So it is possible to make this track plan, but it will take some fiddling and fitting in these areas. And here is my newest tinkered version with a two track yard on the outside of the loop in the lower right corner. I couldn't get the part #s to show up large enough to be legible. (I have no idea how to get rid of that thumbnail image)
All AnyRail. You should be able to render objects with the evaluation version--the only difference is the number of track sections on the work surface.
I feel like I am now in the final design stages of my track plan, with a huge thanks to David for his efforts and everyone else who has commented as well. Here is the current track plan for the Cold Creek "C.H.E." Subdivision: I decided to expand the layout by 2", so it is now a 48"x32". This along with the 12" radius curves manages to keep the track about 2" from all edges. Sadly, I can not angle the trackplan so some tracks do run parallel to the board edge, but you C.H.E.! I decided to scrap the freight yard idea. The single spur is long enough to hold an entire cut of cars for the local to work AND it functions as an interchange as well. I altered the switch arrangement here to make use of turnouts I already owned and it also means that while running laps the "mainline" is not the divergent route through the turnout. I have fully dropped the switchback siding idea. While I found that it would fit and I could have two industries there, the area did feel crammed. I altered the branch-line siding to make use of the turnouts I had as well as to fix a problem I discovered! In many of the previous plans the turnout for the mine spur was located near the middle of the siding, but this prevented me from being able to set out cars on that part of the siding. That proved to be quite a problem when you factor in the grade on one end and the shortness of the remaining branch-line on the other. This arrangement gives me enough room to shuffle the loaded hoppers for the empties then run around them and head back down the branch-line.
I'd love too, but what would you recommend. I could just start a Cold Creek Build thread in the layout forum and update it every-so often? I work and I am an adult returning-to-college student so it's not going to be quick progress...
Well.. gotta go back to the drawing board on this one. New office furniture has necessitated a different arrangement, dictating 24" depth, though I can still have a width of 48". On the plus side I'd found out my 2-8-0 can handle the 9 49/64" radius Kato curves. While I love the central branch line concept, I may have to go with something much simpler just so I can at least have an operating layout. I am rather crestfallen, but glad I had not yet started construction.
I have seen you post that offer in multiple threads. Why do you not just scan the plans in so you can post them? That you keep asking for everyone's e-mail address in exchange for some secret information sounds like you're running a phishing scam.
Here is a 24 x 36 inch urban industrial layout that I am currently building. The track is Unitrack. Dark blue lines are an elevated trolley line (non-functional prop). Construction is being documented here: http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=31693.0 I am also building a very similar layout that's 24 x 48 inches (track is Atlas Code 55): Documentation starts here: http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=27762.msg319679#msg319679
That's nice! It took me a minute to see that there is a continuous loop hidden in there! Those look like some might tight radi though. It's also too urban for my tastes, though I thank you for sharing! I could see adapting it as a logging railroad or even using some of those nice Kato and Tomix (TomyTec) Japanese Trams.
