Glad to be of help Tad, and look forward to your next revision. Remember I'm just offering suggestions, the final decisions are up to you. I know how hard it can be to compress scenes. Even in a 130x27ft HO layout it happens, so I have some experience with compressing the prototype from my time in school (see sig).
Ok, we finally got the keys yesterday evening, so I do own the place now! I am doing a major rework of the draft trackplan. My intent to simplify some of the trackwork and make it truer to the prototype. I am trying to get it finished up in the next few days so that I can post it for comments. In studying the prototype track plan and rereading Koester's LDE book, I have learned a few things about how the AD&N worked. I'll post some comments about this when I post the revised track plan.
If you're modeling after 1980, I have a MP GP38-2 (looks like the prototype was an ex-Rock Island GP38-2) I'd be willing to part with. It's a nice-looking diesel and runs good, but it's a tad too new for me (I'm still stuck in the '70s). PM me if interested.
Thanks y'all. I haven't been around the last few days because I have been working on the new place with my lady. We are painting and all that like she wants it prior to starting to move in. We both have off untill the end of the month and we are working together on the place. I figure that spending this time now, all in a chunk, will be time well spent when it comes to having some time to work on my stuff later.
I have not been online very much the past couple of weeks because of all the work I have been doing at the house. Painting, plumbing, electrical, fencing. My wife has been keeping me quite busy. In my spare time I have fooled with updating the trackplan some. I narrowed the mill peninsula so that the width from the outside edge of Pond Yard to the outside edge of the MoPac Interchange is no greater than 4 feet. This should keep reach in distances down. The width at the Flakeboard Plant is about 9 inches more. The length of the mill peninsula is 13 feet. I had considered making Front Yard a stub ended yard with acess from the east (right) because every time I had observed switchers working this yard they were working the east end. After studying the prototype trackplan, it seemed fairly obvious that the switchers I saw were working between the east end of Front Yard and the east end of Pond Yard and the Mopac Interchange. The switchers working the mills were working the west end of Front Yard. Here is the prototype plan of Crossett for comparison. Please offer any comments or suggestions or ask any questions that occurr to you.
Looks good. Just a thought, but if you're gonna keep both yards on the lower leg why not tie them both into the staging?
Due to the move I currently do not have connectivity at the house. They were supposed to have hooked me up but with the storm and all they have not made it yet. Maybe tomorrow. I have been sitting around with my laptop at night working on another redesign. After I get connectivity back at the house I will try to upload my latest version. Thanks, Corey. On the two yards, For the Rock that was an end of sub yard, that was fed from the northwest, from Tinsman, Ark. For the A&LM that was an end of the line interchange that came up from the south at Monroe, La. The Mopac main came into town from the east at Montrose, Ark., between the Rock and A&LM yards. Physically the two yards are/were located across the street from each other but traffic comes into them from different directions. That is what I was trying to model and why they both do not connect to staging from the same end. I'll see if I can't draw up how they actually wer so that you can see what I am trying to do. I appreciate you continuing to take the time to look at my doodling and offer comments. As you said it is difficult to comment on a prototypical trackplan. The prototype is the prototype, but my implementation/modeling of it has all kinds of potential to be screwed up.
Tad, I saw a track plan in the book "101 MORE Track Plans" and thought of you. It's a plan for the AD&N, and looked a lot like what you're doing. It might be worth a look. Adam
Adam, Plan #90 in "101 More Track Plans" and the prototype plan above come from the February 1981 Model Railroader by Terry Holley. The a combination of the two of them and some other maps I have are what I am basing my plan on. I have been in contact with Terry. He models the AD&N in HO and his layout is similar to the plan that you are talking about. He handlaid his 15' x 16' HO layout with Code 70 rail.
track Looks like fun. I would drop a line from the mopac yard to pick one up in the front yard. I think you will do more in the front yard with one more track than in the mopac yard as it exists in your last posted plan. You may have to curve it to fit it but I think it will offer better operations. Especially when working from both ends.
Well, I've been digging around the house, trying to find my copy of that book. Rats. Cannot locate it. Boxcab E50
Here is the prototype plan of Crossett for comparison. Another revision of my N scale plan. If you have been following this you will see that there actually are some major changes in this draft. I changed some stuff around that changes the prototypical layout but I think it would allow for a better model railroad. The AD&N mainline will exit from the opposite end of Pond Yard. I believe this will allow better access to the mills for the switcher crews that will be working them. I moved the Industrial Park to the north side of the mills to be able to use the peninsula for the the AD&N mainline. I plan on modeling the community of Milo on one side of the peninsula. There will be no railserved industries there. On the other side would be the town of Fountain Hill, population 300, where I used to live. At one time there were three railserved industries there, a cotton gin, a concrete plant, and an asphalt plant. These were all closed in the time that I model, but I'm considering modeling them anyway so that there would be the opportunity for more rail traffic. Right now inside the peninsula I have hidden staging for the Rock Island. I am still thinking about this. I would really rather not do this if I could figure out a way to model the Rock mainline back to Tinsman/Fordyce. This would allow another road train and add operational interest. Around the curve and on the opposite wall from the peninsula will probably be the community of Ladelle. There was a puplwood yard there that was served by the AD&N. This would mean dropping Valley Junction which was another pulpwood yard that was between Fountain Hill and Ladelle. Then the line would go into the shop and continue to Mirandi and Monticello. Right now, there is a little over two N scale miles, 68.5 feet, of mainline run from Pond Yard to where the AD&N mainline exits the room. Prototype AD&N Mainline. This is still a work in progress. As always, comments, criticisms, critiques, questions, or discussion of any type is welcome and desired.
