I am reposting a past discussion of my layout here to get further input into the explanation of the track plan and how I plan to operate it. Rob (Yankinoz) was kind enough to post the track plan in the post following this. After his post, I cut and pasted the operating plan for the layout for you to review. Please let me know what you think so that I can improve it. [ 15 June 2001: Message edited by: my UP ]
Scot - I'm cross posting the track plan here for easy referance: I think it's a great plan personally. About the only think I would add is a connetion between the yellow industry area and the black yard - that way you can switch the industry and the yard and only need to foul the main for runaround movements.
Rob posted my track plan above. Below I have pasted in the operating plan for the layout. I am interested in your input on how I plan to operate the layout as well as your critque of the track plan. The plan, in the post above, is shown in scale. Each square is 1 foot. Overall it is 11 2/3 ft by 7 feet. Its built on 1" pink foam varying from 1 foot to 2 feet wide. The height is 51". Basically it is set up like a shelf so funiture can still go under it (very important since this room is also the nursery and there will be a baby in it in December). The track plan is a single track main (shown in red). Yellow is the refinery area. The black is the small classification yard. Pink is the intermodal area, on a passing siding so switching can take place without fouling the main. The green area is staging which is hidden by the orange tunnel/hill area. The blue branch line is for the mine. The will operate as a empty in loads out. Emptys will enter the branch from main opposite the staging area. The mine area will be VERY thick with trees, you'll just catch glimpses of the train running back there. The emptys go into the trees, after a while they will be moved to staging. Loaded hoppers will then be moved to to the mine from staging and leave the way the empties went in. The area modeled is the ficticous town of Neches (named after a local river). Trains leaving the yard and following the main past the mine branch, behind the hill to staging are leaving Neches for New Orleans. Trains leaving the yard the opposite way pass the intermodal terminal and go into the tunnel, which is going to Houston. There are also through trains running from Houston to New Orleans. In the area to the right of the yard (by the beginning of the branch line, there will be a road crossing diagonally from front to back and a few building to imply the town of Neches. Both mains here are actually real close to the front edge (for about two feet it looks like a double track main), closer than the buildings and they will also help separate the branch from the main. I will primarily operate it alone, pretty much one train at a time. In the future I would like to go DCC so a double stack could continously circle. It would then be like a game. The challenge would be to run the scheduled trains and get all the switching done without ever holding up the through train. The operating plan I developed (finished an hour ago) calls for 21 trains and includes info as to consist and switching. This means that after all 21 trains every car and engine s back in its original spot. Rob, thank you for your assistance posting the track plan. I like your idea about connecting the yard and the refinery. Scot
I have been procrastinating commenting as I am having a hard time with your track design format. I find it hard to see some of the track, but having said this, I am even more challenged in CAD programs and paint programs than most, and couldn't do what you have done. I am going to try and print it out and look at it. I will get back to you.
Thanks Rick. If you go to this link: http://www.layoutdepot.com/view.ihtml?step=3&fid=127 you can then download the Atlas right track file without all the color coding. It may make it easier to understand. I made this in a unusual approach. I used Atlas right track software to design it, then printed it, color coded the tracks and then scanned it in to create the file. Overall, while I was trying to make the different parts of the layout easy to understand, I think I made it harder to understand. Please feel free to ask any questions for clarification. [ 15 June 2001: Message edited by: my UP ]
Okay, after printing out your stuff I was able to be able to digest it more readily than reading it from the net. Comments: 1) This one sort of blends in with Robs suggestion of joining the classification yard with the yellow industry (refinery). My reasons for this are slightly different. Your classification yard looks to short. I think you would find for operating purposes, a long classification yard would be better. By adding the two areas (yellow and black) you could extend the yard. 2) Staging: I think you might find accessing staging in this area might be difficult. You could put a helix in this area (raising your layout height to around 57 inches) and have a second lower level for staging only. Because your layout is so long, it would be easy to have lots of staging underneath, on track that is only four track deep, with linear staging (one train behind the other). The track would be in the front, so access would be much smoother and visible. ( I don't know how tall you are, but our layout height is around 57 - 58 inches and I find it an acceptable height... I am 5 foot 10 inches.) 3) Don't be surprised as you get more up and running that eventually you will end up with an operator or two beyound just yourself. The hobby has an amazing number of collectors out there who are itching to run some of their goodies on some one's layout. I have met such a person here. He is very skilled and knowledgeable in the hobby so I have no problem having him come over to our home to help out and run some of his stuff. I have said this more than once because I believe it to be so true in our hobby: "Build it and they will come!" 4) I second your idea of having a train running (while on DCC) so that you can switch and have entertainment and a challenge. With the increasing advent of computer generated programs to run layouts, eventually it will be possible (it already is - but at expense) to have different trains leave the layout and park themselves, while making stops along the way. Over all I like your track plan. It is obvious you have put a lot of work into it. Just remember to leave room for some structures....lol.
