Final Plan, but with adjustments...


gngsquared

gngsquared

Active Member
It has been a tough row. Dozens of failures, hundreds of frustrations, and many a curse, but I have what I will be building. Not a prototype, not a real place, just a little slice of WV I remember as a kid visiting my Grandparents. HO scale, Peco code 83 main, code 70 sidings. 1965 in the Kanawha coal field in WV, a branch of the C&O. I admit that I want a chance to railfan my trains/layout. I have attended a couple of OPs sessions on other large layouts and do want to incorporate that in my running but it is not being built to have a couple of people over to run an OPs session. It is for me to run solo, enjoy building, and having fun.

I know that there will be adjustments to the plan (no plan survives contact...) as I start to actually put track down, but it is a starting point. Brother, I am tired of planning and not doing.

Hidden track will be under a mountainside that surrounds the Mine. The open areas will allow small town and scenic looks. Power Plant will be the main served industry with additional industries on the plan also. RIP and Engine House may be added at some point. The whole layout is freestanding so access will not be a problem.

Now, it is time to start building, finally!

GNG2.jpg
 
I like it! I do have a couple of ideas (naturally, if you have 5 guys draw track plans you'll end up with 7 ideas) but on the whole it looks good. I especially like how you -didn't- simply follow the wall on the left side. I like the way it curves away. I'm imagining that to be a "hollow" with houses clustered on the hillside behind the track (from a viewer's point of reference).
 
Wow, do some exploring on the Google Map of Welch, WV, lots of modeling inspiration there!
 
bob said:
I like it! I do have a couple of ideas (naturally, if you have 5 guys draw track plans you'll end up with 7 ideas) but on the whole it looks good. I especially like how you -didn't- simply follow the wall on the left side. I like the way it curves away. I'm imagining that to be a "hollow" with houses clustered on the hillside behind the track (from a viewer's point of reference).
Click to expand...

Yes, the empty area will be filled with my Grandmother's house that I will have to scratch build, a Quonset hut that was in Sharon, WV that was turned into a soda fountain/sweet shop, and some other items that I remember from my childhood. All suggestions are welcome!
 
OK, Sam gave me his permission to make a few suggestions. The first one is simple and easy.
Make the staging longer. A model railroad can never have too much staging. If you really wanted to go extreme, you could have a track descend to a lower level with tons of room, but it's keep it simple and on the same level. Slide the turnout to the left as far as you can. That may mean you need to put in a bit of a cliff face / rock cut at the area above the turnout. In West Virginia having to carve space out of the side of a mountain was so common nobody would even think twice about having a steep hillside in that area.

staging.jpg
 
The second change is also fairly subtle. It's done in that well known track planning software called "Photoshop" so a few things are, shall we say, "sketchy". For example, what looks like a right hand turnout (switch) to the RIP track should actually be a left, placed in the straight after the curve. However, it may not fit, and you may have to use a right with the main taking the curved side. That wasn't unheard of. Just put in a large turnout, like a number 8, and have the main use the curved side. Not ideal, but will work fine, and in the narrow confined spaces you're modeling, I'm pretty sure they had to do the same thing on occasion. This change would smooth out that curve a bit, and even give you a bit of space in front of the track for a few small details.

rip-2.jpg
 
I also keep wanting to make this into a figure 8, with either an at grade crossing (diamond) or an over/under crossing at the industry end of the yard. I just don't think it would be practical though, as the grades needed for the over and under would be steep and they'd also mess with the ability to have flat industry tracks which make switching practical. You could put a diamond in I suppose, but there's really no need and it would interfere with the longer staging area I just got done suggesting you add as well as needing a sharp curve on the track on the left side, or pushing it towards the edge, which again is something that would detract from the plan as it sits. So I think what you have is probably the best approach.
 
bob said:
I also keep wanting to make this into a figure 8, with either an at grade crossing (diamond) or an over/under crossing at the industry end of the yard. I just don't think it would be practical though, as the grades needed for the over and under would be steep and they'd also mess with the ability to have flat industry tracks which make switching practical. You could put a diamond in I suppose, but there's really no need and it would interfere with the longer staging area I just got done suggesting you add as well as needing a sharp curve on the track on the left side, or pushing it towards the edge, which again is something that would detract from the plan as it sits. So I think what you have is probably the best approach.
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Bob: Thank you for the input. Please keep it up! The following images show the changes you suggested and what I have in mind for the topography. I know that hidden staging is important, but when your entire fleet consists of one GP7, one GP9, and one 40' hopper it is hard to imagine future needs, but I did move the turnout and extend the staging as much as possible. I attempted many plans with elevation changes but always ended too low for clearance, not low enough when I needed to be, or some ridiculous grade. I am trying to keep any topo to a simple mountain and small changes in the areas not containing track to avoid a flat board look. The mine will butt up against the mountain with conveyor going up to simulate the mine being off-scene and only the tipple on the layout.
GNG2c.jpg

GNG2 v4x8 v2_3D.jpg
 
OK, so here's a quick version on 3rd Planit, mostly using sectional track. Notice how the track along the front edge is at an angle, that is intentional.

Question for you though, what radius is that curve on your plan?

wv mine 2.jpg
 
Bob: Radius indicated below. I tried to keep 18" to a minimum. The large 26" was to maximize that end of the layout and allow space for the mine.
The 21" at the top was as large as would fit. The 20" is what fit with the new turnout.
GNG2c.jpg
 
OK, we're pretty close then. My version has 22 most places, a bit of 18 inch at the curve where I show angled track and your show straight, and probably 26 on the big curve as well. I know it's over 24, but I let the program connect the two straight sections so I don't know exactly. I suspect you could split the difference, use 20 inch there, and still get a bit of an angle on that track. Pretty sure in fact, as mine has a 2 inch straight in front of the switch to reduce the reverse curve effect a touch.
 
OK, played around a bit more. Here's my version in 3rd Planit. No real changes, and in fact some of the variations are more about me not knowing how to do exactly what I had in mind in the program rather than wanting to change your plan. I did add a subtle curve near the mine, which I think looks good.

wv mine l1.jpg
 
bob said:
OK, we're pretty close then. My version has 22 most places, a bit of 18 inch at the curve where I show angled track and your show straight, and probably 26 on the big curve as well. I know it's over 24, but I let the program connect the two straight sections so I don't know exactly. I suspect you could split the difference, use 20 inch there, and still get a bit of an angle on that track. Pretty sure in fact, as mine has a 2 inch straight in front of the switch to reduce the reverse curve effect a touch.
Click to expand...

Bob: Thanks so very much. It is great that you took time to look at, comment on, and help with the plan. I guess it is time to roll up my sleeves, spend a bunch of money, and start in on building. I will put up a thread when construction starts to document all of the progress and pain.
 
Tonight's project was to put in some scenery and drop a couple of buildings in place. The selection of 3D buildings in 3rd Planit is very limited, so I put a large station where the power plant will be. It at least gives an idea of the massing in that area. Check out the results.

Best viewed full screen, and click on 1080HD for highest quality.

 
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The power plant spur is begging for a wye off the main. If it could actually fit, it could make for a nice focal point and let you reverse loco directions too.
 
bob said:
Tonight's project was to put in some scenery and drop a couple of buildings in place. The selection of 3D buildings in 3rd Planit is very limited, so I put a large station where the power plant will be. It at least gives an idea of the massing in that area. Check out the results.

Best viewed full screen, and click on 1080HD for highest quality.

Click to expand...

If I could get anything that looks half that good in reality I would be the happiest guy on the forum. Thanks for the preview and the goal.
 
roofintrash said:
The power plant spur is begging for a wye off the main. If it could actually fit, it could make for a nice focal point and let you reverse loco directions too.
Click to expand...

Two thirds of it are already there so it might be a possibility. Spending most of my day trying to figure out the benchwork. It seems I take two steps forward and one step back each time I think I am making progress.
 
gngsquared said:
If I could get anything that looks half that good in reality I would be the happiest guy on the forum. Thanks for the preview and the goal.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I really like 3rd Planit, you can really get some good looking scenery.

Keep in mind that what you see there is entirely based on your plan. I did add a gentle curve to the mine by the yard. I think it looks a lot better and would be something you'd typically see in the mountains where they're following the bends in the streams and hillsides. But that's a minor cosmetic change and it would be easy to do. Even if you were to use your plan as it is otherwise and simply push the yard "up" (towards the top of the page) to make it curve, I think it would be a good look. Flex track would make it easy to do.

I think you have a good solid plan there, lots of potential and you didn't fall into the trap of trying to cram way too much in a small space. What you've show is quite realistic. Your sidings are short, since your space is limited, and so you'll be limited somewhat in how long your trains can be, but that's fine for a shortline or small branch. Overall, a really nice foundation for a good layout.
 
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