Rock Ridge and Train City II--New Plan


SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse

Fun Lover
I'm baack.

This layout incorporates most of the best ideas I've had in the past and guess what. I'm pretty sure I can build this one. I've had to renegotiate Right of Way and I think this one will fly. A couple of points to start.

1) This is set in 1891--the first year of the new SP numbering system.

2) I know the smallest staging track is short. But I have a staged train that is at most an old time 2-6-0 with one coach and a baggage car. Total length about 15 inches.

3) The track that runs off the layout in the "pit" will be incorporated into the layout. I can curve the layout easier than I can the plan.

4) The small track off the turntable directly opposite the entry is RIP. It only has to be long enough to take damaged 36 foot cars pushed in by locos.

5) Only the right side of the drawing represents wall. The "operation" for Train City will above the layout and for Rock Ridge to the left. The "pit" is negotiated space by my son and wife.

6) The setting is the SP mainline between Sacramento and Virginia City in the Sierra Foothills.

7) The height is 48" on the table top. The scenery drops below that edge 12" in the pit area. Staging will be sceniced like an abandoned yard.

8) There will be visual separation along the river to divide the scenes with the hills and trees.

rockridgetraincityII-1.jpg
 
Can you access it from the perimeter? If not there are a lot of switches that would be out of reach.
 
Howdy, Chip, nice to see you again. Looks like a good plan to me. Paul has a good point about access, which I'm sure you've already considered.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jbaakko said:
Hummm, looks nice. I see you've worked out a number of problems.
Click to expand...

The main problem that was worked out was the space. I had another plan ready to go, as you know, and even got in the lighting and taped the benchwork out on the floor. Then I moved my office into my house because it made business sense. I had really no where else to put the stuff from my office. The furniture, the office supplies, files, plants, storage shelves, everything crammed my layout room floor to ceiling and became a huge obstacle.

My son came to the rescue. He got a Wii for his birthday and there wasn't really enough room for it in the family room. He is autistic and for the first time ever he initiated a project and has done a huge amount of the work. So the room is cleared.

The Wii is going in the old train room and the layout gets the rest of the space as long as I can build in access to a few things. That part I have worked out.

The plan above is close, but not quite there. The small runaround in Train City a caboose track, but it is an awkward design. The zig-zag near the yard throat is also an issue.
 
Glad to see you active in mrr again Chip! Looks like you've made efficient use of the available space.

Just one question though: That stub past the runaround track [between the mine and the mining camp] looks to be only ~ 3" long; is it longer in real life? Otherwise I don't see how you'd fit even a 4-4-0 on it...
 
Yeah, that is pretty short.

Actually, it is pretty short, but if you look closely, you'll see dotted lines connecting to Train City there. It's a tunnel.
 
Just out of curiosity, why not connect that stub end team track behind the station back into the mainline? That way, trains from either direction could work the track. It also seems like it would be a good idea to extend that stock yard lead a little so the cows can driven down the path between the pens directly to the stock cars.
 
Hi Chip, Good to see you again,
I haven't been too active lately either so we are both getting strated again about the same time as I'm slow to get work on my layout going again as it's been to darn hot plus other issues.

The new layout is very nice and you managed to fit a lot into the space, I give you credit. I was also going to offer that a connecting line between the main line and the inner station track on the Right might be advantageous but someone beat me to it.
I will offer this though if you want a little more operation you could put a switch in just past the the Left end of the bridge/trestle and have a line climbing a grade up to the mountain top over the tunnel and put in a Mine like Grandt Line's East Terrible Mill and Mining Co which is fairly small and what I planning on using. Just a thought.

Take Chip.
 
Actually Chip, I just looked again and you could even work a Wye in there if you wanted too, it look like?


Just another thought,

David
 
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