Want to help with a new layout?

[cajon]

After spending some time relearning XTrackCAD, this is what I came up with. The boxes in the upper left represent the archway entrance into the room and the revised location of the workbench. I didn't have enough space up top to do the loops, unfortunately, so I reworked it for the mine area. Thoughts or suggestions?

The turntable only needs 2 leads. the 3rd one wastes one of the yard tracks. Looks like there's room for 2 more yard tracks in that space. If you're like most of us you WILL add more rolling stock!
Are you modeling steam era only? If diesels only the turntable is a waste of space. Add a wye in place of the turntable to turn any diesels.

 

[ianacole]

Cajon,

I'll be running both steam and diesels. I don't have an era, so I run pretty much anything that catches my eye I was not able to add two full switches off that diagonal, only one, but was able to add a couple more from the leads to the turntable that I removed (thanks for the suggestion on using only two). Using yours and Iron Horseman's feedback, here's the current iteration:

 

[cajon]

What's the "box" over the bottom 3 spurs in the lower left? If that's an industry move it away from the yard, maybe to the right of runaround track.
Did a few revisions to your plan to give some ideas about what I'm saying here. Have you given any thoughts about tracks going around all 4 walls with peninsula down middle?

 

[ianacole]

What's the "box" over the bottom 3 spurs in the lower left? If that's an industry move it away from the yard, maybe to the right of runaround track.

Car shop (Walthers); figured that's the place for it. Upper right box in that area is Allied Rail Rebuilders (Walthers also).

 

[cajon]

Car shop (Walthers); figured that's the place for it. Upper right box in that area is Allied Rail Rebuilders (Walthers also).

If your car shops are RIP tracks see my revisions to your plan. No good reason to have 3 long tracks devoted to car shops. You don't have that many BO cars do you? ~}

 

[ianacole]

Thanks Cajon! I like it!! What's a BO car?

 

[cajon]

BO="Bad Order" car that needs repair.

 

[ianacole]

BO="Bad Order" car that needs repair.

Ah, thank you!

 

[Iron Horseman]

Like this?

That's the idea, but move the whole run around down a bit so the tail can be longer. Unless one is intentionally making a switching puzzle, a one car/loco tail track will work, but will end up being frustrating in the long run. The rule of thumb is to make them enough for the loco and 1 car minimum.

P.S. Why did you cut the stock pens from this area?

An example of making a tail short for the purpose of a switching puzzle is the "Equinox" town in um um Model Railroader June 1972. That was a challenge. Of course, one can always make it longer and then create a switching puzzle out of it by spotting cars on it with "not to be moved orders" to shorten it to 1 length for a single operating session.

 

[cajon]

What's what's the purpose of that spur w/ siding on right?

 

[ianacole]

That's the idea, but move the whole run around down a bit so the tail can be longer. Unless one is intentionally making a switching puzzle, a one car/loco tail track will work, but will end up being frustrating in the long run. The rule of thumb is to make them enough for the loco and 1 car minimum.

P.S. Why did you cut the stock pens from this area?

I pulled the stock pens (although I wasn't considering them as such, but that's a great idea) as I didn't want to overload the layout with track, and didn't really have an idea for what to do with it...now I do Thanks! I was able to extend the tail a bit.

 

[ianacole]

What's what's the purpose of that spur w/ siding on right?

The MRR design that I adapted this from had a grain elevator and Tile and Plank mill, but I figured I'd use the right spur as smaller, track served industries. I have a Laser Modeling 3 Grainery (https://www.lasermodeling3.com/craftsman-kits/ar-gilmore-grain-and-feeds), an FSM coal company (http://fsmkits.homestead.com/files/bartholow.jpg), Walthers Midstate Marble (http://jjhobbiesonline.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=281) I figure I can work in there somehow.

 

[cajon]

Why not put the siding on the main to the right. Then you'd have more room for stock pens & a meat packing plant!

 

[ianacole]

Why not put the siding on the main to the right. Then you'd have more room for stock pens & a meat packing plant!

I'm not sure I follow...are you saying come off the main (vertical) on the 19' line, and leave a big long run around the far right side?

I was working towards a couple of inches (or maybe just an inch) of elevation difference between the main on the far right and the "pens" on the ... er ... "left" right (?). I thought it might be more visually interesting to have some industries at that height in that area and some at the lower area towards the left.

 

[cajon]

See if this makes more sense. You can do better with your CAD program than doing it on Picasa!

 

[ianacole]

See if this makes more sense. You can do better with your CAD program than doing it on Picasa!

Interesting! Let me throw it in XTrackCAD tonight and see what it looks like.

 

[Iron Horseman]

Why not put the siding on the main to the right.

Then one loses the operational feature of having it serve as two different town's industrial areas. If more space is needed the yard lead could be moved further to the left.

 

[cajon]

" "looses"(?) the operational feature of having it serve as two different town's industrial areas"?? Which towns? Those spurs are only between relatively close mainlines.

 

[Iron Horseman]

" "looses"(?) the operational feature of having it serve as two different town's industrial areas"?? Which towns? Those spurs are only between relatively close mainlines.

Don't think about it in terms of physical proximity but rather in terms of train orders, switch lists, and way bills. Each of those industries can be used as two different locations. More than doubles the amount of operation (switching action) in a single session. That is not even considering that one town would be facing points and the other trailing points for the same train, so even if it was exactly the same switch list, working it would be different from each location.

 

[Iron Horseman]

I'll be running both steam and diesels. I don't have an era, so I run pretty much anything that catches my eye I was not able to add two full switches off that diagonal, only one, but was able to add a couple more from the leads to the turntable that I removed (thanks for the suggestion on using only two).

Missed this one somehow. The 3rd lead in the original design was for the coal / sand supply to the coaling / sanding tower respectively and supplies (tools, oil, parts) to the round house. That way commodities were not interfering with the locomotive service/ready operations.