06-12-2010, 01:15 PM
I started the Lower Deck Plan last night. First thing I did was the grade going up to the Upper Deck (Blue Tracks). The Lower Deck will still sit 21" below the Upper Deck at 43" from the ground. The grade is pretty much the same in that it will take the length of the entire perimeter to go up the 21". You can track the grade (3%) by starting at "0" at the bottom right center of the plan. From there it travels left going up and all the way around the entire plan until it reaches "0" again (only this time its 18-3/4" above where it started and by this time it is starting to appear through the back of the Upper Deck) and continues going up till it gets to 21" in the lower left center of the plan where it joins with the mainline of the Upper Deck.
Next thing I worked on was arranging the Basic Oxygen Furnace and Continuous Caster Buildings. On the old Middle Deck plan these 2 were one behind the other, just like the prototype I had "copied" but this time in order to stick with the benchwork width (which on this Lower Deck had to be 27" instead of 26" along the top 20' wall to accommodate the BOF). These 2 structures alone take up much of the 20' wall, which should give you an idea of just how massive these BOF's are... I may shorten the Continuous Caster a tad if i need to.
After those 2 were laid out and the tracks were connected and the mainline was established running along the bottom edge, I began work on the large yard. The Yard is housed on the peninsula under the Upper Deck Peninsula. The Lower Deck Peninsula is 4" narrower then the Upper Deck (20"), this is to allow for supports from the Upper Deck Peninsula.
The Yard consists of:
3 Inbound Tracks (Yellow Tracks)
4 Storage Tracks (White Tracks)
2 Outbound Tracks (Orange Tracks)
The Purple Tracks are the Yard Leads that will allow small cuts of cars to be moved between Inbound, Storage, and Oubound Tracks. Only yard switchers will be entering the yard, the only time any larger locomotives will enter the yard is to pick-up the outbound trains on the 2 Orange Tracks, which can come out to the mainline directly and either travel around the Lower Deck or begin traveling up grade to the Upper Deck.
There are also 2 sidings off the mainline in the bottom of the plan. The Middle Yellow Track you see on the bottom of the plan can be used as a mainline, a passing siding, or as a track where a train can be pulled in off the main mainline track where it can be broken down by the yard switchers and pulled into the yard (yellow tracks). The other Yellow Track above can be used as run-around for yard switchers trying to get to the back or middle of a train.
This is where im at as of now. I would like your guys input on the yard and overall plan vs my last one. I think this time around, the plan is much better and much more operator friendly?
Next thing I worked on was arranging the Basic Oxygen Furnace and Continuous Caster Buildings. On the old Middle Deck plan these 2 were one behind the other, just like the prototype I had "copied" but this time in order to stick with the benchwork width (which on this Lower Deck had to be 27" instead of 26" along the top 20' wall to accommodate the BOF). These 2 structures alone take up much of the 20' wall, which should give you an idea of just how massive these BOF's are... I may shorten the Continuous Caster a tad if i need to.
After those 2 were laid out and the tracks were connected and the mainline was established running along the bottom edge, I began work on the large yard. The Yard is housed on the peninsula under the Upper Deck Peninsula. The Lower Deck Peninsula is 4" narrower then the Upper Deck (20"), this is to allow for supports from the Upper Deck Peninsula.
The Yard consists of:
3 Inbound Tracks (Yellow Tracks)
4 Storage Tracks (White Tracks)
2 Outbound Tracks (Orange Tracks)
The Purple Tracks are the Yard Leads that will allow small cuts of cars to be moved between Inbound, Storage, and Oubound Tracks. Only yard switchers will be entering the yard, the only time any larger locomotives will enter the yard is to pick-up the outbound trains on the 2 Orange Tracks, which can come out to the mainline directly and either travel around the Lower Deck or begin traveling up grade to the Upper Deck.
There are also 2 sidings off the mainline in the bottom of the plan. The Middle Yellow Track you see on the bottom of the plan can be used as a mainline, a passing siding, or as a track where a train can be pulled in off the main mainline track where it can be broken down by the yard switchers and pulled into the yard (yellow tracks). The other Yellow Track above can be used as run-around for yard switchers trying to get to the back or middle of a train.
This is where im at as of now. I would like your guys input on the yard and overall plan vs my last one. I think this time around, the plan is much better and much more operator friendly?