09-11-2011, 12:08 AM
This is the latest revision to my track plan. Only some minor changes, compared to the earlier drawings and only took me a little over an hour to make the changes.
Changes are as follows:
1) Moved the chocolates plant (4 car spots) to the end of the spur, which looks like it will work a bit better and seems a little more logical to me, as it may have been the first industry on the industrial spur and the reason for the spur in the first place.
2) The distribution warehouse (4 car spots), food processor (4 car spots) and cold storage facility (1 car spot) remain as before.
3) I now have a beverage distributor (2 car spots) located where the chocolates plant was. Needed a dedicated place for those new 62ft beer cars that I added to the fleet.
4) Added another short spur for a buildings products facility (1 car spot) for the bulkhead flats and double door box cars.
5) The industrial spur lead has a very broad "S" curve in it to swing the track over for the addition of the 6 or 8 ft staging track that I'll be adding later on. For now, the train is simply staged at the left side of the plan. Once the staging track is added, I may adjust the left side of the plan to include a dummy turnout to simulate the entrance to the spur off the "main" and include a working derail just beyond the turnout.
Will be having a couple of operating sessions to test out this version tonight and if I'm satisfied with this arrangement, then hopefully after Monday's heart surgery and things get settled down, I can actually start construction on the layout.
*** Update ***
After operating this revision of the track plan a couple of times this morning; I must say that it's working out very well and I'm quite pleased. Took over 30 minutes just to work the warehouse and the chocolates plant without any time killing other than just waiting a couple of seconds between moves. The way this is working out, the Yardmaster may well have to have two crews work this spur each day! Will have to allow for staging two different trains when I add the staging track to the layout.
The only problem that I've had with having the two industries at the front of the layout, is that due to a lack of good lighting, I sometimes have a problem getting the uncoupling pick in the right spot. Need to add better lighting above the layout!
1) Moved the chocolates plant (4 car spots) to the end of the spur, which looks like it will work a bit better and seems a little more logical to me, as it may have been the first industry on the industrial spur and the reason for the spur in the first place.
2) The distribution warehouse (4 car spots), food processor (4 car spots) and cold storage facility (1 car spot) remain as before.
3) I now have a beverage distributor (2 car spots) located where the chocolates plant was. Needed a dedicated place for those new 62ft beer cars that I added to the fleet.
4) Added another short spur for a buildings products facility (1 car spot) for the bulkhead flats and double door box cars.
5) The industrial spur lead has a very broad "S" curve in it to swing the track over for the addition of the 6 or 8 ft staging track that I'll be adding later on. For now, the train is simply staged at the left side of the plan. Once the staging track is added, I may adjust the left side of the plan to include a dummy turnout to simulate the entrance to the spur off the "main" and include a working derail just beyond the turnout.
Will be having a couple of operating sessions to test out this version tonight and if I'm satisfied with this arrangement, then hopefully after Monday's heart surgery and things get settled down, I can actually start construction on the layout.
*** Update ***
After operating this revision of the track plan a couple of times this morning; I must say that it's working out very well and I'm quite pleased. Took over 30 minutes just to work the warehouse and the chocolates plant without any time killing other than just waiting a couple of seconds between moves. The way this is working out, the Yardmaster may well have to have two crews work this spur each day! Will have to allow for staging two different trains when I add the staging track to the layout.
The only problem that I've had with having the two industries at the front of the layout, is that due to a lack of good lighting, I sometimes have a problem getting the uncoupling pick in the right spot. Need to add better lighting above the layout!
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"