08-29-2014, 08:35 AM
Along the idea of expanding operations, I thought about the available space I have, and how easy it would be, once I get the layout up to it's full viewing height of about 56" by adding in longer legs, I could add in a second, lower level of the layout, almost doubling the mainline run and giving trains to and from the interchange yard down the main line something to do.
It would take very little effort to do and I see nothing but benefits to doing it. It will allow me to progress the layout to a much larger scale in the future and add opportunity to get some true Louisiana scenery in there.
As it stands, the track plan for the layout I am currently building is this:
![[Image: NampCRRcolour_zps01eab678.jpg]](http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag144/shaslakais/NampCRRcolour_zps01eab678.jpg)
The idea is to add in an addition switch on the mainline beside where 16 is on the plan, and have a new route on a descending run down the board edge and across the duck under where the bayou is between 15 and 9 on the existing plan. It would then run around the whole length of the layout again into a storage yard underneath Planters Rice and Farmers Favourite at 13, 14 and 15.
I mocked up a quick sketch of the plan, you can see it below:
![[Image: 20140829_150822_5_bestshot-1_zps5e02878f.jpg]](http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag144/shaslakais/20140829_150822_5_bestshot-1_zps5e02878f.jpg)
With this in mind, I can truly start looking into operations for the layout, now I know what traffic will come in and out of the hidden staging loop at the top of the original plan. To begin with, until the bottom level is in place, the main line will simply allow me to have continuous running should I want to just sit back and run trains.
The original plan has always been to operate the shortline from the KCS interchange yard down to Planters Rice and back again as the main level of operation interest, but once the lower level is in place too, it will allow for full, interesting operating sessions representing traffic from Shreveport to my fictional Nachitoches Interchange yard and back again.
Additionally, with the Mansfield branch to the power plant set up the way it is in the proposed lower level plan, coal trains from the Shreveport storage will have to come into Natchitoches yard to allow the power to run around the train and take it back down the main to the power plant. This will of course represent Northbound traffic from the south of Nachitoches, which I cannot represent in the plan as the interchange yard obviously stops at the highway overpass at 11 on the trackplan.
The idea of the "real" railroad is that the interchange yard continues beyond the highway overpass to the south to Alexandria and beyond.
So coal trains to and from Mansfield would likely be the first and last train of any operating session, with empties coming from Mansfield and stopping in Nachitoches, fulls coming from Shreveport to Natchitoches, and then ending the session with the fulls going down the Mansfield branch, and the empties returning to Shreveport.
That way at the end of a session I can swap the fulls at Mansfield for the empties in Shreveport storage ready for the next session to begin.
It would take very little effort to do and I see nothing but benefits to doing it. It will allow me to progress the layout to a much larger scale in the future and add opportunity to get some true Louisiana scenery in there.
As it stands, the track plan for the layout I am currently building is this:
![[Image: NampCRRcolour_zps01eab678.jpg]](http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/shaslakais/media/NampCRRcolour_zps01eab678.jpg.html)
The idea is to add in an addition switch on the mainline beside where 16 is on the plan, and have a new route on a descending run down the board edge and across the duck under where the bayou is between 15 and 9 on the existing plan. It would then run around the whole length of the layout again into a storage yard underneath Planters Rice and Farmers Favourite at 13, 14 and 15.
I mocked up a quick sketch of the plan, you can see it below:
![[Image: 20140829_150822_5_bestshot-1_zps5e02878f.jpg]](http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/shaslakais/media/20140829_150822_5_bestshot-1_zps5e02878f.jpg.html)
With this in mind, I can truly start looking into operations for the layout, now I know what traffic will come in and out of the hidden staging loop at the top of the original plan. To begin with, until the bottom level is in place, the main line will simply allow me to have continuous running should I want to just sit back and run trains.
The original plan has always been to operate the shortline from the KCS interchange yard down to Planters Rice and back again as the main level of operation interest, but once the lower level is in place too, it will allow for full, interesting operating sessions representing traffic from Shreveport to my fictional Nachitoches Interchange yard and back again.
Additionally, with the Mansfield branch to the power plant set up the way it is in the proposed lower level plan, coal trains from the Shreveport storage will have to come into Natchitoches yard to allow the power to run around the train and take it back down the main to the power plant. This will of course represent Northbound traffic from the south of Nachitoches, which I cannot represent in the plan as the interchange yard obviously stops at the highway overpass at 11 on the trackplan.
The idea of the "real" railroad is that the interchange yard continues beyond the highway overpass to the south to Alexandria and beyond.
So coal trains to and from Mansfield would likely be the first and last train of any operating session, with empties coming from Mansfield and stopping in Nachitoches, fulls coming from Shreveport to Natchitoches, and then ending the session with the fulls going down the Mansfield branch, and the empties returning to Shreveport.
That way at the end of a session I can swap the fulls at Mansfield for the empties in Shreveport storage ready for the next session to begin.