An On3 layout for 45'x25'

[nkp_174]

Yesterday, the wife and I were browsing homes. We anticipate that we'll be moving in 4-5 years. Homes that fill the bill for us tend to have basements that are approx 45'x27'. So, I've designed a layout which would fit in just such a basement. (photos from the Ted Kierscey Collection so you can see the prototype) The three turntables designate the boundaries of the stairs.



The bottom left is Gunnison, southern terminus of the DSP&P's mainline. I've designed a yards with 4 tracks (excluding the main). Additionally, there is a wye long enough to turn a short passenger train. Historically, the beautiful 5-stall stone enginehouse was inside the wye, but I've moved it to conserve space. The grid is actually 2'...so access points are mandatory to have any kind of a decent Gunnison yards. The additional line is the D&RG. It'll probably have a single siding or something...it will interchange with the DSP&P. North of the enginehouse is the South Park's Baldwin branch...originally it was part of the to-be-extended mainline.

The mainline heads east out of Gunnison, past the gorgeous stone depot and parallel to the D&RG (whom they used to race). There will be some sort of connection there. After the connection, the D&RG will drop on a 1% grade while the DSP&P rises with a 2% grade. The layout height at Gunnison will probably be 48"-52"...I'm 6'2. It will come out of the first curve (36" radius) into Pitkin. There will be a wye on this curve and three tracks (two sidings) on the tangent after the curve. Both on the real railroad and on my layout, the helpers will be added here. The grade will increase to 4% leaving Pitkin and cutting under the staircase.

The trains will turn on a loop and come back towards the east wall. There will be an aisle for the first 10-14', and then a duck under to get the operator to Woodstock. This will be the most dramatic scenery on the layout...the Woodstock loop and Pallisade rock formations. Both the tracks going to and coming from the loop will be in the same scene. It will then turn to the right (north) and pass the Alpine Tunnel enginehouse.
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Coming out of Alpine Tunnel on the Atlantic side, there might be a siding if it "works"...and the train will round Sawmill curve and the only trestle on the layout. At Hancock, there will be one or two more passing sidings and a wye for the helpers. This wye probably will be too high to connect up with Pitkin.
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The train will then continue out of Hancock and through the Chalk Creek Canyon. There will be some sort of additional trackage after it passes beneath Alpine Tunnel...Perhaps Buena Vista or something entirely freelance. For continuous running, the line will the connect up with the outer loop and act as the Baldwin branch coming back into Gunnison. I may drop the outer loop to a slightly lower level, slowly rising up so that the Mainline and loop lines are available for separate running. The loop will have a couple additional passing sidings as well.

Staging will be under the loop beneath the Baldwin branch...it will feed into Hancock/Chalk Creek Canyon. Another staging area under the Hancock/Chalk Creek area will feed into the Baldwin branch.

The operations will consist of the passenger train leaving Gunnison for Como (staging past Hancock). A coal train will arrive from Baldwin and head over the pass to Como. An empty coal train will run in the opposite direction, as well as a second passenger train. Local service will work its way over the line (an industry will exist between Pitkin and Woodstock, as well as another between Gunnison and Pitkin). Other freights will work between Gunnison and Como. The loop will have some D&RG passenger and freight trains coming and going...but only to provide the eye-candy of a town served by two railroads. The main action will be the helper service between Pitkin and Hancock (just like the real road)...as well as the action at Gunnison with the building of trains, interchange, and branch operations.

On the west wall, I plan to have display tracks, much like a display case, that are connected to the layout somewhere around Alpine Tunnel (connecting to one of the three levels of track. This allows me to admire the trains that don't belong on the layout, and be able to back them down to the layout for running (no touching!) If I can't swing the trackwork, there'll be a full-train elevator.

The mainline over Alpine Pass will have a minimum radius of 36". This is about as tight as will work with 2-8-2s and 42' passenger cars. I plan on the outer loop having a 42" minimum radius so that any On3 locomotive or car (the 48' Animas Forks) may operate over it (including a proposed C&S 2-10-2s I may decide to build).

[Russ Bellinis]

Have you designed some alternate plans for using 1/2 of the basement & 1/3 of the basement when your wife decides that she needs part of that basement for whatever?

[nkp_174]

Have you designed some alternate plans for using 1/2 of the basement & 1/3 of the basement when your wife decides that she needs part of that basement for whatever?

I have devised a variety of different plans, but most of the smaller ones are on paper. Basically, I trim away features as I lose space. If I'm really bad at negotiations, it becomes something along the lines of an oval with Hancock/Pitkin as a single location on one side, with Alpine Tunnel on the other. Woodstock loop is the next feature to add, then an industry, and then Gunnison. Decreasing the size primarily results in a loss of character of the locations (track orientations become un-prototypical, siding arrangements are simplified, wyes removed, etc).

My wife has been on board with the notion that a large basement is required for my layout...and agrees that it is a driving force in our future home purchase. She really loves how my current layout has tons of storage space underneath while keeping me very happy (and she has approved expansion plans). This plan leaves space for a laundry area, workshops for each of us, and a small social area...I can lose the extra loop without any qualms...and gain a full-fledged living room. I'd really love to gain an additional 5' of width...30'x45' adds a lot.

You can get an awful lot of home for your $$$ here in Cincinnati...it is fun to look. This plan was primarily to see what I could fit into the space (and I ran out of ideas!)

[Russ Bellinis]

Actually I was kind of half joking. I remember Dr Wayne's story of how he was going to have the full basement when the house was designed, but between designing and building, his wife found other uses for part of it and his space shrunk. Glad to hear that your wife is on board with it.

[nkp_174]

Russ, you could just as easily be 100% serious with all of the horror stories we've all heard

I do expect a little bit of shrinkage. It is definitely easier to expand it rather than to have to suffer through contraction!

[MountainMan]

The Alpine Tunnel - what a perfect challenge. I'm guessing (SWAG) that this will be in HOn3?

Given the altitude of the prototype, you should save a lot of money and work on trees! As I recall form road trips along that route, a lot of it is above the tree line!

And maybe you can find a little spare room for Murphy's Switch!