Scubadude's Texas & Carolina RR

[scubadude]

After hanging out with you guys for the last 4 years, I have finally come up with a proposed track plan to submit to all you track planning gurus. As you may know, I'm a firm believer in the "stealing fair and square" concept, so this plan has done just that from Byron Henderson's website, it's my version of his Black Diamonds and Beer plan ... http://www.layoutvision.com/gallery/id40.html. I have tweeked it more to my needs taking into consideration space, equipment, etc. Concerns I have are reaching the corners and is this a good plan for operations and just watching them run...

This layout is for our spare bedroom, and the benchwork is in for 11'x11' , which needs a little expansion here and there for this layout.

The Texas & Carolina RR
Givens.....
N Scale
Era - 1960 - 1975
Industries - Centerpiece Industry - Classification yard, maintenance facility w/ engine house, RIP track, sand, fueling, etc
Furniture Factory - boxcars, flatcars bringing lumber, truck loading docks to ship furniture
Crayola Factory - Tankers for parafin
Industry B ???? maybe oil/gas facility, (it is Texas for crying out loud ), maybe a distillery?
Team Track/Freight Warehouse
Curved wooden trestle over river - (Thanks Gary)
Main St USA town
Obligatory tunnel somewhere, maybe even one going nowhere...

Operations....
1 man show
Digitrax DCC
Switchlist from drawn cards (see my old thread http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=54&t=3154
Point-to-Point and continuous running
Plenty of room for scenery, I like building structures....

OK boys, it's your turn...I would appreciate all help finalizing this plan. I seem to have a real problem trying to design one. I have looked at a million plans, and this one seems to strike my fancy for point-to-point, continuous running, and scenery. I hope you can get a feel with this picture. I welcome all opinions and will try to answer any questions I have not already addressed. I'm tired of thinking, it's time to GET IT ON!

[P5se Camelback]

Hey! It looks pretty interesting from my house, Scuba Dude!

[BR60103]

Richard:
most of it looks fine. I just wonder how you plan to operate the long track that wraps around the outside. It doesn't have any switches and it's behind a lot of scenery for just a fiddle yard. We've got a long track like that near us; it was used to construct a transformer station (I think) but now CPR just stores surplus intermodal and automobile cars on it, sometime 3 miles of them.

[Ralph]

I like it. Is that interchange track in the Main St. area hidden behind buildings a source of staging?
Ralph

[scubadude]

On the original plan, that long branch went to an industry, where coal or whatever was sent back to the yard to be sent wherever. As Ralph pointed out, I was thinking it might be a good hidden staging area behind Main St. However, I think I will probably use the yard for staging, as I plan to conduct most operations from there. I also thought about using it as intended and putting a coal mine there and putting Main St. somewhere else. I could just remove it completely and use the space at the back for more scenery. I still need a good place for a river and curved trestle bridge.

I'll stare at it some more and see what happens. Ahh, too much thinking, that's what I've got you guys for! Thanks for the comments, keep them coming, I need help

[scubadude]

What about this revision.....took out the long spur to nowhere, added a spur to the mainline to service a distillery. I will have to revamp and move Main St. probably up top or over to the left. May use storefronts on the back drop. What do you think?

[tetters]

In my very humble opinion, you should try to establish a dedicated yard lead that won't foul your main and will allow your switch crews to sort cars in your yard. This way when you operate alone you can let a train run on your continuous loop while you fiddle with a switcher in the yard and build another train to send out etc...

Just my two cents.

[scubadude]

Where would you put it? Should there be a lead at each end of the yard?

[scubadude]

Maybe like this?

[tetters]

I'm at work right now, so I can't really draw it out for you. Otherwise, I'd give it a shot in XtrCAD.

But your lead should be off of all your point facing turnouts at the bottom, unless you were open to putting the ladder at the top of the track plan and leave the stub ends down where you have your maintenance facilities? I like this article about yard design from Craig's Housatonic RR webpage and a I know a few people have posted it before... perhaps it can give you some ideas that you can adapt according to your design goals. http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html

It makes a lot of good points about yard design, I know it helped me out when I initially started designing my first layout.

[MasonJar]

The inner track at the bottom right (the line that goes to the Furniture Factory) already acts like a drill track (yard / switching lead).

Since the two stub ended sidings face "south" it makes sense to simply use the track arrangement as is. A drill track as drawn in red is not able to serve those two stub ended tracks.

Andrew

[tetters]

Andrew is right. Forget what I said. For some reason, I got my tracks crossed when looking at the track arrangement. I thought that furniture track somehow actually connected to your loop. :oops:

[Tom]

Have you given any thought to (if using the first version) to running a branch off the main on the left hand side and down the street? You could put a few industries on the bottom of the "Main Street" section and run a local with a switcher to serve a few customers down there? Maybe a newspaper office to get cars of newsprint, a furniture warehouse, beer distributor, etc.

Just a thought, but I am a sucker for street running.

[Gary S]

Richard, I like the long run from the lower left at Mian street to the loop over on the right. I like the idea of using it as interchange/staging. Good to see you doing some planning on the layout and looking forward to some progress.

[scubadude]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, all have gotten me thinking.

Take a look at this latest version of the plan. I have a couple of questions.....1) Is it ok to put a yard lead off the main as shown on the bottom right of the plan just after the town? And do I need another yard lead as shown near the furniture factory, since trains may be entering the yard from both directions...