H0 scale Waterfront / Harbor Layout with steam power

[lajry]

Stephan
It looks like there can only be 6 cars max. spotted at the pier end of the layout. Would you be switching out all cars there every time there's switching happens at the pier? Are there going to any cars on the pier? If not that track could be used for temporary storage during switching.
Since your plan only shows warehouses there, will there only be boxcars used on your layout? Seems like at least one spot could take flat cars, gondolas or reefers. Reefers could be used for meats including fish (fresh or frozen) & produce.

[stephanh]

Hi again Andy,

first of all, I would really love to find out which end of the layout will be the pier end or the yard end or the float end...

The pier will of course have several spots for cars as I own the basic kit and two extension kits.

I already own several types of cars like reefers, boxcars, tank cars, flat cars... Even coal hoppers and stock cars.
I plan to build one spot for cars going off-spot, like an interchange track.
Any kind of car can be put there to be spotted on a non visible part of the harbor.
I did not mention it yet because I wanted to set priority on the already mentioned things first.

Also, I own some other kits then warehouses. A small office, a shed for any kind of goods, a track scale, an oil company...
Those will be spotted later, after I have the basics clear.

[lajry]

Stephan
We can only make reference to locations on your plan by the places you've named on your plan. Maybe you could name each of the switching locations so we can ID them in our discussions.

[stephanh]

We can only make reference to locations on your plan by the places you've named on your plan. Maybe you could name each of the switching locations so we can ID them in our discussions.

I guess you´re right. But it´s hard to find names for locations that will not even be on the layout eventually.

First of all, let´s name the legs of the layout:
The left leg would be the "West Harbor District",
the center leg would be the "North Harbor District"
and the right leg would be the "East Harbor District".

What I want as characteristical spots is:
- Frost & Co (Cooling House: Reefers)
- Storage Inc (Warehouse: Boxcars, Flat Cars)
- Dispatch & Sons (Warehouse: Boxcars, Flat Cars)
- Interchange Track (any type of car)
- Small Yard Office
- Pier with add-ons (Reefers, Boxcars, Gondolas, Flat Cars)
- Car Float (Fiddle)

The track scale would be fun to use, too, I bet.
But I don´t know if there is any practical use for it on my layout.
There will be some non-railserved background buildings, too.
The place should look busy but not overloaded with track.

[stephanh]

As for the upper left corner (Connection West Harbor District to North Harbor District), how about a solution like on Lance Mindheim´s "East Rail" Layout?

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I added the part I am talking about.

Top left track could be used as the mentioned interchange, two tracks curving around the corner look nice and have the advantage
that a spot on the front of the North Harbor District is possible.

Would look nice, wouldn´t it?

[stephanh]

This is the latest idea.
Sure, some changes need to be made, especially in the yard area, but I think it shows quite well what I want.

What do you think?

[fast car]

[quote="charlie-barret"]This is the latest idea.
Sure, some changes need to be made, especially in the yard area, but I think it shows quite well what I want.

This is a second proposed East Rail layout that Lance Mindheim is considering after his Industrial Spur. The interesting thing is that it adds a peninsula to the mix.

Larry

[stephanh]

A peninsula takes too much space.
I thought about that idea, too.

[stephanh]

How about this plan?

[Tyson Rayles]

Staging/connection to outside world?

[stephanh]

The Car Float will be the fiddle yard.
Connections to the other parts of the harbor will be in top left and maybe top right corners.

[Rscott417]

Connection to the outside world could be the car float alone, you really don't need any other connections.

[stephanh]

I planned the North Section today.
Here´s the result.

I had to do some changes concerning the turnouts and the track itself.
Doesn´t look that bad, right?

Top left will be an interchange track. Cars can be spotted or pulled out there.
On top right (second track from top, directly next to the runaround), there will be a connection to a fictional part of the harbor, too.
But it will not be used to place any cars, it just exists to make the runaround possible.

Critics and suggestions welcome.

[stephanh]

Here´s the current version of the track plan.
I think about mirroring the yard on the left to get a bigger radius on the top left.

[Ralph]

Hi Stephan,

I like you plan. I think it would be fun to operate. So, I'm assuming you'd unload the car float with a switcher and place the cars in the three track yard. Then perhaps another loco would come from that spur heading straight up on the left side of the layout and pull the cars as a train. I imagine the loco running around the cars once the train is one on of those curved tracks on the upper left. Then it could push cars into the various spurs in the upper right and at the Pier. After that work is done it would be easy to run around again and set off the remaining cars in the one spur heading in the opposite direction in the top center part of the layout. Loco returns to float yard. Looks like it would be pretty easy to reverse the operation to pick up cars from industries and set them in the yard for loading onto the float later.