Hi Svein,
i do hope i did understood it right; without any thinking about scenery, just the orientation of stations.

Seems great to me, a good start for a layout for one or two operators.
Smile
Paul

Looking good, Paul!

Actually, I was thinking of flipping the whole plan, including the peninsula (extend the siding at San Jacinto to the left, curve around and out onto the peninsula from the left), but I see now that doing so would make it difficult to follow the main line around the room.

How about connecting Hemet to Perris via the industry spur in the upper right corner? That way Hemet could be a short industrial line branching out from Perris, and switching up there could be done without interfering with the yard work on the other side of the peninsula. Through freight can run around the room both ways, exchanging cars with the local at the San Jacinto yard. Of course the names will have to be changed, but the traffic pattern would be the same.

Svein

Svein - no problem on the delayed reply. I'm glad my thoughts were helpful, even a little.

Ditto on the turntable. For a steam era layout it's a necessity, not just an outdated planning device. Besides, even as a layout element simply for storing equipment it serves a function for those of us with too many engines. To me, engines look better on a layout than packed away in a box on a shelf, even if it means stretching reality a bit to include an engine house where there wasn't one on a prototype or there isn't an operational necessity on a layout.

I go back and forth between including a turntable or working in a wye on my layout. It's on a section that won't have track layed for a while yet so I can afford to cogitate on it first. Prototypically, such a small branch as what I model might have had a turntable, but more than likely would have used a wye if the space permitted. Wyes are cheaper to build and easier to maintain - both in the real and model worlds! But a turntable and adjoining loco facilities are a 'model-genic' scene that I'd enjoy building, and on my layout would be right up front where they can be admired.

BTW that Sperandeo plan is a classic in my mind also. The reason I think it works so well is two-fold. One, there's a clearly defined concept unifying the layout and telling the story. Two, it's not cluttered. There is very little extraneous trackage. I have referred to this plan often when considering my own layout.

Galen

hi Svein,
personally i always loved the "terminus to loop" (or staging) concept; with a possibility for lap-running.
The original idea of the SJD was the very same, except the lap-running. If i remember well Andy Sperandeo had one operator running a freight train from staging to San Jacinto in his mind, switching Perris on the way. A second operator was switching the spurs in San Jacinto and Hemet. So the aisle between the last two stations should be wider then the other one.
On Lance Mindheim's side Lance added pages devoted to newbies, you'll find a layout with almost the same concept.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.shelflayouts.com/my_time_track_plan.htm">http://www.shelflayouts.com/my_time_track_plan.htm</a><!-- m -->

Your idea is fine too, a nice spread between the two operators as well.
Smile
Paul

Man, has it been two weeks already..! :o Sorry for not responding earlier, we've been busy planning the house renovation. Agreeing on the final finishing, wallpaper, paint and such is a chore all by itself, it was so much easier when I lived alone..!

Anyway, I've just started on the process of building shelves and clearing out all the stuff from the hobby rooms. I will also put in a new ceiling, scrub and paint the walls, and replace the electrical system in the basement before I can start with the benchwork.

Paul;
The "My time" track plan is really nice, it's so clean and simple in its appearence. I'm a little torn between Lance Mindheim's simple and straight designs, and Iain Rice's curved and smoothly flowing ones (as my first three sections clearly show). I'd like a little of both, but I don't think it would look right if put together on the same layout.

Svein

OK, now I think maybe we're getting somewhere. I've been working on the track plan for so long now, and still haven't come up with a complete plan that looks good to me, but I'm quite satisfied with the peninsula terminus:



I have tried to replicate the prototype trackplan of Tinnoset station, which is one of the two stations here in Norway with a railway ferry connection. The plan is mirrored and a little simplified (the prototype has a couple of stub ended tracks, and a crossover just before the freight house), but the overall impression should still be there. Also, since the prototype was built as an electrified line, there never was a turntable at Tinnoset, and I've added a short stub ended track with a little engine shed.

Here's a link to a satellite photo of the station, with most of the tracks clearly visible:
http://kart.finn.no/?lng=9.02642&lat=59....tab=search

I'm going to use the NSB Skd204 as a switcher on this station, and have ordered a brass kit of this little critter:
http://www.jernbane.net/norge/skd/skd206/index.asp

This will be my first brass kit ever, and I'm really exited, but also a little anxious, wondering if I'll be able to pull it off...

Svein

After reading about the different stages and methods of track planning on various threads both here and on other forums, I've decided to not worry to much about the actual track plan at this stage. Instead, I've been working on the schematics, trying to get a feel of the car flow on the layout in relation with my overall operating goals. So, here's a preliminary track plan schematics:



There are three stations, each with a freight track and a team track, and I've added a couple of other industry tracks and two logging spurs. The biggest station has a small yard. At first I planned the yard to be fully functional, with two A/D tracks and a yard lead, but it simply became to overwhelming and to track heavy for the rest of the layout. The station inside the frame to the right is my existing layout sections, I was thinking of making a connection by branching out from the continuous loop and into the other room.

Svein

After a discussion on a Norwegian forum yesterday, I got some ideas for a 2 deck plan that I wanted to try out. Sorry for the crude sketch, but I had to get it out this morning before I forgot all about it.



This is a pure point to point layout, but with some clever connections around the helix, I'll be able to make continuous running on both decks. The two stations in the center of the room are directly above each other, but since they will be operated from opposite sides I figure it will work.

What do you think, is this something worth continuing working with?

Svein

Looks cool. Ambitious, but quite possibly doable.

What will be the rise on the way around the room on each level?

How about that hatch in the outer wall directly opposite the door - will that need to be accessible?

Smile,
Stein

Thanks, Stein. I agree, it's maybe a little ambitious, but nothing ventured nothing gained, right?

There will be a slight rise all around the room on the two decks (except for the stations of course), about 1.3 - 1.5 %, to gain a 10cm elevation difference near the tunnel portals, this according to the elevation and grade tools in XtrkCad.

The access hatch opposite the door (not shown on the sketch) doesn't need to be permanently accessible, but I will need access to it from time to time (maybe just a couple of times a year). Since the layout will be built in sections anyway, I'll just have to make the two sections (upper and lower) in front of the hatch a little easier to remove. Same thing goes for the sections in front of the window on the left wall (also not shown on the sketch).

(Off topic) Btw, are you going to Hamar for the model railroad fair at the Railway Museum this weekend? Vigdis and I have booked a hotel room in Hamar for the weekend, figured it would make a nice birthday gift for me

Svein

Svein Wrote:Thanks, Stein. I agree, it's maybe a little ambitious, but nothing ventured nothing gained, right?

Indeed. As the motto of the Royal Air Force says : Per Ardua at Astra - through hard work to the stars. Go for it - let me know when you start building, if you need an extra pair of hands :-)

Svein Wrote:(Off topic) Btw, are you going to Hamar for the model railroad fair at the Railway Museum this weekend? Vigdis and I have booked a hotel room in Hamar for the weekend, figured it would make a nice birthday gift for me

You lucky dog! No model railroading shows for me this weekend - I have a scout trip with the kids :-)

My regards to Vigdis,

Smile,
Stein

steinjr Wrote:(...) Go for it - let me know when you start building, if you need an extra pair of hands :-)

Thanks, Stein, will do that

It's been a slow week here, nothing has been done with the layout room. But yesterday I finally got started on cleaning out all the clutter that's been filling up my train space. I need a lot of shelves for storage, and tried to drill a few holes in the concrete walls for fastening the shelf tracks. But these old walls were cast with a lot of large rocks in them, and my little battery powered drill was not up to the task, not even close. Figured I needed a little heavier equipment, so I bought a rotary hammer, and boy did that make a difference! Will continue with drilling and mounting shelf tracks today, and hopefully by the evening things will look a little more organized.

Svein

Got a very exiting package in the mail today; my first brass kit!

Lots of tiny parts, an etched brass sheet, decals and a small frame with motor and wheels. The decoder was ordered separately.



I also got 5 open top freight cars of German prototype, they left a lot of those cars behind after the war. The cars have the original German lettering, but with Norwegian lettering enclosed as decals.

Svein

Svein Wrote:Got a very exiting package in the mail today; my first brass kit! ...

You got the switcher that fits my space perfect The prototype did not run by any chance around LA in the recent years...?

faraway Wrote:You got the switcher that fits my space perfect The prototype did not run by any chance around LA in the recent years...?

LOL, that would be highly unlikely I think, but a cool idea!

There were built 37 of these switchers between 1936 and 1939, all since long officially retired, but several are being preserved by different foundations or privately owned. Maybe you can invoke some modeller's license, and suggest that one of the privately owned engines were bought and shipped to the US by a Norwegian-American immigrant with a spesial interest in Norwegian railroad history...

Personally I think they are butt ugly, but also kinda cool and quite charming, that's why I had to get one.

Svein