Okay I'm in that searching for a new layout mode.
I need some thinking outside the box.

After playing around with some British and French stuff I'm back in US mode


It needs to be a prototype based switching layout based on the Florida Central group of railroads and needs to work as an exhibition/fremo/shed layout

It can be straight / L shaped or any other shape that fits the space which is 9'7" x 7'x7" or 2921 mm by 2311mm

This does not need to include the fiddleyard/staging area

I like the following areas
4248–4380 US Highway 17 N
Bartow, FL 33830
United States

And this
89–313 Hennis Rd
Winter Garden, FL 34787
United States

Together with this area

830 Klondike St
Winter Garden, FL 34787-3225
United States

But I can't seem to work out a track plan to suit
Any ideas would be gratefully received

This is what I am working on now. It gives me 2 towns to switch, a nice yard and a little staging. L shaped w/ a bridge for round and round option (shown by track in the air form the yard to the staging area). A litttle larger than what you are looking for but you can adjust as needed, make it 3 towns instead of 2 and a yard etc.

ratled

This is the Horn Lead Switch Map of the Los Angeles Junction (LAJ) Ry (CA). The notes are by an ex LAJ conductor. LAJ is an industry switching RR only. No real mainline just 22 leads coming out of 3 yards. It should give you some ideas for your switching "empire". You could just use the layout of the tracks & put whatever industries you want at each spot. Some of the industries here are universal to all RRs, just change the industry name to ones seen in FL. This map is essentially a track chart so you can move things around to whatever fits in your space. The Horn Lead on my layout is crammed onto a 2' x 6' module! LAJ is on very flat terrain w/ ballast looking like it was an afterthought just scattered around the tracks & there is rarely any roadbed. It is NOT built to Class 1 standards! There are a few palm trees scattered around probably having fallen off rail cars. LOL
Do you know if their are any LAJ like RRs in FL?

[attachment=19278]

ratled
Would have the Humbolt yard lead be the "tunnel" track. As you have it drawn now most trains leaving the yard will have to saw back & forth to enter/leave the yard.
In Jefferson you have two sidings when you really only need one. Also would shorten the lead into industries in upper left as it looks like there's not of room to right for all possible cars in there. Wold change spur to industry in upper left being off the siding w/ LH switch & maybe Xing the lead to upper left industries.

Chris;

If you're not specifically looking for more rural areas, then I'd suggest checking out some of the industrial spurs on the FCEN line that runs north-northwest out of Orlando, FL. This spur (running due north) https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Orlando,+...a&t=k&z=18 is one that I was going to partially model myself as it had a lot of industries packed in a short run. There are many others in the area, including a couple reached by means of a switchback and crossing at grade. Just follow the track to the west. They don't appear to currently have many active customers on most of the spurs, but then that's why I won't consider modeling "Today", but rather the late 70s to mid 80s. Of course if you're going with FCEN/FMID/FNOR operations, you can always reactivate the industries or substitute your own choice of industries for any given track arrangement/location, as I was going to do on my own layout.

You can follow the entire line by starting here: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Orlando,+...ssic&dg=oo and following the line to the west.

lajry Wrote:This is the Horn Lead Switch Map of the Los Angeles Junction (LAJ) Ry (CA). The notes are by an ex LAJ conductor. LAJ is an industry switching RR only. No real mainline just 22 leads coming out of 3 yards.

Andy, thanks for the map and industry details. Are the trains that service this area of LAJ, coming into this location, shoving/pushing the cars? Do they push the entire route from the yards? How are the crossings protected?

NSHO Wrote:

lajry Wrote:This is the Horn Lead Switch Map of the Los Angeles Junction (LAJ) Ry (CA). The notes are by an ex LAJ conductor. LAJ is an industry switching RR only. No real mainline just 22 leads coming out of 3 yards.

Andy, thanks for the map and industry details. Are the trains that service this area of LAJ, coming into this location, shoving/pushing the cars? Do they push the entire route from the yards? How are the crossings protected?

Shoving or pulling a LAJ train (or on any RR) to a lead would would depend on if the was a siding on or near the Lead. Not all leads had available sidings.But any shoves are protected bu someone walking or riding "the point" (lead car). They would talk to the hogger either by hand signals (lantern at night) &/or radio,

Bronx Terminal!

Check this out, Bronx had loads of block size terminals! My favorite is the largest of them as it had space enough for team tracks. I would however make a few changes like replacing the huge scraper of warehouse (not seen here but on the photos on the web site) with a pair of Walthers American Hardware supplys connected with City Classics Smallman parts to mimic the Construction of the warehouses on Bush Terminal and add adding little more space so you could add non rail street scene with another ware house, perhaps the one offerd by Atlas. Also I would use a bit larger switching unit to run on it too, like a SW1 or SW 7 or an Alco as slow speed operation is a must. Right now sound equpped Atlas Alco H 600 or Broadlines EMD switcher is on my mind and an H600 was used on it in the later years.

Using several barges that are removed and added will be like cassettes with freight cars on and off and several Buildings could be replaced with plastic kits reworked for new uses or beef up things a bit. I could use Walthers kits all together and I guess refiddeling with track plan has to be done by then but it will still look quite convincing. Dont forget the seagulls and their droppings!

I would add a one foot extra on the background for a street scene with run down housing and more warehouses to tie the scenes together. Era, late fifites and early sixites will keep the trucks in smaller size and display loads of colorful cars of that era on impromptu parking on some empty space and that will justify the use of a regular sized switcher on the layout. Adding sound and DCC will do loads here, not just on the engine but having a seamless soundtrack of usual city noise, ship hornes and few screaming seagulls will make this layout alive. This can be done by mixing an mp4 on Movie Maker which is an app you can download for free and is pretty easy to use. making a general soundtrack of 10-15 minutes will not be as nerve wrecking as having a short one.

http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/lvbxt.html



Here is the photo of the whole railroad!



I would skip the freeway all together keeping the the uncompleted bridge scene way back as a end piece and the elevated high way would be replaced with a street and fronts of warehouses, rundown public housings and a seedy bar. This would give opportunity to make the space more cramped but also make some mini scenes, like a few drunks, a lady or two of ill repute trying to earn some money, lods of litter and a few parked trucks waiting their turn to load at the freight house or the box car which is underway on the river. After all, this is not the fancy side of the city.... Note in the far end there is another RR companys terminal, yet much smaller.

Hey Chris, I clicked on the addressees in Google Maps. What kind of industries are served?

Any progress Chris? I've looked at your addresses. Interesting area. Isn't some of that line in Winter Garden used for the Central Florida Railroad Museum? <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wghf.org/cfrailroad">http://www.wghf.org/cfrailroad</a><!-- m --> Could be a way to run the odd older classic?