03-08-2010, 08:14 PM
Galen,
The thing that caught my eye was the 6% grade - that could be a challenge, especially with it descending behind your elevated trackage where it may be hard to get to.
I realize I'm late to this thread and you're probably pretty committed to this plan, but two things that might mitigate the grade:
- Move your curved turnout for the industrial spur counterclockwise around the turn so the frog is over the right overpass. By a somewhat crude calculation based on your drawing (my calculations are crude, not the drawing!), this would give about 2.5' more run, and would reduce the grade to a more manageable 4.25%. This would pinch your corner industry a bit, but you could still get to it via a turnout in approximately the same place as the current turnout to the same industry. The rub would be that that turnout would be on a grade, and your industry track, assuming you leveled off shortly after the diverging turnout leg would be about 1.25 = 1.5" below mainline grade. You could regain some of this elevation if the spur to this industry continued upgrade through the curve. Working this industry on a grade would certainly make it challenging, for better or worse.
- The second idea would be to spring your industry spur off the inside mainline track on the right side wall and bring it in front of the industry / station scene. You'd have to spring it off far enough back to get down close to industry grade level - I'm a little unsure how much space you have for that drop to occur. If the distance isn't enough to bring it down close to grade level, it might make an interesting scene to let it run across the front of the layout on a fill above grade, with several surface street overpasses as it continues downgrade to a switchback under or just beyond the lefthand underpass. This would create something of an idustrial canyon between the descending spur and American Tool and Die. The switch back tail could continue back where it does now for more industry, and the waterworks could be served either by that tail, or by the tail from the spur along the back wall (I'm making an assumption that that industry is at a higher elevation.
Matt
The thing that caught my eye was the 6% grade - that could be a challenge, especially with it descending behind your elevated trackage where it may be hard to get to.
I realize I'm late to this thread and you're probably pretty committed to this plan, but two things that might mitigate the grade:
- Move your curved turnout for the industrial spur counterclockwise around the turn so the frog is over the right overpass. By a somewhat crude calculation based on your drawing (my calculations are crude, not the drawing!), this would give about 2.5' more run, and would reduce the grade to a more manageable 4.25%. This would pinch your corner industry a bit, but you could still get to it via a turnout in approximately the same place as the current turnout to the same industry. The rub would be that that turnout would be on a grade, and your industry track, assuming you leveled off shortly after the diverging turnout leg would be about 1.25 = 1.5" below mainline grade. You could regain some of this elevation if the spur to this industry continued upgrade through the curve. Working this industry on a grade would certainly make it challenging, for better or worse.
- The second idea would be to spring your industry spur off the inside mainline track on the right side wall and bring it in front of the industry / station scene. You'd have to spring it off far enough back to get down close to industry grade level - I'm a little unsure how much space you have for that drop to occur. If the distance isn't enough to bring it down close to grade level, it might make an interesting scene to let it run across the front of the layout on a fill above grade, with several surface street overpasses as it continues downgrade to a switchback under or just beyond the lefthand underpass. This would create something of an idustrial canyon between the descending spur and American Tool and Die. The switch back tail could continue back where it does now for more industry, and the waterworks could be served either by that tail, or by the tail from the spur along the back wall (I'm making an assumption that that industry is at a higher elevation.
Matt
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio