Bonus Room Shelf Layout

[ocalicreek]

   

The staging yard consternated me for some time, as I couldn't fathom a way to turn engines on the layout. Then it hit me and I thought, well, why not make a turntable (functional, not fancy) and have it fold down out of the way when not in use? So that's what I've drawn. It may not even be an actual turntable, but maybe an open fiddle yard with a loco cassette that you simply detach and slide around. It's not set in stone yet, but the concept is there.

Watson is named for my second son (middle name) and my wife's side of the family (grammy's maiden name). Watson will be a small urban outpost in the blue ridge mountains, more 'town' than city. The enginehouse is a Revell kit and will house the motive power for the run to Pinto and maybe a shifter for working the trains that arrive in Watson. There will be some sort of coaling facility, sand and water, of course and possibly the Woodland Scenics 'Caboose Sand and Coal' diorama that I built some time ago, for servicing the road's crummies (another task to add op fun).

The staging tracks will be hidden by a steep bank/retaining wall, common in appalachia, with the town on the (removable) hillside above. Where the staging track enters the visible layout, the track will pass between and beneath buildings in a factory complex. The bulk of the factory will be in the corner, with the loading zone on the short siding where it says 'factory dock'. This may be the 'Appalachian Confectioners Co.", makers of fine fudge, and assorted sweets.

There will be one other 'industrial' siding and it's a toss up between a scrap yard and a timber gantry. The long siding is for storing and sorting the cars to/from Pinto. This will be a shifting job to be done before the local freight arrives so that all the crew has to do is swap a cut out of the train for the one on the siding, then sort them before heading up the hill.

The turnout at the passenger depot will most likely have to be hand laid. It seemed a good place to squeeze in one more sure spot for express/baggage/lcl freight to give the switch crew more work to do when the passenger train is in town. The passenger job will most likely arrive behind either my Penn Line Atlantic or Aristo/New One 4-6-0, both high-drivered engines, and both in need of serious rebuilding.

Oh, and I decided to place the runaround turnout on the removable bridge section in order to gain good passing siding length. That turnout, plus three others all on this side, comprise the 4, #6 turnouts on the layout (besides the #6 double crossover, essentially one unit).

Up next, Andrews & Pinto.

Galen