06-26-2010, 01:10 PM
Gary, I have a couple of questions about your trackplan - keep in mind that I didn't have one when I built my layout. 
First, I'm curious as to why all of the sidings in Industrial Area 3 face the same way. Certainly it allows more individual sidings for each industry when all of the turnouts face the same way, but varying the directions might make operations a bit more involved. The run-around track makes switching from either direction simple, so why not take advantage of it?
Second, how about a couple of industries on the near side of the tracks? I know that you need be able to see for spotting or picking up cars, but an industry or two between the viewer/operator would seem more logical and would provide something to break up the view a bit. The added benefit would be that it helps to make both the train and its run seem longer when it disappears, even for a short distance and time. Whatever you model could be something fairly "see-through", like a tank car loading/unloading rack, or it could be a large, solid-looking building. Make it as a foredrop industry (truncated like a backdrop building), with a blank wall on the viewing side. Or, alternately, model it as a view-blocking structure, but leave the aisle side open, so operators can look through the trackside windows as the train works through the area. This technique could also be useful as an aid in spotting cars that would otherwise be blocked from view.
Finally, for your Galveston Branch, or whatever it becomes, why not use that long siding at the top of the Middle Yard, heading left towards the wall? It would probably work better if the yard itself were moved closer to the front edge of the layout, which would allow for some view-blocking structures, but that could still be accomplished with flats or low-relief structures.
Another option to "figuratively distance" it from the modelled trackage would be to add a sharply-skewed highway overpass crossing all of the tracks, as shown below. The overpass is in green, with a multi-storey non-rail-served structure in blue near the backdrop to disguise both the end of the overpass and the start of the branch. You'd still need to add some view blocks to visually separate the rest of the branch from the "on-layout" tracks.
Wayne
First, I'm curious as to why all of the sidings in Industrial Area 3 face the same way. Certainly it allows more individual sidings for each industry when all of the turnouts face the same way, but varying the directions might make operations a bit more involved. The run-around track makes switching from either direction simple, so why not take advantage of it?
Second, how about a couple of industries on the near side of the tracks? I know that you need be able to see for spotting or picking up cars, but an industry or two between the viewer/operator would seem more logical and would provide something to break up the view a bit. The added benefit would be that it helps to make both the train and its run seem longer when it disappears, even for a short distance and time. Whatever you model could be something fairly "see-through", like a tank car loading/unloading rack, or it could be a large, solid-looking building. Make it as a foredrop industry (truncated like a backdrop building), with a blank wall on the viewing side. Or, alternately, model it as a view-blocking structure, but leave the aisle side open, so operators can look through the trackside windows as the train works through the area. This technique could also be useful as an aid in spotting cars that would otherwise be blocked from view.
Finally, for your Galveston Branch, or whatever it becomes, why not use that long siding at the top of the Middle Yard, heading left towards the wall? It would probably work better if the yard itself were moved closer to the front edge of the layout, which would allow for some view-blocking structures, but that could still be accomplished with flats or low-relief structures.
Another option to "figuratively distance" it from the modelled trackage would be to add a sharply-skewed highway overpass crossing all of the tracks, as shown below. The overpass is in green, with a multi-storey non-rail-served structure in blue near the backdrop to disguise both the end of the overpass and the start of the branch. You'd still need to add some view blocks to visually separate the rest of the branch from the "on-layout" tracks.
Wayne