TPBO

[FCIN]

    As I had mentioned in a previous posting (27 Dec 2010), this looks like it's going to be my final track plan arrangement. After a lot of experimenting with various track arrangements, I really can't come up with anything that suits me better and having temporarily put the track down and operated the layout many times, must say that I'm quite pleased with the plan.

The plan is designed to fit a 16 inch deep by 16 foot long shelf, with a 4 or 6 foot removable staging track (4 foot on this drawing). All turnouts are No. 8 (or the Peco equivalent to a No. 8) which give a more prototype look and smoother flow of the track.

For the benefit of those who may not like the straight looking track plan, it's based on this portion of an FCEN industrial spur in northwest Orlando, FL., and matches the actual track arrangement quite well, although I don't model the connecting turnout and have added a highway overpass, about where the curve in the photo starts, to conceal the end of the main layout.     Of course my layout will be located much further North from Florida and the time period will be between 1978 and 1980, so I can have all those colorful short line IPD box cars. I've also picked industries for my ISL that are ones that appeal to me and also support my freight car fleet, along with industry names that are more appropriate for my part of the county; so of course this layout is entirely freelance.

Right now, the spur is supposed to be located on the L&N (one of my former employers), but I may later change it to be a spur operated by a fictional switching company or short line operator. Motive power is currently an L&N MP-15dc along with an NW-2 (yet to be painted L&N) and now and then I switch the layout with an L&N C-420 like we often used on our local freights. Love those ALCo's! Layout power is of course DCC with sound equipped locomotives.

Industries are:
Durkee Foods - Spots one to two tank cars of vegetable oil, and one or two reefers or box cars.
Peerless Confections - Spots one tank car of corn syrup and one Airslide covered hopper of sugar.
Purina Pet Foods - Spots two covered hoppers of bulk DDG or the occasional box car of bagged DDG for manufacturing dog food.
Midwest Distribution Warehouse - Spots up to four box cars. The prototype facility is a large Xpedx distribution warehouse that receives paper products.
Lowes Lumber - Spots box cars of building products and bulkhead flats of lumber.

I'm still working on ideas for how I want to model the two industries that will be between the front edge of the layout and their respective tracks and have several ideas. Right now, I've just got some rather crappy looking mockups placed in those locations and have no problem with spotting and uncoupling cars behind the structures and feel that having structures located on both sides of the industrial spur, just looks and feels more prototypical.

Don't know when construction will start in earnest as I have some medical problems and Dr. Tomassoni is scheduling me for surgery, within the next few weeks, to hopefully correct the problems. Those heart doctors are busy fellows! For now, I'm quite happy and satisfied to be able to operate the layout and often have a friend over for impromptu operating sessions, which generally take an hour or longer for a typical session.