Coal River Branch trackplan

[asciibaron]

ask and ye shall receive...

here's the trackplan

http://asciibaron.dyndns.org/Coal_Branch/15%20The%20Coal%20River%20Branch%20Railroad%20Final%20Drawing%2005-21-09.jpg

and the cutting diagram

http://asciibaron.dyndns.org/Coal_Branch/17%20Benchwork%20Table%20Top%20Cutting%20Diagram.jpg

and a much larger overall shot

http://asciibaron.dyndns.org/Coal_Branch/1%20Photo%20Overall%20Photo%20A.jpg

[Philip H]

Steve,
Very nice!  This image shows what I was describing the other day, about adding a staging lead on the "right" side of the layout behind the foundry.  Its in the green area - ahich is supposed to represent a hill with trees ti hide the tunnel.



So just a little cut, a little downgrade, and presto - staging!

[DKS]

Is it me, or are there some odd things going on? Giant engine facility, barely any yard, and the coal mine siding comes out of the loco servicing facility. Nice looking, but... just some oddities.

[Dave V]

Agree with DKS...  Some interesting yet probably unprototypical features.  Overall, though, a VERY nice plan.  Any idea of the track radius?

[wm3798]

David, maybe if you throw in some animated zoo animals, or ghosts popping up behind the grave stones, people would be less likely to notice the track plan! ;D

For a compact design, I think it's pretty neat.  But yeah, I'd move some things around to suit my tastes, and definitely provide for some "off layout" staging.  Maybe a wye off of one of the lobes, then move the engine terminal and yard out there to free up some space on the layout for more revenue customers.

lee

[conrail98]

The plan looks very similar to the one N-scale layout (I think the Housatonic Valley) that was included in a MR last year (maybe in 2007) where they built them from one 4x8 sheet of plywood, however, it wasn't a sqare 4x8.

Phil

[Rowan]

..... but if your happy; go for it.

 

[DKS]

Something to chew on. The yard is a bit fatter and stub-ended; the engine facility simplified, with a former turntable filled in for interest (not often modeled!). Room for more industries behind the engine facility. Coal mine branch more logically leads off of the passing siding at the back.
 

[asciibaron]

Is it me, or are there some odd things going on? Giant engine facility, barely any yard, and the coal mine siding comes out of the loco servicing facility. Nice looking, but... just some oddities.

i don't think the engine servicing setup is odd or giant by any means.  look at Martinsburg on the B&O - it once boasted 2 roundhouses and had no yard.  it was a division point (100 miles from Baltimore) and saw loco and crew changes.  while not having a round house, several helper facilities on the B&O had much larger facilities than this.  

and it could be the end of a small railroad - think H&BT at Mt. Dallas near Everett, PA.  very small yard, turntable, and a 2 stall shed. 

the line could use some things to make it more of an operations styled design, but that wasn't the design purpose - it was a raffle layout.  a well done raffle layout at that.

my interest is the overall design of the main and the branch.  this trackplan helps me - i can take it to my wife and show her something that can look good in the family room...

i do like David's version.  if i kept the layout in the alcove, the space is 8.5x11 (left side 10) vs. the 8x7 presented.

[DKS]

Is it me, or are there some odd things going on? Giant engine facility, barely any yard, and the coal mine siding comes out of the loco servicing facility. Nice looking, but... just some oddities.

i don't think the engine servicing setup is odd or giant by any means.  look at Martinsburg on the B&O - it once boasted 2 roundhouses and had no yard.  it was a division point (100 miles from Baltimore) and saw loco and crew changes.  while not having a round house, several helper facilities on the B&O had much larger facilities than this.

No argument that there are real-life examples; I meant more from how the layout presents itself. The turntable/roundhouse seem to overpower that end of the layout. But, no arguments that this is a heck of a raffle layout.

[seusscaboose]

..... but if your happy; go for it.

 

i tend to agree... as Nike once said, "Just Do It" 
signed
Another "Internet Imposter"

[asciibaron]

Any idea of the track radius?

*snarky comment redacted*

the mainline seems to be a combo of 11 and 13.5" radius - i would want a minimum of 15" for sure. 

[conrail98]

Just remember, if you are going to attempt to plan for staging, you need a way to get the trains back to staging. The way you had the main going into staging, trains would come out and keep running around the layout, never to return to staging. I think David's version is getting closer to a more operable layout. Again, it's an awesome layout for a raffle, but some tweaks here and there and it could be a nice small, operationally satisfying layout,

Phil

[conrail98]

I took a shot in XtrkCad over lunch of seeing what I could create for a track plan to get the flow David showed and try and get staging like Steve wanted. Here's what I got,

I've got 3 stub ended classification tracks, 2-stall engine house, and two tracks for fuel/sand. That complex could probably be shortened. Most of the radius are between 15-17.5". Entrances to staging would be the half-circles at the bottom left and right.

Phil

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you're going to have the class yard (and I think it's fine at that size, given the focus on coal ops), then you might want at least one bi-directional A/D type track.