Illinois Central/Canadian National in N scale

[packers#1]

I'd start with it against the backdrop and then use building flats for my industries. for the one in the plan with all the tanks you could place those on the other side of the track from the building flat or use a photo backdrop from the real thing I suppose.

[cv_acr]

I'm looking for some of you guys thoughts on future scenery options.  I have everything ready to install my industry tracks behind the interchange yard.  Davids original plan for this area has much more depth then what I actually had.   I'm torn between what I see as three options.

1,  put the industry track right next to the yard tracks.  That gives me about 60 scale feet between the track and the backdrop.  I'm not sure if that would give enough room to put a road and anything behind it.

2, put the track in the center or the area.  Most options as to track placement, but how do I tie the scenery in??  Street running?

I'd go with #2. Move them back a bit from the yard to separate them, and put the industry structires along the backdrop, possibly as flats or low-relief half-structures. Any roads would be on the other side of the industry.

[nscalemike]

Hi all,

I am requesting the help of the railwire community once more in some track planning.  My final area that I need to construct is my branch line, which runs off my second level main and out over my workbench area.  It is completely seperated from the main layout, operationally and visually.  This is the space I have to work with:



The desk sits on the upper left corner, is a L shaped area.  The back wall has a 3-4 track staging yard running the length for my interchange service.  The branch line comes in at the lower right corner.  I have the benchwork on the right built, and it is about a 1' deep.  The back wall and the optional left wall is not built yet.  I will build it to fit the plan, but it can't be much more than 24"-28" deep.  I would kinda prefer the left side was in the 15"-18" range, but it is flexable.  The left wall length is 5'9", the back is 7'6" and the right is 7'9".  I'll lose about 4" from the staging yard, so keep that in mind.  The staging yard will be hidden by a short backdrop that I can reach over if needed. 

Again, I'm looking for modern era industries that can support rail service located in the midwest.   I'm working on a few sketches with some ideas, but I am also open to any suggestions or plans. 

Thanks,
Mike

[wcfn100]

Food for thought.  The Minnesota Commercial has a line that goes north from their Midway yard.

Follow this north.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rgx3yb76zm7p&lvl=17&dir=0&sty=b&form=LMLTCC

Lots of coil cars, lumber flats, tanks cars, large hoppers and at least one warehouse for boxcars.

If you go far enough up the line you get to an interchange with either the UP (or CP, can't remember for sure).  From what I know they interchange a ton of cars there.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rh7r2h770bw9&lvl=18&dir=0&sty=b&form=LMLTCC

And if you have the room for a staging track, this line is/was home to many foreign trains like ore from Duluth for example.

If I did modern, this would be it.


Jason

[nscalemike]

I was playing around with the trail version of anyrail this morning.  I'm not an expert by any means, but thought I'd post one design I came up with to get some thoughts going.  I need to work on the exact size a little bit because I have not figured out how to put benchwork in the plan, or at least how to define the usuable area.  But it'll give you a rough idea of what I was kinda thinking. 



My thoughts is the local will use a caboose and back down the line.  The right side will be scenery or maybe an extra industry.  The curved turnout will represent an abandoned line that was joined into the existing branch line to service the new ethonal plant just outside of town.  That will likely be one local by itself, and I'm not real happy with that track arrangement.  The other line serves a few industries before stubbing into the wall. 

I am considering this a very rough draft and only a starting point.  Any ideas?

Thanks, Mike

I modified this plan to the correct size and also included the staging yard.  A little closer to what I can do.

[nscalemike]

Another idea, loosely based off a local branch line:



The local backs down the line, first stop is the Kraft plant, which gets tank cars and maybe covered hoppers.  There used to be another plant between the service drive and the Kraft building, but it closed a couple years ago and is now all but demolished.  I don't have room for it anyhow.  Kraft has its own storage track just outside the fence line, a short stub that usually has half a dozen tank cars or covered hoppers.  Down the line, just before the next street, Alloy Engineering is on the opposite side of the tracks.  It has a short spur, gets one covered hopper of sand I believe every once in a while.  They make cast metal items, been inside the business a few times but don't know much about it.  It is also the only opposite facing turnout on the line now.  The car is usually spoted in front of the engine when it gets delievered.  I also have seen them let it roll down the slight grade when its behind the engine.  It is about 10' below the main grade.  After the major street, which is bookended by Mcdonalds and Pizza Hut on one side and Auto Zone on the other, there is a warehouse building that had a spur, now gone though.  It was a facing point turnout, but I switched it around to fit better.  It used to be Associate Transfer (at least thats the old sign on it), now it is part of Horzion Hobby.  I figure I'd use it as somewhat of a team track.  It has an outside dock with one or two doors on it and semi loading on the other wall. 

The line then passes a few other businesses which are no longer rail served, a lumber company, liquor supplier, maybe one other.  It also passes under the interstate and over a creek at the same location, would be a neat area to model but can't really fit any of this in.  It continues on and then crosses an intersection on each of the two roads, then there is a spur for Plasti-pak, which makes milk jugs and such for Kraft, Walmart, etc.  It gets a handfull of plastic pellet hoppers.  Also on the same spur is Prairie Concrete which still gets hoppers of rock, anywhere from 0-5 a day.  The line continues west out of town and serves two grain elevators a few miles away.  Only see a couple of trains a year go that far out.  The main area gets services once, sometimes twice a day.  The area I am looking at is about 2-2 1/2 miles long, from the Kraft area to the Plasti-Pak area.  I would post the google map image, but I don't know how to do it. 

One thing to note on this plan.  I extended the left side the extra 2 feet.  The only reason that it was not originally extend like that is because there is a cabinet on the wall in the corner there.  Looking at the plan, that extra 2 feet gives me much more layout space, namely being able to include a representative Plasti-pak.  I can eliminate the wall cabinet I believe as I'll have storage above the entire branch line. 

Any thoughts on either plan?  The second is obviously much more detailed right now, but I can add to the first as well.  I will also entertain something completely different as well. 

Thanks, Mike

[S Class]

I think a run around would still be a good idea, even if you do something creative and disguise it as a double ended siding serving a industry - just means that if you decide to not go ahead with the shoving operation you don't have to start demolishing finished work to install a runaround.

My vote is on the second one as I guess you were after something semi rural for the branch and that feels right to me*






*cavet - I'm saying that from behind a keyboard 10,000 miles away having never visited the midwest.

[nscalemike]

Here is a slightly modified plan, a little closer to the prototype:



I switched the Associate Transfer spur to the correct side of the tracks, along with the Plasti-pak/Prairie Concrete spur.  I walked around the Associate Transfer building tonight while I was at work.  I noticed that there is a large curving concrete loading dock on the west side of the building.  It would make a nice feature and could easily model it but it had to switch sides to get it to fit right.  I still didn't include a runaround, but with these changes I now have two spurs that pose a problem.  I don't know where the prototype's runaround was at or if they ever had one, and I don't know where I would put one in at either.  Still a work in progress and still not even sure if this is the plan that will be best. 

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Mike

[S Class]

Here is a slightly modified plan, a little closer to the prototype:



I switched the Associate Transfer spur to the correct side of the tracks, along with the Plasti-pak/Prairie Concrete spur.  I walked around the Associate Transfer building tonight while I was at work.  I noticed that there is a large curving concrete loading dock on the west side of the building.  It would make a nice feature and could easily model it but it had to switch sides to get it to fit right.  I still didn't include a runaround, but with these changes I now have two spurs that pose a problem.  I don't know where the prototype's runaround was at or if they ever had one, and I don't know where I would put one in at either.  Still a work in progress and still not even sure if this is the plan that will be best. 

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Mike

I can see two places for a runaround but I think you'd be proto-lancing here ether:
A) you could ad a second turnout at the end of the siding opposite alloy engineering, which I didn't see a description of but assume is some form of team track, but that crowds the trackage right at one side of the branch.
B) if you're using atlas turnouts - two curved turnouts where the associate trucking used to be, behind the McD's, which puts it in the middle of the plan and gives a nice 'long' siding in the circumstances of a branch.

I had a thought on the plan and I know you're trying to follow prototype but what about a 3-4 car long unloading track for the prairie concrete  plant coming off the plasti-pak spur? obviously it would depend on traffic patterns but thats my $0.02 worth of input and I'll await much more experienced minds on this one.

[nscalemike]

Here is a newly modified plan.  I didnt think of putting a passing side by Associate Transfer.  It turns out that the fit appears acceptable and this would be the best area to blend it in. 



Also, I forgot to mention that I changed the grid scale to 6 inches.  I found it was a little hard to imagine at the 12 inch grid. 
I'm not sure what you were meaning in regards to the unloading track for Prairie Concrete.  I was thinking spoting about 2 hoppers shy of the Plasti-pak turnout. 

We may be getting closer. 

Thanks,
Mike

[wcfn100]

I'd put the run-around at the end of the line so the operations for the branch are pushed as far down the line as possible.   I'd also add a third track for car storage.



Jason

[MichaelWinicki]

I'd put the run-around at the end of the line so the operations for the branch are pushed as far down the line as possible.   I'd also add a third track for car storage.



Jason

Very good Jason!

I like the flexibility and the interest it adds to the line.

[nscalemike]

Updated with Jason's thoughts.  Would provide more operating flexability.  The two points in red are the tightest curves, which is right about 14" radius.  Will this be too tight? 



Thanks, Mike

[MichaelWinicki]

If you're not running 80' cars through there I'd say no, it isn't a problem. 

And 80 footers would go through... just look a little odd.

[Bendtracker1]

I'd put the run-around at the end of the line so the operations for the branch are pushed as far down the line as possible.   I'd also add a third track for car storage.



Jason

I haven't been following this thread too closely, but my 2ȼ.
I'd flip the lower left crossover horizontally, use 2 LH turnouts instead of 2 RH turnouts.  That way if your going to use the short track for an industrial lead or car storage, you won't have to keep it clear or move anything that is setting there in order to make use of it as a run-around-lead.
Then maybe move the crossover up an inch or two, so that you can fit at least one or maybe two 50' cars on the short track if the grid is 6".
Just a thought.