Aroostook Northern

[davefoxx]

Lee (wm3798) once made a suggestion how to put a wye at the end of the Virginia Central that would allow a second HCD to join the original layout perpendicularly.  His design would work well for you.  Unfortunately, I can't access the Atlas forum this evening to go to the Carolina Central thread that we had going several years ago.  If it comes back up, I'll try to go find that picture for you.

[vt_railroad_guy]

I believe I remember what you are referencing.  My concern is I'm running dc and I'm mildly ******** when it comes to wiring.

[davefoxx]

Well, you don't actually have to make the connection as a reversing section that causes the short.  Instead, branch off from the original layout in that manner but extend those lines to form a loop, not a wye.  In other words, where you circled on your picture is exactly where you would want to branch off.

DFF

[vt_railroad_guy]

I'm picking up what you're dropping, now.  That would be the easiest (read least disruptive) way of building in the connection.  I'll have to think about how I'm going to arrange the track to allow expansion of that siding around the curve onto the other door without diminishing the operation of my current door.  Currently I can run 8 car trains plus two locomotives and a caboose. With the addition of a second door, I want to be able to run 12-14 car trains.  Expansion is at least a year or two down the road, so I want to be able to fully enjoy what I have in the meantime.

[vt_railroad_guy]

I believe this is what you were referencing, correct DFF?



As a side note, due to the atlas sight being down I have hosted this image on my google page.  I will remove it if anyone wishes me too.

JDB

[vt_railroad_guy]

I think I may have figured this out. 

Pardon my lack of artistic ability, but If I cut in a #5 left turnout on the curve and another on the back side straight away connected to a 11.25 crossover, I can cut in one last #5 in the siding allowing me to use my siding as it currently is or expand onto another door when the time comes.  What do you think?



JDB

[vt_railroad_guy]

I need some advice.

Progress continues at a snails pace, partly due to my indecision on what to do with the back side of my layout.  On what I intended to be the yard side of my layout, I was thinking about building a large industry (that could still function as a small yard for car storage).  BAR serviced some papermills as well as McCain foods in northern maine.  Either of those seem like promsising prospects, plus strings of jade woodchip cars or orange reefers say "BAR" to me.  I have spent quite a bit of time looking over pictures of Lee's wonderful papermill he built on his layout and it gives me hope that i could build a reasonable representation in the space I have available.  Right now I have the main track and the passing track installed on that side of the layout and nothing else.  I have a depth of 12-15 inches and a length of 3-4 feet to build in.  I don't need to replicate anything exactly, I just want to catch the flavor of BAR in northern maine and add a little operational interest.  What do you think?

JDB

[DKS]

If the yard along the back still looks like it does in the prior image, I think it could use a serious re-think. Most of the tracks are way too short to be of much use. I see no advantage to adding a crossover, either. If it was me, I'd take up everything between the left and right ends of the curves and start over. I'd say you'd be better off with at most a couple of stub-end storage tracks.

[vt_railroad_guy]

DKS,

You are 100% correct and I did rethink the yard after playing with it a bit and took out everything but the long passing track.  I decided to replace the rest of the yard with 3-4 stub tracks, but my indecision on possible industry placement has halted my progress.

JDB

[DKS]

Given the real estate available, I think a paper mill would be quite a squeeze. Certainly ought to be enough room for a small food processing plant, maybe a cannery. Other options might be, for instance, something more back-woodsy, like a log loading area. Aside from the obvious Maine theme, I'm not sure what you may be after: hardcore industry? Quasi-rural flavor? If the latter, perhaps a small town with a coal trestle and one small industry, such as a lumber yard or crate manufacturer. I don't know; they may all be too cliché.

[vt_railroad_guy]

The right end of my layout will have a town with an industry spur.  I will be using a forrested ridge down the middle of the layout as a scenic divider.  The left end of my layout will look a lot like Dave Foxx's Virginia central he had a few years back (aka Carolina Central) with the double river crossings.  The back side was going to be a yard, but I plan to expand onto another HCD at some point which will allow me to build a larger and more effective yard.  So, I'm leaning toward larger industry on the back side, but i'm not commited to that idea yet.  I do know I want more than just a yard, though.

JDB

[packers#1]

What all did McCain Foods look like? Did it have only one spur along a building, or multiple spurs?

[vt_railroad_guy]

What all did McCain Foods look like? Did it have only one spur along a building, or multiple spurs?

It's a large plant.  If you google their plant in Easton, ME you'll see what I mean.

JDB

[davefoxx]

JDB,

If you only have a depth of 12-15" and a length of three to four feet, I don't think you're going to be able to fit in the line drawn on the left that branches off of the passing swing, unless, of course, you're willing to taper the benchwork wider than 12-15" where it meets the current HCD.

Also, there was a discussion upthread about a wye, which I don't know whether you are planning to do.  If so, I don't think it will fit, because the three to four foot length of the extension won't allow enough length for the tail track.

DFF

[vt_railroad_guy]

JDB,

If you only have a depth of 12-15" and a length of three to four feet, I don't think you're going to be able to fit in the line drawn on the left that branches off of the passing swing, unless, of course, you're willing to taper the benchwork wider than 12-15" where it meets the current HCD.

Also, there was a discussion upthread about a wye, which I don't know whether you are planning to do.  If so, I don't think it will fit, because the three to four foot length of the extension won't allow enough length for the tail track.

DFF

DFF,

At the moment, plans for the wye and extension are on hold.  My modeling time is so limited right now that I decided to stick with what I had, but change the back side of the layout where I had planned to build a small yard and connection for a future extension.  When I glued down the main track, I installed a turnout on the front side of the layout that can act as a connection to a second door for staging when I'm ready.  On the back side, all I have is the Main track and the long pass.  This leaves me between 12 and 15 inches from the pass (which I assume is pretty much the same length as yours was) to the back drop, length wise, from curve to curve.  I would like to maintain some scenic seperation, so that's the only reason I was limiting the space to 3-4 feet.  I actually have a bit more than 5 feet I can use.

Edit:  I intended to take a picture of the area last night, but when I stepped into the back room where the layout resides I found Hurricaine Connor (my 20 month old) had apparently snuck in earlier that morning while my wife was taking a shower, climbed up on my HCD and had a grand ole time "running" the train.  When she came downstairs she found him sitting in the middle of my HCD surrounded by derailed cars and torn up track.    Providence was apparently with me, as it could have been much worse.  Only one car actually hit the ground, which I was able to reassemble, and within 30 minutes I had the track glued and pinned back in place.  A couple of laps this morning before I left for work confirmed I was back in business.  All excuses out of the way, I will get a picture tonight that better illustrates what I have to work with.

JDB