Missouri Pacific Arkansas Division, Hoxie Sub-Jacksonville Industrial Park

[MichaelT]

Greetings and Merry Christmas to all!
It's been awhile since I posted here but I have been keeping up with some excellent modeling projects. I had become a tad frustrated with my N scale abilities (and some other things that you folks don't need to be bored with) but after reading through some of the ongoing threads I’ve decided that I don’t want to sit on the sidelines any longer, and even if it’s just an hour or two per week I want to start getting a railroad up and running again. Plus, through our LHS Christmas sale this season I picked up three Centralia Car Shops MP Eagle passenger cars (Cascade Pinnacle, Cascade Slope, and Cascade Slope) and a Wheels of Time T&P baggage car which just begs to be ran (actually it’s running on a small temporary loop as we speak with a LL GP18 at the point). A rough track plan is below (I've just made lines fit using available track in RR Track; I'll be able to widen some of the tight curves with flex track.


 
This will be a loose representation of the Missouri Pacific Hoxie Subdivision that ran(and runs now for the Union Pacific Railroad) from North Little Rock, AR northeast to St. Louis, MO. The section I'm modeling is NLR Jenks Yard (only three tracks - will be west staging) to Jacksonville's industrial district (Jacksonville being my home town) to Bald Knob, AR (east staging), with interchange continuing to St. Louis, MO and interchange at Bald Knob to Memphis, TN. The main section is a 40" x 82" 1x4 framed section with 1-1/2" of blue extruded foam. I plan on adding another two layers of the blue foam to get a 3" foam base to work with (We can't get the 2" extruded foam in my neck of the woods) The staging module is 24” x 60”, and there is the possibility of adding another module that would be 24”x 96” to make a U shaped layout, but that is in the future (I want to work on the 40”x82” and 24”x60” for now to get a layout started and working well.

I'm starting to assemble some research on time tables and getting some information from the MPHS folks in the area to help take this layout back to the early/mid 1970's, after passenger service for the MP but will run one Eagle passenger train east and west during operations. Early passenger stops on this line were Little Rock Union Station, Bald Knob, Newport, Walnut Ridge, and Poplar Bluff, MO. Train 22 ran North from Little Rock, departing at 6:25am (from a 1977 timetable) and getting to Poplar Bluff, MO at 9:35am, then the return trip was train 21 South, departing Poplar Bluff, MO at 6:15pm and arriving into Little Rock, AR at 9:35pm. Also a majority of the track from NLR through north of Jacksonville is double mainline, not sure if I’ll keep that or make some of it single main at this point (depends on track availability).

The industries serviced in Jacksonville were a paper/cardboard box company, a chemical company, an aluminum products manufacturer, a small gravel dealer, and I'm adding a siding to a cabinet company that was in the Jacksonville industrial park even though the cabinet company in reality did not have rail service (I like the idea of bringing lumber from the Doniphan lumber mill to the cabinet company then shipping out finished products to either NLR or Bald Knob for further service. I’m also researching the Air Force base in Jacksonville and how much rail traffic was generated there, although right now I don’t know if I can add much more than probably a team track to represent the base with my current space.

Track will be mostly Atlas c80 (and possibly some c55 thrown in too if I have enough) ; the minimum radius will be 11” on some industrial sidings, and 18-20” radius on the mainline turns. I hope I have enough #6 and #7 turnouts to put on the mainline and will use #4’s and #5’s on the staging tracks. After searching through David Smith’s track plans, I really like the Tincup and Fire Mountain design, and the 40x82 section will resemble that layout somewhat. I’m contemplating putting a diamond in for access to the Bald Knob staging (east tracks) and to access a grain company and small fuel depot at Bald Knob.

At this time I’m not sure if I’ll tackle the return loop in the design, although it would make a great return point  to the NLR Jenks yard from the mainline.
 
Current motive power will be F3A-B, GP38's, GP40's,GP18, GP9 and GP7 and I will be looking for an AB set of F7’s or a PA1 in MP paint and for some passenger runs a 2-8-0 Consolidation steamer will be added in 2014. These locomotives will vary as I seek out some MP locomotives that were in use during the 70's and sell/trade/barter some of the non MP locomotives I have currently. Eventually I'm planning on the entire layout being DCC with a Digitrax Super Chief, although about 1/2 of my locomotives are currently DC only. I'll be adding decoders as finances allow or will be searching for locomotives with DCC already installed. Two locomotives that will be going to the sales rack will be my Atlas SP GP9 (DC) and a new Bachmann B&O GP7 (DCC). 

At this point all the trackage is flat. That might change but for now I'm planning on making elevations and landscape differences away from the tracks to take away the total flatland look (even though most of the area is relatively flat between NLR and Bald Knob).
So after the holiday season I'll be uploading some construction pictures and see where this project leads.
michael

[MichaelT]

So with the start of this (right now it's just blue foam and a temporary loop running my new passenger consist), I'm up for suggestions, advice, changes, updates, what if's, and whatever else anyone will offer.

michael

[MichaelT]

Ok, already edit #1 here;



Added a runaround near the Doniphan Lumber branchline (top of picture). That shifted the lines a bit but nothing too bad.

[MichaelT]

Here are the Eagle coaches that will make up passenger trains 21 and 22 on the Hoxie Sub.

[MichaelT]

After taking the Mrs. to work this morning I was making a shopping list for turnouts. I need to ask some of you guys who have good working yards (even though these are going to be two small staging yards), would #4 turnouts be ok to use in the yard ladders? Speed will not be an issue in the yard and by using #4 turnouts in both the NLR and Bald Knob staging, I can lengthen and even add one more track to both yards, giving me four tracks to use for assembling trains for the Hoxie Sub.

I've reworked the track plan with #4 turnouts and put some escape crossovers in the NLR staging.



I also added one more industrial siding west of the Doniphan Branch which will probably represent Beebe on the line.

[Scottl]

I like the layout, but I wonder if you need to think about some kind of runaround in the East yard, and I would lengthen the entire yard as much as possible since it looks shorter than the west.  Maybe a curved turnout coming in to Bad Knob to get the ladder started earlier and give more space. 

The expansion potential is good so I think you have a winner.

[MichaelT]

Ok, I cleaned up the Doniphan branch/Beebe area a little bit which I think will work better for the runaround and extending it a little.

Also, switched the Doniphan Lumber Co sidings with the fuel depot, needed more space for the lumber co. so it has moved to the inside sidings.

[MichaelT]

I like the layout, but I wonder if you need to think about some kind of runaround in the East yard, and I would lengthen the entire yard as much as possible since it looks shorter than the west.  Maybe a curved turnout coming in to Bad Knob to get the ladder started earlier and give more space. 

The expansion potential is good so I think you have a winner.

Thanks Scott, I agree and will add a runaround in the east staging also. Not sure if my LHS has a c80 curved turnout but I'll look when I go. I can move the first turnout back to the end of the curve to extend the entire yard about 12".

[Bobster]

Michael,

I like the layout.  I see good opportunities for running and switching.  My question is can you reach the back of your layout?  I ask because in my experience I tend to have an occasional derailment at a switch and you have several that appear to be about three feet in from the edge.  I'm assuming 1 foot squares.  I don't know all your scenery plans but this would be a concern to me.

Happy modeling,
Bob

[Scottl]

I'm not sure about code 80 curved turnouts either, I only know they (in theory!) exist for Atlas code 55.  Even without a curved turnout, you could get a little more length in the yard.

[MichaelWinicki]

Looks like an interesting design there MichaelT.

I'm not big on the connecting trackage through the center of the layout... I think it takes away from the design.

Now if you want to be able to turn loco's & trains, I would move the engine house and add a 3rd leg to the existing tracking and create a "Y".  It would offer a much better look for the overall design.

[MichaelT]

Looks like an interesting design there MichaelT.

I'm not big on the connecting trackage through the center of the layout... I think it takes away from the design.

Now if you want to be able to turn loco's & trains, I would move the engine house and add a 3rd leg to the existing tracking and create a "Y".  It would offer a much better look for the overall design.

Thanks Michael,

Honestly I'm not a big fan of connecting either, but to be true to the original I added it for now until I decide for good. If it goes away that will allow for a better scenic break from one side of the peninsula to the other. I'm not all concerned about turning trains; running a diesel fleet I can run them either way as long as I can runaround the train and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to. I'm not planning on long trains at all, even the passenger run will be four or five cars at the most.
I like the wye idea though...gonna see how that looks in the plan when I get back from the LHS.

[MichaelT]

Michael,

I like the layout.  I see good opportunities for running and switching.  My question is can you reach the back of your layout?  I ask because in my experience I tend to have an occasional derailment at a switch and you have several that appear to be about three feet in from the edge.  I'm assuming 1 foot squares.  I don't know all your scenery plans but this would be a concern to me.

Happy modeling,
Bob

Bob, the layout height is 42" (the modules rest on metal shelving, which will help some of the family children and friends children see the layout without having to use a step stool). So far I can reach every point on the layout with ease. The 40x82 section is accessible from three sides, and the 24x60 section is against the wall, but at 24" I can easily reach the wall. This RR track program is nice but I think some of the dimensions are not quite accurate, but it's what I have to work with so I use it as best I can. In reality, once I start laying track and fiddling with changes, the end product will probably look much different than the paper plan. Even with the scenery plan of trees and small ridges, I'll still be able to reach that back turnout against the wall on the 40x82 section.

michael

[MichaelT]

So gents put your design caps on;

If the connecting trackage mid layout goes away, what would you do instead? More town? a park with a lake? Some small ridges or minor mountainous terrain? I am leaning on taking that return loop out so need some ideas.

michael

[DKS]

I'm not big on the connecting trackage through the center of the layout... I think it takes away from the design.

Now if you want to be able to turn loco's & trains, I would move the engine house and add a 3rd leg to the existing tracking and create a "Y".  It would offer a much better look for the overall design.

The track across the center is not so much for turning trains as it is to provide classic "out-and-back" operations. A wye would not offer the same option.

So I guess this bit the dust? It was a more interesting-looking plan, IMO, and IIRC it was partially built.