Trenton Transportation Company

[DKS]

Another micro layout? Will I ever finish the other two (Jersey City Industrial and Hoboken Manufacturers)? Yes, and yes. Back story: life throws some curve balls at you sometimes. At the risk of TMI, the reason I've started the Trenton Transportation Company layout is all because of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection...

About a year ago I became involved with an animal rescue organization, and agreed to help them by purchasing a piece of land where they could build animal shelters. The DEP must approve such construction, however, and owing to the fact that there are some wetlands at the back of the property, they have put the project on hold while they inspect the land and evaluate our business plan. Woefully short-staffed, the DEP has postponed this process, setting our animal shelter project back by over a year. But we cannot wait that long. We found another property in South Jersey that is already built, signed, sealed and approved for the intended use. It's nearly two hours away, so I may be temporarily moving into a little apartment on the premises for a couple of months to supervise renovation. Both of my other mini-layouts are actually too large to take with me, so I developed a new plan to have something to work on while I'm on site.

Like the other layouts, the Trenton Transportation Company has its roots based (very loosely) in reality. It's also another urban industrial railroad, although the setting is relocated closer to home turf where I grew up. The TTC was inspired by the Trenton Traction Company, a trolley line connecting Trenton and Princeton that also served a few industries along the way; for example, almost up to the very end it delivered coal to the Lawrenceville school. It lasted until the early 60s, and was de-electrified in the 40s.

For for this new micro-layout, which measures only 27 x 16 inches, I've picked a few landmarks from my college days and mixed them together with industries based on ones typically found in Trenton back in the day; the temporal setting is the 50s. Despite its size, it has a total capacity of 14 freight cars: 4 at Union Rubber, 2 at Capitol Coal and 2 at Greene Pottery, plus 6 on the runaround. With Greene Pottery on the runaround, ops will probably get pretty messy. Track is Tomix Fine Track, which I've ordered from Japan. I was going to use Unitrack, but the Tomix track actually worked out better. Except for the track, this layout is being built almost entirely of leftovers from the other two layouts.

[VonRyan]

I like it! I've wishfully eyed Tomix track since it seems to have so much potential for making small layouts.
I was actually thinking about doing the JCI in Tomix track, but couldn't seem to make the plan work, regardless of the 60 piece limit of the trial version. Thought about the HMR in Tomix, but haven't had the time to take a stab at the plan.

I'll be following this with much interest.


-Cody F.

[Chris333]

Ha Ha 

Next layout built around a single 6" piece of sectional track!

[DKS]

Jersey City Industrial in Tomix Fine Track:



Hoboken Manufacturers in Tomix Fine Track:

[wm3798]

What you need to do is design them so they can ultimately link together to make a single tiny layout!

As always, a pleasure to watch your mind work...

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Nifty!

Also nifty that South Jersey brings you even closer to the DMV a$$hat Brigade.

Where in SJ?

[DKS]

Carney's Point.

[VonRyan]

Jersey City Industrial in Tomix Fine Track:



Hoboken Manufacturers in Tomix Fine Track:

I forgot to mention that I was attempting to shrink the footprint. 

[rickb773]

Carney's Point.

You can now keep me supplied with pictures of what used to be one the PRSL's main branch lines. Just don't breathe too much of that DuPont air!

[DKS]

I forgot to mention that I was attempting to shrink the footprint. 

Why didn't you say so...

HMR @ 22 x 34:



JCI @ 18 x 39:



And if you really want to get absurd, here's the HMR at 16 x 27:



Note that the grade would likely require rack track.

[DKS]

Next layout built around a single 6" piece of sectional track!

There's always this...

[VonRyan]

Why didn't you say so...

HMR @ 22 x 34:

JCI @ 18 x 39:

And if you really want to get absurd, here's the HMR at 16 x 27:

Note that the grade would likely require rack track.

Because for a library, the one at my college can be quite noisy even in the "quite study area".

The rack track one is intriguing. Of course, at that size you couldn't fit too many buildings in there. It'd more than likely have to be like one giant industry.

I'm going to have to keep these in mind.

[Greyryder]

So, stupid question; Why not make a narrow shelf switcher, a foot or so deep? Give it some easily removed staging tracks out the ends that can double as switching leads. It could even be added to one of your other layouts, later on.

[DKS]

Because for a library, the one at my college can be quite noisy even in the "quite study area".

I was being facetious...

The rack track one is intriguing. Of course, at that size you couldn't fit too many buildings in there. It'd more than likely have to be like one giant industry.

Well, if that's the size range you're after, then I wouldn't bother with that plan--I did it more as an exercise, knowing full well it was totally absurd. Why not just use the TTC plan? It's the same size and far more sensible.

So, stupid question; Why not make a narrow shelf switcher, a foot or so deep? Give it some easily removed staging tracks out the ends that can double as switching leads. It could even be added to one of your other layouts, later on.

Not a stupid question. My goal was to make the smallest roundy-round (with switching) feasible, with curves that weren't impossibly tight, and enough room for some half-decent structures. I also wasn't concerned about compatibility with the other layouts because they're all different eras/seasons.

[OldEastRR]

I'd be interested to see a tiny layout plan that had the passing track along the long axis of the benchwork, even if that meant a slightly wider layout. I'd expect curved turnouts to be used for this arrangement. A passing track on the long side would eliminate any need of switchbacks to industries inside the loop, yet still allow spurs to come off the main on the opposite side.