After taking a brief break from thinking about this I worked in another option. I took the second, smaller, elevator LDE out and replaced it with a yard LDE. Here is the plan of it:
(Overview)
(Just a bit zoomed in)
What I have here is the line coming out of staging, through a helix, in the top left. The first LDE is based on Sidney, IL and the Premier Grain complex. This is actually on the NS line, interchanging with the UP just outside of town. I swapped this elevator to the UP line, mostly because it is relatively local to me and not huge. It is drawn roughly 75% of actually size.
The line then continues through midwestern farm land around the bend and enters the second LDE, based on Villa Grove, IL. I believe this is a crew change point on the UP, trains tying up the crossings, sometimes hours at a time. Again, I picked this because it has a small yard. From top to bottom, I assume the main, a passing track, 3 arrival/departure tracks, and 4 storage/sorting tracks. This LDE is drawn at roughly 50% of actual size. The yard office is shown, and the short stub track in front of it usually has a couple locos parked on it.
Again the line continues out of the yard, through farm fields, around the turnback, and enters the third LDE, based on Tuscola, IL. No industry here but the UP does interchange with Decatur and Eastern Illinois (shown as the line along the back drop). They have a unique track arraignment, which honestly I haven't figured out the switching process there. I think I've mentioned before it gets a lot of traffic, as I will go by different times of the day and there is different cars set out there. On the other hand, sometimes they sit there for several days at a time too without moving. Sometimes there is a bunch of cars west of the turnout with maybe 1 car east, other times there is a bunch east with no cars or 1 car to the west. I don't know. . . . On the west side of Tuscola, UP and DEI join together to cross the CN line (old IC Chicago to New Orleans), then the DEI branches off again to Decatur and Up continues on, in my case to staging.
The drawn DEI lines goes to a completely freelanced industrial area, which I'm still not sold on. . . . Any thoughts on this area would be appreciated.
Ops with this I would imagine would have both eastbound and westbound through trains, some may stop in Villa Grove for crew change, some won't. A couple will stop there to set off or pick up cars. Villa Grove yard would work the Premier complex in Sidney to the east and the Tuscola interchange to the west. Finally, DEI will stage a train in the backdrop, work the industrial park and the Tuscola interchange.
This gives some mainline train running, and some slower speed switching ops, depending on my mood, and whether there are extra operators or guests.
One of my big questions for someone smarter than me is if the elevations would work. The helix would obviously be able to get the main line down to staging below. But the other end I would like the line to gradually drop so when it goes into the backdrop it can meet up with staging. I plan staging to be along the wall below the elevator. The yard would obviously have to be level. There is several feet past the elevator that can be on a grade, but the staging is still under that area. Tuscola LDE can probably be on a grade somewhat, but the interchange area would need to be level. It it possible to make this transition? Can anyone help with identifying benchmarks for the elevations?
I'm not 100% set on this, one key aspect is I want to keep these three LDE's as close to prototype as possible. So if the elevation won't work and things need to be changed, I'm not opposed to looking at different benchwork footprints and track plans. Also, again would like to continue to refine the industrial branch.
Thanks for your time and thoughts!
Mike
