M&O LDE Challenge #2

[John]

Another area about 48 inches long. The power plant is there for an idea of the space. There is a turnout coming off the WM Main by the McDonalds truck ..  what say ye oh geniuses.

[cv_acr]

Is there a city/town here, or is this another remote location?

Remote: sawmill, pulpwood loading, scenery.

Town: could be anything depending on what's appropriate for the area, maybe a small mill (like a furniture factory) or a team track (although I wouldn't want to just shove in a team track in every location you've got a few spare inches.)  Or houses.

[DKS]

John, a section of track plan covering the areas in question might be helpful, as well as labels for the general locales they represent in life, assuming you've made those choices. Is the lower mainline C&O? Sorry, not as familiar with your layout as I should be.

[John]

the area in question is on the upper level track. it is supposed to be WMish.

The lower level trackage you see is a 2 track BO main, the third track is the yard lead to the other major yard on the layout. It is appalachian in nature .. but is just to the right of a town / industrial area. I expect this area will be more urban, albeit hilly. this is kind of a weird area for me, I was trying to hide the upper loop, which took up a lot of real estate ..

[DKS]

Well then I'd look at North Branch, MD as a source of inspiration. Just so happens the WM crosses over the B&O there, and it's on the outskirts of Cumberland, where there are several industries served by the WM, some still being served today. Former industries included Pittsburg Plate Glass, Celanese, and Beatty Trucking; today it's Superfos and the AES Warrior Run Power Plant, which receives coal (currently by truck, but don't tell anyone). So, you could make the whole space an extension of your industrial area ouside of town, with the power plant, a trucking facility and maybe a small manufacturer. Perhaps consider bringing the upper level forward more, with a steeper slope and possibly a rock cut along the B&O to give you a little more room. Perhaps bring in a road over a bridge by the end of the level in your second shot, where the retaining wall is.

If you had a piece of track plan or even a sketch, it would help with some fiddling.

Also knowing your era would help in making selections.

Reference.. http://www.wmwestsub.com/northbranch.htm

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=39.592081~-78.736267&style=h&lvl=15&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[wm3798]

You could make it the spooky old tuberculosis sanitorium above Sabillasville...  Just put up a creepy smokestack for the power house that received coal into the 1930's, then make it all abandoned...  Wouldn't generate much traffic, though...

Lee