Best Of Yard Layouts

[DKS]

I design houses for a living... trust me on this one.

I trust you, I trust you. It was just a thought.

Anyway, it looks like the whole yard can be about 50% shallower than drawn in my rough sketch, which has tracks spaced 2-3 inches or more apart. Track planning software confirms that everything compresses down considerably, and everything still fits, so you may end up with room for much more other stuff, like industries or towns or just scenery, if that's appealing.

[davefoxx]

The closet is where it is.  I put it there so that the room could serve as a bedroom.  The wall is paneled with bead board, which isn't easily patched, the room on the other side has a steeper ceiling pitch and the wall that would end up with door is the only vertical surface in the room that can be used as a wall...  That room also already has a closet.  I design houses for a living... trust me on this one.

Yes, the closet creates a rather formidable "work around" but it's not going to get changed at this point.

It's a shame that the closet isn't a little bit wider, so that a bypass door could be used rather than the bifold door.  You know, they used to make closet doors that accordioned.  Admittedly, they weren't the most beautiful doors in the world, but that, or a curtain, might be an option to replace the bifold door and make the benchwork a heck of a lot easier to design, build, and maintain.

Dave

Dave

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Forget scenery! I want more class tracks!

[wm3798]

What you need is more class... ;D

One more word about the closet and I'm going to start shooting people.

Lee

[DKS]

One more word about the closet and I'm going to start shooting people.

Closet. <<ducks>>

A little techy, there, Lee?

[DKS]

Forget scenery! I want more class tracks!

As it stands, six class tracks fit the available space pretty snugly. One more track may be possible, but then the ladders start getting kind of ugly.

I'll post a track-planner version of the plan after lunch.

[DKS]

Things were fine until I added the roundhouse. Then it blew up. I was able to compensate, but man, that roundhouse is just a space-sucking monster.

However... it occurred to me that, since the key elements of the yard are physically symmetrical, how about just making it a mirror image? This would keep the roundhouse away from the closet, and put the narrowest, simplest part there instead...

[wm3798]

David, that's a fine piece of work there!  I think you've got it nailed, round house and all!  Since I've got 39" to work with before the closet door, There appears to be only one turnout that fouls the tectonic plate fault line that will be required, and it looks to be a secondary use, so it should be easy to relocate.  The round house looks to be closer to what I want than any previous iteration, too.  I can also see where a couple of stub end class tracks could easily be added to deal with locals...  This is very good.

Now, pull a material list so I can do a budget and start filing for infrastructure grants under the stimulus plan... ;D

(well, it is a major transportation project, isn't it?)

Lee

[asciibaron]

You know, they used to make closet doors that accordioned. 

i'm going to be removing 2 of these style doors and replacing them with curtains or something with a flat profile when open. 

-Steve

[wm3798]

The problem is not the door itself... it's the stuff that has to move in and out of it.  Besides, those accordion looking doors are ugly, and  for the record, I've ruled out hanging love beads, a zebra pelt, or plastic sheeting over the opening too. :

F. Lloyd Wright

[DKS]

David, that's a fine piece of work there!  I think you've got it nailed, round house and all!  Since I've got 39" to work with before the closet door, There appears to be only one turnout that fouls the tectonic plate fault line that will be required, and it looks to be a secondary use, so it should be easy to relocate.  The round house looks to be closer to what I want than any previous iteration, too.  I can also see where a couple of stub end class tracks could easily be added to deal with locals...  This is very good.

Now, pull a material list so I can do a budget and start filing for infrastructure grants under the stimulus plan... ;D

(well, it is a major transportation project, isn't it?)

Lee

Lee, glad you like it. The RH and TT are Cornerstone templates. Here are the materials (subject to some variances--such as sectional track, which is used for positioning purposes only and can be substituted with flex):

number   Article no.   Description   per ($)   Total ($)
57   000   flex track   0.00   0.00
1   At-2002   6" Straight (5 Elements required)   3.95   3.95
1   At-2030   30.609" Radius Curve (3 Elements required)   3.95   3.95
9   At-2050   #5 Left Turnout   9.95   89.55
12   At-2051   #5 Right Turnout   9.95   119.40
4   At-2052   #7 Left Turnout   9.95   39.80
4   At-2053   #7 Right Turnout   9.95   39.80
5   At-2054   #10 Left Turnout   13.95   69.75
3   At-2055   #10 Right Turnout   13.95   41.85
4   Cn-3202   Union City Roundhouse   25.98   103.92
1   Cn-3203   Manual Turntable   24.98   24.98
      Total (11 Articles)      536.95

[wm3798]

I'm going to scratchbuild the round house, and I already have a turntable (the 130' built up... might need to add 2" to the diameter there...) so that saves $130 right off the top!

Of course, I want to automate a lot of the switches, so that'll add a bunch of tortoises...  Whatev... I was figuring about $1K... so it's still not too far off.

I'm also thinking I'll add a full interlocking on the double main in the back to effectively create space for four separate trains, or two trains and a thru route.... handy for staging things like coal drags.

Thanks again.  Now submit the drawings to Ed for final comments, then we start filing for permits and  letting contracts!

Lee

[DKS]

I already have a turntable (the 130' built up... might need to add 2" to the diameter there...)

No problem, there's room.

Note that the flex track count is probably artificially inflated because I used anchor points for alignment, and this breaks the flex sections up into more parts than is needed. A little pencil and paper work might produce a more accurate figure.

BTW, if you or Ed use Right Track planning software, I can email the RAL file to fiddle with.

[wm3798]

I've got RTS... I think Ed's Mac-tarded...  You can send me the file.  I really appreciate the thought and time you've put into it.  Next time you're back east, let me know... I'll let you hostle engines or something!

Lee

[asciibaron]

The problem is not the door itself... it's the stuff that has to move in and out of it.  Besides, those accordion looking doors are ugly, and  for the record, I've ruled out hanging love beads, a zebra pelt, or plastic sheeting over the opening too. :

F. Lloyd Wright

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