PRR/Conrail Juniata Division Engineering Report

[Dave V]

Maybe...  But I kinda like the idea of having finished scenes available while I expand.

The existing JD needs some trackwork, no doubt.  Maybe a tune-up, maybe a replacement.  We'll see.  I do think I want to add a third track at Lewistown...that won't be hard to do.  But what will likely happen is that instead of heading into the tunnel off Spruce Creek Bridge, the track will instead swing to the left on to new layout real estate.  The track coming from Lewistown would exit a tunnel perpendicular to the existing layout edge.  From there there'd briefly be four parallel tracks.  I'd put them up on a four-track wide six-barrel arch bridge and call it Duncannon (View Interlocking, or CP Cannon for Conrail).

@trainbuff1 Todd Treater's layout is also built for railfanning, similar to Neal Schorr's O scale Middle Division.

[Dave V]

Okay, please pardon my handwriting and drawing...  I did just have surgery on my writing hand three days ago!  Anyway, this is kinda what I was thinking (it comes out to 10' x 9'):



@Ed Kapuscinski is going to ask what my goal for expanding the layout is, and my answer is twofold:

1)  Expand the mainline run so trains take longer to negotiate the layout.
2)  Add run-through staging to make changing trains on the mainline much simpler.

Also, at the bottom left I didn't finish writing (where it says "ST") but that's going to be a couple of Walthers Vulcan kits resembling the Bethlehem Steel Steelton rail plant.

[wazzou]

Looks similar to the plan you and DKS were hashing out some time ago, yes?

[Dave V]

Looks similar to the plan you and DKS were hashing out some time ago, yes?

Same basic idea, yes.

Oh, and more Pennsy fun:

There is a little wheel slip 21 seconds in...26 cars and a 13.75" radius curve after all!

[davefoxx]

Two options:

1) Move the Enola shops back to connect to the staging yards and get rid of those three short stub tracks, saving you the real estate where Enola is in your plan for something a little more scenic; or
2) Scrap Enola from the plan entirely, again, saving space for something more scenic.  Call the staging yard "Enola."

Rationale: The Enola Yard you have drawn doesn't do justice to the prototype, and it may even be smaller than the yard you have now.  So, what's its purpose?  I have a feeling your inclusion is primarily for those shops and to display road power.  That's why I'd move it back to connect with the staging, where it's needed.  While the staging won't be for much classification, it will still have the look of a PRR yard.  Again, call the staging yard "Enola."

I'm beginning to realize that you and I have a similar vision when it comes to our givens and druthers for a layout.  Don't waste all that expansion area on staging and a class yard, because, like me, you're primarily a roundy-round guy.  That's why I tore my expansion down.  My class yard was not efficient, and I now realize that I would just do better with a bunch of double-ended sidings for staging.  That takes up less space than a class yard anyway.  Use that space where you have Enola drawn now for some other PRR scene, rather than just a yard.  For example, you could use an interchange!

Hope this helps,
DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

I like Dave F's suggestions...

Shatcan Enola (classification), expand your staging, call it Enola and connect your loco service to that.

Where Enola is now just make it a town.  As a matter of fact I seem to recall there was a rendition of this plan where there was a town there.

[Dave V]

Hmm...  Yeah, the shops are there just to display power and look sexy.  To be honest I got the idea from Todd Treater who placed some shop buildings at the end of his enormous freaking Enola staging.

I do like the idea of doing a town there.  We talked about Huntingdon in a previous rendition.  Huntingdon gives you the Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain interchange (the first few miles of which is still intact today, so it works for Conrail) plus the paper mill I've already built, plus a tower/depot scene.  The tower and depot are scratchbuild projects because they're very distinct.

Then again, my version of Enola would give me an excuse to hang catenary for part of the mainline run.

Then again again, the Middle Division was full of @Ed Kapuscinski's "negative space."  I could have the track follow a nice sweeping S curve through rolling farmland.

[Missaberoad]

Then again again, the Middle Division was full of @Ed Kapuscinski's "negative space."  I could have the track follow a nice sweeping S curve through rolling farmland.

I think this would add alot more to the plan then more yards.
The top left corner of the plan by the one end of the staging yard could likely incorporate some sort of Locomotive service/storage...

[Dave V]

I'm liking this rolling farmland plan...  An excuse for some Bluford corn.  Could have the track sweep around a broad S curve on a fill with a Pennsy-style culvert.

[davefoxx]

I'm liking this rolling farmland plan...  An excuse for some Bluford corn.  Could have the track sweep around a broad S curve on a fill with a Pennsy-style culvert.

Until I blew out a calf muscle again running this week (I ran a half-marathon last month, so there goes that training ), I've been running on a trail in Newark, Delaware that parallels the Northeast Corridor.  The path runs right beside one of those stone PRR culverts.  On the keystone, this one's dated 1915!

DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

I get the gentle "S" curve...


But for me (yeah just me) I'd go with a town, if nothing more than to give trains a reason to stop and I could model another variation of a PRR station there along with maybe a couple buildings that I'm not displaying elsewhere.

[Dave V]

I just fear I'd fall into the same trap again, trying to fit in too much stuff and making it all too crowded and non-functional.

[wazzou]

You mean more crowded than it looks as drawn?   

[MichaelWinicki]

I just fear I'd fall into the same trap again, trying to fit in too much stuff and making it all too crowded and non-functional.

Understood.

But you'd have distance between the 2 towns. 

And the new town would be separated from staging by a view block.

Again I get the wanting to have a simple design.  But being able to showcase other PRR equipment/infrastructure isn't a bad thing either. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Less is more.