Essex branch HO v4

[nuno81291]

Continuing some work on the fascia, valence, backdrop, some basic terraforming and a first quick and dirty pass at ground cover. Very pleased with how it is turning out, and my new go to earth color paint from HD. I am working my way around with fascia today, and hopefully tonight can start roughing in the town and canal area base and perhaps terraforming. We just received a few inches of snow and my leaf litter supply is running low, will need to stock up when we get a met next. My goal is to get very rough basic ground cover finished around the tracks this week and then fire her up again for testing. If after a week or so of testing and structure building I will go ahead and order ballast. I do not want to be tempted ballasting before I am sure all the kinks have been ironed out.  So far so good in that regard but if I have learned one thing in all my aborted layouts it’s that relocating or leveling a track is much less painful pre ballast.

[nuno81291]

Well..... After much internal debate about the shortcomings of the layout as is I have come up with a rough plan of Essex v3.0. In short, after finishing remodeling the rest of the basement we were able to move our living room setup out of the train/modeling area. This led me to wonder what I could do better now that there are no obstructions such as couches, coffee table etc. In conjunction with this I have been doing more research into OPs and have decided that at the least I would need to change my yard. Now to maximize space in the yard as a marshaling yard for local freights I decided it had to be moved to the other wall. This would let me have only 2 points of exiting the on scene portion of the layout, as opposed to the second track on the swing bridge. Using that previous track as a yard lead put you invariably into the canal area which I was unhappy with the concept of how that side lead puts you at the other end of the town... a true circular affair. Anyways, with the wifes blessing I began tearing up track last night and decided the plan was ready enough to show TRW for critique.




The main idea behind this revision is to create as long as practical yard with some common design elements such as: a true drill/lead track that can keep from fouling the main. I made the yard double ended because I cannot envision much longer than a 10ft train being worked (it is also my practical limitation for staging). I decided to use a compound ladder such as the local yard in Lawrence MA. I have kept the roundhouse and TT (albeit reduced to 6 stall). with 2 large engine/TT leads for fuel/sand/engine ready. In the old yard space I turned into a yard limits industry TBD. I moved the bridge/river scene over and included a small peninsula to simulate a cut off branch such as the Lowell Hill Branch out of Lawrence yard. The Wye in the top goes to a stub end staging yard. This lets me treat the back Wye area as a main for continuous running with a passing siding, and of course access to staging from both logical ends of the layout. The other big feature will be a helix to a composite branch line that will sit on the lower level. I am not at all certain of industry layout down below so I will leave that out of the discussion for now.

Anyways it would be great if anyone could point out any deficiencies or ideas pertaining to the new yard design.

Thanks for looking,

Mike

[MVW]

Possible need for a runaround track in the branch/industrial park? Or are you approaching that in a counter-clockwise direction?

Jim

[nuno81291]

The industrial park could certainly get a runaround, as far as that and he yard limits industry goes I just threw a broad curve and a few T/Os as a rough sketch, nothing in stone. I believe there is no run around on the Branch i mentioned and they are forced to shove. Thanks for the comment

[coosvalley]

I do see something I do not think you'll be very happy with- The yard around a 90* degree corner. I would focus on getting it in a straight area, and tweak from there. I think a curved switch lead for the yard would work much better, as most coupling/uncoupling would happen in the yard. I know that couplers can be teased into the right spot, but are you going to want to do that with every move in the yard?

[nuno81291]

That is a good thought, perhaps with some playing around I can move the bulk of the track to the lower wall which is the longest straight and the ladders to either side. I will have to shift my station and river scene but it would probably be worth it for improved operation.

[nuno81291]

I am seeking advice with the current yard design. I am not happy with my engine service/TT lead ladder in relation to the main compound ladder on that side. Not sure if that runaround is necessary but would seem like a good idea to have for any shoving on to the Aux tracks on that side. The side does not have a runaround as a yard switcher on that side could shove toward the aux and any incoming terminating trains power can cut off and run around to the engine service area. The way I see it I have a main, 2 a/d, 3 class and a thoroughfare to the aux/engine service and the industrial branch on the other side. The longest A/D track can handle about 16 x 50' cars with 2 engines  and is about as long as staging as I can fit. this is acceptable length for how small the layout would be. I intend to use the 3 class tracks as a NB/SB and Local tracks. I am unsure of my industry layouts so far and how many cars would be on the layout+ staging at any point.

Any comments regarding the yard design is welcome

Mike

[nuno81291]

This week we took down the old layout. While I iron out some details on the track plan for rev 3 I got my hands dirty taking a small piece of the first layout I saved to turn into a programming track/diorama. Fun to do some actual modeling again. Debating a small single industry shelf to hold me over while I mull rev 3.0.

[nuno81291]

Progress on the DCC programming track mini diorama/technique test. My goal is to have a small test of the epoxy resin water again as the new layout will feature a canal (hopefully one that gets sceniced this time  )

As well as various ground cover techniques I am going to try on it. I will be using a different blue but had a rattle can I decided to use for expediency.

I have a few locos I haven’t tuned yet that this track will come in handy for shortly.











In layout news I have decided on a general idea and rough track plan and built some freestanding benchwork for the new layout. The goal was to be sturdy, freestanding and err toward overbuilt rather than under. The top shelf will have a small industrial branch with a small yard loosely based on existing and abandoned branches around me here in MA. The upper level will have a virtual interchange to the bottom leve in the form of a small cassette. The lower level will feature a small city with various features stitched together from prototypes around me again. There will be a track that acts as the yard/branch interchange.

[jpec]

The upper level will have a virtual interchange to the bottom leve in the form of a small cassette.

I visited an O Scale layout last weekend that used a 20' long elevator track to lift trains between levels. It worked flawlessly.

Your test track scenery is looking great!

[nuno81291]

Thanks! I spent a ton of time mulling over a small helix but ultimately decided to observe KISS principles.. I am confident I could build a good helix but for my purposes a small cassette to move a doubled local (~10 50’ cars) a small cassette turned out to be easier.

Today I managed to get most of the backdrop up other than the peninsula divider. One side will be the yard and the other a spur to a bakery.




I also have just about finished installing the turntable to the new benchwork. I am still mulling over how many stalls, somewhere between 3-6 but kind of leaning to 5 to keep it as a semi small terminal feel. Sort of like the yard in north Walpole or the very old Salem yard/Castle hill area.

[nuno81291]

And I managed to get the center divider up:









The divider will be sceniced with an overpass and sort of tunnel of trees with the infamous waterworks section of the Watertown branch represented to Newlyweds Bakery.

Here is a photo of what to expect there:

[nuno81291]

Managed to get a base coat of background paint on. Much more pleasant to look at as I do a final leveling of the backdrop. I also mocked up a few structures I have.

Gelatin plant:


Paperboard mfg:



Looking toward town area and an undecided industry.




Town area/abandoned Depot and lumber yard in foreground:





Going to enjoy the day with a cookout and hopefully the last bit of saw work I need for this level so I can move on to roughing some track arrangements. I will start at the far side of the gelatin plant and work my way toward the yard as I am less sure about the track arrangement in the yard.

[nuno81291]

Making lots of progress on the bakery branch with the beginning of the kitbash on the walthers bakery kit as well as some hypothesizing on what will be placed structure wise at the intersection that represents cottage st on the 1:1. Here is a look at the area of the over pass and rough trackage. I am going to continue rough scenery into this area next after the bakery proper is finished.

I have added the grade to the parking lot ala the 1:1, the major difference being the prototype structure has an enclosed space for the covered hoppers they used to receive, I decided to model it as uncovered with some freight doors, as I have another large industry that has a covered spur and did not want to have 2. I am using lance mindheims example of a bakery to add a few other car types, also departing from the service the 1:1 bakery used to receive. This will let me add tank cars or box cars in addition to covered hoppers. Here are some photos of the prototype as well.

[OldEastRR]

My first time looking at this thread. I have IE Windows 7. None of your pictures from page 1 through the first quarter of page 8 are displaying. After that, I get all of them. Just a note.