The other day it occured to me that one of my onetrak modules, the interchange one, just wasn't working out the way I was hoping. It just didn't do it aesthetically, and while it was marginally useful in the context of the BANTRAK layout, it could be better.
So on the drive home from Philly the other day I decided I was going to redo it into an extension of my other onetrak module. The goal is to add in some much needed yard space, and another industry that's just as large as the one we'd be losing.
The existing module was initially designed to be half of a switching layout. As a result, it has a tiny yard that extends off the end. I wanted to build this out a bit, adding in two more tracks and bringing the ones I have back into the main. The old yard is visible in the background here:
While it might make sense to simply put in a reverse ladder at the other end, the BANTRAK layout has a number of double tracked modules, and this set can operate inside them. This meant either having to put in a crossover at the end (which would feel "weird", and eat up a foot of yard space), or just tail one track into the main, and stretch the other one around outside it to match up with the second main on the next module.
I mocked the whole thing up last night on some fresh styrofoam.
The track on the right is the industry. I'm thinking of doing an auto parts plant or a paper warehouse (since the paper mill that's usually on the layout is going away). The building itself will probably be in the style of the American Can Company, or David Smith's awesome "Model Factory" project. The question is, will the Bluford 86' cars run reliably around the layout?
The next track is the "main" that runs through the whole thing. Next up to the left is the center "passing siding", followed by a stub end track that also doubles as the number two main when there are multi-track modules setup next to it. The last two sidings are simple single ended storage tracks.
This configuration will give us, at least, someplace that trains can "go to" when running on the branch, and will still provide some switching ops.
Here are a few more pics:
