PRR/Conrail Juniata Division Engineering Report

[Dave V]

What I'm thinking...  Each square grid box is 12" x 12" and the rectangles are 12" x 8".  I can salvage some of the "notch" to extend Enola.

Not happy about the staging capacity yet, though.  This uses a minimum 13.75" radius, though.

[davefoxx]

Staging capacity.  Yeah, you're running into the same problem that I have, except that my layout extension is approximately 25" longer than yours.  In other words, you're really taking a hit and you're going to have less capacity than the existing version of Enola.  I don't know how the layout fits in the room or what the room dimensions are.  Are you sure there's no way to lengthen the extension?  Can you turn the layout in the room?  This may take further thought and some creativity.

DFF

[Dave V]

Staging capacity.  Yeah, you're running into the same problem that I have, except that my layout extension is approximately 25" longer than yours.  In other words, you're really taking a hit and you're going to have less capacity than the existing version of Enola.  I don't know how the layout fits in the room or what the room dimensions are.  Are you sure there's no way to lengthen the extension?  Can you turn the layout in the room?  This may take further thought and some creativity.

DFF

Yeah, so I've been thinking about that ever since I first put the existing layout into the finished room.  This fits, but anything more and it will suck.  I could boot Jacob's layout out of the room and gain some space, but not in the direction I need it.

I've just had it with the stub-ended staging and the lack of a pull-out track for current Enola.

And again, I have to consider future unknown spaces if I get orders before I retire.

EDIT:  The room is actually a decent candidate for a shelf-type layout because of two walls I intentionally left blank when I designed it.  Subconsciously I was hoping this would be our retirement home and that I could put something permanent in there.  The JD can be part of a permanent layout but it's a huge space hog.  And...I won't know for a while yet whether or not I'm retiring here.

[Dave V]

Hey, just realized, another benefit to this plan is I don't lose my US522 overpass scene:

[Rich_S]

Dave,
    In my opinion, the 3 main lines through Enola just seem to crowd the scene, I'd stick with two mains. I'd also do away with the complex run-around ladder arrangement between the yard and the engine house, instead using a simple ladder arrangement to try and increase yard capacity.  I'm thinking you are using a double sided back drop between Enola and Jack's Tower? If yes, I'd try sneaking a short branch to a mine or some sort of industry where the tunnel was once located, that big empty space just seems to be crying out for something just off the end of the 522 overpass. 

 

[OldEastRR]

Here's a Weird Plan Nine Layout From Outer Space: put your engine house angling through the backdrop with the front of the building on the yard side of the backdrop and the enginetracks extending into  it but concealed by the hillside/elevated land on the "wooded" side. You'd only need clearance to get the locos in, and make the top of the hillside removable in case anything derails inside the "enginehouse". This  would free up that space now used by the house for whatever you wanted to add. The only part of the enginehouse would be a front and part of a side, with the service facilities in front of it. Of course if you're looking to do a lighted detailed interior building this won't work.
this is a variation on the industry or interchange track going into a building flat then extending on hidden trackage beyond the backdrop.

[davefoxx]

That's not a bad idea, OldEastRR, but Dave already has the enginehouse built.  It appears that on the new plan he is recreating the scene from the existing Enola Yard.  If he's like me, he likes seeing the power lined up, serviced, and ready to be hostled to the departure track.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Dave,

I've now got AnyRail on my laptop at home.  If I have the time in the next several days (I'm in the office today and am attending a funeral tomorrow), I will try to rough out some ideas for you.  I'm no DKS, but I don't mind floating some ideas for you and trying to help before the track starts going down.

DFF

[unittrain]

Hey, just realized, another benefit to this plan is I don't lose my US522 overpass scene:

Love the pictures of this layout! It looks so real I also like the way the old factory and backround scene blend perfectly The lighting is just right.

[Dave V]

Dave,
    In my opinion, the 3 main lines through Enola just seem to crowd the scene, I'd stick with two mains. I'd also do away with the complex run-around ladder arrangement between the yard and the engine house, instead using a simple ladder arrangement to try and increase yard capacity.  I'm thinking you are using a double sided back drop between Enola and Jack's Tower? If yes, I'd try sneaking a short branch to a mine or some sort of industry where the tunnel was once located, that big empty space just seems to be crying out for something just off the end of the 522 overpass. 

 

It's actually two mains and a long staging track...  Enola itself was very crowded in the day.  This doesn't worry me.  In fact, I'd like to cram another staging track in there if I can.  The complex ladder was meant to alleviate the condition in my current version of Enola whereby the yard ladder is also the enginehouse lead.  But you're right, it eats a few inches off the class tracks.

Yes, I'm doing a double-sided backdrop.

As for industry...  I'll have to think about that.  There really wasn't much out there on the real Middle Division between towns.  The Pennsylvania Sand Glass Co had a large plant outside of Huntingdon, but I don't have room to do it justice.

Here's a Weird Plan Nine Layout From Outer Space: put your engine house angling through the backdrop with the front of the building on the yard side of the backdrop and the enginetracks extending into  it but concealed by the hillside/elevated land on the "wooded" side. You'd only need clearance to get the locos in, and make the top of the hillside removable in case anything derails inside the "enginehouse". This  would free up that space now used by the house for whatever you wanted to add. The only part of the enginehouse would be a front and part of a side, with the service facilities in front of it. Of course if you're looking to do a lighted detailed interior building this won't work.
this is a variation on the industry or interchange track going into a building flat then extending on hidden trackage beyond the backdrop.

Creative idea, for sure!  But Dave Foxx is right...  I like the way Enola looks right now (if not operates) so my plan is to recreate the good parts including using the diesel shop again.

I'm still considering how to add more staging...I know the tradeoff is less "yard."

[davefoxx]

Dave,

Is the left end of the plan against the wall?  If not, can you extend to the wall and create peninsula-style layout like I did, which will add to the class tracks' lengths?  If it against the wall, can you branch off with a 12" HCD and run perpendicular to the extension (parallel to the original layout), creating a U-shaped layout?  If so, we both know what can be done with staging on a 12" HCD (e.g., the Yard-on-a-Shelf from the Virginia Central).

DFF

[Dave V]

Dave,

Is the left end of the plan against the wall?  If not, can you extend to the wall and create peninsula-style layout like I did, which will add to the class tracks' lengths?  If it against the wall, can you branch off with a 12" HCD and run perpendicular to the extension (parallel to the original layout), creating a U-shaped layout?  If so, we both know what can be done with staging on a 12" HCD (e.g., the Yard-on-a-Shelf from the Virginia Central).

DFF

Yes, the left end is against the wall.  Just below that, inside the L, is the door to the layout room.

So Enola buts into this short wall just to the right of the doorway in this early photo of the room:



Here's how the layout currently fits in the room.  The room door is just out of frame to the left:



In the far corner on the right I also have this:

[davefoxx]

Can you spin the layout 180 degrees, so that the aisle at Lewistown is at the entry door?  That way you might be able to take advantage of the opposite wall with a shelf.  The corner shelf could be shifted to another corner, or possibly left where it is.

DFF

[Dave V]

Lost ya...  Not sure what that gains me. 

Here's the room layout:



Let me caveat that the final dimensions are different.  The room is actually less than 10' wide.  They had to stud out from the foundation insulation.

This is looking toward the closet, which is actually my workshop:





...and the view inside said workshop:

[eric220]

What about incorporating a DFF-inspired extension along the wall that would hold a simple stub yard for staging? If there's not enough room where DFF extended, it could always come off the other side of the curve and wrap around to the long wall parallel to Enola.