NKP-ish

[nickelplate759]

So, starting with the engine service area compression idea from @btrain , I've worked up this sketch for a 10x12 room with a side door.  on the 12' side.  I managed to get a 3-stall engine house, the Wabash interchange at New Haven, the East Wayne yard (sort of) and the run along the shore of the Maumee, and the downtown Ft. Wayne elevated station. The track from the East Wayne yard to Ft. Wayne needs to be double-tracked.   The staging area would be hidden behind backdrop or building flats.

Looking for more suggestions!



Other notes - switches are Atlas code 55.  Mainline is #7 or better, yard has #5 and some curved turnouts (yes, I know they are troublesome).  Minimum radius is 16".

[btrain]

I really like how this track plan is shaping up!

Two ideas popped in my head from looking at this plan, first I would lengthen the interchange with the Wabash, maybe on the lower side. Seeing how this connects to the back with staging, this will make an awesome live interchange where a Wabash engine can come in and switch it. The second thing I noticed was the dummy mainline track through Ft. Wayne. I was thinking this could represent a line about to be connected during the elevation of the Nickel Plate in 1955. Shoeflys would be made at each end to also simulate this construction.

You've done a great job here compressing these scenes and I think you'll check off many of the items you wanted for this layout.

[nickelplate759]

Actually, I intended for Ft. Wayne to have live double tracks.  Here's an updated sketch.  I added staging as well, but am not happy with the location of the turnouts on the  left side - too hard to reach. Also I think the crossovers on the double track need work.

[OldEastRR]

I suggest you have the track from just past the Wabash interchange all the way to the Ft wayne station be depressed to go under the East Wayne large yard, with open staging track easily accessed below it.  You could screen its descent with lots of trees  both on the way up and down so  to hide the unprototypical grade. For hidden trackage a maximum practical grade would work to get the track down far enough under the yard. It even looks like you have space for a one-turn helix in each corner to get the staging tracks low enough. Then you could shove the whole yard section back further next to the wall. This gives you a great backdrop opportunity and building flats for the town. The other visual advantage is you have only one railroad running through the area instead of two -- which I assume is what you want it to look like.

Also think about "tilting" the entire yard area -- pushing the RH side closer to the back wall -- and run the curves on the RH side up into that large open space between the front edge of the layout and the wall. You can keep the same geometry of yard trackage -- in fact even make it longer -- and slim down the benchwork width so you can reach into that area easier. Still think that turntable is going to be a stretch to get to if something derails there, tho. 

Are you planning for any switching districts in the blank areas?

[nickelplate759]

Here's another stab at it.  I tried the idea from @OldEastRR to skew East Wayne - that was very helpful.

I've tinkered with the idea of a staging yard under East Wayne, but honestly I think the complexity of building that, along with the helix needed to reach it, would just overwhelm my determination.  I did depress the staging tracks about an inch so they aren't so obvious and  more easily hidden with trees or flats, and move the turnouts on the left end of the staging area to the left wall where the reach is better.   The one bad spot is the reach from the aisle to staging behind the engine house is 30".   

 I didn't actually elevate Ft. Wayne - instead I've depressed the ground.   I'll probably add couple more sidings below where it says "Freight Station", even though that would be a significant distortion of the real Ft. Wayne station area.



It doesn't appear that were any sidings specifically for the Wabash interchange - but it was (still is) so close to the east end of East Wayne yard that I suspect interchange was done right from the yard.  Interestingly, I found photo of an NKP freight passing in front of the Wabash station at New Haven, on the Wabash tracks.  Not sure where it was headed.   

As for the tracks behind East Wayne yard - in real life that was the Wabash main line.

[x600]

ahh, so does that mean, ahh, no Buffalo? 

 

Greg O.


 

[nickelplate759]

Probably not, but  the Lackawanna pool cars did run through Ft. Wayne on their way to and from Chicago.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I really like that sunken staging idea. Out of sight, out of mind, kinda.

[nickelplate759]

Minor tweaks.  Added 2 freight house tracks and extended the Detroit St. track (along side the Ft. Wayne station).
Both are about 20' (scale) lower than the station track.    Also added another crossover on the west side of East Wayne yard so that trains continuing west without entering the yard could cross-over to the single-track main.

In this rendering, the depressed staging areas are highlit (is that a word?) in blue.  They are 1" below the East Wayne yard elevation.



Only real issues I see is that warehouse siding runout and the crossovers ahead of it are hard to reach. I can fix that with a hatch in front of the warehouse I suppose.  ALso, I may not really need that crossover in front of the warehouse.

[btrain]

Seeing how close the turntable is to staging and that staging buts up to the yard, I’d keep staging on the same level as the yard and make it visual. Albeit, having a passenger train in there would look weird sitting there with all the freight, but if you’re using Life Like Berks to power most of your trains, I’d keep to level track as much as possible. I have a hard time imagining one would pull a good consist on a grade through a curve.

[nickelplate759]

Yeah, the Life Like Berkshires are beautiful but don't pull much.  After break-in I can get about 18 cars on LEVEL track.  I have a vague hope that Atlas will re-issue these with traction tires and I would be able to retrofit said tires to these old locos.  Or I could try John Colombo's @jdcolombo  tape trick.
   
I also have a couple of older Model Power USRA Mikados that don't pull a lot on a grade (but more than the Life-Likes)

I also have a Bachmann Berkshire and a rebuilt & repowered Rivarossi Berkshire - both are decent pullers, but neither looks as good as the Life Likes.

Looking at old maps, I see that the Wabash interchange track arrangement is not correct for 1960s and earlier.   Rather than connecting NKP+Wabash right at the diamonds, the connection went from the Wabash main further east to a couple of interchange tracks further east in New Haven.    I may stay with the modern version (as shown) as it gives me a nice way to work in a reverse loop - and I don't have a good way to get the real New Haven tracks in.

[nickelplate759]

Another tweak.     Redid the crossovers between Ft. Wayne and East Wayne.  You can't see it in the 2D plan, but I've elevated Ft. Wayne tracks only 3/4", and depressed the ground level there by 3/4" rather than elevating Ft. Wayne a full 1.5" - that eases the grades on the main considerably (about 1.6%) while still (hopefull) giving an elevated appearance.   Also some minor changes i the engine terminal area.



This design is essentially a proof-of-concept to see if I could fit a satisfying NKP-themed layout in the space (10'x12').  Now I need to build the space...

[nickelplate759]

Tinkered more than a little bit - I moved the doorway to the upper-right corner.  I also added the Union Belt interchange, and tried to squeeze all five stalls of the engine house in - 5 may be too much.  I dropped the elevated Ft. Wayne station - I'm not sure if I'll even keep the station area or just use that space for industrial scenery.   Finally, I hid two reverse loops in, as part of the Union Belt interchange and Wabash junction.

Biggest concern is separating the staging track from the yard visually.  There's only about 2" at the closest spots.

[nickelplate759]

For the plan above, I used SCARM with the Atlas code 55 templates.  I'm trying to adjust it for FastTracks - there are SCARM templates for everything one might want except the curved turnouts.    Anyone have any advice on how to lay out curved FastTracks turnouts in SCARM?

[nickelplate759]

Another revision.  This one is with Fast-Tracks turnouts. I confined myself to 4 turnout sizes, since the jigs are not cheap - #10, #7, #5 (yard and industrial track) and #6 curved (I fudged the curved turnouts a little 'cause SCARM has no template for them) with 16" inner and 22" outer radius.



Other changes:
1. added the Berghoff/Falstaff brewery in Ft. Wayne.   

2. Ft Wayne station is the pre-elevation station - because I think it's more interesting, let's me add an elevated crossing shanty, and is easier to work out the scenery and track without grades.  The station building will likely need to be a false-front.

3. Cut the engine house back to 3 stalls.  It seemed too cramped with all 5 in there.

4. Reworked the Belt Line interchange to reflect the real track arrangement.  I'm not sure about this - it's still a reversing section, but you can't run through it - it no longer forms a secret reversing loop as it did in the previous version of the plan.  It also takes a little more linear space.  On the other hand, it should be far easier to switch.

I've looked, but can't find ANY pictures of the Union Belt (nee Fort Wayne Union Railway) motive power from the 1940s or 1950s.  Did they have their own engines, or did they use power from their parent roads (PRR, NKP, NYC, Wab)?