East and West which is best?

I imagine that's how most see and do it.

Interesting question, Sam. I never really looked at it this way. However you caused me to think about this. The building containing the train layout is more north and south in terms of the length. Six of my main lines therefore go north and south (for the most part) while two go east and west. The yard is also north & south.

Probably not necessary to say this, but I have run across more than on or two

hobbyists who have trouble (!) grasping the idea, but Railroad NSEW may or may not

have anything to do with the compass at any given point. The relative direction is

determined by the ultimate target terminal, almost always. The Empire State

Express traveling (compass) North up the Hudson Valley from Manhattan was a

(railroad/timetable) Westbound, as it's ultimate goal was Chicago. There was never

a (railroad) Northbound ESE.

A railroads overriding direction was official and very important. Most RR's in the US

and Canada (not sure about Mexico) were defined as East-West roads, I believe, but a some (IC, GM&O, L&N, etc.) were defined as North-South.

However, so far as I know, different -parts- of a given road could be designated N-S

or E-W. The L&N was a N-S road between Mobile and Louisville, for example, but

the main between Pensacola and the SCL interchange in NW Florida was E-W. And between Mobile and New Orleans, Southbound L&N trains went nearly due West (compass) in some areas.

Or something like all that.

I pay no attention at all to the direction the train room itself is facing.  On my layout, trains going eastbound (from what I regard as the "center" of the layout) are going counterclockwise, and those moving westbound go clockwise.

My train room faces west, but that has no relevance to the train layout as far as I am concerned.  If you placed a compass on the layout, north would be toward the right wall and south would be toward the left wall.  West would be toward the window and east would be toward the closet and doors.

I think it depends on your railroad.....take New York Central, for instance.

If you are traveling to NYC, you are going eastbound.  If you are traveling away from NYC, you are going westbound.

A Central train originating near the NY/Mass border (Boston & Albany) territory, going down the Harlem Division (in a south or southwesterly direction) towards NYC was classified as going East.

Peter

"Stand in the place where you live
Now face north
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven't before"

REM - "Stand"

My trains go around in circles, therefore they go in every possible direction.

Pete

On the Southern Pacific any train headed to San Francisco was headed west, regardless of whether is came from New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Or Portland.

Stuart

My trains go around in circles, therefore they go in every possible direction.

Pete, I was thinking the same thing. Most layouts are loop based, so defining travel direction always seemed kind of difficult/pointless to me, Westbound on one side of a layout is Eastbound, on the other side of the loop, same with Northbound/Southbound.

Unfortunately, due to the vast nature of Railroads, this is just one of those comprimises we are forced to make. No mistake about it, this Hobby is as much one of Balances and Comprimises, as it is about trains.

Doug

I too find this to be an interesting discussion.  My layout is longest by far from East to West.  So it is easy for me to decide that my train movements are the same as the actual directions of the room.  My problem is that when my West bound freight mainline does a 180 degree turn is it still the West bound main or is it now East bound?  The thought that the real railroads labeled based on the ultimate destination makes a lot of sense.  It is hard though applying that logic to your railroad that ultimately goes in circles.

Art

I really never gave it much deep thought. In my mind they're either running this way or that way.

Alan

My trains travel clockwise and counterclockwise.

True, our mighty trains go in circles no matter how large. I resolve the E-W condrum by saying trains in front/closest to me at my normal standing spot are heading east or west bound.  Once train reaches the farthest east or west side of loop and begins to traverse the far side, then that train is now classified a west or eastbound.
Granted this scheme may not work where there are peninsulas and spirals etc that add complexity to the E-W or N-S equations, but this simple solution works for my round and round.

Trains were superior to other trains  by Right, Class and direction.

Right was  a train order stating which train had right over other trains.

Class, First class was superior to 2 nd class etc.

Direction.... The time card indicated  the superior direction.

If you had  a south bound extra  and north bound  extra  meeting at a siding , which one would take the siding if nothing else was specified in the train  order ?  answer  The one not going in the superior direction.

My layout is a mythological town much like Donkey Spank Alabama.  Compass direction is not important.  

My layout is oriented with its long axis almost exactly N-S so I go by the actual compass points.  My wife is amused at times because I will refer to "the train heading north" but its become habit.

Thought you might start singing there Pete. Catchy tune on that one!

Fun thread, thanks Sam.  I guess I'm a bit of an oddball, my mom was something of a survivalist and had us kids orienteering in the woods about as soon as we could walk.  (The word 'orientation' means finding out which way east -orient - is).  It worked its way into my system so that there's rarely a time when I wouldn't be able to tell you which way was north without having to think about it.  It's like knowing which way is up, it's just there.

So it would be too weird to stand at my layout and call "east" something that wasn't.  East is east and north is north.  

But we run in loops, and on my layout that doesn't mean the east-bounds keep turning into west-bounds every few minutes.  If the 12:17 starts out as a westbound, it stays westbound for seven or eight laps, stopping at the stations along the way.  Then you go through the reversing loop to turn the train, and head back east.  For some reason the determining direction isn't the track closest to me, but the track along the back wall.  Go figure.

At the HO club I go to the arrangement is that standing in the aisles you are on the south side of the tracks facing north.  So east is to your right and west is to your left.  The only exception is at the staging yard where Harrisburg is now east of Jersey City (because Harrisburg is on the right side of the yard, while Jersey  City is on the left).

Stuart

My layout takes it's inspiration from the Milwaukee Road, an East to West railroad.  So, leaving my Union Station, trains travel West through a succession of towns until they reach the most distant point, which is simply a reversing loop.  At that point, they begin their Easterly course, until they again reach the station.  During the course of this travel they change actual directions many times, however, the train while traveling remains either West Bound or East Bound depending on where it started. 

Just like direction on the real railroads: the train is either East or West bound.  For example, trains traveling from Chicago to Milwaukee are absolutely going Northwards.  But on the timetables they are listed as West Bound.

Paul Fischer