Hi all,
Been awhile since I've posted (right before the switch to the new format was my last one) and I need your help! I am uncomplaining my layout and going to just one level and that is posing some problems for me. The biggest of which is I think I'm trying to put too much into too little space.
I put ? where I think I need the help. Everything where there are track lines are down already and the empty ? space is empty.
I want to run passenger trains and have some interesting industries. The area to the left of the yard is a port/container terminal and the area that juts out is a steel factory with a gantry train (I like operating accessories).
Thoughts on each ? follow:
1) The dashed line through the middle of the room is a temporary track I think I would like just to run in a smaller loop and avoid the utility/storage room area if I want to. Any thoughts on this? I liked it at first but now I'm not seeing the point.
2) The ?s on the right side are giving me the most trouble. I would like this to be a city area and have a passenger station (my longest train is 4 atlas NJT Horizon cars with a GP-38 pulling them - so it's a bit long and I don't really want to go down to three). This wouldn't be a problem if the previous design didn't have the S-curve in it but I quite like that and would prefer to not get rid of it if I don't have to. However, keeping it in results in more complicated track work. Also, I considered adding another line for the passenger trains and this will require more turnouts (some I need to add anyway to get the yard track back to the mains in the new design).
3) The bridge over the water used to have a single track lift bridge that all three tracks of the yard took and a tunnel under it for the passenger trains and subways. It's now been replaced by a 2-track Atlas truss bridge, which is huge. I need to have this toward the back of the wall to have the O-72+ curves for the passenger cars.
4) The ? pointed at the shaded area is planned to be a backdrop type divider to give the illusion of traveling to another area on either side. I'd like to keep that but the positioning isn't fixed.
5) And the whole area on the bottom left is still open. I'd like to have another little city and passenger station, if possible. I also have a milk car and cattle car that I would like to set up around here. But I'd like to get at least one other industry too, like coal, something that uses box cars, etc.
6) This one isn't really labeled with a ? but on each side of the water (where the bridge is) I am debating whether to squeeze in some sidings with industry. On the right I have some track now and think this would be a nice area for the milk or cattle car. I'd like to squeeze another one in on after the bridge toward the divider too but it just all seems to crowded with track and drastically unrealistic with it coming right after a bridge and before a tunnel (I'm not strict on realism but would like to keep things somewhat believable).
7) I'm also toying with a passing track in the open area on the right, bottom, or both. I think another double cross over would be good too on the bottom part but that would be right in the middle of the passenger station if I had one and that would look silly too I think.
I use gargraves flex track and gargraves and ross switches so can make most things work.
I think most areas are 30inches deep. And the room is something like 26' x 18'
Open to any and all suggestions! Thanks for the help!
