Is this prototypical for a siding? Need to know before I finalize.

Don't take this the wrong way, but there isn't much that is in that picture that is prototypical. So why worry about it? It's your railroad, run it the way you like and enjoy.

If you imagine the siding was longer for some reason but now cut back you could see a bumper placed like that. I would make the track behind the bumper look like it has not been used in a long time, bury it in dirt and weeds.

To Jonnyspeed: My idea is to use "toy trains" to loosely resemble scenes around central and northwest Ohio. There are so many limitations with the small space (5x9) and small budget (I'm largely using leftovers from the big layout my sions and I built over 30 years. What I'm shooting for is perhaps not prototypical per sl, but reasonably representative on real world scenes. As of now this little layout is only about 1/4 finished.

To Guitarmike: That's a super idea! I could imagine that there had at one time been a turnout from the maiin line and it was taken out of service. Going to look for odd dirts, stones, and lichens this evening.

You could cut the track, then the bumper would be in the appropriate place.

It would bother me because my liddle brain would say "Why this?" But the question is: does your brain do a double-take? If not, no sweat. Model railroading, especially three-rail high-rail, has a lot of caricature to it. If it is good caricature and allows you to suspend your disbelief its working.

Lew 

I'd also go with Guitarmikes suggestion, a switch that's been straight railed and no longer ties in with the main track. I also like your tower with the Maumee Junction sign, showing the crossing of the N&W and DT&I.

Rusty

Just cut the track.

Done.

FORMER OGR CEO - RETIRED posted:

Just cut the track.

Done.

I agree with Rich and NECRAILS.  Plus it will give you a bit more open space for some scenery items (shrubs, ties, etc.)

I have seen a siding like that. It is located on the Nashville and Eastern Railroad in Nashville TN. It is a siding that serves a facility that unloads sand. It curves a little bit at the end of the track and then it has a large pile of dirt instead of a bumper. There is a prototype for everything if you look long enough.

Lop ot off right where it starts turning 

I'm trying to recall if I've ever seen a black bumper. Maybe paint them a faded yellow or rust colored?

Matt GN027,

I have seen some painted black, but they were on freight sidings.

We have two different forces at work on our layouts. Realism and Reality. Realism says to make the layout an exact duplicate of some real situation somewhere just reduced by a factor of 1:48. Reality says "wait a minute, you only have some much space, money, time, patience etc." So, we have to make compromises that are not "realistic" strictly speaking. Here, we have a situation where we desire a little extra track space afforded to us by having a curve at the end of a siding. We know that this situation is not seen very often in the real world, but reality says to make the compromise, so that's what we do. Do you agree or disagree?

I have seen spurs in real life railroading where the rails extend beyond the bumper.   Although if I were in your situation, I'd amputate the excess track as others have indicated.  As Ron points out, you'd have a bit more room for scenery if you get rid of the excess track.  Just my opinion.  At the end of the day, it is your railroad and you are the one that must be pleased.  

Guitarmike posted:

If you imagine the siding was longer for some reason but now cut back you could see a bumper placed like that. I would make the track behind the bumper look like it has not been used in a long time, bury it in dirt and weeds.

I agree! I have seen this many times in the 1970's and 1990's.

jonnyspeed posted:

Don't take this the wrong way, but there isn't much that is in that picture that is prototypical. So why worry about it? It's your railroad, run it the way you like and enjoy.

Ah, the "it's your RR" reply. Not helpful. He knows that he doesn't need our permission - he wants our opinion and knowledge, and he apparently isn't "enjoying" running it his way, per this detail.

=====================

Railroads do almost anything to get the job done, so long as it's (officially) legal and safe; moving the end-of-track inboard from the actual end-of-rail is not at all uncommon. Sometimes it has been done on spurs where the last 100 feet (let's say) have become dangerous (rotten ties), but are no longer needed on the siding anyway (traffic patterns changed), so moving the bumper resolves the issue and the bad end is no longer used.

However, your clearance issue is not un-realistic, so it'll do. 

Is that K Line shadow rail track?

Some end-of-the-line tracks at stations have bumpers that are located 10-15 feet forward from the actual end of the track. It gives a little safety, run-off distance so a train might not hit the building if it comes in too hot.

Will another switch fit into the track plan to connect both ends to switches? 

Andrew

Transman posted:

Is that K Line shadow rail track?

Mixture of shadowrail and snaptrack.

I want to see this and the veiwer doesn't work often for my androids, linking isn't taking either, so I'll "insert large size" myself if you don't mind

Nope..can't be seen

A bumper set up short might be seen with two industries on a spur where the end one had closed, burned down, whatever. I remember a pic of some dug-in ties in an X-shape for a "temporary" bumper. The track after the bumper was well overgrown.

Decided to make the track beyond the bumper abandoned. I think it gives a little character to the scene. I still have a bit of work to do to make it a bit more "realistic", i.e., more dirt, weeds, etc. and dull up the rest of the shiny bits.