The only change is in the arrangement of the yard trackage and the use of #7 turnouts (instead of #5; see Glossary) for the mainline where it joins the yard. Real railroads use broader curves and divergences on the mainline than in yard and industrial tracks and I hope the contrast will be noticeable; it will also provide smoother, less abrupt transitions from one track to another in what will be the busiest section of the layout. I think I will have to address the yard in a separate post, after a planned post on layout design philosophy, because there is a lot going on there and only in the process of designing this layout have I become familiar with how actual railroad yards run and the various ways to represent that in a model.
I am also aware that the trackplan graphic itself is not the most exciting or informative illustration, and I plan to at least attempt to remedy that soon. In the meantime, I have added the roundhouse to the diagram to give you a slightly better idea of how that part of the layout will look. The turntable from which the roundhouse tracks radiate is the centerpiece of the engine terminal and it is included in the stimulus spending.
Random Running Glossary:
# X turnout - track element allowing tracks to diverge. The number of the turnout indicates the sharpness of the divergence: the smaller the number, the higher the sharpness. For example, a #5 turnout will divert a track one inch for every five inches of length.
2 comments:
Amtrak could use a guy like Dave.
Thank you, J. As I believe you know, I am a big fan of passenger trains, but there will probably not be too much of that on the layout due to the relatively tight curves, which make the longer passenger equipment look a bit out of place. At any rate, freight revenues are where the railroads make their money, with passenger service generally losing money but providing good PR as well as a necessary service.
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