A Little Design Help

[mcjaco]

That's what is great about N scale.  You can add some 'run time' between towns in order to alternate space between operator spaces.  Since HO takes up twice as much room for a typical town, it is much harder to design this space into a layout intended for operation!  Making operators more comfortable when operating is much more than cup holders and the right kind of beer!

Bruce

And make sure you've got plenty of room for areas that are going to see a lot of traffic on both sides of the aisle.  Nothing like cramming in an aisle with ten other guys, while the other side of the peninsula is empty all night. 

[Hyperion]

The prototype solution is to double-end their fueling pads (I've attached an image of the Belen facility as an example).  So that westbound trains are filled at one "end" of the yard and eastbound trains are filled at the other "end" of the yard.  The trains are parallel to one another while filling up, they've just got the front ends on opposite sides of the yard.

I took a look at that facility. Am I to assume that this is one side, and this is the other?

Phil

Yes, sorry, I made this pretty picture this morning then forgot to upload it with my post as I was heading out the door.

Your first link is the fueling pad for Eastbound trains, the second link for Westbound.  There are 4 pads each for a total of 8.  An important prototype consideration here is that you can only fuel 4 each direction, not 8.  So if you do get a bunch of trains going in the same direction at the same time (what we call "fleeting", usually the result of lazy trainmasters or dispatchers) you are screwed because you can only fill up 4 at a time, while the pads in the other "direction" sit empty.  At best you can only put a single train going the "wrong way", because they block all the other tracks -- the same problem you're having.

Alternatively, you can have the pads in the "middle" of a track.  This is only at the largest of facilities as the real estate to have full track lengths in both directions is quite enormous.  BNSF is setup such a way at Argentine, KS HERE.

[conrail98]

Hmm, out by KC, I'll be there the second week of August for a few days, may have to venture over and take a look. Also, I hovered over the image on Google and Bing maps and the pad width itself seems to be about 15' if that. I think that would make the track spacing be smaller than I have it, including the non-mainline fuel pads. I thought the models of fuel racks offered in N were 3/4" wide? I also did a search on other discussions on modeling fuel pads themselves and someone brought up the Winslow, Az., yard as a good example of a small division point/crew change spot.

 I may contemplate swinging the benchwork over to the bottom of the stairs to create a loop back to the helix to give a little bit of a longer run, but I think, to ensure the ability to bring large stuff into the basement (like new utilities) it would have to be movable, not all the time, just the "as needed" effort,

Phil

[Hyperion]

If it wasn't a 3-hr drive, I'd venture over there and give you a tour / be an escort so you wouldn't be bothered by anyone.  The Argentine facility is massive, one of the largest in the country, and has just about every thing you'd ever want to model in a single spot.  If I can think of an excuse to get out there in early August, I'll keep you in mind.  Thanks to the 42nd St overpass though (which is literally right off 635), You can get a really good look (overhead even, so perfect modeling perspective) without getting on property.  You can park a couple hundred feet South and walk on the overpass to take photos; it's just a little street, so it's not like you're walking along a freeway or something.  That same exit off 635 can give you easy public access to the locomotive facility as well, BNSF's largest non-backshop facility -- just take Kansas Ave about a half-mile to 26th St (it's easy to miss, it's on the right JUST before you hit a bridge), drive through all the junkyards, hang a left at the dead-end, and you'll see the facility on your right.

I will be in Spokane the last week of July and I considering heading over to Hauser (HERE and scroll a couple miles northeast), as I'd never been since the new facility was put in a few years ago.  I had planned on going to take pictures for my own use, but will gladly share them if I do indeed have the time to make it out there.  It's a covered fueling facility so a little different but everything underneath is the same (albeit a bit more modern).  It's the BNSF major fueling facility for the High Line.  It's similar to Belen in that it's only real purpose is to fuel cross-country trains, the yard is quite tiny, but it's setup to be in the middle of the facility like Argentine is.

[conrail98]

Actually, if go to Google maps here and click the "Photos" in the top right, you get a good look at the facility at Argentine. And 3 hours, bah, that's nothing. The first two weeks of August I am driving from New Jersey, via Marion, Oh, to Willmar, Mn, then to KC, then back home. Over 3,000 miles with the wife and a 15 month old. Fun!

Phil

[Hyperion]

Well, look at that, someone's already made the trip for you   Pretty cool.  And it's not the drive that's the problem, I spend a LOT of time behind the wheel getting throughout the system (even if you fly someplace, a long drive is usually required to get to the actual portion of railroad  you want to get to), it's the fact that I assume you're doing this mid-week, and I'm not really big on spending an evening doing a 6-hr round-trip.

I really need to make it out there though seeing that I've changed my planned prototype to KCS and plan on making a fairly large portion of my layout the area around KCK.

[conrail98]

Yes, it is during the week. All I know is I probably won't want to see anything corn related after this trip,

Phil