New industrial track suggestions

[Ian MacMillan]

While beginning to add some base scenery and buildings to the area shown below I got to thinking about if I should also add some trackage in the area. On the left is currently a switch that serves a large brick curtain building. On the right, in green is part of the Pinnacle Industrial track that serves some cold warehouses, and a propane dealer.  There is a run around on the Pinnacle Indst.

My thought, shown in red, was to put in another switch just before the propane dealer (located at the left end of the green trackage) and to extend it over to the switch for the large brick curtain building, which would then have another switch to serve that industry. There is space for some other buildings round the new red track, but they are not built yet and could easily be built to fit the new ROW. Also along the lower edge of the layout, following the fascia board is Simonds St, which for a short distance the new track would parallel.

Larger photo link: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nAmtu1n1UKs/TJUWD0NpNqI/AAAAAAAAkdM/6YMjuNozBno/new%20track.jpg


What is everyone's thoughts? This wasn't in the plan and only pretty much came to be as when I was doing some scenery in the area I had put aside a #7 turnout down here and it looked ok. I dont know if it really adds enough operational interest to be worth it, but I'm open to suggestions.

[tehachapifan]

What about making it poorly maintained track overgrown with weeds, perhaps actually taking the rather
crooked and bent route you roughed-in above.

Maybe a small section of industrial street-running to boot!

I love really messed up industrial trackage! ;D

Russ

[bbussey]

I think it's a good idea.  The real estate is available, and putting trackage in there won't overcrowd the area.  I like the idea of having it in a state of overgrown disrepair as well.

[Ian MacMillan]

Like Russ I had also thought about adding it as overgrown trackage, and I think that would better suit the area. After going down to mock it all out, it really did seem like it would be useless track to have running, so overgrown and left for dead it is.

Got cracking, so here is the beginnings.

[esa123]

I think your idea would work just fine! You could also consider putting in a team track by making half of it old and run down, then the rest of it (or at least a large section) running through concrete or asphalt which would allow you to use the area for multiple industries. Basically anything that would need to have stuff transloaded from a railcar to a truck (lumber cars, grain, tank cars, etc.) could be spotted there. The run/down overgrown portion could still be used as a runaround if need be and since the rails would be buried in a paved area they wouldn't be that noticeable compared to the mainline. Plus you get a lot of industries without having to build a bunch of new structures which could crowd the scene.

Food for thought,
Erik

[DKS]

I'm a firm believer in modeling disused track. It adds a lot of visual interest, and it gives the railroad a sense of history. If you have the real estate, a nice scene to include might be a salvage crew tearing up rail.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I don't know. Having it so close to the mainlines doesn't really seem so "branchliney" to me.

But I do like the idea of the overgrown track "just because".

[Bob Bufkin]

Have it part of the original line which has been bypassed.  Only reason they didn't tear it up was a couple industries still in use.  Street running and mud and weeds sounds good to me.

[Ian MacMillan]

I cant really see street running in this area, plus I already have 14' of street running further on down the line. I like the idea that this part was abandoned, and I think a scrapper scene may be interesting like Dave suggested. Abandoned track is kind of a neat scenery element, and I have another small section further on down the line. I liked all the abandoned track on the White River & Northern.

Ed, branchliney? Industrial track we are talking here bud, not Secondary

[up1950s]

You could something at the EOT , like a rusted to death boxcar with one truck and the other end on blocking as if it was left isolated and abandoned , not worth the effort to move . Maybe it was used as storage . Those GS gons with the side walls out and rusted up would look good too , less to weather , and less of a view block .

[Blazeman]

Since you are more modern, if the trackage is semi-abandoned, but sitll on the books, in this day and age, the railroad would be happy to lease out the track to a shipper so they could store empty leased cars not being used.

A string of cars might get in your way, but that's what's happening these days. Any length of track not being used is usually leased out. Gives you somewhere to park the excess covered hoppers.

[Ian MacMillan]

Ok, here is where it is at so far. The station is the old commuter rail station that is now being used by the signal maintainer crews.

[wazzou]

It looks really good Ian. 
A couple of comments though.  I think I'd expect more continuity in the rust color in the web of the rail in the still active and abandoned track.  Also, I'd think that the rail through the lot behind the depot would still be in place in some manner, whether patched over or left as was through the lot.  If it were just patched over, I'm sure that they could still be made out under the patch.  It's probably more likely that if this is just used as a maintainer section, they would be just left as they were.

[DKS]

Nice. Very nice.

[John]

what a great use for old broke C55 turnouts