Conrail in New England

[Ian MacMillan]

Dave looks good for working off my words! One thing I would change is the staging yard tracks so they could hold close to a whole train. I think Id want to hide the curves to mask their tight radius as well ?..

Jason you make some good points. However, this layout will not be thrown away once the large layout possibility comes again. Even with the BL layout I wanted to build a portable layout to bring to shows so that I chould show off what N can do, so this layout will still tour with me.

I have to have scenery to run in, and I hate unitrack so that stuff is out the door. I also don't work well with others so clubs are out of the question and I am not a fan of NTrak. Hahaha. I am part of a round robin operating group and I really have fun running on those layouts. Again however, I have some very set opinions on how I want to run things and how my scenery looks so I need my own running space....basically it comes down to I'm a model railroading douche hahaha!


I think Daves situation is much different than mine. He is a military man and subject to frequent moves so he needs portable until retirement, where my situation is because of couple issues where I will be in an apt or rented house for about 2yrs until I can buy a new house.

[DKS]

Dave looks good for working off my words! One thing I would change is the staging yard tracks so they could hold close to a whole train. I think Id want to hide the curves to mask their tight radius as well ?..

The staging yards can of course be made larger; I was trying to keep them more "modular" so as to make additional modules less complicated to connect. As for the curves, that's what the backdrop is for (blue line), as well as the road, which goes over the tracks on overpasses (I forgot to render the one on the right). The backdrop could be pulled forward a bit to hide more of the curves.

[Ian MacMillan]

The staging yards can of course be made larger; I was trying to keep them more "modular" so as to make additional modules less complicated to connect. As for the curves, that's what the backdrop is for (blue line), as well as the road, which goes over the tracks on overpasses (I forgot to render the one on the right). The backdrop could be pulled forward a bit to hide more of the curves.

OK the one on the right is what had caught my eye. Looks good, now to think what types of industries the could be. Is there a way to maybe make the mainline have a slight bend in it like the Middle Div plan to kind of break uo the straight lines or will it not work out well?

Fond that the layout is actually online as well;
http://prr-n-scale.blogspot.com/2008/08/welcome-to-prr-middle-division-in-n.html

[Dave Schneider]

Ian,

One thing to consider is having roads running at an angle to the track. Having "Main Street" running parallel to the tracks for the entire length of a layout isn't very visually appealing. The angled streets and buildings are what drew me to my particular portion of the Beer Line. Just something to consider.

Best wishes, Dave

[Ian MacMillan]

Ian,

One thing to consider is having roads running at an angle to the track. Having "Main Street" running parallel to the tracks for the entire length of a layout isn't very visually appealing. The angled streets and buildings are what drew me to my particular portion of the Beer Line. Just something to consider.

Best wishes, Dave

Exactly what I was thinking.

[DKS]

Ian,

One thing to consider is having roads running at an angle to the track. Having "Main Street" running parallel to the tracks for the entire length of a layout isn't very visually appealing. The angled streets and buildings are what drew me to my particular portion of the Beer Line. Just something to consider.

Best wishes, Dave

Actually, I'd done it this way to mimic the way the highway parallels the main for a distance on the Boston IT plan, the idea being to replicate this area fairly faithfully (replete with the billboards between the road and the track). If we drop the idea of modeling any real locale, then yes, the preferred approach is to not have things parallel.

[Ian MacMillan]

Actually, I'd done it this way to mimic the way the highway parallels the main for a distance on the Boston IT plan, the idea being to replicate this area fairly faithfully (replete with the billboards between the road and the track). If we drop the idea of modeling any real locale, then yes, the preferred approach is to not have things parallel.

Hmmm decisions, decisions. I think dropping any real locale and going "New England" may be a better decision for this layout though.

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks for the clarification regarding the location. I have no knowledge of the area and meant no offense in suggesting angled streets. It just looked like an awful lot of road to deal with and it would really constrain the orientation of industries and related track.

Best wishes, Dave

[DKS]

http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/images/ian_door2.gif

[Ian MacMillan]

Oh damn now we're throwing some Amtrak action in there!?! You know me too well!

[DKS]

Oh damn now we're throwing some Amtrak action in there!?! You know me too well!

Always a benefit to get inside the head of one's client, right?

[Dave V]

The only people who don't loose interest in those types of layouts are named Vollmer and Smith.  

Jason

Primarily because I have no choice.  The space I have today may not be the space I have tomorrow, as Ian mentions, due to the unpredictability of the service.  I can empathize greatly with Ian's predicament.  I find interest in a plan like Doug's and my own not because I'm lacking in brain cells but because I can appreciate that something is much, much better than nothing -- an argument I've had with Steve Hanlan (Asciibaron).

I want to say that again...  Something is much, much better than nothing.

The "go join a club" argument is not always a valid option either.  I don't in one sense because I move too frequently to have a meaningful club experience.  But I suspect Ian shares the same real reasons behind my lack of club membership...  It's going to be darned near impossible to find a group of identically-minded modelers (especially me stationed outside my home territory of NY-NJ-PA-MD), and more importantly, I'm not interested in surrendering creative control.

For those of us who don't have basements to fill with operationally-interesting empires, we have the advantage of having a small jewel to polish.  The difference in the level of detail one can add to an HCD versus a 20x30 foot monster in a given space of time is nontrivial.

Even a roundy-rounder with a few small switching opportunities can bring years of interest when done with care.  I've seen Ian's early scenery attempts and I was floored.  Just imagine what he can do in a small space over 2 years.

[Ian MacMillan]

Always a benefit to get inside the head of one's client, right?

That it is! I am liking that plan, but the station has me wondering..."how do I get to it"... if it was elevated city track then that would be easy but then I think the industry tracks may look funny, no?

Also I won't be using actual HCD's so the length I'm planning on is 16'.

[Ntrainz1]

I really like that trackplan. Could the industrial track be put in the airspace above staging?

Bob.

[DKS]

That it is! I am liking that plan, but the station has me wondering..."how do I get to it"... if it was elevated city track then that would be easy but then I think the industry tracks may look funny, no?

I don't follow. You mean, "get to it" as in parking and such? Parking would be "off-stage" along the front, I'd imagine, with pedestrian tunnels under the track. A road would go under an underpass on the left, then rise to the level of the industrial buildings.

I really like that trackplan. Could the industrial track be put in the airspace above staging?

It could, but I think all of the various grades may be a bit much for this size layout.