The LIRR Industrial Service, Inc. shelf layout

[Lemosteam]

Finally the start of a new layout for me.  It has been 25 years since I laid tracks permanently.  The concept is mainly an N Scale switching puzzle layout with a plausible (I think) history.

Backstory:
  Served by the PRR main, the fictitious LIRR Industrial Service is a small branch of the LIRR, leasing LIRR and PRR equipment.  Located in southwest Long Island and incorporated in 1948, the branch attempted to expand the LIRR beyond its commuter services.  Needless to say the branch only lasted till 1959, using small, Ex-LIRR and PRR late steam (H10) and exhausted early diesel motive power VO1000, RS1, etc.

  The benchwork is below and consists of a 96" wide x 24" deep in the center, 14" deep at each end, former headboard.  It is resting atop two small upper kitchen cabinets.  the LIRR layout surface will rest at 34" and the PRR main will be above at 36" after layers of 2" foam, the bechwork has to be at 32" due to the half wall height behind it.



Below is a current day map of the fictitious LIRR Industrial Service and a basis for my backstory:



Below is my initial swag at a layout design, green being the LIRR and maroon, the PRR Main.  A turnout at the PRR main level will traverse down a 1%-2% grade to the LIRR level. Locomotives will be serviced and housed at the two lower left stubs.  The remaining tracks will be various industries of some sort.  The thick light gray lines are access roades for the businesses and a small "other side of the tracks" beach.  The dark blue is water channels similar to the map image with small barges for bulk loads.  the light blue line is the backdrop, 12-18" high, hiding the mess on the half wall. LOL!  I apologize for the very rough, unscaled sketch...



  I am looking for suggestions and input to the switching area before I start laying track.  The only untouchable is the PRR main and the graded stub down.  the rest is open to suggestions.  PS, this is the ONLY space I have, and is meant to be a switching puzzle and a photographic background for my kitbashes.

Thanks for any and all input to the designs!

PS- has anybody ever seen or heard of a shared RR/Road bridge?  Images or links would help tremendously if you could!

[Hornwrecker]

Interesting plan, and concept.  I'd like to see car + engine  numbers to make some of the moves "interesting".

The only shared bridge I can think of offhand is the Zug Island bridge, at the Detroit & Rouge Rivers.

http://bbandm.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/zug-island-train-rails_3512.jpg

[kpcmcpkva]

   Branch line coming off CSX (old C&O) at Thurmond, West Viginia and crossing to the west bank of the New River.  Story about it in TRAINS  couple of years ago with a short line connecting a reopened coal mine to the CSX 

[Chris333]

There is a shared bridge that looks just like that in Youngstown, OH. I've drove over it many times, but don't have a photo:
http://binged.it/12V7FjB

In better times it was the bridge in the lower left of this post card:
http://thepostcardattic.com/Campbell-Works-at-Night-Youngstown-OH-Postcard-P712950.aspx

I like that plan.

[Chris333]

Also another bridge that is just up the river:


http://binged.it/12VoT0b

My car is right about where the diesels are in this photo:
http://www.allthingsyoungstown.net/articles/in_youngstown_we_made_steel/YST_Campbell_030374s.jpg

[Bsklarski]

I like the base. Looks like you can leave it out in the main part of the house like furniture.

[Lemosteam]

Thanks for all the bridge background gents and the votes of confidence, it's been a long time!

Hornwrecker, never been to Zug, but I live in the Detroit area too!  Where ya located?

Chris333, your shot is exactly what I was looking for, and in fact, I will use a combination of a two track bridge with one side as a wood road.  I hope you were careful crossing the bridge with your bug!

Lemme run these by all of you:

  For the PRR main, I will cross the water with elevated trusses into the backdrop.  This will let me have some goings on under the truss area left of the water and maybe another siding on that side. Maybe add an elevated passenger platform with steps down to the beach.

   Should the PRR main be electrified?  (A great reason to have a GG1 up there! Once in a while!)

   I'm going to try something different with the backdrop  by using Formica with the underside toward the layout to affix a photographical image on it.  No warp, seams or shrinkage and it will curve very nicely in a groove I will rout into the plywood.

   Whatcha think?

[Hornwrecker]

John, I'm in just north of 8 Mile, in Warren.

I think I was on Zug Island once when I was a kid, when my father worked for a chemical company.  I tried to visit later, but it was closed to the public.  That pic is of the new bridge, trying to find one of the old one.  If you need any Detroit track plans, I have a copy of the Sanborn maps from the 1920s.

I'd go with electrified for that area.  Good reason to model cantenary and I can learn by watching you do it first.

[Lemosteam]

Bob, I'm at 25 & Romeo Plank road in Macomb Twp.  Small world!

It might be the first (and ONLY) time I do catenary!  None down below, although an ex-PRR DD1 would be mighty cool switching the industries!  Hmmm...

[LKOrailroad]

Zug island is like the epitome of gritty industrial-ness. Would make a great layout all by itself.

[Blazeman]

Miss River bridge, Keokuk, Iowa over to Illinois....double deck, one rail, one highway.

[Hornwrecker]

Bob, I'm at 25 & Romeo Plank road in Macomb Twp.  Small world!

It might be the first (and ONLY) time I do catenary!  None down below, although an ex-PRR DD1 would be mighty cool switching the industries!  Hmmm...

My track gang (of one) lives not too far from you.  Not too many Pennsy fans in our part of the country, although the LHS seem to sell out of any PRR stuff that they get in, usually before I can buy it.

Zug island is like the epitome of gritty industrial-ness. Would make a great layout all by itself.

But to accurately model it, the layout would have to be encased in a large glove bag to minimize exposure to the toxicity.

[DKS]

Just for reference, here's a scaled version of the plan, using Atlas Code 55 track for geometry.

[Lemosteam]

Wow David, THANKS!  Very much appreciated.

What software did you use? I have a very old version of 3rd plan it and I really struggle using it and may consider using something else.

What size turnouts did you use?

Is that the Atlas Through Truss bridge?

Any thoughts on the plan?  Did you come across any specific issues? 

Knowing this is to scale, I think I would slide the mainline crossover to the left by about 12 inches to provide room for a loco and one car.

[DKS]

Wow David, THANKS!  Very much appreciated.

What software did you use? I have a very old version of 3rd plan it and I really struggle using it and may consider using something else.

What size turnouts did you use?

Is that the Atlas Through Truss bridge?

Any thoughts on the plan?  Did you come across any specific issues? 

Knowing this is to scale, I think I would slide the mainline crossover to the left by about 12 inches to provide room for a loco and one car.

I used AnyRail to render the plan: http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html

The turnouts on the PRR main are #10; all others are #5.

The bridge was just eyeballed in. I'll have to look up the length of the Atlas truss and adjust the drawing--that could be tight, as I think it's longer than what I drew.

Specific issues: some of the sidings may be a bit short, and space may be tight for all of the roads and industries on your original drawing. I also agree about moving the crossover to the left; however, this will reduce the elevation difference between the mainline and industrial tracks considerably, since the graded track will be a lot shorter. You could step it down in two stages, using the second leg of the switchback to make the rest lower. Also, I think I'd flip the crossover at the right end of the runaround so that the loco escape isn't sitting in front of the industry there. One other thing I might do is not curve the PRR main at the left, as I think it creates an awkward ending at the backdrop. I'd keep the backdrop flat end-to-end, and just let the mainline tracks drop off at both ends.



I've not done a critical analysis of the ops aspect, so others may want to chime in on this since I just kind of threw it together in a few minutes.