Beaumont TX Harbor Island Track Plan Discussion

[basementcalling]

This looks like a great theme.   One comment is that I don't see how you use the elevator tracks given the short length in front of the elevator.   Maybe some revision in there will help operations.

Thanks, @Scottl. Those grain yard tracks will run another 8-10 feet along that wall. I was running up against the 50 object limit in Anyrail. Evidently my old cronky Win 10 laptop isn't recognizing I bought a copy of it 10-12 years ago.

Not sure I want the switching job of pulling short cuts of hoppers to drag through the unloading shed and then shuffle back into the yard, but the real elevator does exactly that, just with 2-3 engines at one time. Old SW units of some type too, so very model friendly for N scale. And they'll add some motive power variety to the layout, which is a design given and druther. Trans Global Solutions uses everything here from GP38-2s to CF-7s, though I think the latter have been retired as I don't see them in more recent videos on YouTube. Plus their paint scheme is a nice airbrush friendly dark blue.  I'll have none of that Conrail blue shade on my layout, @Ed Kapuscinski.   

[Scottl]

Ah, gotcha.  That sounds good to me.

Just for laughs and inspiration, I drove by this today in Lethbridge, Alberta and thought of your layout.  This little scene with the grain elevators and some other industry jammed into a small area was very modeller-friendly:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKatGnsuxivn8wRm6

[basementcalling]

Ah, gotcha.  That sounds good to me.

Just for laughs and inspiration, I drove by this today in Lethbridge, Alberta and thought of your layout.  This little scene with the grain elevators and some other industry jammed into a small area was very modeller-friendly:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKatGnsuxivn8wRm6

Indeed it is a Mindheim friendly prototype area, but I don't think I can fit the Lethbridge Viaduct in my basement, even in N scale. 

[Scottl]

Can't slip anything past you, lol

[basementcalling]

Can't slip anything past you, lol

Well, not something that large.  I went back and read your layout engineering post about a possible Vancouver harbor based layout. I won't be doing a helix for sure, but a lot of the ideas kicked around in there have helped with decision making for these plans.

Pretty sure I'll have to fill my need for mountain scenery by looking at your photos of the new CP layout you have going. It's spectacular.

[basementcalling]

Updated basic track plan to better facilitate yard ladders for the docks and grain elevator.

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This better matches the prototype flow and arrangement by the transfer sheds, but creates a potential problem for the grain elevator yard (Dreyfus Yard). I have to have a 3 or 4 foot long lift out or swing gate here to allow use of the sliding glass door to the back yard. Am I asking for trouble by trying to run 5 or 6 tracks across the gaps? I can cut it down to 2, although that will affect yard capacity somewhat, but better that than a constant maintenance headache on an essential location for operation.

[basementcalling]

Continuing to research the Port of Beaumont as the focus of a new N scale industrial switching layout. Found a couple publicity videos produced by the port media relations team.

Lots of interesting shots in here of a variety of railroad activities.

[basementcalling]

Was able to fire up the old laptop and access my AnyRail files. Frustratingly, AnyRail seems to have decided my license is no longer valid or something, as it is limiting my new designs to 50 objects like the demo.  I did find a couple harbor plans that might serve as a chainsaw layout to test out some ideas and concepts though. No sense going all in only to find out I can't pull off an effective water scene or build a ship model.

I took a 2x5 roundy round plan, halved it long way, and rotated one slice to form 2 legs of an L. I think I might have to try one.

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Another challenge at this point is figuring out the crane situation. No one makes anything close to modern heavy lift crawler or harbor cranes in N scale. Kibri has a number in HO, and a few die cast models exist in 1/120 scale, but nothing close in N. Figuring out how to model at least 1 is a requirement for the large harbor idea. I need at least 1 of these.

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[Scottl]

I like that layout plan a lot.  Lots to do and some interesting scenes, all in a modest space.

The crane is definitely a candidate for 3D printing.  The various sub-assemblies could be produced on a typical small consumer printer, but of course, the challenge is the time to design it.  Something might come along as you build the layout.