[afboundguy]

Awesome thanks for sharing the pictures!!!

Pardon the mess. All that will be stored under the layout...

That ain't no mess... This is a mess!!!

 

[OilValleyRy]

I’ve been chasing them dragons. Or trying to push back the fog of war where the main yard will be.

A couple of rough ideas so far. A few notes up front though:
1, the benchwork area is 18ft from end aisle to end aisle, two 6ft center sections (four really but two on the yard side of the backdrop) two end sections.
2, the “double mainline” is really one mainline paralleling itself. Where the inbound and outbound come together on the right will be insulated for an auto-reverser. Despite that, polarity still poses a problem here & there.

Plan 1 I like only a little. I like the ladder run around with a switch back move into the locomotive service area. But other than that it’s pretty drab. Also, that cross over between opposite polarity mainlines may pose a problem for a switcher breaking down inbound cars.

Plan 2 is deceptive. It looks simpler at first. Until you notice the ladder is both pinwheeled and becomes a reversed pinwheel AND compound in the storage tracks. It starts curving the same as the mainlines, but ends up curving the opposite direction. It’s essentially a 5-6 foot long broad S curve, full out turnouts. Which is all 52 types of certifiable crazy. I’m not entirely sure it would work, just 99…well, 96%…. Ok honestly maybe about 75% sure. I’d have to tinker with actual turnouts in hand. 40’ cars aren’t the issue, it’s the 86’ hi-cubes that have me raising a Spock brow. The service area is a bit more robust and could still be extended, and the terminal track is much much longer, parallel to the outbound mainline. But, duly note I removed the crossover from inbound to outbound mainlines, and did not add any resolution to its absence. Additionally there is more space on the left for city blocks.
Maybe that crossover being half way on the auto-reverser would be ok. The other points of insulation will be near where the mainlines converge into one, and up near where the tracks all appear to wye together (some do some don’t).

Still thinking of more options.

 

[Raege]

Interesting seeing the thought process playing out. I do like #1 for its left side and #2s ladder layout. Would the 86’ handle #2s bottom 2 ladders better going out mains than rest? Interested to follow and see if you merge portions of each together or put an entirely different map out. will be a good learning experience for myself

 

[OilValleyRy]

Interesting seeing the thought process playing out. I do like #1 for its left side and #2s ladder layout. Would the 86’ handle #2s bottom 2 ladders better going out mains than rest? Interested to follow and see if you merge portions of each together or put an entirely different map out. will be a good learning experience for myself

In plan #2, the ladder would be made by connecting the next sequential turnout to the preceding turnouts diverging track over & over again. I think the easiest to navigate track for 86’ cars would be either the second from rear most track, or second back track. But because the ladder is pinwheels, and the storage tracks compound, probably any tangent track would work, because the compound tracks would create a shorter S curve navigable by 40’ cars. Which in theory is okay, it splits up storage, short cars then long cars then short cars then long as you count the tracks back from the aisle.
Right now I’m just aiming for general concept. Plan A, Plan B(ackup), and always good to have a C(ontingency) in case all else fails.
The short storage track is the caboose track, same general location in both plans for good viewing.

 

[LongvaIIon]

Where is the Dragons Zone ? You mentioned it in one of your first posts.

 

[OilValleyRy]

Where is the Dragons Zone ? You mentioned it in one of your first posts.

The Oil City yard. I didn’t have much of any plan when sketching the mainline out, so just write in “here be dragons” because I was trying to avoid the area planning-wise lol But I’m delving in.

 

[OilValleyRy]

Minor update.
Some realize that I build my benchwork in modular fashion but not scenery; just incase it has to be relocated 15 years etc from now.
So far only one module was completed. That’s my method; build a prototype, live with it a while & decide if I like all aspects.

I found I did not.

Middle & lower decks needed to be lower. Previously the middle deck had 8 inches of vertical viewing area. I changed that to 10 inches. The middle deck is all scenery for shoulder level rail fanning in a folding chair.
Lower deck was dropped by 3.5 inches for a total of 7 inches vertical viewing area. The bottom deck is all visible staging at New Castle, PA with backdrop buildings and some OVR fab shops. Visibility is priority 1 but 2 or 3 story buildings at the rear and accommodating decent shop structure will be nice.

New decks heights:
Top @ 56 inches high (Reno, PA to Rynd Farm, PA)
Middle @ 38 inches (Franklin, PA and south area)
Bottom @ 26.5 inches high (New Castle, PA area).

Now we should see some notch 8 progress this Winter.

 

[Raege]

I'm torn between going multi deck and shrinking footprint and using space for "others" enjoyment or saying f it and be selfish

 

[OilValleyRy]

I'm torn between going multi deck and shrinking footprint and using space for "others" enjoyment or saying f it and be selfish

I’m not going to say that I don’t know what to tell you, because I do. I just don’t want to be blamed for it.
I wish I had documented the various plans over the 3 years here. But here’s just a few facts:
Room is 24ft by 24ft including staircase. Has two egress windows. 2 support columns and 1 vertical drain ceiling to floor. Doorway on one wall to adjacent rooms (laundry, storage & bathroom).

My first plan was around what walls I could with peninsulas, 1 deck, no staging.
Wanted staging.
Discovered the open side helix idea. Redrew around the wall design again, turned one peninsulas about 40 degrees. Had 2 helices for continuous looping. Planned 2nd deck with single double ended yard, max siding length about 9-10ft.

Didn’t like the idea of climbing on the layout if evacuation via windows was needed.
Flipped aisle & layout concepts, now with perimeter aisles, island layout. Less backdrop needed, no doorways or duck under needed. Eliminated one of the two helices-wasn’t needed.

Had divine inspiration to change staging yard from double ended standard type to 6 continuous loops 6ft by 18ft with integrated & staggered ladder. New max train length is 12ft.

Second divine inspiration: Extend one “corkscrew” of the helix out under half the layout for scenes I couldn’t fit: City of Franklin, “River Run,” etc. This “extension” of the helix became the middle deck.

Kept things as connected to prototype as possible, North on layout is actual magnetic North. Pennzoil is North of Oil City, Arco is actually correctly West of. Had to move the Wye bridge or not include it, so that’s out of place but will be a “signature scene.” All industries are real current or past industries, in correct location. When I can I’m trying to recreate them as close as possible. Glassylvania will be a real challenge on masonry. (Was never rail served either but will be on my layout).

I’d have to recheck the math but I think combined square footage of all three decks is around 800 square feet or slightly less, in an area no larger than 24x24 including 3ft aisles. Three times as much layout in the same space. It’s like Buy One, get TWO FREE.
And a helix isn’t the only solution. A “cassette” such as a removable car ferry i.e. can work to shuttle cars from one deck to another by “plugging in” to different car float aprons. A lot less troublesome than an elevator system.

 

[OilValleyRy]

So this winter I’m going to try and get 50% of the benchwork completed. I still need to drywall etc and will need some elbow room, so the other half needs to wait.
Incidentally I got four 180 degree turns laid out on plywood, mostly double track 24” and 26.5” radii. Managed to fit all of that on a single 4x8 too.

 

[OilValleyRy]

Just a little pumpkin spice. That’s not the Seventies Salvation, but a 2nd 1x4ft switching puzzle that I reclaimed from long term loan. I wanted something new for photos. The pumpkins & corn stalk bundles will be details for the Seventies Salvation though.
Made from some sort of seed in autumn house decoration, and dried corn husk trimmings.

 

[OilValleyRy]

The Seventies Salvation, but in 1:1 scale 1996.
Cab ride on a working day starting from Valley Yard, crossing Wye Bridge, through down town Oil City, PA, up to switch Pennzoil, and the trip back. Dual SW1500s.

Mind you my layout is faithful, but not an exact copy due to space limitations and I relocated the yard to about where the junk yard is. But otherwise…

Prototype cab ride on The Seventies Salvation. Enjoy!

 

[OilValleyRy]

I’ve been experimenting with ballast mixes on a test section of Atlas flex.
mix #2 was too similar to #1 so I skipped it entirely.

I’m torn between #4 & 5; too much gray in #4 and #5 looks a bit too much like raw cork. So I’ll probably add a tiny but more gray or possibly an iron ore type red.

 

[afboundguy]

I like 1, 3 and 4 and totally agree with 5 looking like cork bed so good call!

 

[Chaostrain]

I like 4 the best.

 

[Raege]

I like 1 best as it seems closest to what’s spread in my area of country.

 

[Magic]

#1 would be my pick as well.
Maybe even a little more gray.

Magic

 

[Gramps]

FWIW, I'm in the Southeast and I would describe the roadbed here as gray.

 

[BigGRacing]

Have to agree with the folks going with more grey. I am attaching a pic here of our lines in Halifax along the water. The older track is more old brown and grey slate. The newer track fills are more gravel grey in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with any choice. They are both right.

 

[OilValleyRy]

So I’ve been really happy with this bracket system my brother turned me on to.
I mentioned it in another topic here somewhere someone was asking about getting 24” curves into a 4x8 of plywood.

Anyway, more focus on these brackets & the wonderful versatility of them. Obvious endorsement of the method.

Above is shown 1 bracket clamped temporarily in place. That (and others) support wood sub roadbed, which cork etc will go atop. As depicted it can be adjusted so the top of the sub roadbed material is/can be even with 2” foam if you prefer.

Wonderfully, sub roadbed material can be a variety of things, mixed together as the brackets can be adjusted. So if you have 1/2” plywood but not enough of it, and 1/4” plywood, and 1x4s, and Tongue & groove boards laying around… That’s all viable sub roadbed material.

It’s also easy to adjust things laterally. I.e. if later I decide a spur would be better shifted 2” farther from the mainline, it’s pretty simple to shift things around and do some gap filling (spliced sub roadbed & track).

And then I got wondering…
I’ve got a bunch of old 1/8th paneling that I’ve been ripping out. 4x8s mostly, with mildew rot at the bottom. But I’m looking at a few pieces and it occurred to me:
Instead of cutting them in half and tossing them out…. If I cut them in to 3x6 foot sections, avoiding the damaged rot, and then glued them in layers to make 1/2” thick sheets for my rail yard…
I wonder if I’ve been tossing out stuff I could have used?

I mean sure gluing multiple layers is “extra work,” but trying to get 4x8s home in my “not a truck” sedan is “extra work” too. It’s already here, worst case it gets tossed out anyway. I’ve got nothing to lose by my guesstimate.

A long shot question but I wonder if anyone here has ever glued multiple layers of 1970s era wood paneling together?
I try to repurpose stuff whenever it’s practical & cost saving.

EDIT: P.S. the sub roadbed is secured through the brackets from below with 1 inch counter sunk screws. Allowing adjustments after ballasting etc.