Here’s the latest track plan for the lower level showing the most recent changes and what I currently have in mind.

Here’s the latest track plan for the lower level showing the most recent changes and what I currently have in mind.

Getting close to a pretty set plan now.

Removed the Level 1 yard, angled the Level 2 yard to get away from the constant squared/straight track, and added the straight sections on each level to be used for the removable staging caddies.

Another idea popped into my head while looking at the layout and trying to figure out how to turn trays and simulate thru-trains, etc…

I first thought about using a staging cart. Basically a little I could roll out from under the layout, raise up to level height and roll trains on and off. But figuring out how to raise the tracks that high for level 1 and 2 seemed like a pain. Then the idea of a caddy/tray hit me.

So here’s my thoughts. On level 1 I would remove the yard ladder totally. It’s place I would put 2 arrival/departure tracks simulating the tail end of the yard the train is approaching. Under each track (2 yards and 1 main) I would cut of a 1″ deep channel into the blue foam that will be on top the 1/4″ plywood (or 1/2″ haven’t decided yet). Length would be about 40-50″, width maybe 1″ or 2″. I’ll have to tinker with real stuff to determine that. In each channel I would then place a piece of 1″x?”plywood with track attached.

I now have a removable “staging tray” for trains. This would allow to me turn trains around such as an Amtrak train, and simulate the train entering the yard and leaving layout without having to use up real estate for another yard. One of these is enough for me and the budget, heh.

I would do the same for level 2, just had a straight section behind the refinery for the tray piece to remove trains that are continuing on past the refinery to whereever they are headed.

I really like this idea and it’ll be a snap to implement. Here’s a really crappy drawing I made on a post-it note

At least that’s what it feels like.

Here’s the drafts I came up with last night for a point-to-point layout.

The level 1 yard would be made to simulate just the beginning of a much larger yard. (ie: a mirror would be used to simulate tracks just keep on going).

I would keep some hidden staging along level 1’s north wall. Just to have a spot to hide some trains that go to where I call “some other place”. (ie: build a train either yard and send off to “some other place”) until another session.

I was also toying around with the idea of creating maybe a little staging cart, something I can butt up against the south end of level 1, to run some other “ready to roll” trains as run-throughs. I would want to store the cart under the layout on the south wall, so I would have to figure out a way to raise the track up and down about 4-5″ from cart top to layout level.

I’m also debating on going back to all manual turnout control. One goal with the continuous loop was to be able to build fully computer controlled scenarios, utilizing the full east/west hidden staging yards. With a point-to-point, I don’t think that would work as I would want.

Oh, and another reason for manual turnouts. $$$

At 39 turnouts, that’s almost $700 in tortoise devices alone, plus another $500 or so for decoders. That’s almost $1200!

Humpyard manual turnouts - around $253. Little easier on the wallet.

So… I’ll probably use humpyard manual turnout throws for every turnout. I’d still like to have signaling work with block occupancy using Digitrax and JMRI. Though I’m not sure how to incorporate manual turnouts into this. For example, when I throw a switch, how will the system now that and set the signal aspects according.

Also, the staging area will be hooked up with IRdot-p detectors for automatic train stopping.

All and all I think things are coming together and I’ll still end up with a good layout. I won’t be able to sit back and watch trains run around the layout continuously, but at least I’ll still be able to watch trains on a layout.

Howdy all,

Been a while since my last update, but mostly cause not much has happened. Finally got all the shelf standards installed, and brackets up. I’m in process of mounting a 2×2x15 piece of wood to each bracket. This will help for support of the top plywood, make mounting that easier, give me place to drill hole or two for cables, and give me a little for under benchwork electronics.

Today I picked up some 1/4″ plywood from lowes to start seeing how the top bencwork will look.

Well, I ran into one of these “It looks better on paper than in real life moments.”

It’s the turn-around on the bottom of the layout. The two levels of 36″ deep shelving just isn’t going to work as I hoped. It’s too deep for the shelf brackets, the top level seems to swallow up the lower, and it just doesn’t look good.

So now I’m trying to figure out what to do. The obvious solution is to just do a point to point layout.

I’m thinking of putting small yard at each level’s end now to simulate the deliver of freight from one city to the next.

The “mountain pass” area with remain on the lower level but only on the north wall, with staging behind.

The west wall would then be turned into the 2nd yard.

One crazy idea could to swap the office doors to swing outward into the front room and build two removable bridge to span the doors and then just run a small maybe 5″ deep section along that east wall back to helix. If I wanted to keep the option to run continuously.

Hmm… What to do…

Here’s the latest plans for the layout.

I tweaked up the upper level a bit, and gave the lower level an overhaul. Staging was re-split into two different yards to avoid most of the shuffling a single lond yard required. The backdrop on the level will be a sort of split backdrop. The far back with be a full length sky backdrop, and then in front of staging will be a shorter maybe 4-6″ backdrop just give some illusion of a backdrop and help hide staging. I’ll have to mock this up once the benchwork is in place.

The benchwork was also expanded to 15″ to match the upper level to fit scenery, buildings, etc… Haven’t decided for sure if I want to the simulate an interchange on this level or just make another industry. I like the look of a diamond crossing so I may keep it just for show.

I also decided to go with Code 55 track. I like the prototypical look of it over code 80, and I know I’ll probably kick myself for not going with code 55 right off the bat. So I’m making the switch.

I have about 40 pieces of code 80 flextrack I’ll have to toss up on ebay to sell and replace with code 55.

In my daydreaming at work I’ve been thinking about this layout plan some more (nothing new there ) Being a more permanent type of layout I hope to last me a long time, I want to make the most of the space I’m going be using.

So I’ve been thinking about that staging level. First I would extend the whole the level to be 15″ deep (same as the main). then I would take outter-most mainline and turn it into a 2nd main level with scenery and a backdrop about 5″ from the edge. Behind the backdrop would remain the staging tracks.

Not only does these extend my mainline run, it still gives me ample staging tracks. Seems like a waste to have that *entire* second level be nothing but hidden staging you know.

Of course, I would have to figure out a way to still give me some kind of access back to the staging tracks if a derail occurs. hmm.

I’ll play around with the track planning software tonight (of course I didn’t my laptop to work today, doh!) and see what I can come up with.

Revised the staging yard a bit. Extended it from to 5 to 10″ and basically made 3 really long staging tracks on each leg of the run-around.

I’m debating on adding some switches in there to help shuffle trains around. I’ll see what I can fit once construction begins on it. I do plan on breaking each staging track into 2, maybe 3, staging blocks (and maybe transpoding even) to help with parking trains without visually seeing the tracks.