06-17-2010, 11:57 PM
Okay so I just followed your link over to the trainboard forum. Minor uproar indeed! :o
If you take a look at Pinto on my Bonus Room shelf layout plan, you'll see it has no runaround. This was an intentional choice. It's not based on any prototype since the road is freelanced but strictly on the lack of space for a decent runaround without crowding the scenic divide between Pinto and Andrews (a creek) or seriously limiting the number of cars I could bring up to Pinto or haul back down.
PLUS, I like geared steam, and I planned the branch for a nice little 3 truck shay to be able to shove the cars uphill and pull them back down, with the sidewinder gear action visible the whole time...well, except when it's in the tunnel. But that also necessitates a caboose with a keen eyed crewmember on the platform, hand on the brake line to 'signal' the engineer.
SO trains are blocked & sorted (cars for the BTLC interchange grouped together, cars destined for Pinto grouped together) in Watson, creating another job for a little switch engine to do. All in all, it adds to the operational fun and that's the whole point, isn't it?
Stick to your guns and confound the naysayers - leave out the runaround!
Galen
If you take a look at Pinto on my Bonus Room shelf layout plan, you'll see it has no runaround. This was an intentional choice. It's not based on any prototype since the road is freelanced but strictly on the lack of space for a decent runaround without crowding the scenic divide between Pinto and Andrews (a creek) or seriously limiting the number of cars I could bring up to Pinto or haul back down.
PLUS, I like geared steam, and I planned the branch for a nice little 3 truck shay to be able to shove the cars uphill and pull them back down, with the sidewinder gear action visible the whole time...well, except when it's in the tunnel. But that also necessitates a caboose with a keen eyed crewmember on the platform, hand on the brake line to 'signal' the engineer.
SO trains are blocked & sorted (cars for the BTLC interchange grouped together, cars destined for Pinto grouped together) in Watson, creating another job for a little switch engine to do. All in all, it adds to the operational fun and that's the whole point, isn't it?
Stick to your guns and confound the naysayers - leave out the runaround!
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!