Track planning blues

[sailormatlac]

@Tyson:

N scale.. I once thought about it, but when I look at it, it's just a toy to me. The size is to diminutive to make me believe I'm looking at a "steel" model, large and mighty. I have a N-scale hopper (ordered by mistake) and checked it this evening... I felt nothing. I know people like you, really makes something great of out smaller scales, but I prefer to be a spectator. BTW, I lose quickly interested in long train (I love them in real life), I prefer a 10-car max freight train than a long, long, long serpent! BTW, I love kitbashing and detailling, I would suffer in "N"ormal scale! I pledged myself to HO long ago and love what it gives me in term of details and operation. Doing QRL&PCo rolling stock in N would be not good for my sanity... it isn't in HO scale!

Funny thing I never thought about my basement before. I'm actually reorganizing it completely and in the process of installing new shelves. This could be a good occasion to build an ISL. Remember that Hedley-Junction started 7 years ago in that same basement...

I checked it up tonight and found out there was a L shaped wall in a part that could be used to install an ISL. The basement size is 24' x 32' feet free of walls and columns, except a masonny bulge on one side (2' x 4') that support the old fireplace.

Pratically, I can used the place between the chimney and a part of the long wall. That means about 10' x roughly 28' (4' are lost to the electric entry). To be honest, I don't want to fill up all the place with a layout with no end.

I also found out I had more doors remaining that I thought:

2 x (18" x 78")
1 x (24" x 73")
1 x (18" x 31")

Which means an overall length of 260", about 21'-8", which is rather large.

The small leg of the L-shape could be used for staging purpose with a desk for modelling purpose under it. An interesting and practical setup.

I also continued to study Cookshire... The more I learn about this place, the more I think it had tremendous operation potential (4 differents destinations, two interchanging railways and international traffic between Canadian & American roads). The Cookshire Mill Company (sawmill), later J.R. Westgate, had extensive operation in New England too. I read they employed over a thousand people in early 1900s just in Cookshire Township area. It suffered a tornado in 1915! The Standard Chemical exploded too circa 1920. No casualty but it wasn't rebuilt. It is now a plastic industry that replace it (not bad for a modern setting).

The most interesting track plan is circa 1928, before MEC pull out the area. I don't have any problem with using this old track plan on a more modern era since the industries were rail-served until recently (MMA still do some switching at the flour mill).

Here's the track plan:



TAKE A LOOK: The flour mill (bottom, center picture) has a small narrow gage railroad entering the building! You can see a very small mining style hopper... Need to get more info about that.

CPR had the high hand on most operation.

1) Freight & Passenger stations are shared by both railways, each have its own water tank.

2) CPR had a small "yard" with an extensive team track (as depicted with the horse bogey and the coal hopper). The flour mill (still) has a dedicated siding. There's evidence it also served as a second team track near the street.

3) A long CPR siding served the sawmill and chemical industry (they made wood alcohol and other chemical employed by paint industry back then). This sind led to a small interchange with MEC. It's not clear if MEC switched both pindustries but the facing side of turnouts would have made it easy. One thing is sure, I read that many lumber camp were directly rail-served by MEC and that logs were hauled to the sawmill. Operation wise, MEC could feed the industries and CPR could handle the exported goods.

4) MEC had a small but interesting engine facility including a 1-stall engine house and a turntable.

5) Insurance maps and others maps aren't clear about the siding leading to the foundry and oil dealer. It certainly was served by CPR by 1928, however, it was located in MEC right of way as property maps and the foundry picture show us. Was it a remnant of MEC abandonned main line? Who knows?!!

I also drawn the place in real size... It's quite large, but with wise choices, one can do something interesting without too much issue.



Then i tried to put it on a medium-sized foot print. I'm not satisfied with the interchange, but I like how buildings work together to create an interesting scene...



The major problem is the width. From experience on the club layout, over 24", I can't reach anything for operation purpose. For this reason, I sacrified the MEC interchange and lumber yard (Standard Chemical Co. offers much more potential in term of train spots and car variety).

There's 3 options:

1) Use the fiddle yard as the interchange. No need to model it and it's a natural place for building trains.

2) Make the layout longer and add the interchange as it was with the engine facility. That means the upper CPR siding to the sawmill goes beyong the chemical plant. I find it far-fetched and illogical. That track would be a pain to operate... But I still like the original plan!

3) Do the interchange were it was, but connect it with CPR mainline. That could be a nice excuse to use the mainline, which other wise would be a sad static display-only track at best. Then, cars could be shuffled to the mock up CPR sawmill siding. This would be treated as a hidden industry. That point needs to be clarified.

Phasing:

I think the layout must be understood as two parts. The station and industries are one. Interchange and engine facility is another one. The station "module" is vital, the enginehouse "module" is accessory and could be done as a future expansion. In fact, I think of it as a catchy gimmick that add nothing except one of those numerous turntable you never use, that over detailled campy engine house and a lots of unrequited expensive turnouts that looks like a spagetthi to me.

Long before adding an interchange module, I think adding staging cassettes standing for CPR Montreal and MEC mainline to New England would be highly useful to create the train flow making Cookshire a real junction. That would add operation potential and variety with only a few spare tracks on a plywood. It's also a means to not waste time on part of the layout that would tell us about the place... Honestly, I much more interested in the main street flanked by to station and 2 large industries than a meaningless generic one-track interchange siding. My two cents.

Here's what I thinking about right now:



I could use the extra length to model this part of the scene nearer to the real prototype, making it less crowded and giving more room for trains to crawl on lengthy siding (a thing I like because it compensate for a continuous running loop). Also it would enable me to use longer turnouts.

BTW, CPR mainline could be occassionnaly a place to stage a mixed freight waiting at the station... Hum... interesting.

Feel free to bash, criticize and tell me I write too much and do nothing!

Matt