Hello,
You might have noticed some changes to certain scenes on my layout during our most recent Penn Central Car Movement Series #98. I didn't mention them at the time because I wanted to keep the focus on our "virtual ops", but I made some significant alterations to the layout shortly before then.
Before talking about the changes I'll provide a little bit of history. My layout was designed as a continuously running dog bone style that folded on top of itself at a higher elevation. This created a lengthy mainline that I liked for years as my primary source of model railroad enjoyment was to watch trains go by.
This early photo of the layout room shows the pike's U shaped configuration with large loops on either side of the entrance.
The loop on the right included KP Steel and the Kings Port & Western's engine facility, seen below. The loop was about five feet wide so I created a pop-up section in the middle in order to access sections in the back. This of course involved crawling under the benchwork to access the pop-up hatch.
When I built the engine facility I thought I'd use it often as part of my operations but it tended to sit idle as a static display and place to simply set locomotives not in use.
KP Steel had a three track yard I referred to as the mill's "holding yard" that only allowed me to set out cars in a general way.
So, I had an engine yard I wasn't really using, the KP Steel scene wasn't particularly operationally interesting, access to parts of the scene required crawling under the layout...which as a guy in his 60s is becoming less appealing. :)
Another factor that motivated me to make some changes is the grade the mainline followed as it looped around KP Steel and the engine yard to climb up to Marion on the other side of the layout where one return loop of the dogbone is superimposed above the other.
Here the upper level track is seen climbing through Kings Port in the background. The two elevations make for an interesting scene.
The height of the elevation can be appreciated in this photo where the two end loops of the dogbone plan are on top of each other.
I've been concerned about the grade as it seemed to be making my locomotives work pretty hard and may have contributed to some wear among my motive power roster over the years.
The final factor that led me to decide to make some changes was the limited amount of staging I have available. As my interest in operations increased I wanted to include additional trains that would supply West Mill with cars or receive trains dispatched from West Mill.
With all of these issues in mind I mulled over some options for changes for a few months before finally taking a big breath and making the initial cuts. It wasn't easy to contemplate a major alteration to a layout that has been in existence for over 25 years!
The plan was to remove the loop and replace it with a longer narrow extension that would hold a seven track yard. The new section begins near Kings Port Station.
The loop was demolished....
Some of the original tracks for KP Steel's " holding yard" were maintained and extended farther.
The yard begins to take shape! New fascia will need to be painted to match the rest of the layout. Its on the "to do" list. :)
The photo below shows the new ballasted yard in place with some experimental placement of KP Steel structures in the background. The yard will provide an "out and back" track plan with three tracks on the left acting as staging for trains that will arrive at West Mill (on the other side of the layout) from "the south". Three tracks on the right side (or nearer the edge of the benchwork) provide staging for trains that will enter West Mill from "the north". The middle track can serve as a "drill track" or as additional staging as needed.
While running trains for my own enjoyment I plan to keep the yard set up with the KP Steel scene since it has the greatest number of structures to manage...and because I like the way the scene looks!
This new structure seen below will receive coil cars during "virtual ops" but can accommodate the rear ends of staged trains otherwise.
During the "virtual ops" with John's and Neal's layouts easily removable light blue backdrop panels and various building flats can replace KP Steel to represent several locations.
Here the yard stands in for my freelanced KP&W railroad's Williams Yard. The scene includes an initial mock up of locomotive facilities borrowed from the old loop scene.
The staging yard can also represent the KP&W's Mayfield Yard during "virtual ops".
It can also be used to show switching at some larger industries. In addition to KP Steel it can be International Paper...
..and Tri Mount Cement
I've already successfully used these features in our latest Penn Central Car Movement series (PCCM 98). As far as running the layout for my own enjoyment is concerned I'm developing a scheme that will keep me focused on West Mill Yard as trains arrive to pick up cars or to "feed" West Mill from the new staging yard.
Here is one example:
Starting operations at West Mill Yard, switcher #8951 grabs a small cut of cars to set out for the next Penn Central WV-2 transfer run from Weehawken to Selkirk that will stop to pick up and set out cars at West Mill.
The five cars are set out on a siding for WV-2.
...and the switcher return s to the yard.
WV-2 is staged at my new yard powered by an SD35/GP40 consist
The train is seen rolling through Kings Port...
...and later arriving at West Mill.
...where it pulls along side the cars set out by the West Mill switcher.
Cars to be set out at West Mill are uncoupled from the train in front of the white LV boxcar.
These cars are pulled ahead and then set out in the yard.
The train's power then moves to the siding and picks up the five cars left by the switcher.
...couples them to the rest of WV-2...
...and heads toward Selkirk. (i.e. the new staging yard)
After WV-2 leaves, the West Mill Yard crew turns its attention to the cars that were set out and assembles them into a train that will serve local industries.
That's just one train that could arrive at West Mill from the new staging yard. Thoughtful planning could allow multiple trains from staging to arrive at West Mill or to be received in staging from West Mill. Local trains could run as "turns" and run as out-and-back moves that wouldn't affect the staging yard's capacity.
The more I think about it the greater number of operations possibilities come to mind! I'll provide updates as these schemes develop!
Thanks for taking a look and for your patience with this long post! :)
