Layout Design - BCSJ III

Layout Design
BCSJ III Trackplanning.

A Small Problem - November 2002

I'm moving. The existing BC&SJ (version #2) is coming down. Most of it will be dismantled. But the BC&SJ will rise again in a new universe.. er basement.

Note: The move was completed in Oct 2003 when we moved to the new trainroom... er.. house!

Here's the skinny on the new track plan.

The new layout will feature:

A small division point yard

Multiple tracks (and locations) to feed the yard

A longish hill requiring helper service

A branch line

Some heavy duty industrial areas

Logging and wood products from the "country" locations

Staging connects the two major ends of the layout

I'll be lucky enough to have a much larger space in the new location. The new layout was intended to be a single deck with staging tucked underneath in an un-hidden location.

However, somewhere along the way, a lower deck (for phase 2 construction) crept in.

Parts of the layout may bear something of a resemblance to the SP in Oregon. On a Scale of Prototype Fidelty:

Freelanced <=====X=====================> Prototype

Don't look for too many signature scenes. I'm being creative here.

The layout can support an mini-army of operators (when available) but can be run with a more skeleton crew when necessary. Hopefully there are enough towns that are far enough apart to make operation interesting for the crews, yard boys, and dispatcher. TT&TO is a distinct possibility.

The major function of the layout is to collect traffic at the Bear Creek yard, which classifies carss and generates new trains. There are also a number of through trains to keep up the traffic level without swamping the yard. Bear Creek is designed to allow separate hostler, a switch crew at each end, and yard master to ride heard on the operation. Assuming trains are mostly well blocked when arriving the target is to break down an arriving train in 12 minutes or less and build a departing train in 8 minutes or less. This will take a lot of cooperation (and practice) between the yard crews.

The second function is to provide a helper district. The grade from Bear Creek to Oakhill is about a scale mile. The grade from Mill Bend to Oakhill is about 5/6 of a mile. Helpers may also be required for moving trains up from the Deschutes line to Mill Bend.

A third feature is industrial areas big enough to generate/receive significant traffic. These are featured in East Creek and Browning. Mill Bend provides a large lumber products area. Oakhill and the towns on the Deschutes line provide logging and few other local industries (warehose, bulk oil).

A very short line to Roseburg and Coos Bay leaves from Bear Creek and terminates in stub-end (ech!) staging providing another set of destinations for the yard crew to deal with.

And at Albany Junction there is a connection to Albany and Toledo.

The mainline is about 5 miles from the time a train emerges from staging at Browning to when it enters staging after South Jackson. The Deschutes line is about 2 miles not including the run through South Jackson and Mill Bend.

This design appeared in MRP (Model Railroad Planning) 2004 under "Fine Tuning a Layout for Operation"

Specifications:

Era/locale - 1952, Oregon

Theme - division point operation

Traffic - 40% bridge 60% passes through Bear Creek yard

Crew - 4 to 20 depending on number of trains run

40" minimum mainline radius (36" on Albany/Toledo branch)

Max mainline grade - 2.8%

Min mainline turnout - #8

Min yard turnout - #8 where road locos may travel

Min turnout - #5 in industrial areas

Staging - 16 double ended tracks

Mainline length - 5 miles

Deschutes line length - 3 miles

Max height - 65" (at Oakhill)

Min height - 36" (staging)

Typical aisle width - 36"

Construction cost - I don't really want to know this...

Trackplans

Main deck trackage - version 18 N5c

Lower deck trackage - version 18 N5c