Model Railroading > Insomnia + JMRI is a bad combo... draft semi-portable layout

So I have been toying around with drafting an idea of a model railroad in our basement using space we don't use for much of anything... the goals were pretty simple... 1. Make it as compact as possible, so I am going with N scale.. 2. Make it as realistic operations wise as possible.. and 3. Make it portable to either take to shows or to move if I end up moving myself.  The layout was a weird design, as we have two structural poles right in the middle of the basement.  Luckily I can work around them with the decks.  I was going to go with a fairly basic chopped U shape (one side of the U chopped for the doorway outside) around 12' x 12' in dimensions... and the ideas got bigger, & the layout plans got bigger... well, a long weekend of railfanning coupled with insomnia made for an all-night layout mapping.  The final outer dimensions ended up being 20' long by 16' wide, with a main 16' x 8' area, a 12'x4' extension on the right side and two 8'x4' extensions in the middle and opposite side (one chopped to fit around aforementioned poles).  The inspiration for the layout is based on the C&O Logan and Kanawha Subdivision, now CSX.  The Kanawha Subdivision makes up the outer double track mainline, modeling on the stretch between Huntington (HO Cabin) and St. Albans, and the Logan Subdivision splits off from the Kanawha Subdivision at Barboursville before running south along the Guyandotte River watershed to Logan, where Peach Creek Yard is based, then heads south through it's namesake town to Man, where the signalling system ends and the line continues to Gilbert, WV where it once connected with the ex-Virginian (now NS) Guyandot River Branch.  Today, the tracks are not used south of Man and the signal system east of Logan has been removed after codeline was damaged during severe weather back in 2015.

On the double track mainline, the line runs around the perimeter of the layout, with crossovers at HO Cabin (Huntington), Guyandotte, Barboursville (wye connecting the Logan Sub), Hurricane, Scott Depot, Scary (on the prototype the Bills Creek IT comes off here to John Amos power plant, but the east end of the Logan Sub connects here to create a loop) and West and East End of Dock Siding (near St. Albans).  At Barboursville, as the prototype road does, a wye is formed with two tracks from the west leg and a single track from the east leg, running as directional double track for a few miles before heading into single track territory, which was ABS-Train Order territory up until recently, when full CTC was implemented.  Three sidings are located along the line, but only two are modeled at the time; Ranger, Heartland (omitted unless I decide to add it on the grade); and Baber siding, which also features a coal tipple (idle today).  After dropping back downgrade, the single track goes to double track in the town of Henlawson and runs up to OB Cabin, once located in the middle of Peach Creek but will serve as the west end of the yard today.  Peach Creek was once a large and busy yard, and in today's coal industry, it still is a heavily used yard (relatively speaking) with 5-6 mines loading trains off the numerous branches.  Peach Creek here sports ten tracks, 6 one one side and 4 on the other, with a running track around the perimeter.  A three-track engine pit & four-track shop facility keeps the yard in a tight fitting area along the short side of the layout. 

Two pullout tracks coming out of the yard and the running track merge into FD Cabin, situated in downtown Logan at the junction of the Island Creek Subdivision to Holden.  Directional signalling is used from here to Stollings a few miles east of town, where a spring switch is located to merge back to single track.  This portion of the line was unique in that it used full ABS signalling overlaid with train orders, and used C&O's infamous US&S signal heads on short masts (sometimes as short as 10 foot) for protection against other movements.  There were once 3 or 4 branches coming off between here and Man, the next and last control point, but today only one retains active service, the others have been removed.  West of Man, Taplin Siding once served a coal operation and small yard, but is now used mostly for passing trains and storage in lean times.  At Man, the Buffalo Subdivsion branches off with the Rockhouse IT coming off just a short stretch down the line.  A few miles down the line at Wylo, the Elk Creek Sub was located here, but was abandoned and removed.  However, a new mining operation has graded the ROW and is laying fresh ties & rail for a new mine operation, which will shed a healthy coat of rust off the rails between Man and Wylo, therefore I will leave a short branch here for it.  On the prototype, past Wylo is no longer used, and the ROW east of a small single-car tipple near West Gilbert is overgrown with trees and crossings paved over.  For the layout, the line will climb back over itself and empty out onto the mainline at Scary.

Branches along the line are the Island Creek Subdivision, which runs along present day US 119 to Holden to serve a mine, then runs through a mountain and once served another mine near Scarlet, but the ROW east of the tunnel is overgrown.  Back near Logan, Monitor Jct connects the Logan & Southern Subdivision to Island Creek, and runs up towards Omar and on to Pine Creek.  While abandoned today, I have also included the Whitman SD with a basic loop track mine.  These branches depart from the main at FD Cabin in Logan, and climb out overtop the layout.  Since N scale is so small, it should not be a problem to build platforms for the line to climb across.  Heading east out of Logan, Rum Jct is the first line coming off the single track to head up Rum Creek to serve a mine operation near Dehue.  A bit farther east, the Snap Creek line branches off.  While the prototype is a basic dead-end spur crossing the Guyandotte River and heading a short way up Rich Creek, I opted to place a short loop track and small yard here, though those plans could change.
At Man the Buffalo Subdivision once ran out of town into the hills of Logan County, but is only used a few miles out to Fanco mine, which here loops around and climbs over itself to serve the mine on a hillside.  The Rockhouse IT comes off just a short distance further with a short single-car type loader here.  Down the line at Wylo, the once-abandoned Elk Creek IT (mentioned above) comes off here before the mainline heads for Gilbert, or in this case Scary.

This is my first attempt at N scale, and it is definitely intimidating but I enjoy a challenge.  I've been watching a lot of videos on the operation of DCC, installation of signal systems on model railways, etc. and hope to make this a fun and functional layout.  I plan to use JMRI and other software to operate signals, switches, etc.  Long term, I would like to add a form of automation to the layout where I can set trains to run around the layout in shifts, this way I can set it up at a show, set the trains up and just babysit while the trains do their thing.  I may be crazy, and this may never happen...but a guy can dream, right?

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That's a well drawn plan but in my opinion you have too much track with not enough room for scenery.  The nice thing about N scale is it's size makes wide open looking scenery possible.   Hard to do if it's full of track. 

Peter

I'll add that even in N scale, you are going to really have trouble reaching some stuff there, when it derails. Also your yard and engine terminal are pretty generic in design and have some flaws. Try googling the ten commandments of model railroad yard design.
Cheers, 
Nick

Ah, the classic "spaghetti bowl".

Rob

Looks like a very exciting project!   But I'd add, there is way too much going on.   Too much track.   Consider how real railroads are.  There is rarely more than one or two tracks at any given area.  But if you like switching and a lot of yard storage, go for it!   It's your idea and you get to do whatever you feel suites your interests best.

OregonOldGuy Wrote:
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> Ah, the classic "spaghetti bowl".
>
> Rob

Thats the first thing that came to my mind when I viewed the track plan - classic spaghetty bowl! 

Everyone's a critic... :)

I'll take it a different way. I like the idea of separating the branches and using the "real estate" that is in the middle of the outer loops.  Might be neat to use scenery and hidden track to have the branches more geographically separate from the mainline, at least in a few spots.  A spaghetti bowl is OK in my opinion, if you can cover up some hidden trackage, and still find a way to reach everything in the event of a derailment.

BTW, I can't believe no one asked... what software did you use? I need to start some prototyping myself.
Thanks,
-Alex

herronpeter Wrote:
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> That's a well drawn plan but in my opinion you
> have too much track with not enough room for
> scenery.  The nice thing about N scale is it's
> size makes wide open looking scenery possible.  
> Hard to do if it's full of track. 
>
> Peter

The goal was to be more full of track, I'm not planning on doing an entire city full of scenery for the layout.  The mines here and there, and some stuff to simulate the city.  This line is based on a coal branch line that hugs the side of a hill between a two lane road & river.  It only runs through one or two actual towns, the rest of the line is more remote than anything.  I was honestly bored night and just went with it, using as much of the track as I could. 

NGotwalt Wrote:
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> I'll add that even in N scale, you are going to
> really have trouble reaching some stuff there,
> when it derails. Also your yard and engine
> terminal are pretty generic in design and have
> some flaws. Try googling the ten commandments of
> model railroad yard design.
> Cheers, 
> Nick

I designed the layout as reachable as possible, the top section is 16'x8' meaning the yard is within easy reach and the middle area can be reached from the aisles between the "M" of the layout.  As far as the yard, I'll play with more ideas for it, or just do something completely different.  I guess I'll do a little more research.

For those asking, I use SCARM, or Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller, free software from www.scarm.info