Large Scale Central

Making a siding/spur, not sure if it looks right

Problem Solving
#1

I’m going to have a small grain elevator on this siding. Nothing huge, just what would be in a small rural town. Probably hold 4-5 grain cars. I ordered two rights and one left switch. I’m thinking I needed two lefts and one right.

This is my first attempt. I didn’t like it at all. It was too close to the fence to allow for the grain silo’s.

I didn’t like how much space was between the mainline and the siding either. I just didn’t look right.

So, I took the curve out and put in a 2 foot straight after the left switch.

I think that looks better and it leaves room for the grain silo’s.

I think this will work, but It’s not what I had in mind. I was wanting the left hand switch to go into another left hand switch. Should I order another left and put it where the 2 foot straight is or just leave it be?

#2

I think what you have done in the second option looks just fine. Plenty of room on the siding and passing siding for car storage. And plenty of room along the fence for your industry.

#3

Having done something very similar to your second option, also to serve a grain elevator, I echo the thoughts by Ken.

The principal difference is that my spur only takes four cars.

#4

Maybe its just me, but that turnout for the industry would seem less awkward if it was a left instead of a right. It will give you more clearance for cars on the passing siding, too.

#5

Matt and Steve: That would work if the industry was located at the end of the spur and not at the beginning, close to the turnout!

Paul

#6

Leave room to step!

#7

Bruce Chandler said:

Leave room to step!

Yep, very important. I have a few spurs that I need to re-jigger to make them more accessible.

#8

In the bottom picture, I would make the switch for the siding off the straight track at the top right… Leave the industry switch where it is… That gives you room ( like a switch lead) to work cars into and out of the industry, will little/minimal effect on mainline traffic…

You could also, make the industry siding in a curved pattern… that would give you room to step between the siding and the industry track, to couple and uncouple cars…

Place the silo’s and loading area in the middle of the siding, so the cars can be laoded properly. If you want to work 4 cars in the industry, you need to have room for 4 cars both before and after the loading area to load.

Just to throw a kink in your plans… :slight_smile:

#9

Wow. Thanks for the responses!! I really do appreciate it.

I do have enough room to get to everything as it sits. Amazingly, I had thought of that. lol. I’d planned on putting the grain elevator in the middle. But I can see what your saying about the switch being to close.

I was looking at it again just a bit ago and thought about putting the right hand switch down with the other right had switch. Then the spur will head the other direction. I think that is sorta what Andy is suggesting.

Also, I do have more track. I just had those 5 footers laying in the yard so I grabbed them. I extended it another 5 feet o so with some curves . I should have took a picture.

thanks again guys!

#10

Bruce Chandler said:

Leave room to step!

Always important.

Before you hardwire this, try operating it. Put some cars on the passing siding and see it you can sneak a train past them without hitting them. Can you get your foot in-between them, if necessary? Where are you going to stand to throw the switch? To uncouple? What happens if you loose your balance? (These things happen.) What about the 4 year old neighbor kid who finally breaks down your resistance to “help out?”

You can’t really “sailor proof” anything, but you can still try to cover most of the bases.

Admiral Rickover and General Electric thought that they had “sailor proofed” their new submarine nuclear reactor, that enough redundancy was built in that “nothing could go wrong.” They gave the prototype to a crew of sailors with the challenge to see if they could scram the reactor, smug in their knowledge that “nothing could go wrong.” It only took the sailors 30 minutes to take the reactor into emergency shutdown. But, I digress.

Think of everything that can go wrong, and prepare for it. You might get lucky.

#11

Matt Russell said:

I was looking at it again just a bit ago and thought about putting the right hand switch down with the other right had switch. Then the spur will head the other direction. I think that is sorta what Andy is suggesting.

Matt, I was trying to Swap the Left and right hand switch, where the left hand switch is… then, put the right hand switch off the mainline at end of the straight track up towards the top right…

Don’t know how to say it any clearer of what I had in mind…

#12

Hi Matt,

Not sure if you’re into buying more turnouts…But I would suggest using a very broad left (USA-Trains #6) coming off the mainline, then use your left 10ft dia switch to serve the industry. That would avoid the twist and S-turn combo thru the switches making a smooth curved route to either the passing track or the spur.

Now if the track crew is not available…I agree, option 2 does look better.

#13

I am with Andy, a longer lead would be nice to shunt cars from the passing siding to the spur. My though was to move the spur switch further away from the passing siding switch. Either way, it would be nice to be able to fit more then just one car and a locomotive between the switches, so you don’t have to block the main when moving cars from the passing siding to the industry spur.

#14

I agree with Andy and Dave, you want to be able to work the industry, grain elevator, without impacting the traffic on the mainline in any way. Now can that be achieved in the space you have? That’s the rub. Industries have done all kinds of creative work to get around problems, Have you thought of putting the grain elevator between the tracks and the fence, with the loading taking place along the fence? Just trying to look at all options.

#15

Jeff, I just can’t afford those #6 switches. Those are the ones I wanted, but dang that price was just too much for me. I still have quite a bit of building materials to buy yet. I might upgrade in the future.

David, I see what you’re saying about space. If I extended that piece it pushes the spur down to far. It might be easier for me to put the spur going the other way. I think that might give it more of a lead and room to shove cars. I might be able to start the siding further down the line too, if I do that.

Ric, I’d thought of that when I did the first setup in picture 1. But, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to reach the cars. I need to lay it out again and see.

The setup I have laid out now is just like what was in the town I grew up in, although it’s since been torn up and the elevator torn down. I can remember as a kid watching the train leave it’s cars on the mainline. Then shuttle things around hook back up and rumble off.

As much space as I thought I had, I’m sure limited on what I can do. Sheesh. lol.

Thanks again everybody!

#16

Hmmm… My 2 cents.

I don’t like how the switch divergence is used for the run around track. You will find that it is easier for a train to drive and especially back over the straight part of a switch.

Now to contradict myself.

Question are your switches 8’ or 10’ divergence? The reason I ask is that it looks like you are using some nice wide curves on your RR. If you are using 10’ switches why not back up to the start of your “S” curve and put a switch on it? The curve piece from the right switch would be the main while the straight would head into your runaround. This would give you a much longer sidings.
It is crazy how much track even a short train takes up.

By putting in the switch at the start of your S curve you industry track can be closer to the fence which I think would add visual interest and a clear path for you to walk between the tracks.

#17

Todd, the turnouts expressed in radius are basically still the “toy” style… with frog numbers of about 4 to 4.5 …

I’d do #6 on mainlines, and “numbered” turnouts are not expressed in radius, but by the diverging angle on the frog, or “frog number”…

I have a chart on my site showing the frog numbers of some of the “toy” switches.

I call these “toy” switches since most are curved through the entire turnout, to match existing curves to minimize space. The idea sounds good, but the geometry through the switch is not the same.

Greg

#18

Matt Russell said:

As much space as I thought I had, I’m sure limited on what I can do. Sheesh. lol.

Thanks again everybody!

LOL, yea, aint it amazing how that works?

#19

Looks like you got to work after I was there.

#20

Okay I’ll be contrary so everybody can get mad at me. I liked the first track configuration and I’ll tell you why.

First the gran elevator doesn’t have to be full depth. It can be a “semi-flat” along the fence. Don’t attach to the fence and leave perhaps a couple inches space back there to allow the fence to move separately from the structure.

This will give the illusion of open space around the tracks as well as plenty of room to step.

That’s my opinion. But then…what do i know? (I’ll say it before these guys do).

:slight_smile: