As more parts of the Slate Creek fall into place I’m discovering just exactly how small a railroad it really is… even though it takes up the whole basement! The most recent dilemma involves trackage at “Midway” … the working title for the town between the crusher plant and the mine. Plans called for a run-around track with a house track at this station. Here’s what it looks like NOW:
The passing track was supposed to run from one curve to the other (in the photo, there’s a pile of AristoCraft curves used for curve approximation at the near end, and some more stacked track past the power tools that is very near the other end of where the siding will end) … along the long straight side of the benchwork. You can see from the benchwork underneath, that this makes for a switchpoint to switchpoint distance of 16 feet or so. Sixteen feet isn’t bad as a siding … that’s eight forty foot cars… and 10 30 foot cars … The devil is in the details, though. Laying out the switches, between the actual length of a #6 switch, (about 2 feet) which takes away four feet … and the length of reverse curve needed to accomplish the parallel track … the useable siding in the middle is about eight feet long! Well… that’s better than nothing. It does leave room for a three car passenger train, and maybe a five or six car freight, depending on cars … Of course the house track’s going to be pretty short too … Anyhow … since we’re not spiked in place yet, I figured I’d air this here … anyone have a better track plan, or ideas on how to make it work well? I’ve never seen such a short run-around except maybe Pardee Point, or the passing siding at the Trolley museum I used to work with … but I suppose it’s possible. Someday I’m gonna figure out how to do this all outside, and “connect” to the Port Orford Coast … woww… would love to have that much space on the benchwork, and those kinds of features! For now, I need to do the best with the space I have.