Dogbone

As I indicated earlier, I wanted a hybrid layout that would provide some operations interest as well as railfanning.  When we have visitors, I want to have a unit running in a loop around the layout.  Some times this would be a lengthy coal train, but other times I might like a passenger train (if I ever buy one).

For a passenger train to run, I will need a large radius on the loops.  And I will need a way to incorporate both east and west staging while keeping a somewhat natural or realistic look to the ends of the layout.

So I thought - what if I have the loop run under the layout?  I could run down a grade, go underneath the layout, and then back up at the opposite end.  I've seen quite a few layout plans that indicate staging underneath the layout, so this seemed to be workable.

I drew up a design, and soon realized if  I was going to run the mainline at the front of the layout all the way around that I wasn't going to have much room on the reverse side of the dogbone to put staging.  Plus if I kept to a steep but reasonable grade (under 4%), I wouldn't have very much room to have staging between the ends of the reverse side of the loop.

So the main line would need to be somewhat curved.  It would come in from the back left, straighten out along the length, then curve toward the back right. I could run the staging in front of the main layout if I kept the operational portion of the mainline at the front of the "main level".  I could even add scenery to it, making it look like it is running at the bottom of a cliff face.

Yeah, it's confusing.  So a picture is worth an additional thousand words.

Latest layout

The staging area in the front (the green tracks) is a few inches lower than the rest of the layout. 

I'll need to make sure that the industries at either end are within easy reach, so the far right and left back corners are going to be scenery only, probably foothills.  I'll need to somehow make them removable to be able to deal with derailments, but that should not be a big deal.  I can live with the coke oven and the byproduct facilities being on opposite sides of the main line as it curves toward the back right.  I can run the byproduct feed pipes underneath the line in a ditch and run a bridge over the top of them.

The power plant will be just behind the coke oven - a little bit of a stretch but still reachable.

And I'm making the layout a little deeper, back to 34 inches so we can store my grandson's wooden train table underneath.  For the most part, that will simply add more space for scenery behind the operational portion of the layout.

 At this point, it has been several years since I have actually posted anything here.

I have not been idle in my hobby, but I also have not put anything to wood, nails, and glue.  The interim has involved mostly design and purchase of a few select pieces.

My next few posts will retroactively cover the intervening years.