Track Planning ' ' '

1
Track Planning . . .

• Some thoughts on planning the Ontario North
  Eastern RR
• Larry Skinner, 26 Feb 2009

2
The Ontario North Eastern . . .

• What industries will I have?
• Period, Location, Name and Prototype
• Setting out the Main Line
• Changing Direction
• Passing Tracks
• Interchange Tracks
• Team Tracks
• What about Grades?
• Moving Freight and passengers
• My Plan for the O.N.E. . .

• What about the standards?
• What's a Square
• How many squares do I have?
• How many squares for a blob?
• Turning all the corners
• Where will my yard(s) be?
• Must Haves . . .
• What will my railroad do?
• What lets my trains do their work?

3
What about the Standards?

• Minimum mainline radius 30
• Minimum industrial radius 24
• Maximum grade
• 2 on the Main line
• 4 on the Branch Line
• Minimum turnout Fast Tracks 6
• Minimum track spacing
• 2 OC - straightaways
• 2.5 OC - curves
• Spiral easements All mainline curves
• Size of Squares 36

4
What's a Square

• A square is
• I used 36 squares
• This was convenient
• I knew that for sure my track would fit

Side Min Radius 2 x Centre Spacing
30 2 x 2.5 35
5
How many Squares do I have?
259

• Room is approx
• 26 x 19 ( x 10 x 9)
• or . . .
• Or, in terms of squares
• 8 x 6 squares, and L shaped

610
2
1810
10
6
How many Squares for a Blob?

• It will take four squares to make a minimum
  radius blob with a narrow neck

7
Turning all the corners

• First - try a minimum radius circle in each place
  the track will need to turn
• Trial fit lines to join the circles
• Draw in approx. location of benchwork

8
Where will my yard(s) be?
9
Must haves . . .

• Staging 5 tracks
• Freight East, Freight West
• Passenger East, Passenger West
• Main (remains clear)
• Passing tracks
• Interchange tracks
• Car Ferry
• Team tracks
• Passenger Stations
• Engine Servicing area
• Some grades

10
What will my railroad do?

• Trains will have their road engines serviced and
  turned at the main yard
• Switchers will make and break trains
• Passenger service between towns but run through
  only no coach yard
• Mixed freight to and from industries
• Mining branch

11
What lets my trains do their work?

• In any track arrangement you need a runaround if
  the engine has to escape
• This can be at the site or require that the
  engine run around and push the car(s) from a
  nearby passing track or yard

?
OK
?
?
12
What industries will I have?

• Imaginary freight on my RR will be shipped from
  one industry to another industry
• Passengers will travel from one town to another
• Paired industries eg. Gold Mine and Stamp Mill
• Raw materials in products out
• Car ferry, hidden tracks, interchange tracks are
  both sources and destinations
• Structure kits that I already own!

13
Period, Location, Name, Prototype

• Circa late 1950s Steam, early Diesel
• North Eastern Ontario, hence Ontario North
  Eastern RR
• Fictional with as many Canadian road names as I
  can manage
• This allows for US road freight rolling stock
• Engines and passenger cars will be Canadian roads

14
Setting out the Main Line

• Out and back to main yard
• 5 tracks staging yard
• Continuous loop without having to reset turnouts
• Multiple towns
• Provision for turning entire trains in both
  directions

15
Changing Direction . . .

• Need at least one way to change direction from
  each direction
• That is a train doing the loop CW can turn and
  run CCW
• Or, a train doing the loop CCW can turn and run
  CW

16
Passing Tracks

• Along the main, need at least one long passing
  track
• Staging yard tracks will also work for this

17
Interchange Tracks

• If any goods are to come in or leave via rail
  from outside the area of my layout, they need to
  come in and out on interchange tracks
• Interchange tracks can be functional or suggested
  
• They can run off the edge . . .

18
Team Tracks

• Team tracks allow local loading of RR cars
• Not related to a specific industry
• Team referred to teams of horses or oxen, etc.
  that pulled wagons to and from these loading
  tracks
• Later, goods arrived and left the rails by trucks

19
What about Grades?

• There will be grades
• Down and up to hidden staging tracks
• Up to the mining branch
• Down to the car ferry
• Main down to go under the mining branch trestle
• Ill calculate in Cadrail to ensure they are
  within my grade standard
• 2 on the Main line
• 4 on the Branch Line

20
Moving Freight and Passengers

• To have a rational purpose, the railroad will
  exist to
• Move freight from one location to another
• Move passengers from one station to another
• Freight origins and destinations can be
• Industries
• Team tracks
• Car Ferry
• Imaginary places hidden team tracks

21
My Plan for the O.N.E.

• Here is my plan for the Ontario North Eastern . .
  .
• See my .pdf files