Wednesday night (8/16/2017) the last sections of mainline track on the lower level were laid and connected. If history is to be a guide, it would be a moment of ceremony, the driving of a golden spike. Because the wiring is yet to be completed and DCC infrastructure still to be installed, the actual golden spike moment has to wait for another week or so. At that time an inaugural run will be planned.
The mainline will be completed soon (still to be completed is the main level and connection with the grade track) with the rest of the tracks be laid in phases as the scenes are developed. It will be sufficient to perform limited operations - namely, burning circles around the layout's area. For now the intent is to get the mainline up and running as the backbone of the layout's total operation, with switching to be added to support specific scenes.
At times I'm almost ashamed of the simplicity of my track plan, which is comprised of a giant loop on each level connected with a 2% grade that spans most of its length. The lower level, I also confess, was an afterthought motivated in large part by my hatred of yards weighed against their necessity. Mainline passenger trains force major compromises to any layout because of their size and necessity for larger curves to operate them effectively. The grade (shown here) forced a compromise with the lower level mainline being placed underneath the suspended grade tracks to maximize the curves (42 3/4" R and 45" R) in and out of the main yard. All of the track shown here will be hidden behind scenery.
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| The remaining loop of the lower level mainline is finally laid. Like much of the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Western Pacific mainlines west of Ogden and Salt Lake City, this one is single-tracked. Not a fan of track for its own sake, I wanted a mainline that was functional without clutter, having the scenery tell the story. Old packing paper gives me a sense for how this section of the mainline has to navigate isolated canyons in parts of Western Utah and Nevada. |
The mainline will be completed soon (still to be completed is the main level and connection with the grade track) with the rest of the tracks be laid in phases as the scenes are developed. It will be sufficient to perform limited operations - namely, burning circles around the layout's area. For now the intent is to get the mainline up and running as the backbone of the layout's total operation, with switching to be added to support specific scenes.
At times I'm almost ashamed of the simplicity of my track plan, which is comprised of a giant loop on each level connected with a 2% grade that spans most of its length. The lower level, I also confess, was an afterthought motivated in large part by my hatred of yards weighed against their necessity. Mainline passenger trains force major compromises to any layout because of their size and necessity for larger curves to operate them effectively. The grade (shown here) forced a compromise with the lower level mainline being placed underneath the suspended grade tracks to maximize the curves (42 3/4" R and 45" R) in and out of the main yard. All of the track shown here will be hidden behind scenery.
Some Interesting Statistics So Far
Keeping a running tally of the track used so far in the construction of the mainline only, here is what I have used:
- Atlas flex track 1 box (25 x 3' sections/box) plus 7 x 3' sections. 32 x 3' = 96'
- Peco flex track 2 boxes (25 x 3' sections/box) plus 3 x 3' sections. 53 x 3' = 159'
- Combined feet of track: 255'
- Subtract 12 sections (36') for passing siding on the grade. 12 x 3' = 36'
- Add 10 Peco #8 switches (12" each). 10'
- Waste: 38"
- Total mainline run to this point: 255' - 36' = 219' + 10' - 3' (rounding down waste) = 226'
- Estimated remaining mainline track to be laid: 100'
By this calculation, the total estimated mainline run for this layout: 326'
Upon completion of the mainline, there will be the wiring and DCC installation. The obligatory Golden Spike ceremony will commemorate the completion of the mainline and commencement of its operational run-in period.
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