As soon as I made the post “Farmington Faithful for Harry” he sent the following email and images to the Sn2_Trains yahoogroup:
Dave,
The 13.5 feet is the lenght of the wall at the back of the section of benchwork. At the left end of that wall there is a 45* corner. I want to use the corner as a sort of view block to keep Farmington “framed in”. In the picture looking from the far right side, at the far end of the photo is a white card (there is a blue post it note above it), on the same level as Farmington. That is my mock-up of Baker stream bridge. Strong, which is not yet modeled, is where I am standing when I took this shot. I like your condensed sketch- busy looking without being choked with track. However, if each square is 12″ its too long. Regarding the crossings, I am hesitant to model them but they are a necessity. I had thought about running the NG track and having the SG track just butt up to the rails with no real crossing track. The SG is all dummy track so electrical shorts won’t be a problem. I was even thinking of using plastic rail to make my life easier- if there is such a thing as plastic rail. I dont want to go with the expense of having them made. But then again, I didnt want to model Farmngton at all.
The south end of Farmington on Harry’s Sn2 SR&RL. The tape represents the track and the plate is the SR&RL turntable. Kingfield is below and I think Rangeley is above.
The north end of Harry’s Sn2 Farmington.
I like your track plan for your new layout. I have ran the Foreny up a mock up of a 2% grade and it pulled 8 cars and a caboose. But the mock up’s track was only about 10′ or so. The Foreny was out of the box.
Harry
Based on this new input, I drafted versions 2, 3, and 4 for his inspiration. These have a more accurate representation of the fascia.
Version 2
Angled the track to have the turntable within the bound of existing benchwork.
Version 2 is angled to keep the turntable on the existing benchwork. The MEC freight house and SR&RL canopy are preserved too. The MEC trackwork is simple and a crossing is provided for interest. This version has ample space behind the transfer yard for the hill and trees that existed behind the prototype.
Version 3
A simple linear version that keeps the turntable within the bounds of existing benchwork
Version 3 puts all track at the rear to keep the turntable within the bound of the existing benchwork. The standard gauge crossings are preserved, but the SR&RL canopy is likely lost. The Russel Box factory is at the far left. It could go into flats so look more substantial. The limited space behind means little room for trees and the hill. This is my least favorite of the three versions.
Version 4
Moving the track toward fascia makes results in a new version
This last version moves the track forward for more background scenery including the box factory as a flat on the backdrop. The box factory track could continue for some length behind the trees to allow more cars and operation. The turntable is in the aisle, but I think that is a compromise with trying. The SR&RL canopy is now just a flat as could be part of the MEC depot. The crossings have been left out for simplicity.
Final Comments
I hope these designs give harry some ideas on what he could try. Honestly no one version is best in my mind, I put them together for him to have ideas (brainstorming). Hopefully he finds something to take from the designs.
