OLD Layout Trackplan - Version 2
Here is the basic information on the trackplan for the layout as of June
2003. This trackplan has been replaced by a newer version. For
the most current trackplan, please select the "Trackplan" link on the left.
| Prototype |
Western Maryland Railway |
| Prototype Locations |
Semi-prototypical MD Junction and Chaffee Theme |
| Main Modeling Interests |
Roundhouse and Engine Terminal Design and
Operation
Chaffee Branch Coal Operations
Basic Industrial Switching
Freight Operation
Occassional Small-time Passenger Operation
Scratch Building WM Prototype Structures
Scratch Building WM Steam Locomotives
Model Photography
|
| Era |
Late Steam through Early Diesel (Transition Era
+/-) |
| Room Size |
11' 9" x 10' 6" |
| Scale |
HO |
| Ruling Mainline Radius |
26" |
| Ruling Mainline Grade |
3.25% |
| Ruling Chaffee Branch (Shay) Radius |
20" |
| Ruling Chaffee Branch (Shay) Grade |
7% (estimated at this time) |
| Trackwork |
Hand-laid Code 70 (TBD) track. Possibly to
Proto:87 standards |
| Sub Roadbed |
1/2" Plywood "cookie cutter" or spline. TBD |
| Roadbed |
Homabed |
| Track Design Software |
3rd PlanIt by
Eldorado Software |
About the Prototype
The Western Maryland Railway was one of the most photogenic and interesting
railways on the east coast. It ran all the way from Baltimore Maryland
through central Maryland and out to West Virginia in the west, and southern
Pennsylvania in the north. The WM was primarily thought of as a coal
carrier, although it did handle lots of types of traffic through its
participation in the Alphabet Route. Passenger operations were fairly
spartan, and consisted of very short passenger trains typically headed by one
of the Baldwin K2 4-6-2 locomotives.
Maryland Junction and the nearby Ridgely Yard were located near Cumberland
Maryland, on the West Virginia/Maryland border, nestled right next to the
Potomac River. While MD Junction did not have shops the size of those in
Hagerstown, it did have a very sizeable roundhouse, good shops, and one of the
more modern and more interesting A-shaped coal towers.
In the late steam era, the Maryland Junction roundhouse was home to, among
others, hulking H9 Consolidations, enormous J1 4-8-4 Potomacs and one of
the largest and most powerful classes of decapods ever built, the I2.
This mixture of serious road power makes MD Junction a natural place to model
if you are into building and / or detailing locomotives.
From Maryland Junction, trains left east towards Hagerstown and Baltimore, south
to Chaffee and on to Elkins, and north to Cumberland and other points.
Chaffee and Vindex are well known to WM fans as the home of the Shay
locomotives. The grades up to the coal mines on the chaffee branch were
so steep and the curves so severe, that only a geared locomotive like a shay
could handle the trip up and back. Even the massive Shay #6 (now run by
the Cass Scenic Railroad) could only handle a few loaded hoppers on its
downhill run back to the siding off the mainline.
If you are interested in Maryland Junction, track and other plans are available
from the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society.
Trackplan
Updated 2003-06-10. I added 15" to the overall height, making the lowest
level 52" off the floor (previously 37"), and the highest level 70" off the
floor. This makes it easier to get in and under the "crawl under", but
more importantly, gives me some limited access to the previously inaccessible
side window.
Here is the latest version of the trackplan. I've simplified a lot, and tried
not to pack so much into such a small space.
With this version of the layout, I have met the goal of having the roundhouse
and coal tower (both of which are modeling interests) as well as a radius that
will handle most locomotives. Obviously the goal and coal tower eat up a
huge amount of real-estate in this small room, but for me, they are worth it.
While the coal mine area (loosly based on chaffee) is not as true to the
prototype as I would like, I believe it will work well.
Switcher switching is limited to building consists in the main yard, bringing
coal to the coal tower, and switching the small business off the switch
lead. Mainline power switches empties and loads in the coal yard.
The shay switches empties and loads in the coal yard and also at the coal mine.
While I would like to revisit adding more switching opportunities in this plan,
I really need to just get down to building something before I lose
interest. Of course, switching is not as high on the priority list as
just being able to see my custom-built and/or detailed locomotives and rolling
stock displayed in a photo-friendly environment. Nevertheless, I think
there is enough switching here to keep me busy for a little bit (at least busy
building turnouts!)
I would have preferred a through yard with traffic going off in two directions
from the yard, but this required two reversing loops to work, and the space
just never worked out with two blobs (even stacked) in there. So instead
I have a stub yard and traffic only goes in one direction from the yard.
Note that this required me to make a couple "adjustments". For example,
Cumberland WM Station (something I want to model) would not normally have been
on the way to Chaffee and Elkins. However, in my little world, it is :-)
Elevations
-
The roundhouse, engine terminal, main yard and switch lead are all at level
1 (52" off the floor, 0" elevation)
-
The tracks at Cumberland Station are at level 2 (54" off the floor, 2"
elevation)
-
The coal yard and Shay shed are at level 3 (60" off the floor, 8"
elevation).
-
Chaffee / Vindex Station is on a grade at approximately 61" off the floor, 9"
elevation
-
The reversing loop is at Level 4 (65" off the floor, 13" elevation)
-
The coal mine is at the end of a very steep grade, at Level 5 (70" off the
floor, 18" elevation)
Main Operations (single operator)
Consists, typically empty coal hoppers, are made up in the yard by a
switcher. Once complete, the mainline power leaves the roundhouse and
picks up the consist. This involves a couple of extra moves through the
switches than might be optimal.
Consists, typically coal hoppers, are made up in the small yard by a
switcher.
1) The locomotive fuels up and heads to the yard to pick up the consist.
2) The train leaves the yard with the consist
3a) If the train is a passenger train, it makes a stop at Cumberland station and
will later make a stop at the Chaffee station (not pictured yet)
3b) If the train is a coal train, it continues on as follows
4) The train pulls into the coal yard and outermost track to drop off empties
5) The empties are dropped-off, but the caboose is still at the end of
them. To get the caboose, the locomotive makes a run around the yard via
either the mainline track or, if free, the second track.
6) The locomotive leaves with the caboose and heads to the turnaround loop.
7) The locomotive drops the caboose off at an accessible point in the
yard and gets the full hoppers from the yard. It then backs up to
get the caboose.
8) The train heads back to the terminal with the loaded hoppers.
9) While the coal drag is heading back to the terminal, the Shay locomotive
startings pushing empties (typically 3 at a time) up to the coal
mine. The empties are dropped off at one track at the mine.
10) The shay picks up 2 loaded hoppers from the mine and heads down the steep
grade backwards (downhill from the hoppers) back to the yard via the
switchback. The loaded hoppers are then pushed into the yard.
Problems / Open Issues
1) Locomotive gets stuck in yard on return trip. Need to add escape
crossover, or leave it up to the switcher to free up the mainline
locomotive? I need to look at some of the books I have, as it seems most
of the stub yards have this problem.
2) The side window was inaccessible. I partially solved this by raising
the overall height of the layout to more of a standing height as opposed to a
sitting height. This made the bottom of that side window accessible, but
this is still not accessible.
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