The *New* Michigan & Great Lakes, switching layout design thread. - Updated 2/10/2015

You can store it in the aisle when not running if there is no problem with rolling into the outer room when you are working on the layout.

Jan

good morning

You could make that curved bridge a swinging gate? Is your train room blocked off by a wall and is just a doorway? 

Cool video Clem K!

My room has a wall with french doors that have about a 6 foot opening.  As of right now they swing into the room but I am planning to reverse them so they swing out of the room.  

The module section in front of the closet I plan to either swing out like in your video or flip up.  The closet needs to be accessed a few times a year.  

For the module to allow loop running that wouldn't work as if I go by the removable module it would be actually outside of the room.  I have an ideal where it could lay down flat and be pushed up against the layout when not in use.  I will make up a drawing and post it soon.  

Jim,

I have seen photos of Clem's and Trainman2001's roll-outs before.  Both very well done!  I think I am just going to opt for a simple lift-out bridge when I do mine.  I could measure 20 times, and still cut 1/8th inch too small. 

Clem...do you any special fasteners to ensure the tracks line up?  That is fantastic.

Rick

I like the loop in the next room. The car ferry on a roll away module is great idea too. I remember watching them load rail cars from the auto deck of the ferry in Ludington.

you could look east word and see trains lined up to come into the yeard. Your layout will be awesome

Good afternoon Rick

Nothing special all from the local hardware store. A piano hinge, heavy duty fixed casters and a cabinet latch that draws it up tight(optional). I can post some photo's if you like.

Clem k

Good afternoon Mark

You can do it it's easier than it looks. Just think of it as another module only with a hinge.

Clem k 

Yes, Clem....please post some photos.  Thank you.

Rick

It has been a long time since I have had an update.  Work, kids, the holidays and such all have delayed any start to my layout.  

In the meantime I have set up my old 5x8 train table with a few loops of track.  My kids have had a blast running my old MPC stuff around.  

I have come up with this updated design.  I haven given a lot of thought about the industries on the layout and how it will be ran during a typical operating session.  I plan to use a car/card system with way bills and switch lists.  I haven't hammered out any of those details yet and am hopping to find an android of iPad program to do this.  If not I will do it all on paper.  

I will 2 hidden staging yards.  One for the tracks heading to Ludington and one of the tracks heading to Grand Haven.  I will have the ability to stage trains until they are needed.  I am hopping one operating session will last several hours for 1 or 2 people with the ability to run it in half hour segments over a period of several days.  

Industries on the layout will be: (Industries are Numbered in Red)

1) The Great Lakes Car Ferry and the yard that serves her.  The car ferry typically will make 4 round trips a day.  Since she is smaller then the other ferries on the great lakes she can make about 5 to 8 more knots and provide one extra trip per day.  This will be the main industry on the layout and will handle war time traffic going across Lake Michigan from the factories in Detroit, Chicago, and Grand Rapids.  It will also handle food from the farms in the mid west heading to ports in NYC to head across the Atlantic.

Since she is a small ferry she only holds 10 cars.  The yard that services her only holds 15-18 cars.  Her yard needs to be filled between each trip for cars heading west.  Cars that are unloaded and heading east are built directly into a train and moved to a larger yard off the layout immediately after unloading.  Each car needs to be loaded into position on her by their weight so the car ferry is loaded evenly and doesn't list to either side.  

2) A small auto parts factory that is in war time production to build parts for the plans and bombers.  Again these will travel across the lake to factories in Chicago and other industrial cities for final assembly.  Most of the cars from this factory will be 40 foot steel box cars but a occasional 50 foot Dbl Door box car will be used.  The factory produces about 2 40 foot cars per day of production and requires a delivery of 2 cars a day for parts.  They typically unload the parts for the next days production before 1st shift arrives, and builds their gizmos all day and are reloaded onto the same cars after 2nd shift leaves.  Over night the 2 cars are picked up and 2 new cars are delivered for the next days work.  

3) A Grain elevator.  This mostly handles beans from the Michigan Bean Co.  These will be loaded onto double sheathed box cars to be sent to factories to be canned for the troops overseas. 

4) A grist mill.  This will not have a direct link to the railroad as it doesn't have enough production but they do their part for the war effort and send a box car load every week or so to the food factories.  Their load will be loaded onto a double sheathed box car that will be parked over night next to the train station.  Typically this will happen on Tuesday nights and be picked up Wed morning to be shipped across Lake Michigan on the 1st car ferry trip of the day.

5) A train station.  This will handle ever day travel along with commuter traffic to and from factories in the big city of Grand Rapids, K-zoo, Battle Creek, and more.  It also handles troops heading to the ports on the east coast for deployment.  Some troops come across the lake on the car ferry. About once a day some passenger train is parked at the car ferry yard for loading. The troops come off the car ferry and are loaded directly onto the passenger cars heading for Grand Rapids, where they catch larger troop trains heading to the ports.  

6) The locomotive engine shed, water tower and coal loading area.  The 0-8-0 and 0-6-0 must be fueled, watered, and sanded every few hours depending on their work load.  Typically the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 share duties of loading and unloading the car ferry and working the yard to sort cars by weight to be loaded onto the ferry.  Only the 0-8-0 can handle a train load of cars and if the 10 wheeler is on passenger duty it will pull a full train of about 10 to 12 cars to Grand Haven's interchange with the Pere Marquette Railroad, a 22 mile round trip.  

7) Coal loads delivered to the car ferry.  It takes about 4 full 2 bay coal hoppers to power the car ferry across the lake and back.  It will fuel on the Michigan side only so 4 hoppers are sent every trip to be loaded.  After  the cars are unloaded from their trip across the lake the locomotive will push all 4 cars onto the center left track of the car ferry using 4 idler cars.  The hoppers will be positioned over the grates in the floor and the load will be dropped into the coal hold.  After the ferry is fueled it will be loaded for its next trip across the lake.  

I am working on claiming the land where the closet sits.  I am going to propose that I build a new closet in the basement in the storage room if I can tear down the closet in the layout room.  This would give me way more real estate.