This is not really a progress update, more of an “overall vision” of
what I am hoping will be achieved over the coming months.
As far as the main Gunnedah yard is concerned, 90% of the track is in
place, all of the points are working, and trains (well, a 48-class on light
engine duty) can be run from one end of the yard to the other. The next
challenge is to be able to run a train completely around the room.
The layout was always designed to operate with two levels, the top level
comprising Gunnedah Yard with representations of what is found on the line both
on the way into Gunnedah and out the other side. The priority however, is to
get the top level as complete as possible first.
The track plan shown is pretty much what I would like to get down to
allow continuous running as well as some “trip trains” that will allow for some
actual operation.
Starting with the proposed helix (that may or may not eventuate
depending on circumstances), that would bring trains from the lower level which
is effectively “staging” and representing trains coming from Werris
Creek/Newcastle/Sydney, to the top level, joining the single line running
around the inside of the layout which represents traveling towards Gunnedah.
This line continues around the room and has two sidings located on the
approach to Gunnedah. The first siding is the BP oil siding, the second is the
Vacuum (Mobil) oil siding. The BP siding is shunted by trains heading to
Gunnedah, where empty tankers will be pulled from the siding and full tankers
(having come from Werris Creek/Newcastle/Sydney) placed in the siding. Empty
tankers will then dropped off in Gunnedah Yard, and will then await being added
to a return train.
The second siding is the Vacuum siding, this was typically shunted by
trains heading back from Gunnedah towards Werris Creek, full tankers would have
been left in Gunnedah Yard and attached to trains heading back towards Werris
Creek, and again empty tankers pulled from the siding and replaced with full
tankers.
Both of these operations will typically involve a mixed goods consist,
and allow for some simple shunting duties by shunting the sidings, as well as
placing empty and full tankers within Gunnedah Yard.
Gunnedah Yard itself has a few sidings, the main grain siding with silo,
another oil siding, and at the far end of the yard will be a stock siding. In
reality the stock sidings are slightly further along the main line, however
space kind of dictates that it will be part of the yard. The stock sidings are
not pictured but will be on the right-hand side of the diagram towards the
inside of the layout.
As trains proceed along the single line out of Gunnedah Yard heading “North”
a set of points splits the line, the outside track representing what is North
of Gunnedah. The section of the layout where the proposed helix is shown just
after the line splits, will be a lift out section, this goes across the doorway
to the room. When the line reaches the other side to the layout proper, the
first siding is the abattoir siding. Having a “runaround” this siding can be
serviced by trains traveling in either direction, typically mixed goods, and
will usually be refridgerated wagons.
As the line winds its way clockwise, the next siding is the colliery
siding. Due to space limitations it will be fairly basic but will still allow
for coal train operations. I have drawn up many variations of this siding, but
this one should work acceptably well within the space available.
On the left-hand side of the diagram, just past the colliery siding is
what will be a fairly basic representation of Emerald Hill, which is the next
station north of Gunnedah. Whilst this is a through station as part of the main
line north, it will essentially operate as a terminus for trains travelling
north. Emerald Hill has a small station platform, a loading bank, a stock
loading bank, and a wheat silo. This will allow for a bit of shunting of mixed
goods trains, as well as allowing trains accessing the colliery siding a runaround
facility.
This design is not overly complicated, and yet should mostly capture the
operations of trains running to Gunnedah and beyond. Adding more sidings means
more sets of points, which greatly increases the amount of work required, and
quite frankly I want to as much as possible keep a sense of “open space”, and
not turn what is essentially a single country line into a metropolis!
The exact placement of all tracks may vary slightly as things often look
different when track is placed in the space, but the overall design is pretty
close to what I think will work best.
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