One of my primary goals in building my layout was to replicate my prototype's track schematic so I could recreate the details of their operations. I ended up falling short, having to trim both the Bluffs and Atlantic yards by one track and consolidating the two Bluffs rip tracks into one, all in order to keep the depth of the two scenes manageable. I could live with all that, as the changes didn't impact the operational accuracy of the layout.
The other compromise, though - consolidating the Storage Track and McCollister Oil spur at the west end of Bluffs Yard into one track, has always bothered me. I originally did this because of the crowded west ladder there, thinking I could never fit another turnout in for McCollister, but that decision forced my crews to make moves when switching McCollister that their prototype counterparts didn't.
About a week ago, against the advice of virtually every friend I asked :-) , I decided that I had enough room to shoehorn in a Y turnout. With that, I cut the Storage track shorter, allowing McCollister to finally have their own dedicated switch.
"Before" view from 2007, showing the combined Storage/McCollister track with the ancient red Katy used oil tank car. Directly to the right of that car was a 5-1/2" space between the frog gap of West 1 switch on the right and the points of Track 2 switch on the left. That gap turned out to be all I needed to solve my problem. By: Joe Atkinson
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Courtesy of Google's satellite view, you can see the Storage track in yellow and McCollister in red in the lower left corner, with the Tanner Industries anhydrous transload in orange at the upper right. By: Joe Atkinson
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"After" view. While the resulting S curve wasn't ideal, it isn't a problem from an operational standpoint for the 23000g tank cars and 4-axle yard power that plies that spur, and it'll be hidden behind structures when the scene is complete. By: Joe Atkinson
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The Storage track ended up losing one car of its former 3-car capacity, but McCollister is now able to unload two cars at a time, just like its prototype. By: Joe Atkinson
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"Before" view from 2007, showing the combined Storage/McCollister track with the ancient red Katy used oil tank car. Directly to the right of that car was a 5-1/2" space between the frog gap of West 1 switch on the right and the points of Track 2 switch on the left. That gap turned out to be all I needed to solve my problem.
Courtesy of Google's satellite view, you can see the Storage track in yellow and McCollister in red in the lower left corner, with the Tanner Industries anhydrous transload in orange at the upper right.
"After" view. While the resulting S curve wasn't ideal, it isn't a problem from an operational standpoint for the 23000g tank cars and 4-axle yard power that plies that spur, and it'll be hidden behind structures when the scene is complete.
The Storage track ended up losing one car of its former 3-car capacity, but McCollister is now able to unload two cars at a time, just like its prototype.
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