I thought this might be of interest to the group. I came across it in
Track Planning Ideas from Model Railroader, which is a collection of
track plans from old MRs. THe file in the Yahoo groups file section is
an 18k jpg. It is a rendition I did of the plan using Atlas Right
track software.
The plan is a simple switchback that uses steep grades. The crucial
items are the two tails of the switchback that need to be as long as
possible. In this case they are 16" each. The author used short
rolling stock and a 4 wheel caboose as well as a tenderless steam
engine or small diesel.
The lower right should have an engine house. The remaining 2 spurs
could be industries or an exchange yard. The trick can be as simple as
moving 2 cars from one end of the layout to the other. There is no
runaround track so two engines have to be used.
In the lower right yard, an engine makes up the train then drops the
train and an engine couples on to the back end of the train pushing
it onto the lower left tail of the switchback. It then pulls the train
uphill to the upper right tail, then pushes the train into the upper
left yard, dropping the cars and picking up more.
If a runaround was included in the lower right yard, one engine could
be used as it could move to the opposite end of the train once it has
been made up.
I hope I have communicated the author's intentions in a clear manner.
I hope this little layout will spark some discussion. I am considering
using it for my closet layout.
Greg Williams
cpr_fan@...
www.trainweb.org/cprmodeling
