Scenic suggestions (and staging access)

I like the new changes but may I suggest a couple of scenic 'enhancements'?

There is a lot of track parallel to the front edge of the benchwork.   I think that if you swing the turnback curve at the end of the Oil Refinery peninsula a few more degrees toward the center of the peninsula to angle the track away from the benchwork edge you can create a scenic S curve between the turnback and Palmer Lake. 

I really like the track alignment at the C&S station and the wye but again very parallel to the edge.  Seeing that this is a dead end aisle I think you can angle the benchwork edge out a little into the aisle toward the wye end eliminating the parallelism without changing track plan.

One last thing.  Have you considered how you will access the lower staging under Denver for maintenance or re-railing?  It is 3 inches lower than upper staging and 8 inches lower than Denver.  With only about 9 inches between the two yards and almost no overhead clearance I don't see how you can get your head up into the area to see what's going on.

Agree with the scenic edge of

Agree with the scenic edge of the layout suggestion.  Good idea!

As for clearance, I had 7 1/2 inches above the rails in staging with 30" bench over it and it was doable but tight.  It looks like a lot of levels there?

@Jsorse @Jim

You are correct about being parallel to the edge will have to look to see what can change. (please not the oil yard is just a track holding a place not the final plan your idea is a good one)

    The staging has been quite a bit of discussion there is 10 inches between the two staging yards while there is only 3 inches differences in height the front staging will have 4 inches from Denver and the back will have 8 inches from Denver. Both staging yards are only 18 inches wide. While maybe not the best it beats the 40 inch wide staging on the same level. 

   Keep the idea coming this is what makes good plans

Mike

Puzzled

One thing that puzzles me about your staging plan is how long your staging tracks are.  Do you plan

on running 50 car trains or are you staging two trains nose to tail on each track?

@Steve

20-25 car trains and yes so are nose to tail 

Thanks for asking!

Mike

latest drawing

   Here is a update 

Back to staging

Two staging yards of 7 tracks each, three tracks northbound and three tracks southbound + one run thru track.

Two trains per track times 12 is 24 trains each op session!

Jobs I am guessing look to be one yardmaster Denver, one yard engineer, and one Longmont mill operator plus

a Dispatcher!  Plus you as Superintendent!  How many road crews for 24 trains?  Do they fit?  

@steve

Or a better question......Will they Come

Just because you have the 14 staging track dose not mean they will be all trains. The schedule I have for Denver and the joint line and the C&S northern division for 1959 has the following schedule 10 passenger trains and 12 freights that would be 22 trains. do I have to run them all in one session .......No do I have to have 15 people to run the layout...no but can I and will I.... Yes I can and will I most likely not  but with 42"+ aisleway I am sure 10 could fit in the layout room easily and the dispatcher is in another room, so is the Sugar Mill team. So yes they could.

Mike

Will they?

Yes they will, if it wasn't 16 hours one way to get there I would come!

The only thing that bothers me about this plan is that the lower staging yard is behind the

higher one.  Make sure these run extremely well before you bury them under Denver!