Ibaraki Shorty Planning (Trackplans)

[Cat]

Those do look entertaining, will poke through them in future coffee and/or whisky breaks, thanks!

[bill937ca]

Ibaraki Prefecture cityscape 

https://machi-ga.com/08_ibaraki/

 

Cityscape around Kasama Station

https://machi-ga.com/08_ibaraki/kasama-kasamast.html

[Cat]

Fun, thanks!

[Cat]

Just did up a relatively clean drawing of the track plans to make it easier to figure out what we need for the electrical components.  Our primary working trackplans are quite cluttered with lots of pencilled in building footprints and notes, etc.  The layouts I've wired in the past have been permanent set-ups with DC control.  This being a first foray into both modular wiring and DCC, it's taking some effort just to understand what the electrical components all are and how we'll go about putting it all together.

 

For T-Trak use, our little pocket Yard module will go on the Katsuta end of the line where the back edge lines up nice and flush with all the other mainline modules.  For home use, it will flip around and go on the Mito end, in a slightly offset position.  We'll have a couple of buildings that swap out appropriate to the current location.  And the great Iba Lucky delivered us a nice alternate lake too — the location of Lake Senba in Mito works just fine for Oshima Park in Katsuta.  Oshima Park will get a swan boat upgrade; all nice parks with lakes should have swan boats.
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Edited May 24, 2020 by Cat

[gavino200]

That's a really clever track plan. I love the idea of separate but connected loops. And both connected to a mainline. It's gonna look great and be fun to play with. I'm gonna use this as a source of inspiration for my layout track plan!

[Cat]

Thanks!

The mainline is the T-Trak standard so we can bring them to shows and play trains with others.  If we can set up either branchline at a show as a peninsula from the mainline, we can run the individual loops without fouling the main line. 

 

For home use, or independent layout setup, we can run the big loop; and also the mainline tracks in the Yard module and the Suigun Line track in Mito Station essentially become extra yard tracks for holding passenger trains.

 

For home use, we have space to set up both branchlines and the yard.  The Naka River modules will typically be for show use when we have more room available, or when we want to try setting it up in our parlour with very little room to get around the full layout.

Sometime after these are finished, we have the option to extend the Suigun Line.  It would be a single track out on a skinny module to a balloon loop around a mountain.  The Suigun Line does fork in Naka just past Kami-Sugaya Station where we would anchor the loop.  The mountain would give us a perfect place for hot springs and waterfalls!

Edited May 24, 2020 by Cat

[Cat]

For some time now we've had the kits on hand for building the modules, but work on arranging sufficient storage space in the basement to keep them after they are built is still progressing.  Model building is still progressing as well, as seen in the building thread.
 
In the meanwhile, the idea occured that with removable city blocks, scenic elements could be dropped in to simple single T-Trak modules so we can get out and play trains with others more easily.
 
Tonight we did a mock-up for a pair of single modules for some of the smaller buildings of Mito.

The little white building standing on dice is the Sakura Dental Clinic will be up on stilts with parking underneath, and the area of green dice will be a small street corner park with shrine.  A tiny post office will go into the angle between the tea shop and the cinema.