Fall Exercise: Doodle it!

[disturbman]

I have been toying with these ideas for years now but never really managed to come up with a track plan that proved to be completely satisfactory. Probably because I do not have enough knowledge of Japenese operations even though I want to focus on it.

The layout I have in mind would actually be somehow quite similar to Claude's Kanjiyama, though different: small/medium mountain town, a mainline, a branch line, mostly DMU operations with the occasional non-containeurized freight, max 4-cars, with the possibility of perhaps electrifying part of the layout and have a mix DMU/EMU operation.

 

As I see it, the focus of the layout would be an interchange station of some kind, where the branch line would terminate, allowing passengers to connect to the mainline and the freight to go on further. The mainline would ideally only partially terminate at the station, with some trains being reversed and others continuing further on the mainline.

 

To be operational the layout would obviously need a couple of hidden yards.

 

With all this in mind, I would like to invite you to come up with your own track plans and share them here, I am quite interested to see what you would be able to design as I am sure it would be quite different than what I have been myself drawing. You are also more than welcome to share with me some prototypical station track plans you think it could be of interest.

I will not build anything now but would like to get some new perspectives on this. I am sure it will be fun as well, I know how much you all like to dream about layouts.

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Roughly what sort of size do you have in mind, or does that not really matter at the moment as you are mainly looking for inspiration? Would you be looking at an out and back - similar to Kanjiyama - or would it have a circuit?

[kvp]

The feature list is:

-mainline through

-branchline terminus

-freight operations

-passenger trains: emu, dmu (4 cars)

-multiple hidden yards

 

My idea:

 

The mainline goes from the left to the right, the branchline joins from the back. The left side is towards a city and commuter emu's terminate here. The mainline continues as a single track line from this station due to less traffic. The branchline is served by dmus, that also terminate here. The station is configured to allow express services to overtake slower trains while allowing same platform connections between local (commuter) and express trains. There is a small freight yard in the corner that can be used to store freight cars to be interchanged with the branchline or loaded/unloaded locally and can also store maintenance of way equipment or a single 4 car emu/dmu. The station building is towards the back.

 

The track system used is Tomix finetrack, because it allows a compact and simple trackplan, but i'm sure the same layout can be created with Kato unitrack or other systems. In analog mode, power is fed from the direction of each line, so in theory 4 trains can arrive/depart at the same time. (with fully power routing turnouts, no explicit block control is needed) Hidden yards are not drawn (just indicated with tunnel sections), since their layout depends on the number of trains and the desired schedule.

 

So this was my 2 cents...

[katoftw]

Interesting.  It look more of a through station than a terminus station.  You normally find these older style terminus stations in Japan with island platforms, one side with a dead end, the other being a through loop line and main line.  And the freight yards on the opposite side of the station accross from the mainline.

 

However in saying that.  I do like your layout design.  One thing though I would like to add - Is the freight yards just squeezed in there in it's current location.  What if it curved off on the opposite side like the branchline, giving it a little more space for a larger yard.

 

What period are you aiming at?

Edited October 1, 2014 by katoftw

[disturbman]

Roughly what sort of size do you have in mind, or does that not really matter at the moment as you are mainly looking for inspiration? Would you be looking at an out and back - similar to Kanjiyama - or would it have a circuit?

 

Even if it is only for inspiration, a size limit is a good idea as it give a stricter frame to the exercise. Maximum 3m by 35cm, probably could go up to 40 but I would rather have it as fin as possible. Definitely an out and back, I have no need for a circuit.

 

My idea:

japanese_station-20140930-1.png

 

Interresting, very. Thanks. Though I cannot say I am very much fond of the double slip, never have been really. I am wondering what you would make if the mainline was to be single tracked.

 

You normally find these older style terminus stations in Japan with island platforms, one side with a dead end, the other being a through loop line and main line.  And the freight yards on the opposite side of the station accross from the mainline.

 

 

Would you have some schematics to share?

 

What period are you aiming at?

Me? Seeing the rolling stock I have, post-87.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Its a bit ropey, but how about something like this? 

 

 

Linking the main line to the branch are two double slips, with a freight loop at the bottom. You have the 'main line' platforms, with loops - which allow for terminating trains. The branch has its own platform, but trains can also use the main line loop platforms. The freight loop can handle trains either from the branch line and main line.  

 

Actually, you don't need the top double-slip...this can be a single slip...

Edited October 1, 2014 by Claude_Dreyfus

[kvp]

 

Interresting, very. Thanks. Though I cannot say I am very much fond of the double slip, never have been really. I am wondering what you would make if the mainline was to be single tracked.

I only used a double crossover, because Japanese engineers don't really use the classical English double slip. This one is very common at commuter terminuses or at the borders of mainline stations. I've tried to use all typical Japanese track configurations. The station layout is very typical around Tokyo at the ends of double tracked sections.

 

However, i've designed a single track mainline variant. The only other difference is that instead of two island platforms, this one has a side platform for the branchline (and the station building behind it) and an island platform for the other two tracks. One track is though, so express trains don't have to slow down while passing the station. The possible operations i wrote above are sill doable with this, but the single mainlines in both directions limit the number of arriving/departing trains to 3 at a time. Also, the island platform has one straight and one curved side, which is very common. The 2 three way turnouts are special in europe, but once were very common in Japan where space is often very limited and can still be seen at many more rural (unmodernised suburban) stations.

 

 

 

 

[Mudkip Orange]

I think you want some continuous run capability. As for the station, really at a minimum you're just looking at a "JNR type" three-platform setup with a bay track or two tacked on and maybe a reverse move engine facility.

 

[marknewton]

I only used a double crossover, because Japanese engineers don't really use the classical English double slip. This one is very common at commuter terminuses or at the borders of mainline stations. I've tried to use all typical Japanese track configurations. The station layout is very typical around Tokyo at the ends of double tracked sections.

 

 I agree with kvp. Double or scissors crossovers are very common in Japan, I'd say they're one of the defining features of Japanese track design.

 

If you're modelling post-1987, you might not need much freight/goods rollingstock other than container wagons. One thing I've noticed about smaller stations with goods sheds is that more often than not located next to or very near the station building, rather than on the opposite side of the platforms.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.