FULL-SIZE TRACK PLANNING – 3

The previous pair of posts (http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2012/06/full-size-track-planning.html and http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2012/06/full-size-trackplanning-2.html) described the full-size track plans on the main (valley) level.  Plans for Cascade Summit and Crescent Lake wrap up the full-size planning effort. 

The Cascade Summit plan was fairly simple with the main line placed between the RR-Westbound “Hill” siding and the RR-East-bound “Lake” siding.  The short “Beattie Siding” at the RR-East end serves as a pocket for helpers or MOW equipment.  My Cascade Summit is laid out in an “L” shape, with the summit wye, used for turning helpers, coming off the “Hill” siding at the 90 degree bend.  As with the prototype, the wye tail will be placed inside a single-ended tunnel. 

Cascade Summit RR-West end

Cascade Summit RR-East end.

Two sets of crossovers provide for turned helpers reaching the Beattie Siding, ready to proceed RR-East back down the Hill to Oakridge.  The operator and section house “village” will be placed at the RR-east end.  The curve at the RR-East end will send the track through the summit tunnel, into the back “nook” of the basement and back downhill.   The full-size planning effort located this curve a bit closer to the nook wall which will help with the set of three operator pathways that converge in this space.

The Cascade Summit track is located above the operator path for the lower level as it climbs out of Oakridge toward McCredie Springs in the nook.  Think of the planning paper as outlining where the operator path will be in the space on the  main floor level.   A cross section of this arrangement was shown in the Track Plan post and is repeated here

Spaced out from the wall corner to the nook will be the lower level operator path, the steps leading up to the Cascade Summit operator platform, and the operator path around the tail of the Oakridge wye.  As all of this was laid out on the floor, it became clear that a bit more space for these three paths would be useful.  Fortunately, the Oakridge wye could be rearranged with left-hand turnouts instead of right-turnouts.  Doing so added another foot of space at the tight spot—a huge gain.

Revised Oakridge Wye Plan.  Former tail track is indicated by disconnected blue tape line to the left of the new wye location in the upper part of the picture.  The new right leg of the wye is the sharper curve, closer to the center. 

Crescent Lake uses much the same configuration as the Eugene Arrival/Departure Yard (reverse loop) below it.   Differences are the exclusive use of #8 turnouts and the placement of the left leg of the reverse loop closer to the stairwell wall.  With Crecent Lake suspended from the walls and ceiling at over 7 feet from the floor, access will be require the use of step ladders.  Using the more gentle divergence of a #8 turnout is prudent.  Spacing the left leg of the loop closer to the stairwell wall will place use of a ladder closer to the wall—better for operator stability on a step ladder and clearing a path below for lower level operators.

Crescent Lake Track Plan is a partial overlay of the Eugene Arrival/Departure yard below. 

Crescent Lake switch ladders.  Right leg is in the upper portion of the picture.  Half of left leg ladder is near the center of the picture.  Eugene A/D Yard is below (lower portion of picture ) on lighter colored paper.

August 4, 2012, edit: Corrected short siding at Cascade Summit to "Beattie Siding," named in honor of the Assistant Engineer on the Natron Cutoff Construction.