The Track Plan

My layout plan is based on the eastern portion of the TP&W. Prior to the formation of Conrail in 1976, the eastern half of the TP&W connected East Peoria, IL with the hamlet of Effner, located on the Illinois-Indiana state line. (The main settlement of Effner is on the Illinois side, but the TP&W's depot was located just across the line in Indiana.) Conrail didn't want the former Pennsylvania RR branch from Effner to Logansport, IN, so the TP&W was forced to buy it in 1976 in order to maintain an eastern connection. In the space I have available (see previous post), I think I only have room to model 2 scenes with some connecting track between them. For those 2 scenes, I have chosen to model Effner and El Paso, IL. Including Effner gives me a place to interchange entire trains with the Penn Central. Of the many small towns along the eastern TP&W, I chose El Paso because it had a diamond and interchange with another railroad (the Illinois Central Gulf's former IC Charter Line), a cool joint depot at the diamond, and a downtown strip of storefronts facing the TP&W main that seems tailor-made for a layout. I'm not attempting to model either location entirely true to the prototype - though I anticipate scratchbuilding the El Paso depot - but rather capture the flavor of each place.

I used AnyRail software to design the layout using Atlas Code 83 track. Here's my current plan:

Phase I of the layout is a 4 foot by 6 foot table that includes the El Paso town scene and a loop for continuous running. The loop was a must for me because I want the ability to just run a train without intervention, both for my own entertainment and for the benefit of my young children. Six feet is as far as Phase 1 can stick out into the room without causing access issues to other parts of the room. I have a number of storefront buildings from my previous layout that I'm planning to reuse in the El Paso scene. There are only two spurs in the loop: one is a team track adjacent to the depot and the other will host a feed mill and perhaps a second industry (hence the question mark on the plan).

Phase 2 is a 2 foot by 4 foot section added to Phase 1. This additional space allows me to complete the interchange track, add an industry (a Walthers propane dealer kit reused from my previous layout), and add a track that can initially be used for staging but will eventually be a passing siding. I've thought about just building Phases 1 and 2 at the same time, but I want to stay focused on getting the loop up and running first.

Phase 3 adds an L-shaped extension to Phase 2 that includes the Effner scene. Effner includes a 3-track interchange yard, a grain elevator, and a wye for turning locomotives. I think the relatively short trains that I will be running on this layout would look weird with more than 1 locomotive, hence the need for the wye to turn power at the end of the line. The prototype Effner wye no longer exists today but was still there in the 1970s. In order to maximize the length of the tracks in the interchange yard, I'm planning to have the tail track extend through a hole in the wall. The notch in the shelf at the end of the layout is necessary to clear one of the access doors to the storage area under the eaves (see my previous post about the layout space.)

Once the full layout is built, I envision originating trains at Effner and then running to El Paso and back. The interchange track at El Paso forms a reverse loop that facilitates this "out-and-back" layout concept. 

The Space

The new layout will be located in our attic, which was finished by a previous owner of our house. The main room measures approximately 13.5 feet by 10 feet and there is also a dormer toward the front of the house that measures 8 feet by 7 feet. Only the main room is available for the layout because the dormer is used as an office space, and enough space has to be reserved in the main room to allow access to the dormer/office. Here's a view of the main room from the dormer:

The layout will be located along the walls to the left and straight ahead in the picture. The 3 sets of louvered doors allow access to storage space under the eaves and can't be obstructed by the layout. I will probably replace the two shorter sets of doors on the left wall with curtains because the full thickness of benchwork won't fit between the roof line and the tops of the doors.

I plan to build the layout in phases, and the first phase (a 4 foot by 6 foot table) will be located in the front left corner of the above picture. Below is a better view of that corner:

Layout height will clearly be constrained by the features of the room. The roof line meets the knee wall at 44 inches above the floor, and the base of the thermostat on the side wall is about 38.5 inches above the floor. The thermostat controls a 220V electric baseboard heater that is the only heat source for the attic. I'd rather not mess with moving the thermostat; it seems like a simple task but past experience has taught me that old houses are full of surprises. I'm still debating whether to simply make the top of the layout even with the bottom of the thermostat or notch the benchwork to go around the thermostat and gain a couple more inches. The track will come close to the knee wall at the middle of a curve, so I need to leave at least 3 inches or so below the roof line to clear cars and locomotives.

As you can see in the second photo, I have started acquiring materials for the layout. I'm planning to build the layout in modular sections in case I ever have to move it. The initial 4 x 6 table will be three 2 foot by 4 foot sections bolted together. The sections will consist of 1 x 4 frames with 1/2 inch plywood tops. I'm planning to use IKEA's IVAR shelf parts to support the layout.