There are always things to reconsider on a track plan. This time, it’s the Northern Wheat grain facility, which I squeezed into the curve in the centre of the layout (see track plan in previous articles).
In order to reduce the bulk of tracks from 5-6 on the left side – which will be inaccessible whenever a barge or ship is moored at the dock – I plan to scale down to perhaps four total. I can’t have an industry blocking the yard lead area. So, the grain facility shares its property with the Stewart Bulk Terminals on the lower edge of the trackplan, where I consider widening the shelf a few centimetres.
Meziadin Junction is the next Location situated to the north-east of Stewart. It is also a Major Interchance and Crew Change point for the BC Northern. Unfortunately, I can’t represent it on the layout. Instead it is represented as an off-layout location in the hidden staging yard.
Depending on my mood however, I might come to situations, where I just want to run some trains. Thus I have decided to semi-scenic the staging yard and make it a visible four track staging yard.
Unlike in the renders of the TrainzSIM layout variant shown in this article, however, one or two tracks will likely be kept clear in this area, to allow run-throughs or inclued a crew changing event in operations. After that the procedure might include running the resulting train to Kitwanga (once around the layout in clockwise direction) or to Dease Lake (once around the layout in anti-clockwise direction), both terminating again in this staging yard . In order to prevent runaround movements I plan to have a motive power pocket-track at the north end of the yard to make up the resulting trains.
I’ll begin drawing changes into the plan soon, updating the Trainz Sim layout on the way, too.
Even though BC Northern Marine runs a high capacity business in BC, barge operations are not the main focus of the layout. So I don’t expect to have a barge at the dock at all times. The two (planned) barges will sit on shelfes above the layout when not in use.
Gallery
