Cal-P layout design

I’ve been very busy lately but I have been able to spend a little time on design. I use 3rd Plan It for my layout design which allows me to try hundreds of small and large variations on my basic concept. Move the main over an inch here, raise this section 1/2” there, how does a string of autoracks look passing through these S-curves etc.? This is really important when you’re trying to balance appearance, faithfullness to the prototype, construction, operations, operator comfort, viewing angles, access, cost etc. The list of considerations is very long. The CAD (computer aided design) tool allows a lot of mistakes to be corrected years and $1000’a of dollars before they are constructed.

Here are a few screen captures. These shots are not meant to be taken as a final design rather they give an impression of where the design is headed.

The pale yellow thick lines are the outline of my garage. I plan to take up about half the garage. The layout space is about 19’ x 9’ and will be set up as a ‘room’ inside the garage.

The return loops on the the bottom of the track plan are actually outside the layout space and will fold out of the way when not in use. They are not intended as storage for trains so this will be an acceptable solution. There just isn’t a way to get both return loops into the layout space. Well there was one design I looked at but the aisles could only be 9” wide!!

This view shows upper level and lower levels. The section on the right is a central lobe. The lower left tracks represent the Emeryville end of UP’s Oakland yard i.e. North of the old 16th Street Tower. Two main tracks on the outside of the lower left bench and two departure tracks, both of which are holding trains in the picture are shown.

The UP main and departure tracks pass underneath the 1.5 turn helix to reach Emeryville on the lower right level. Not ideal but okay for the purposes of prepping trains to head out of Oakland. I plan scenery to start at Emeryville on the right hand side of the helix.

The UP tracks curve around onto the lower right shelf. This is Emeryville. Amtrack has a station here on the aisle side of the tracks. The crossovers and departure lead are pretty close match to the prototype with some linear compression of course. The main then swings left  around the lobe, a necessary evil, to reach University Ave on the other side of the lobe.

The upper level in the view represents Stege Wye on the left and Stege Junction on the upper right. The wye is track correct and almost scale size. The RPRC connects to the UP here and this is where the UP and RPRC exchange cars on a daily except Sunday routine. Stege Junction is correct in that it has two sets of crossovers between the two mains and the Waterside Drill, however they had to be interleaved unlike the prototype which has the crossovers one after the other. The model will is still functionally correct and trains still look good working from the right hand main to the Waterside Drill through two crossovers, but it is about half the length of the prototype. The good news is that the signal bridges will be identical for the model as for the prototype, despite the track compression.

Here’s a view of the entrance door (green). The tracks on the lower level of the lobe are University Ave. They then turn left and disappear around the far end of the lobe and gain height in the two turn helix, a necessary evil but worth it to get good separation from the upper layer. The tracks return from the helix at Albany on the upper level. A 45 car train will be completely out of sight for about twenty seconds which is acceptable.

There is a seldom used spur track where the tracks return to view. This location is a little north of Gilman Avenue and there is a signal bridge for block signals located here. After passing through Albany on the upper lobe tracks, the tracks arrive at Stege Junction near Central Ave.

The tracks near to the camera on the left represent the RPRC tracks in North Richmond between the wye at Hensley on UP’s Cal-P line just north of the BNSF overcrossing and the Chevron refinery tracks toward Point Richmond. There is a gravel spur (Red River Rock), a wholesale meat warehouse (Richmond Wholesale Meat Co.) and three tracks representing the tank car yard (Chevron Interchange and General Chemical). The seven straight tracks on the near left are the Oakland diesel storage on the lower level. No attempt to be prototypic heree, just a convenient place to put some units.

On the right upper are the UP Cal-P main tracks heading to Point Pinole. The siding on the main lies under the Richmond Parkway and there is a small branch that leads to a chemical company that is serviced by the UP. It receives covered hoppers of plastic pellets. Tracks on the lower level are at the southern end of Oakland Yard and the tracks leading to the door pass through the wall to the return loop mentioned above. The return loop can be assumed as the Embarcadero at Jack London Square. Don’t email me on this, it’s modler’s license, okay!!

Here are the return loops. The lower one is at south Oakland/Jack London Square. The upper loop allows for continuous running, by turning trains back toward Oakland. In an operating session I have the option to put trains into a three track yard representing Roseville and points beyond. I could possibly add a forth track but I’d really prefer to figure out a way to get trains back to Oakland without traversing the main.

Here’s the view from the door looking the other way. The return loops are on the left on the other side of the layout room wall. Top left represents UP through Richmond, lower left is the south end of Oakland Yard, lower right is Berkeley at University Ave and upper right is Albany leading to Stege.

This last view shows the north throat of Oakland Yard on the lower level and around the left hander, the simple diesel storage branches out to seven 24” tracks. On the upper level you can see the pink ballast of the BNSF overcrossing at Richmond and beyond, is the Richmond industrial district switched by the RPRC at Hensley.

It’s a work in progress. The cool thing is I can run trains an test it out on the computer before I commit to building.