0011 Savannah Central - These Are a Few of My Not Favorite Things

They don't make movies like Sound of Music any more.  There is a reason for that.  Oh well.

So yesterday we made a list of things we don't like about the track plan....let's work on these.


Here's what I'm not liking:

1.  Narrow shelf in the middle section limits scenery and structures
2.  Would like the port shelf to be a bit deeper
3.  Very long scenic divider which is hard to build for easy removal
4.  Large blobs make it more complicated to produce a movable layout
5.  Passing sidings on curves require custom track work to look right and fail the "keep it simple" motto.
6.  Missing hidden staging
7.  Turntable, required for turning steam.  Source of problems.
8.  Fireplace hearth is 2" high and is a trip hazard
9.  Two problematic S curves
10.  Too much track within 2" of the fascia

While this is still a sketch, we have a good idea what the layout will look like.  By knocking out things we don't like before we start the final drawing, we won't have to redraw it as much.  I use a 10 count for everything.  In this case I force myself to find 10 things I don't like and stop there.  Then I go fix them.  Then, I try to find 10 more things and go fix them.  When I can't come up with 10 things, I know I am close.


1.  Narrow shelf in the middle section limits scenery and structures

The area in the red circle is barely a foot wide.  That means it is about 6" on each side.  This is hardly enough for trees or flat scenery.  It can be done, but its not going to look very good.  Widening it will shrink the aisle on the bookcase side.  Widening on the other side will mess up the 24" radius curves.  Hey!  Here is a radical idea!  If you can't have a good scene on either side, why not overlap the two levels and have one good scene and the other track goes below?  We'll play with that idea.


2.  Would like the port shelf to be a bit deeper

My thoughts were to model Savannah's famous River Street.  It is a line of large cotton exchange warehouses along a brick (ballast stone) roadway.

The track is imbedded in the ballast stone road, dwarfed on one side by the old brick warehouses and the river is on the other side.  The point at the top of the blob below must stay at 2 feet.  So maybe we can round the port area and widen both sides to give more room.  Put a small flat building in that narrow spot.


3.  Very long scenic divider which is hard to build for easy removal

Scenic dividers are great for permanent layouts, but they are a pain for portables that are double sided.  Keeping the layout "sincere" which means running the track through a scene only once is very important to me.  There are no mountains in this part of Georgia so let's look at building either a low profile backdrop or one that is removable.


4.  Large blobs make it more complicated to produce a movable layout

The width of the blob with fascia will be about 4 1/2 feet wide.  This has to fit up the stairs which are 4 feet wide.  Bit of a problem.  Here are some ideas: build it in two separate sections, build the top so that it comes off, check for other ways to take it out.


5.  Passing sidings on curves require custom track work to look right and fail the "keep it simple" motto.

I'm not interested in building custom curved turnouts  The passing siding by the fireplace (a cotton knitting mill will go here, plus these are interchange tracks) could move down to the straight area right below.  Or I could put in a three track dead end yard.  The passing siding by the turntable just needs to be big enough for locos to pass each other, so maybe we can straighten it out.

My head hurts!  Going to bed.