Track Plan. Geometry Class

Ahh, the limitations and blessings of sectional track. Personally, I like it. I am able to easily try many different track configurations and reuse all my track. Sure, I can't do arbitrary or gentle curves, but this is a cubicle, and I don't have room for large radius curves anyways. The limited geometry is sometimes a blessing in disguise. If I could do anything I wanted, it would take me much, much longer to decide on a track configuration.

As I showed in my initial plan, I have a main terminus station with a freight depot and a locomotive maintenance facility.  My plans have morphed a little since then, with an additional station track and the elimination of the team track.  I eliminated the team track to save space.  The additional station track is the result of making the passenger terminal track alignment more realistic.

Marklin uses a very well defined track geometry, and as such there is a standard parallel track distance. Using the standard methods, a 3-track terminal would look like this:

Each track is separated equally.  This just doesn't look right.  In all the train stations I have been in, the tracks between platforms are always very close together. To hack the geometry, I changed it to this:

Now, I even have room for a fifth passing track. This passing track will be used for something very important in a future post. On the other end of the layout, the outside track rises and crosses over the other tracks. Where does this track go?

As with any layout, mine grows from the original plan.  My boss let me put this in, what's another few feet? I added a 4 foot station on top of my bookshelf, where the crossover bridge connects. The lower track kind of ends weirdly, and frankly, that is another story.  But for now, I have two terminal stations!

 Thanks for reading,

 Peter Lieber