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(erielack) Groupthink! EL layout planning...

Hi folks,

	I have finally begun planning my layout, and I figured this is a
great opportunity for some advice/opinions/suggestions from several hundred
"EL experts" (I feel everyone on this list adds something!)....

	To start, my basement is approximately 30x35. I'd like to stick to
single-deck design if possible, with double-deck sections in portions (see
below). I'll post plans of the basement later on to give you an idea of the
space I'm working with. The layout will represent, ostensibly, the Erie
Lackawanna Boonton Line circa mid-to-late 1974 between Croxton Yard
(Secaucus, NJ) and Dover, NJ (perhaps Port Morris?).  For operational
interest, I plan on including a lot of local switching areas (Boonton,
Totowa Industrial, East Dover)

	Operationally, we're talking about a lot of trains since the EL
shifted the majority of its freight traffic to this side in the 1973
timeframe. There are about 8 push-pull commuter jobs each way daily, plus
4-5 freights each direction daily, as well as several local jobs (two
Boonton Drills, Totowa Roustabout, Greenwood Lake Haul, Silver Lake Drill) .
Additionally (and since I like variety), I will have the NYS&W and PC come
into Croxton to perform interchange; feature the CNJ in the town of Dover,
switching local businesses; and have a highly-condensed version of the
Hoboken Shore in one corner of the room (a little modeler's license, as the
Hoboken Shore stopped running around 1974/1975).  I have equipment for 5
push-pull sets, so that's how many there will be in each direction. (6, if
you count the Great Notch turns)

	Planning-wise (and here come the questions), I'm starting with
Croxton first:

	The south side of the room will feature Croxton Yard, which will be
a pretty large centerpiece. Two yard operators will be working there,
breaking up inbound trains and assembling new ones. Croxton, in operating
terms, essentially becomes an open-air staging yard with real-time
switching. The PC/NYS&W trains will come from storage tracks outside the
layout to come in and swap cars.  (I'm sure several of you are asking, "Hey!
Where do the push-pulls go?" - these will split off the line just prior to
the yard to swing out to "West End" [as on the prototype] - in the layout's
case, they will go DOWN a ramp (not up!) into a five-track staging yard
under Croxton)  EL trains destined to Weehawken will leave the yard and go
interchange with the Hoboken Shore and Weehawken yards.

	Questions:

	1) Should I bother with having another off-layout staging yard to
hold the various trains that would come off the "Erie side" (Bergen County
Line, Main Line, NJ&NY), and just run them into Croxton to give the yard
operators even more grief? (and dispatch trains out into that same staging
yard)  Or does everyone feel the above list of trains is plenty to handle as
it is?
	2) The yard will range from 15-20 feet long, depending on the track.
I was planning on doing 10 tracks for the freight yard, plus two tracks for
the TOFC section (think 2/NY-100!)  Does everyone think that 10 tracks is
enough for all this?
	3) Not sure where the caboose tracks were at Croxton, or how
cabooses were added to the train? I've seen photos of trains starting out at
the north/west side of the yard, proceed past the engine facility, crossing
County Road, and going past the yard to the Boonton Line. That's always
confused me - can anyone explain what happened here?
	4) What traffic went to Weehawken in the early 1970s?


	Thoughts and comments are appreciated. I'll try and post up initial
sketches later, but I just wanted to throw this out to inspire some
discussion... :)

	- Paul


Paul R. Tupaczewski_______________________
Lucent Technologies
Mobility Solutions                              Phone: 973-386-4966
MASD Innovations                                Fax: 973-386-4147
67 Whippany Road, Room 15D-116  
Whippany, NJ 07981                            
_______________________________________________

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