Update and Revised Track plan

 It has been a busy week since the last post. I am working on building shelves underneath the layout. This should let me unpack stuff and get it out of boxes. Everything from freight cars to tools and track has been packed away since we moved here 3 years ago. Hopefully by the end of the month all that will be done and benchwork will start to go up. In the mean time I am working to finalize the track plan. Since I had uploaded a track plan last year a lot has changed. I had a chance to do track plan consult with Don Winn with the Layout Design SIG during the NMRA Virtual Convention last July. He was very helpful and several great ideas. One of the biggest changes after talking to Don was to remove the narrow peninsula that had the staging yard and Sandpoint yard. The staging got moved to still lowered deck. This compromise allowed for among other things to wider aisles and a larger minimum radius on the end of the remaining peninsula.  Minimum radius is 33 inches which occurs only in the helix and at the end of peninsula or a few industrial spurs. Other locations have minimum of 40 mainline and 36 on the branch. The lower deck plan is here. Aisles are now 5 feet with only 1 pinch point the peninsula and the west wall. Only 1 switching pint ( the LP sawmill) is very close to the pinch point with mostly scenic running on both decks.

This peninsula depicts the BN mainline between Dover Idaho and Newport Washington. This then runs down to staging to represent Spokane and points west. The around the walls portion represents the MILW Metaline Falls Branch. By the time I model in the 1970s MILW had abandoned the branch between Newport and Couer d' Alene Junction in favor of trackage rights on the BN. Then below is the 16 track staging yard. You can see 9 track are stub ended while another 7 tracks under the peninsula are on a return loop for turning trains. Feel free to comment below and Happy Railroading in 22.