Bernhards Random Ramblings BACKUP

I'm thrilled to report that the current issue of Layout Design Journal (LDJ #69) comes with an article introducing the Welztalbahn, and describing my journey from idea through design to layout. Including many of the detours and compromises I made to turn the layout into reality.  Byron Henderson, the editor of LDJ, did a superb job turning my article and materials into an appealing presentation. This is my first published article that's exclusively about my own work. Of course, I could not have done this without the support of my family and friends that gave me feedback and encouragement along the way. Thank you!

[ Intro posts ] I drew many track plans in Xtrkcad for the Welztalbahn, especially in the 9 months before construction started in 2008. The outcome of that is a series of blog posts that led to a  train room update  when the train room in the garage was actually complete. Note to the self, don't go into detailed planning until exact room dimensions are locked in. Otherwise, you find yourself redoing a good chunk of the plan... As construction progressed, I made many changes to the plan. Emsingen station probably changed the most from the initial plan. I  added a Lokstation  with turntable and various freight facilities, and decided to  change the freight area  after I built it and ran some trains, by  rearranging yard and loading tracks . Finally, in 2012 I  added a 4th yard track  in Emsingen to help smooth the flow during operations. In the plan from 2008, Talheim has only a couple rudimentary tracks. Over time, and through multiple revisi...

This is part 2 of the Introduction to the Welztalbahn, part 1 can be found here .  Linear arrangement of the Welztalbahn The visible portion of the layout (shown in black above) models Talheim on the middle level and Emsingen on the upper level. Lower level Staging represents Freiburg, Hausach and points beyond. There is a staging loop on the middle level that represents the branch line to Prechtal. Spatial arrangement of the Welztalbahn The layout is located in a 8x9ft room and built in three levels connected by ramps. Vertical separation between levels is about 4.5 inches. The lowest level is entirely staging and represents Freiburg and Hausach as the southern and northern ends of the line, as well as points beyond. Main staging is double-ended and is used for trains that make multiple appearances during a session (mostly local/through passenger service and some unit freight trains). Stub-ended Aux staging on the right is used for trains that make one appearance during the sessio...

The Welztalbahn is a fictional railroad. Locations and setting are loosely based on the actual Elztalbahn, a single-track branch line, which runs from Denzlingen to Elzach. For the purposes of this document I assume that a planned, but never completed connection between Elzach and Hausach was actually built, and thus more interesting traffic flows on this line are possible. The Welztalbahn is an electrified single track mainline branching off the double-track mainline Offenburg-Freiburg near Denzlingen in the Rhine valley and leading through the Welztal ("Welz valley") via Talheim and Emsingen meeting the Schwarzwaldbahn in Hausach. There is a short branch line that leaves the main line north of Emsingen towards Prechtal at the northern end of the Welztal. Prechtal has a quarry and related industries, as well as light industry that accept and ship their products by rail. The earliest plans for the Welztalbahn were commissioned in 1865 to improve access from industries in the ...