San Francisco tracks review

As I've stated in the previous post, the City stub was too crowded!
I've done a review of the plan and doing so... oh, you see here: lot of compromise in place!
But at the end I thing better operational possibility and not so much revolution from the prototype.

- We loose 3 tracks on the passenger stub.
- I've add a switcher pocket that in reality don't exist.
- I've provided better curve to reach the City from tunnel #1.
- The 7th street tracks now run as the prototype.
- There is also the line to Backer&Hamilton warehouse.
- And the simulation of the connection to industries spurs crossing Townsend street.
- Unfortunately, no way to provide a decent Wye back to Potrero tower.
- The Mission Bay shop have two service tracks to reach the Turntable.

Using a printer to “view in the future”

I’ve put in place two ideas, today, and seams both have got some kind of result:
- I’ve print the whole 3rd & Townsend area using row/columns split capability of 3rd PlanIt, put in place the “patchwork” of printed sheets with paper tape , and , taken a step back, admired that .....
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....I need some “fine tune” in the design: maybe a track less in the passenger stub and more distance from the passenger to the freight yards….. I need to think about.... Anyway the area seams too crowded for the moment!
Some more space between tracks with the “butterfly” platforms.
And, doing so, also the space for the sweet mission style station go a bit more in scale.
Some additional space is also needed along the 7th st. along the front wall to have the tracks running partially on the street pavement and a better separation from the “false” wye around Potrero tower.
(false for the narrow radius of one side, that can’t be used to turn a whole consist as the prototype. I leave this just for scenery and give the feeling of the real things).

But, at the end, a good experience! This printout give me more positive feedbacks than just the drawing on the computer screen.

- The second idea was born yesterday, when a kind friend, George Dean , Bayshore native, send me a big aerial picture of the City, I presume taken from the top of the Bay bridge in 1970-74 period.Well, this give me the idea to try to use an half of this picture as background for the City part of the layout.
With some patient work I evaluate the length I need (and more or less I underestimate of … one meter= 40” ! ), then crop the part I need , re-dimensioned the picture with the real dimensions of the wall, smooth a bit the pixels that now seams evident and finally print on a big color plotter.
As I was so impatient to see the result all together, I’ve just put the roll of paper on the wall without cut away at least the bottom white border…. Another step back to admire…. Not too bad, but just .. out of measure!

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Taking in mind that the border of layout will hold low relief buildings and this will cover the nearest details the things that seams disturbing is … only that thinks are not in the proper place!
But… again… not too bad?
Well, I need to cancel from the picture the visible tower of the Bay bridge, then strech the whole thing to fill the “distant” background of Mission Shop, render some foggy morning in the same area to have a proper background to the Potrero hill….and reprint.
In the meantime I need to prepare a good masonite base on the wall….
OK: I well know this job will never finish! I’ve realized now!
But, it seams a good start?

The bridge: Round one

Friends, just 6 seconds to view 6 pictures!
The splines for the "suspended" (then "swing or lift" ) bridge are in place!
I think there is no need to comment ?
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The lift bridge... a top-down project.

Some little progress ahead this week:
- the two middle room peninsulas now have definitive splines ready for the sub-roadbed
- The lift bridge between have start to take shape.
About this last project, I've take an approach that "seams" strange, but to me have sense after several consideration. I've first taken in place the two spline pairs for the two-track main line. Then I plan to support these with the bridge chassis. In this way I can have an exact idea of the vertical projection I need to support and consequently the size and shape of the bridge.
I plan to build the support bridge with a separate chassis and then slice and split the splines.
See the pictures here above:
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Brisbane & Bayshore (left) ___--- (right) Burlingame
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Bridge Spline in place (the down line need a second spline)
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Another view and the first bridge support.