# what do you think about this



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I saw a layout many years ago in model railroader that I want to incorporate
part of it on my new layout. I will try to explain it. I thought it was very functional. Starts with a mountain. On one side of the mountain is a coal mine. On the other side of the mountain is a coal fired electric company. Tunnels for both. It will take a number of coal hopper cars. Half loaded with coal and half empties. It will take 2 tracks for each tunnel. Anyway, a
string of loaded hoppers are pulled out of the mine area and run around the
layout and backed into the electric company area to be burned. As you back 
the loaded string into the electric company tunnel to be burned they start to protrude from the coal mine tunnel like they were loaded and ready to be hauled off. The empty string is pulled out of the electric company, run around layout and backed into mine area to be loaded. And of coarse as you back into mine area they will protrude out of electric company like they were unloaded and ready to be picked up. Did I get the idea over? I thought it was great. I hope to have each string of hoppers be about 15 cars long. It could be done with what ever number you wanted.


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

The hobby train store in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania had a layout just like that.
Each side had 3 or 4 tracks for loading and unloading so there was some switching involved during operations.


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## Steve S (Jan 7, 2012)

mopac said:


> I saw a layout many years ago in model railroader that I want to incorporate part of it on my new layout.


That was Model Railroader's N scale Clinchfield project layout from the late 70s (Nov. 78 to Jun 79). Solves the problem of removing loads. As I recall, the tack inside the mountain looped around once, sort of like a helix.

Steve S


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

A layout that was recently in MR (last couple of months) had that type of layout. Basically a pass-through track that serviced both the resource site and the industry. It's a nice way to do it because then you don't have to constantly remove/replace loads.


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