Friday, August 15, 2014

Using Google Maps to Help Develop a Prototypical Track Plan

Over the last few months, I've been working on a track plan for my shelf layout and even though its a very small space, it took some time and thinking to come up with something I liked. While it may not be 100% prototypical, it works within the space I've given myself and doesn't seem completely unrealistic. Before I settled on the current track plan, I actually spent some time panning across Michigan on Google Maps looking for examples of track and associated structures. 

While most things I find would have to be scaled to some extent on a model layout, there are still some pretty neat examples out there. Below are some of the locations I found around the state of Michigan. 

Example of an industrial spur in Sterling Heights, MI.
A look at tracks connected to the Ford assembly plant in Sterling Heights, MI.
Example of an industrial spur in Brighton, MI.
Another example of a spur in Brighton, MI.
An example of an industrial spur in Howell, MI.
A look at an industrial spur in Alpena, MI.
If there is one thing these pictures tell me about my shelf layout track plan, its that mine is definitely scaled down a bit more than I would like. I don't see many prototypical sidings as close to the main line as what I have. Oh well, that's what modeling is about though, right, taking something and creating a smaller scaled down version of it? Even if my plan is not perfectly prototypical, that's fine with me. As long as I like it, that's what matters.

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