Container Port Ideas & Images I'm open to ideas & images to use for my container port that I wish to located in this area on my upper deck, just down from the SantaFe train station. This west coast port will be the imaginary origin for the container trains that will travel east to Baltimore located on the lower level. The shelf space is only a total of 18” deep, and the space between those two boards is about 6 feet in length. (that foil shaped rectangular opening was a window that will be covered over with blue solid board matching the other wall covering) I need one thru track on that upper deck area that can 'mask' some of the trains that are carrying coal, etc, that would NOT be passing in front of the container port, nor the SantaFe station. So I am imagining that track to be installed back very close to the back wall of that deck area,...and hidden from view by some sort of a view block, or multiple stacks of containers. I'm imagining 2, maybe 3 tracks running down the front edge of that container area, one that will be the other mainline of two, and one that will be a Santa Fe passenger train track. So that's at least 3 tracks I have running down that length of upper deck. That does NOT leave much area for container operations, and or container cranes, ships etc. I'm thinking that most all of the ships, cranes, etc will have to be painted background images? …..maybe something like these? Does anyone have some good reference photos, or know of good background images that are available?? I have PLENTY of containers I can use to create stacks in the area. And likely I need at least one spur track to hold container cars? Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
I was looking thru quite a number of google images of container yards/ports yesterday, but as you've mentioned, many of them are not the best viewpoint for my needs. My original thoughts were that I would have a LOT of containers stacked in the foreground, then the cranes & ship(s) in the background,..painted on the backdrop. I didn't think I would have enough space for the train loading equipment. But I ran across a few images I had saved that has me rethinking if I could limit some of those large stack of containers to those at the 'view block' area along the rear wall,...then provide some train loading equipments in the foreground??
This is one of the more correct view points for my needs,.. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...odal_container_in_Port_of_Chittagong_(17).jpg
Here is a shot of an intermodal facility I had on my last layout. This is N Scale and consumed about 18 inches wide by 5 feet log of space. It took a great amount of trailers and containers (nearly 200) to just fill this area. Shows you can fit a lot more in a space than you think you can.
Santa Fe Train Station (actually UP station, LAUPT) As I've mentioned I plan on having a model of that train station on my upper deck, just adjacent to my west coast container yard. So in preparation for planning the yard I felt I needed to do a mock-up of that station to see how much room it was going to consume. Here is that station,.. Walthers made a model of this station, but it is no longer sold, and the ones on the resale market are ridiculous in price. So I am going to have to build one of my own from foamboard likely. I got the footprint dimensions from Walthers, but they are NOT so good. Here is my first attempt at just a real basic mock-up. I'm not even sure it is the correct proportions as the only height measurement was 12" for the tower by Walthers, so I had to guesstimate the others. Here is where it is intended to fit,...in this corner, and adjacent to the container yard.
I was playing with this 'image' this morning and decided to flip the station end-for-end. Regrettable I had not provided wall sides and windows for the backside of my mock-up. But I believe I like it this orientation better. I also moved my SF engine servicing building forward so the tracks go thru the building,.... and out the back view block of some sort on left side of that station,...tall enough to hide a dbl-stack and auto cars Perhaps a display piece outside that terminal for the passenger's memories,...an old time steam engine mixed into a 'park scene'.
Back to the container loading area of that upper deck. I found these images of Walther Mi-Jacks loading side-by-side double track configurations. I do realize the Mi-jacks don't normally straddle 2 tracks, but it looks real acceptable to me. I don't have room for 4 tracks as depicted here, but rather only 2 tracks. I'm going to do some experimenting with the track arrangement as to whether to have 2 tracks side-by-side, or perhaps to either side of a central truck delivery roadway.
My 2 tracks vs that 4 track yard I don't have the shelf depth to have 4 tracks in my container yard, rather I will have to settle for 2. I can have 2 or 3 of those cranes down the length,...probable just 2 as it is a rather short length. Now lets see about the spacing of those tracks under the crane(s). I'm partial to the tracks being located to either side of the central roadway? It appears a little less congested that way??