The Branches: The Belt Line and Nebraska Staging

One of the parts I like the plan is the inclusion of several branch lines off the main. Located above Rennick Yard and Union Station, I found room for a representation of the Belt Line. The actual Belt Line leaves North Yard through Utah Junction and crosses through the northern industrial end of Denver. It serves multiple industries and connects to the Union Pacific yards. It also used to host Rock Island trains coming in from the eastern plains that used North Yard as their Denver terminus.

My version of the Belt Line is freelanced, but takes inspiration from the actual Belt Line. Many of the industries are to be found around Denver if not on the Belt Line.

Prospect Yard on the Belt Line.

The first stop on the Belt Line is a freelanced yard called Prospect Yard after a yard that was once in the area. My intent is that this yard will serve as visible staging for the Belt Line when the rest of the railroad is in operation. Because of aisle space concerns for operators, I decided that the Belt Line will operate in between operating sessions of the Moffat Line layout and it is designed for 1-3 people to work different switching jobs. In fact, these switching jobs need not even run between operating sessions, as the staged trains can simply be reused to connect to North Yard.

Prospect Yard provides a connection to the UP and an engine servicing facility. In many ways, it is inspired by the Burnham yard and shops complex south of Union Station. In fact, along the backdrop I plan to model the Gates Rubber Company plant from south Denver. From Prospect Yard, Belt Line trains head to the upper left across the South Platte River to the rest of the Belt Line via a wood pile trestle inspired by one one the modern Belt Line,

For operational purposes, I plan a single switching job working the industries around Prospect Yard called the Short Belt Job. Cars for the Short Belt Job would arrive from North Yard via a transfer run. In Prospect Yard, an as yet unnamed but freelance short line that would do the switching on the Belt Line. Cars coming from the industries switched by the Short Belt Job would be returned to Prospect Yard for a transfer run to North Yard. Transfer runs from the UP might drop or collect cars for the UP in Prospect Yard, and would run through to the D&RGW North Yard.

PSC Loop on the Belt Line.

At the east end of the Belt Line, lies the Public Service Company of Colorado Cherokee Power Plant. Coal off the Moffat powers this plant. I located it closer to the west end of the Belt Line to fit the space, and allow me to have a loop where loads and empties can be exchanged wrapped around the Helix. Runs to the power plant would be handled by the PSC Job out of Prospect Yard, or even out of North Yard (running through Prospect Yard).

Belt Line to Sandown Yard.

The next part of the Belt line consists of a pair of switching districts. The first is on the left side, centered around the PSC area that I am calling Washington Park. In practice, the Belt Line would support and additional job called the Washington Park Job to switch the non-PSC industries in the area.

The second group of industries in located near West Sandown Yard on the right side of the plan. West Sandown Yard is imagined as an interchange yard with a shortline called the Colorado, Rock Island and Pacific that serves the agricultural areas of eastern Colorado. The job to work these industries would be called the Long Belt Job. In addition, there may be transfer runs between West Sandown Yard and Prospect Yard.

Nebraska Staging.

The imagined CRIP connects via Sandown Junction and uses a helix under West Sandown Yard to drop to the Nebraska Staging Yard, which consists of 4 tracks and a reverse loop. Each track is about eight feet long.

Stockyard Branch.

Also located near West Sandown Yard is Stockyard Junction. Stockyard Junction connects to the Stockyard Branch which reaches the end of track at the fictional location of Airy. A fifth switching job, called the Stockyard Job would run from Prospect Yard to these industries.

I think that the Belt Line would be a neat layout in its own right, although it lacks some of the overhead traffic I would like to model. But, it does provide a promising addition to the Moffat Layout.

Cameron Turner