This is my first final draft of what I hope to do. No elevations, I would like to run 2 trains at the same time. It is DCC, and I am into watching them run with very little input from me. I would really like to see a double main but that is not the end of the world. I am working in a very limited space, as I own my home but not the rights to use it for toys per management. I am not really into prototype railroading and the yard is just for storage really. the spurs will probably serve a grain silo and a brewery (mmm beer).
1) Suggest you start by providing a drawing of the room you want to have your layout in, with doors, windows, other hindrances and other uses of the room marked off and distances marked off. A layout has to fit into a room (unless you have a huge room and a small layout in the middle of the floor). That's especially important if you have to negotiate for space 2) It might be a good idea to mention what scale you want to model in - for N scale, a turnback curve can be less than 10" radius, and a nice wide curve is 15" radius. With those measures, you can get away with only having access to one side of the table, and reaching across. For a H0 scale layout, we are talking about 4 feet across the table. Too deep to reach across, so you need access to the back side of the layout as well. Some good (IMO) free online resources on track planning/layout design: - Layout Design Special Interest Group Layout Planning Hints - Byron Henderson's Layout Design blog - Article collection, Gateway Division, NMRA Smile, Stein Edit: actually - never mind the second point above - if those lines on your drawing is a 12" grid, then this obviously is N scale with 11" radius and 15" radius curves. Btw: you state that your main goal is to be able to run two trains unattended at the same time. This plan does not seem to support your main goal.
As a complete novice, my thoughts might not mean much but... The yard seems awful large for someone who wants to run trains without too much input. Beautiful ladder but a train can't get through the yard without running the ladder.
Overall I like the plan. I too like the "diamond" shape of the yard. There are a few issues: The lead to the turntable is 4 feet long. You could make that one more yard track and run a lead to the engine terminal off of the track to its right. Many of the engine tracks seem a bit short. I personally don't care for the double cross over creating a pair of reverse loops but that is just my preference. The yard is disproportionally big but mine takes up about 15 percent of my layout so, I'm not anyone to talk.
Thanks guys for the input. I am a little nervous about the double crossover and reliability but??? Maybe dropping the long lead and using the yard for access to the turntable would be a better option. Yes I know some of the engine tracks are short and was thinking of just storage of a caboose or track equipment that might be shorter. I suppose that is not done on the real thing but I am not really into making it look like the real thing just something that a non railroader would appreciate for what it is. The room size is 8X10 and is really just a storage room. If I can complete this and make it look good, I hope to take over the 10X13 foot end of my family room for a future layout. This is obviously Nscale and my next may be a HO scale. Thanks Scott
I would still suggest that you post a drawing of your room, with door and windows and other obstacles marked off, distances marked off and other uses of the room marked off. It also will make quite a bit difference whether your railroad will have be pushed into a corner with the yard facing the wall, be on an outside corner, or be sticking out into the middle of the room, with just one short end against a wall. It is also quite possible that some other layout shape will give you a layout that actually will meets your primary design goal - being able to run two trains unattended at the same time. The plan you have posted here does not seem to support that. An 8x10 foot room is actually a pretty decent area for an N scale layout. This is what I have have on an H0 scale layout in a 6.5 foot x 11.5 foot room that also has to function as a storage room. But I would start with the room - how much space is actually available or could be made available - what does the room look like ? Smile, Stein
Stein, sorry I am out of town so I can't get exact measurements of everything so we will start with what I know for sure. The room is 8 X 10 and there is a door on the 10 foot wall that swings into the room against the 8 foot wall. it is in the corner of opposite where I am planning on layout. the 8 foot portion of the layout is the entire width of the room on the one end and then that leaves the other side of the L at 80 inches. There is permanent shelving up at the 80 inch end extending toward the door 4 foot. Just inside the door on the handle side is a upright freezer. the layout is about 40 inches from the floor and I have wall mounted cabinets around the room except where the freezer is. I am planning on under cabinet type lighting on a dimmer for the lighting. I only have about 2 foot between the base of the layout and the cabinetr bottoms. Like I mentioned I really juyst want to make this look good so I can eventually get space in the real world and not a closet. I r4ealy like the idea of around the room but I don't see a way to make it work right now. Hope this helps. Thanks Scott BTW really like your layout! I have thought about adding a barge terminal but just don't think I have room.
Hmm - somehow those numbers doesn't seem to add up - 6 2/3rd foot to a shelf then four foot to the door on a wall that is 10 foot long? Must be something in your explanation I didn't quite understand. The easy way of describing a room is to refer to the upper wall, right wall, bottom wall and left wall on the drawing. Anyways - not that important. What I gather is this : you don't really want to build this layout. It is just a way of convincing a spouse that you can build a layout that looks good. Okay - then keep it simple. Don't fill it up the area with tracks. Lots and lots of tracks is not what makes people go "that looks good". It's the scenery that makes them ooh and ah. Also - you want to watch trains run. Okay - why then mess with trying to serve a brewery and having a complicated yard? Run trains. Here is an example of a dead simple plan: Something this simple would allow you to: a) Sit back and see fairly long trains run through your town or valley or whatever. b) Alternate between up to four different trains (either two on the visible layout and two in staging, or one on the visible layout and one in staging). Longish trains (for your layout). c) Allow you to do meets and having a higher priority train overtake a lower priority train on the visible layout. d) Add a lot of nice looking scenery on the layout - either an urban area or a rural area, mountains or forrest, modern times or 50-60 years ago. Does it give you what you want - to run trains and to demonstrate that you can build a good looking layout? Try to think again about what your true main goal(s) for this layout is. Does your track plan support those goals or not? If it does, no problem. If not, then you need to rethink either your goals or your track plan. Smile, Stein
I actually do want to build this layout. The problem I have is the limited space for now. When I weigh in what I want the double main is a lower priority than say a storage yard. I do want some industries so I can do some switching occasionally, I just don't want to make it the focal point. When I get more space I was thinking of HO just to make it easier on the eyes. I may stay with N and incorporate my "finished" layout into it. It all depends on when and if I get the space and how my eyes and hands are doing at the time. While your plans look nice it doesn't really cover as much as I want. I would always have to run the trains in the same direction. Even my wife would pick up on the same train is coming from the same area all the time. I like the passing track for all it does. I did like the corner as it would allow far better reach into the wall side of the layout.
Huh? You put the engine on the left end of some trains, on the right end of some trains. Some trains circle clockwise, some counterclockwise. You can at any time stop a train at the siding, uncouple the locomotive, run it around its cars using the main, couple it to the other end of the train and take off in the opposite direction. If it is important to you to turn the locomotive before heading in the opposite direction, you stick a turntable somewhere in the city area. While you are at it, you can put in a coaling tower and a water tank (if you are running steamers). And possibly an industry or two. Three staging tracks and a siding in town allows you to run a cycle of four trains before you repeat anything. Swapping engine in town or running around a train in town and heading back the other way gives you a longer cycle before repeats. I am not convinced that if you will fool a casual viewer much longer by hiding your trains in plain sight - in a yard smack full of trains in plain sight right in the middle of the layout Anyways - just wanted to remind you that sometimes "less is more". I'd recommend dropping the reversing loop and most or all the visible yard tracks, and instead substituting some hidden staging tracks. Smile, Stein
Stein, yep what you are saying makes sense. I think it's back to the drawing board and I will incorporate your plan if you don't mind. Big fan of K.I.S.S. any way mainly because I am cheap. Less track less money more scenery! Thanks for the help. Scott
