I am in the midst of planning an N scale layout based on Beaumont Hill in California. I am hoping for a mostly linear layout with comfortable surroundings. In my experience while operating or visiting layouts I am determined to have ample space for people to enjoy the layout and the company of others. Some questions; What is a reasonable isle width for a yard area where the operator would likely be using a stool. I was thinking 42". What would a switching area require. I was thinking 42", but could it be less without sacrificing much? What about pinch points? I was thinking 28". For areas of the layout where there is only mainline and maybe a passing track I thought 28" would be OK as long as I provide a step-aside area (pocket) for people to get by one another. Thank you for sharing any experiences and knowledge.
I just saw this thread too;http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?141636-Layout-aisle-width/page3 Good info. Sorry I did not search first, but if anyone has more to add please post.
greetings John it is my understanding that 24" is the absolute minimum in tight spaces that would make 36" minimum in areas that are medium in space and 48" very good and definitely ample. for multiple operators who have to pass by one another, 36" would be tight but sufficient. person sitting on a stool, i would not go below 30" and probably keep it to 36". i am the only one that operates my own pike and i always design with 36" as i want to be able to turn around and not worry about elbows and such getting hung up on scenery or anything near edge of layout. (I am 6'2" tall and a little wide at the waist) ;-) hope this helps respectfully... Gary
I am going to be 60 in a month, but I run frequently and cycle, and have been more active than in recent winters because I am building a layout...I'm on my feet and doing things instead of at my computer much of the time. This means I don't have much of a girth to worry about. In my current build, I have one aisle to speak of, and it doubles as a pinch point nearest my helix which will be over 6 feet in diameter. That aisle is 22" wide. If you are going to operate this layout alone, but on a stool at least some of the time, and if you intend to leave the stool in the aisle, then something upwards of 42" would be my minimum, and as I said, I'm a smallish man. In stature and girth, that is. :uhoh: If you will have at least one other person with you part of the time, and if that person is expected to move past you safely at least once per operating session while it is in session, then you might wish to up that to near 50". A lot depends on what would be endangered nearby that you would prefer isn't.
John, there are so many variables....benchwork height on one or both sides of the isle, yard locations, yard operators, number of walk around operators, density of operations, your body mass and that of your crews... I tend to think of isles as passing sidings and yards for the operators, and where there is room for only one (as on a single track mainline) I don't waste space on more than is adequate. I find 28" adequate and comfortable for one but your BMI expectations may vary. Why don't you come over with a tape measure, or better yet, you can borrow mine... that's the best way to see what may or may not work for you. I have two 23"pinch points, and two one-man dead end isles of 28". In between there are operator passing zones between 36 and 42" and a couple of "gathering zones" about 60" wide. Also, the "lounge" for off duty operators is outside the train room.... finally, using wireless cabs as I do is a huge consideration; if you don't have to "plug in" and have the ability to operate your train from anywhere, the instant need to jam the isles with bodies and cables in search of the next plug is much diminished. Regards, Otto
If you are having other operators around, I would say 48-50 inches (1.3 Meters) as a minimum. I operate by myself with 30-36 inches and that is a minimum, IMHO.
I don't have problems currently, but in July I'm reworking the left side of my layout. I'm on the 'open house' layout circuit here in SoCal and things are ok now. BUT my reconstruction will pinch into the middle of my layout room and this will be ok for me, but tough on visitors. I was thinking about 40 inches of clearance between the left and right 'wings.' I will probably have to limit the viewing to just two or three people at a time. Jim
Good deal Jim. I hope to visit during the tour. A little more info for your consideration. I hope to have sessions with at least 5 operators or more if possible and a dispatcher so passing space for two operators will be needed. I plan to have the yard at about 50" as the lowest point on the road and the staging will end up double decked above it at 62" most likely. This will give most of us the ability to see the car numbers without bending over to far and those who are less than 6' tall will have eye level view of the staging. Its looking like a mushroom/nolix combo style layout with a dreaded helix to cover the difference between the staging yard and main (Colton) yard, but with only 12" to cover it should not be to bad.
I'ma day late and for sure dollar short. John, Think Steve and remember how big Steve is. :uhoh: Then think Rick and how big Rick is. :closedmouth: Then think do I really want them to come back and visit? Will I be able to accomodate them? There that should do it!:teeth: And what every one else said. These smiley faces are just to much...obnoxious. Yes?
John, I would very much enjoy a visit from you. While the tour at my house is from 10 to 2, I think, on July 14. You would always be welcome anytime you are down my way. Jim
The ISLE of my prototype is about 2 miles wide- or did you mean "aisle." (Sorry, I'm being smartalecky. Couldn't resist it...)
I noticed this misspelling and showed it to my wife. She said to let it go! Cat's out of the bag now. Jim
You fell for John's trap, Otto! Didn't you know all he wants is to run trains around your Cajon layout?!
On a multiple deck layout, the heights and separation of the lower and upper decks, plus the depth and thickness of the upper deck will affect how deeply you can see into the lower deck. The width of the aisles also affects how far you can see into the lower deck...typically, you can see farther into a lower deck when standing upright in the middle of a 42 inch aisle than when standing in the middle of a 24 inch aisle. It will be important to experiment with aisle width and various deck heights, depths, and thicknesses to see which combinations provide the best viewing and operating. With multiple operators on multiple decks, it will be helpful to plan your track configurations so an area with lots of switching on an upper deck is not directly over an area requiring lots of switching on the lower deck. I corrected one such problematic area on my layout without having to move the industries by shifting all access to the upper industries' sidings to the left and access to the lower industries' sidings to the right. That way, 2 operators could work side by side in the same section of the aisle rather than constantly having to do-see-do around each other. If operators access the upper deck by stepping onto benches or step-stools, then you will need wider aisles wherever you use those step-ups...even if they are sometimes pushed out of the way under the lower deck when not being used.
What do you folks think of the width of a space where one operator would be that is accessed from one side and is only about four or five feet deep? This space would be the entrance and exit of the mainline for the helix and would not have any switching. You could almost call it a step aside, but an operator could follow a train into it and then back out. I was thinking 18".
As there seems to be an exception to many rules, you might get away with 18" in this one instance. I have an 18" ruler sitting on my desk and it is still a pretty tight squeeze for an adult, even when a person is turned sideways.
