Construction of First Layout - N Scale

Well, it may not be under construction just yet, but the land claim negotiations are complete, and when I get a free moment, I can start remodelling my future train room. Though everything is still very much in the planning stages as far as a solid track plan layout, I am hoping to get that firmed up to something workable by the time the room is ready. My plan for this thread is to post my progress and my problems.

What I have to work with:
- a 'smallish' 5'-10" deep x 6'-6" wide room in my basement. Original negotiations were for the adjacent 12'-0"x 15'-0" room, but that idea was quickly shelfed. Realistically, the space may be small, but I think it will be a good little layout for my first go round.

My operation:
- small town 1960's in fictional mid-southern Ontario.
- Niagara Escarpment scenery (just how rugged has yet to be decided)
- small industries. Maybe an elevator, farm supply, hardware and lumber yard, team track for town, etc.
- Focus will be more on scenery than switching and running operations.

My wishlist:
-continuous running (having a hard time deciding between a loop, or an around-the-room layout with a liftout.)
-small on-layout staging/storage area. Want to have some place to store some trains to keep running more exciting.
- over-under action with a couple of bridges and trestles.

Here is what I have so far for layout ideas.
Option 1 is the loop. My main concern is the reach to the top right corner, and also the lack of open floor space. I like the continuous running, loops, and over-unders. I feel like there is good opportunity for placement of my industries.

Option 2 is around-the room. I like this layout as well, however, I am struggling with the lower right corner. I feel like it needs to be opened up a little to allow for better placement of industries. There also isn't as much opportunity on this layout for industries. I have tried to maximize the floor space, while still allowing a loop for some over-under action.

Let me know what you think of both of them. I am open for suggestions. I know they aren't perfect, but that is why I am posting them. I appreciate your time looking, and I look forward to being able to update this thread with progress.

 

Ummm - you want over/under. Fair enough.

But is there something that says that the train has to loop back over *itself*, like in the Tehachapi (sp?) loop?

You can e.g. do an over/under by having a main line loop running around the room, and then having a spur branching off from the main loop, descending down behind the main loop (i.e. between the main loop and the wall) and then crossing under the main line to reach some industries or something along the aisle.

For that matter, you can have the spur be a small industrial branch line that runs down in the upper right corner, runs low along some industries, and then climbs up and joins the main line again in the lower left corner - ie get the effect that the main is running on elevated tracks in the background behind this part of the layout.

Just a suggestion - not a given that it fits your vision.

Smile,
Stein

 

Stein, you have a lot of good insight on how to design a layout. I have been toying around with what you said about making a spur that runs off the mainline and under it. My biggest problem is being able to make the connection at either end of the main loop (By the yard at the top left, and by the bridge at the bottom right) and still gain enough change in elevation to be able to cross over another track. It takes 8' of track to gain 2 1/4" at 2.5% grade. That means a total of 16' to go up and come back down again. Needless to say, I am extremely frustrated with it, because it is hard to find 16' of track to make the transition on this small layout, even if one track dips, and the other rises. Maybe I am missing something... I would be ecstatic if someone could point something out.

I appreciate as well that having a loop of track cross itself is very rarely prototypical, but I think it would lend itself to some interesting scenery with tunnels and bridges. I really am torn between having a layout that operates realistically, and a layout that just looks nice. Not to say that I don't want to do a little switching and moving, but I am having a hard time finding the balance.

Again, any and all input is greatly appreciated. For now, I am going to keep toying with the layout design until I have the room ready.

 

I would go with the around the wall plan but would make 3 changes to it:

1) Take out the loop. There's really no need for it, and grades would be awfully steep for such a short length to rise over itself. You can keep the spurs there and just lead the spurs off the main and maybe add a runaround siding there for switching from the facing point of the turnout.

2) Instead of routing a tunnel under the stub-ended yard, I would make a steel bridge OVER the yard. This is more likely to be the arrangement, it will look more interesting, and will serve as a viewblock to obscure the end of the yard near the wall.

3) You may consider bridges and/or a tunnel on the straight track at the bottom for a scenic break from the rest of the layout..

 

Hmm - if you forget the "and up again" part, how about something like this?





Not saying it is the greatest design ever - it is a fairly small room, and I only have 15 minutes for a quick sketch before heading for work this morning.

Ooops - I just remembered that you are in N scale - I based my quick sketch on H0 scale - with 22" radius curves and 3" separation between top and bottom.

So you have a little more leeway for your design - should be possible to stay within 2.5% for N scale, and take the main further into the upper and lower left corners.

Smile,
Stein

 

I think I got it

Well, after mulling over the comments from Stein and Tom, and playing around with the layout a little more, I think I have come up with something that I am happy with.

I have stepped away from the idea of having any over-unders, etc. After playing with the track, and not being able to make it work in a way that I was happy with, I gave up. And... after visuallizing the space a little more, I am happy with that decision. I think it was trying to do too much is such a small space. I also got rid of the loop, because it really didn't serve any purpose, other than wasting space.

Tom, you suggested having a steel bridge fly-over at the end of the yard. I agree that would be very cool, but with the space I have available in that corner of the room, I don't think I can get the track far enough away from the wall at the left to 'scenic' it well enough. Reason being, I would like to keep the bridge, and the track on it, straight, taking up as little floor space as possible. I am happy with the idea of having the tunnel underneath... I think with a little creative scenery I can make it look half decent. But, who knows, I may just change my mind yet.

Anyhow, have a look at what I am calling Option #3. As always, comments are always appreciated.

 

Rick, I made the change you suggested about moving where the siding rejoined the main on the right. It looks much better. I considered putting another siding to Industry #3, I think it is something that I will leave open for consideration until I start building... see how much space I have in there.

Anyhow, next step is to renovate my future train room. It will likely be a couple of weeks before I am finished that and ready to start the layout. Once that gets going, I can start posting some photos. Until then... peace!!

 

First Scrathbuild Attempt

Well... I got bitten by the bug and felt the need to try my hand at a scratch build. It is not that there aren't good kits out there, but I like the idea of creating something of my own design.

Here is my attempt at a feed mill. Still a lot of work to do on detailing, including a dock front and back, canopies, foundation (which will have to wait til I am sure of how it sits on the layout), and who knows what else I can dream up to add to make it more realistic.

It is based loosely off of a picture I found online. Mind you a picture leaves a lot to the imagination for a three dimensional building. Anyhow, here it is. Let me know what you think...

 

Nice work.

 

Thanks guys,

I am making it out of sheet and strip styrene. The windows are clear plastic with a clear envelope lable on them. I drew the mullions on with pencil crayon. They aren't perfectly clear, but I think that masks the interior a little. Feed mill = dusty environment anyhow. The paint is a wash of acrylic paints. I started with a brown basecoat, and then added washes of blue-greys and whites to lighten it up.

So far I have spent about 10 hours on it. Probably another 10 left to go by the time I get all the details on. I think this scratchbuilding bug is going to catch on for me!

 

My favorite scratch build! Grain elevators! Fine job! Being from the midwest I don't think anything goes hand in hand with RR more than these structures!

 

Canadian Prototypes

So with the holiday season drawing closer, and all of the typical gift buying/parties/other associated expenses, I have decided to put the remodelling of my future train room on hold for a month or two.

In the meantime, I am thinking once again about my trackplan. As you can see in previous posts, the room is by no means large, and so it is presenting some interesting challenges for track planning. I am fairly happy with the plan that I have, but I got to thinking that in my free time between now and when I start building, maybe I should look into modelling a prototype section of railroad instead.

So, I know the majority of folks on here are modelling American lines. I am looking for some suggestions for a smaller Canadian prototype to model. Five of my seven loco's are Canadian National so I would like to stick with either a CN branch or portion of mainline. Era is 1960's, preferably rural or Northern Ontario.

Just throwing it out there. Let me know if anything crosses your mind as worthwhile to research.

Thanks!!

 

Update

Well, it is time for an update.
My wife had to work over Christmas this year, and all of our family functions were either the weekend before, or this weekend coming up, so I had a little free time on my hands. This past weekend, it was out with the old and in with the new. I tore out a closet in our basement and framed up the walls for the new train room.
Tomorrow I hope to get the electrical roughed in, some plumbing re-routed, and perhaps even a little board on the walls.

It feels good to have made a little progress toward getting everything going. It is about time I get something physically built, because I have been spending too much time thinking about the trackplan. In the photos, you can see my revised track plan (maybe not entirely prototypical, and I know I eliminated the yard). I feel that it will give me some good opportunity for scenery, etc. I am not a real prototypical railhead, just like trains and modelling, so I think it will serve me well.

Anyhow, hopefully by the end of the week, there will be some photos of an honest to goodness room to show.

Cheers,

 

I like your option 4 plan. It reminds me of a HO shelf plan call 3rd Street something??
I have been struggling with coming up with a N scale plan for a 11'x18' space.

I will be watching your progress.

What did you use to create your plan?

Regards,

 

Thanks Dwayne, I based it loosely off of a GumStump and Snowshoes layout I saw. Went through a lot of revisions before I got to this, but I am pretty happy now. I used AutoCAD to create the plan (use it a lot in construction design). The hardest part was figuring out accurate dimensions for the turnouts.

You should start a thread showing what you have in mind for your space so far. 11'x18' is a wonderful size to work with, and as you probably know, the folks here are very helpful in giving suggestions and pointing out trouble spots.

Cheers,

 

I have been thinking of creating a post once I have my G&D more define.

Interesting you use AutoCAD...I am design drafter for many year in the construction/engineering area. Currently a Facilities Project Admin for Boeing supporting facilities construction at Ft Greely, AK.

Also your plan similarly to the other plan I noted bugged me so I look it up here a link

Railroad with no name - N-scale - J. Douglas Fisher - LdsigWiki

 

Thats the one! Funny, I looked at it a few times, put it aside and went to work. I hadn't looked at it since I started my design. My 'loosely' based layout turned out pretty similar. I still want to see if I can fit a few more non-rail served buildings in between, but I think that will wait until I have something built in front of me to get a better idea of scale and proximity. I wanted to keep it as a pretty rural 60's feel... we will see.

 

Hey. Was reading over the things you wanted in your layout, and was looking at your original layout design and was wondering if you had considered a twice around. I have to admit I didnt pretty it up, and there are WAY too many parallel to the wall tracks here but you can work those out.

I just threw this together in 15 min to show a concept. Youve got lots of scenery, bridges, water, tunnels industries and a yard. Change it up to suite YOUR needs.

One of the things I omitted from the design was the track heights. obviously you have to allow for 3-4% grades with a design like this which may or may not be important to you. You can still have long trains but you might need helpers, which actually adds a fun element to operation.

I would consider, even given that the ceiling cant be more than 8 feet, raising the floor up by a foot so that you dont have to duck as much entering and leaving the room.

Anyway here is my two cents worth: