Thanks for the reply Nscaled, I really like the plan you came up with. If that only took you 15 minutes, I would love to see what you could come up with given a couple of hours. Here's my deal though, I really did consider a twice around layout. If my room was 8'x8' instead of 6'x6', I probably would have gone that route too because the benchwork could be made just a little deeper. Going back to the very first designs that I showed in this thread with the roundy round over and under set up, it looked good to me on paper. However, now that I actually have the room built, I get a better sense of the size and floor space available. Turns out, there isn't much room to turn around with benchwork much deeper that 18". My other concern is that I don't want to fill up the space with track. I like running trains, and I am not really concerned about prototype, but I wanted a few longer runs of single line track to scenic with limited compression. I am actually somewhat concerned about the amount of track I have already in the upper right 'industry' corner, thinking it may be too cluttered to make the scenery look realistic. All in all though, I really do appreciate your input. It is definitely a completely different take on the space than what I had. Do you have a layout that you are working on? I always like to see what others are working on! Cheers,
Ben, Hey glad you liked it. I do have one I'm working on, its my 4th. Mine is on a 4x8 and is designed to be mobile. I'm modeling the Pennsy in the 50's from Radebaugh, Pa to South Greensburg Pa. I really like this area having been born by and living within ear shot of a busy double track main. When it gets a little further along Ill post some pictures on here. If you have any old issues of model railroader, there was a plan you really really should check out, im sure someone on here will remember what it was called... but I think it was something like Georgia central. The modeler of that railroad had a similar situation to yours, he had a large closet/small room to build in. To create a sense of the trains actually going someplace he built a twice around, and included two or 3 hidden stagging runarounds. Basically he built the layout out 2-3 inches from the wall, this gave him space for hidden stagging where by trains would enter from east west etc... and would NOT need turning around but instead would reenter as a complete train on the next operating session. He hid the trains with a backdrop that went the while way around the room. Ill try and see if I can find the article and email modelrailroader to see if I can post the design. Ive seen other people getting permission so hopefully I can too. Ed
Ok I was wrong on a few things. The layout/article was the Western Route of the Boston and Maine, published August 2007. If you have that issue check it out. Keeping in mind that HO roughly occupies slightly less than 4x the area a similar N scale layout would occupy, you might be able to get that to work. Ill email Model Railroader to see if they will let me post the design, if not I'll recreate it in N if you are interested in seeing it. Whats really cool about it is that if you like watching trains, you could park off the visable portion of the layout several ready trains and run them through as if you were watching a day in the railroad play out. Ed
Shoot Ed, Now you really have me starting to think!! Its late tonight, but tomorrow morning I will have to take a closer look at the track plan to determine possibilities. Cheers,
Well, I looked at that trackplan every way I could, and compared it to mine. It is not that I don't think it is a great plan, I just couldn't bring myself to change mine again. I think I finally have a vision for it, and know how I want to see it progress. As far as a progress update. I already posted these photos in the Winter Layout Party thread, but being as this is my construction thread, it is only right that I show something actually being built. So here it is! Cheers,
The most important thing in the hobby! I am still trying to get to my happy place. I think I am putting too much in the space available and I am making the conscious effort not to. From my perspective, it looks like you did a great job on the plan. :thumbs_up: Good luck!
Thanks guys! Strasburg, I was doing the same thing as you. I kept hearing people tell me that less is more, but I didn't know how to get there. What worked for me was to start thinking less about the trackplan, and more about the scenery and structures around it. I drew a few profiles of the hills/track/buildings to get an idea of how tight things would be. After drawing a section through some of the busier parts of my earlier designs, I decided to scale back the trackwork, and increase the scenery. That worked for me, but of course it is to each their own. Everyone likes different aspects of this hobby. Now I do have a question for all you track experts out there! All along I have been thinking about going with Atlas Code 55 Flex and #5 and #7 Atlas turnouts. I have been hearing some bad things about the #5's though, and it has lead me to question whether I should use them. I know longer turnouts look more prototypical, and I likely could fit #7's in everywhere with a little tweaking, but in case there is a tight spot, I would like to be able to count on the #5's. Does anyone have any input on this? I have also looked a little at the Micro-Engineering flex track. I just really have no idea how all of the different types of track look, and fit together. What seems to be most readily available here is the Atlas Code 55, and that is why I am leaning toward it. Any advice is greatly appreciated as always. Cheers,
Again, a re-itteration of my post in the Layout Party thread. Just want to keep this updated for when the party is over!! tongue: Photos are fairly self explanatory as to where I am at. The main thing I am trying to figure out now is the sky colour. I don't want anything too blue, so I am experimenting with a few more greys, etc. Sort of a hazy look. We shall see how it turns out. Cheers,
I have to give you credit building your layout in the traditional "cookie-cutter" style. Ive got what I would consider above average carpentry skills, I even make my own dovetails by hand. But that is something that I would never try, just don't think that I could commit to a design this early in construction as is required with cookie cutter. Since you are going this route, are you planning on using slow motion switch machines? They are a heck of alot easier to mount using your method than what I use, blue/pink board construction and they operate much better too. Another question I wanted to ask, what thickness are you using for the subroadbed and are you concerned with sagging?
Hey Ed, Ya, I was wondering about the cookie cutter design myself. It is a pretty big commitment to go this way because it is a lot harder to make changes, but I think I will be pretty happy with it. As far as my carpentry skills, I am by no means a fine woodworker, but I would say they are average. My background is in construction, so I have a good basis. I think what really helped me choose to go the cookie cutter route is being able to read a plan and picture it in 3-D. While the plan may not be perfect, I had/have a good idea of what the grades, contours, and spacing will be. As far as switching, I am still trying to figure out what to use. I think I would like to steer clear of anything that is controlled electrically, so I probably won't use the slow motion switch machines. I also don't like the appearance of ground throws. Right now I am leaning toward using push/pull rods, similar to the 'Humpyard Purveyance' system, but made from scratch. My other idea is from a fellow I work with who is into RC Airplanes. He suggested using air actuators. I have found a couple online with as little as 3/8" travel, which used in combination with a lever would reduce the travel to suit the switch and maintain tension on the points. The benefit with this, is it is easy to link a couple of turnouts together so they change at the same time. It would be a scratchbuild project, and I need to get my hands on a couple of the actuators to try them out. I am not sure yet how cost effective it would be, but it sure would be neat if it worked. To answer your question about the subroadbed, I am using 1/4" MDF. I was a little concerned with sagging, but at this point, with everything fastened as it is, there is very little flex or sag. I can place my 18V drill on the center of a span and it deflects less than 1/8", and that is probably at least 50 times the weight that any train would put on the mid-span. If I do see some sagging, I can always glue on a girder to the underside of the MDF to stiffen it up. Cheers!
My method for throwing the turnouts is ..... a bit complicated to explain without pictures... I'll post some later as I'm unable to right now. But I use DPDT mini slide switches.... basicly I mount a base that is the same thickness of the roadbed aprox 1/8in under the turnout at the points. Under that base I mount the slide switch with a hole drilled into its side for a piano wire armature to stick through. A grove cut into the bases allow the armature to be connected to the turnout and slide without interference back and forth. The armature would have 3x 90degree bends in it as the length of travel of the slide is greater than the length of travel of the throw bar of atlas code 55 turnouts. This creates a tension spring. The head of the slide switch sticks up between the two extended railroad ties that lay on either side of the throw bar. As such it only sticks up by about 1/8in. This is just enough to push with your finger but not enough to look obtrusive. In fact it kind of looks like a piece of railroad equipment. Started installing them recently and havent had any problems.... I literally tested the mechanism for months before installing them as once in they are a pain to replace if any problems arise. My method is similar to what others have used. I would suggest if you decide to use a push/pull rod for the turnout to also use a dpdt slide switch at the end of the push/pull rod to power the frog and possibly a signal system.
For the posterity and completeness of this being my layout thread, I once again duplicate what I have shown on the Winter Layout Party thread. A little sky, and only 2.5 more walls to go!
By the way Ed, I would be very interested to see some photos of your turnout controls. I think I have a good idea of what you mean, but photos are worth a thousand words.
Well, another week of miserable winter weather has passed, and a little more work has been done on the layout. As much as I hate the snow and cold, it is a good excuse to stay inside and work on the trains. I have a feeling once the warm weather rolls around, there won't be a heck of a lot of progress. Here's what I was up to this past week. I started forming the terrain along the wall on which the backdrop was already painted. I am using cardboard strips woven together and covered in plaster cloth. So far it is very quick to do. The cardboard strips allow me to bend and shape it a few times to see what I am really going for. For me personally, I think it would take me a long time to carve foam because I would be scared of taking too much away. The benefit of foam would be modifications in the future, however I think the cardboard and plaster system can be cut and modified fairly easy as well. All in all, I am very pleased with how it is going. It is nice to see some shape. Today, I also got to do a little more painting on the backdrop. So far, I am about halfway finished with the sky. While I am fairly pleased with the outcome, I don't think I would use this method on a layout that is much larger. It is very time consuming, and somewhat tedious. My plan for the last full wall is to slowly get away from the large clouds into whispy, hazy clouds. We will see how that goes, as I am not sure how I am going to do it yet. As for the photos, here is what you are looking at. Overall view of this past weeks work. Today's clouds. The toughest part is the corner. So far, the only thing I would change on the layout is having a little more space to have been able to round the corners. View down the creek and dirt road. The bridge is yet to be determined. I am leaning toward a stone bridge over the road on the left, and girders and stone piers over the river. I will have to play around with some mockups before I decide, but that won't be for a long time yet. Plenty of painting left to do. Anyhow, that is all for now! Cheers,
Very nice progress Bevale. I've been away for a little bit, returning from vacation tomorrow and will be able to get back to the layout. Thanks for sharing as you go. Greg
So I got my track!! Well, most of it anyway. I still have 7 turnouts that are backordered. I suppose that is alright though as I am not ready to start laying track just yet. It is great to have it. This Atlas Code 55 looks amazing next to some of the old Code 80 I have. It really makes me excited to get further along. My only concern is with my rolling stock. I have yet to break out my box of cars to see how they roll on the track. If they don't all roll, it will be alright, as upgrading to MT trucks and couplers is in the future. Everything I have still has the gaudy rapido couplers. While I am sorting I will likely weed out everything that is after my era (1960's). Anyhow, no real progress on the actual layout lately. I have been working on some scratch built bridges as a change of pace. A couple of photos are attached. Hopefully by the end of the week I will be able to post a couple of photos of the abutment I am working on now. (pier, road bridge, and retaining walls, carved out of one piece of hydrocal!!) Needless to say I am pretty excited about the results so far. Until then, Cheers!
