Well after changing my mind about 8203948203948 times this week, lookin for other options. I have 101 track plans, but nothing there really catches my eye, or if it does, its the wrong size for my room... I have searched the net far and wide (not much viewable on the net ) My board is 7 foot long by 4 fot wide, with a 3 foot 'extra' square section I can bolt onto one of the 3 foot sides to make it an L Shape.. Dont just want 2 ovals, I would like something respectably interesting! But dont want Helix's and very technical stuff. Yes I want the best of everything Boy how some of you have space for 20foot x ... layouts s me off! Thanks [ 14. January 2004, 04:36: Message edited by: virtual-bird ]
I know there's a couple of really good sites that have several door-ish sized N layouts that are really good but somebody's going to have to help me point you to them... While I'm here though I feel obligated to tout my crazy 3'x6' layout that would probably be mucchhh better if it were 4'x7' instead. It'd constructed entirely of Woodland Scenics Subterrain products with a maximum grade of 2% and no at-grade track crossings. The problems with it at 3'x6': The minimum radius is about 11" on the mainline, and combined with the 2% grade, it causes problems sometimes, and the tunnel clearances because of the tight over/under situations won't stand for anything taller than the average boxcar. Otherwise I love the 42 feet of mainline! With you're extra room the plan could be expanded and the problems resolved. It makes a good mountain/helper district layout too.
Virtual, I don't think your going to find a plan that will suit you as your layout size is odd as compared to most. But you can have a decent size layout in N scale on what you are proposing. What I would do is this. First start with a mainline that makes you happy. Don't worry about anything else. Then looking at plans in MR and elsewhere, find a small part of a track plan that would work in the space you have. So lets say you have a loop on the left, then decide what you are going to do there and look for something that will fit in. In other words, do your layout a bit at a time.
I would have thought that this would have made it harder to work out? Anyway been searching the forum archives, there are some sites in there, but yea the size of board I have to work with doesnt leave for much excitement or stuff.. THe other issue is Im running Mallets and Big Boys, so need large radius curves, but maybe just running them on the outer mainline could be a go.. Im also not a rivet counter, just in it for the fun. Thanks Bruce
I agree with Rick's suggestion. Design your mainline first and then go from there by adding in industry spurs, branch lines, yards.....whatever you want.
Thanks fellas.... So far, 101 track plans 46, 58, 64, 74, 79 are in with a shot. 46: Nice and simple design.. Not much room for expansion. Need to expand the radius of the curves. 58: 1 foot too wide, but could expand the board... Like it it has good potential for running trainS... Need to expand the radius of the curves. 64: Like it but way too big. Runs Broad curves, good for Mallets etc. 74: Again nice and simple, could be modded lots, and its narrower than my board, so could easily expand the curves I like the running style with room for scenery. 79: The Running of this one is what I would like, but its 10ft long, cutting 3ft out of it would shorten things a lot, I tried in Photoshop, but it didnt seem the same, also dont like the track running under the board on the left, where the controller would stand. Apart from that I love it with the double loop style, but way too long, and the yard section could be a bit too much for me to accomplish, with the line under there like it is.. Also lots of plans seem to have very little on the board level and 90% of it on risers, anyway, I'll keep lookin!!! Thanks for listening ! Bruce.
I don't understand this concept of "looking FOR plans". I think in terms of looking AT plans, seeing what ideas they have, and putting them into MY plan. "90% of track on risers..."? Small multi-level plans will spend most of their length getting from one level to another, hence elevation will be changing constantly, which means most track will be "on risers". I model a delta geology, pretty flat and a lot of my plans are gradeless or almost gradeless. Still I want drainage so I would want to elevate at least the thickness of a roadbed. I notice a post of Hoss at Lewisville, Texas. Hoss would be very near the location modeled by Sperandeo's "Texas Subdivision" layout. You wrote about adding a 3x3 square section addition to your 7x4 main rectangle, to make an L shaped layout. If so, probably needs to done right at the start and not added on, since you would probably want your mainline loop to go around the L. However.... my preference (and I don't know your space or your operating preferences etc) would be a have a 4x7 rectangular layout with a mainline loop more or less self contained, and a place where a SHELF could be connected coming off the "main" layout. That shelf might be a foot wide or 18 inches and 3 feet long, but longer if possible. A shelf space is probably easier to negotiate with the authorities than a big table-sized chunk. That shelf could be- 1.the main yard for your layout. 2.a branch line or industrial switching district 3.a staging area representing "somewhere else", possibly hidden but not necessarily. Just having it off to the side may be enough to make it feel like the trains have "gone somewhere else". It might be sceniced staging, giving you a chance to build a shallow scene than is different from the main layout space. I have used this concept on my 3x7 layout. At one end, I have a spur coming off that could go into a future east end staging yard, giving me an addition over the existing 3 track staging on my mainline loop, which I have to use for both the east and west ends. I have a log loading scene modeled in the space between the mainline and spur. Right now, I am letting the spur be the log loading spur. When I attach a shelf off the end of that spur, the former spur become part of the mainline, and what had been the mainline at that point will be used to set out cars to be loaded with logs. (By the way, I must clarify my use of the word mainline. In small track plans, the loop running line is often thought of as the "main" line, and used as such. I am planning on taking my continuous loop layout, simply blocking the loop at one point to look like a loading spur, and operating trains from hidden staging (on what is now the continuous loop) to the open shelf staging, point-to-point, whichout any physical changes to the existing layout.
Any chance you have a link to this layout? I'd like to see it. Also, for what it's worth, my layout is about 99% on risers. On the entire layout there is about a 15" section that is not elevated....and even it is elevated in an indirect way. I decided I wanted to build the scenery up to the tracks. Even though it's all on risers though, only about half of it is on a grade (2%).
The "Texas Subdivision" layout was only a layout plan drawing for a magazine, don't know that it has ever been built by anyone. I wrote about a spur that could became a connection to a branch, yard or staging extension. Here is how I added the spur onto my 3x7 layout The curve to the left is the continuous loop of the original layout and the track extending to the right is used as log loading spur. This is how it looks in operation.
V-Bird - Here's a site I have used with good success. I'm currently using one of Mike's trackplans which was modified for me by Dave Salamon on the Atlas forum. Mike's Small Trackplans
thanks for the URL, bit the bullet today, started drawing the tracks on the board! Going with 101 trackplans, #74. with a few mods to suit myself (like 18in radius curves to allow large locos, and to look more natural) Thanks people for ideas and input Now to get some sleep to get to the shop to buy some risers tomorrow
So out of curiosity, what is the maxximum allowable radius on a 3 foot x 7 foot layout that will have as many sidings as I can fit in. I'm wondering if it is even feasible to worry about runnig the bigger trains (either steam or modern day) on it or do I need to stick with the smaller geeps and Alcos.
As I've been told from here and the local shop, 18 inch radius (From center to outside of circle) is what Ive been told for Big Boys and mallets in N Scale, which turns out to be 36inch, which is 3ft center of rails, from side of board to the other. 3 1/4- 3 1/2 foot board would be the min you would run. With small locos, GP's SD's etc , you can run 9/12 inch, which is 1/2 that of the larger locos.. Allows for HEAPS more, but then some cars, and locos still look odd cutting the corners. Its hard if your space challanged to do everything, Personally, I think dont try to do it all in one go. Will look cluttered and not the best. Good luck! [ 21. January 2004, 03:49: Message edited by: virtual-bird ]
Thanks for the info. Since most of my knowledge is in HO what is an N scale size in between the 9 1/2 and the 18? 11" seems like it might be a decent radius and to me would seem a decent compromise but that's from an uneducated p.o.v. Thanks again.
If I recall correctly, the lowest fixed radius track that I know of is 9.75". I believe Atlas makes them from 11.25" radius all the way up to 21.25" in 1.25" increments. They also make a 30.609" radius and a 71" radius for use with their #5 and #7 turnouts. I don't know about the rest of the manufacturers.
Thanks for the info. I'm looking at simply starting from scratch and simply doing an oval with a siding, laying it out completely and then slowly adding to it. I might even go so far as to begin scenicking it all and then scap up the ground cover here and there as I adapt some of the plans I like to fit my door. We'll see how it works out. It also might make things come together financly, you know an engine amaybe a reefer and some track and go from there. Just build up from there as I have money.
