Posted here in N Scale in hopes of getting some views.. Would like some feedback on a 4'x10' island type layout I come in possession of a lot of Kato unitrack so I will utilize that. I would have liked to built around the walls layout but could not. My 9 year old son will be helping so using kato unitrack will be good.. but will later be weathered and ballasting. We will have some small operating sessions with basic train movements (just introduction for him)
1. Operationally and more realistic, remove the double crossover and replace it with a pair of switches on the ends of the straights. 2. Remove the connecting track to the mine branch on the top side of the plan, make the branch climb. 3. Consider making the yard a stub ended yard...
I like the Unitrack dbl crossover. Takes up less room and you seldom forget the switches are thrown the wrong way. One more lap around to get back to the other track isnt a problem. I like a ladder yard. I always chuckle at stub yards....you can only enter them from one direction... Everything looks very workable from what I see...JMO.
I think that this is a good layout. I prefer the through yard as it is easier for a youngster and oldster. Also, it is easier to keep clean as you can run a cleaning train through it, I like the CMX car. You might consider building this in stages as there is a lot of track and you may not use it all. Also, each switch is something to wire and maintain. - Tonkphilip
It ALL Kato Unitrack. 90 feet of dble mainline and a ladder yard. The only stick of Atlas C80 track is the industry track that comes off the back left corner of the yard track and services the team track and THE Warehouse that THERR owns.
The #6 Unitrack turnouts are power routing...no need to wire them other then connecting the switch wires that are on it to a switch on the fasia to change direction.
ctrain07, very good diagram. All above much better input than I can give. mtmnrainman, I will have a stub yard until I build the adjacent module, jus' so ya' kno' .
If the benchwork is not done yet I would recommend a base of cheap unfinished base cabinets. Makes things about right for a child and gives enough room to slide a chair up to. Plus there comes the advantage of storage. The advantage of Kato unitrack is the electrical connections are made easily with simple cables and plugs. Most of their turnouts are power routing through some simple screw changes under the tracks. And you can have the option of powered or non powered turnouts because of a simple slide switch at the side of them that allows manual switching. Their power pack easily takes add on for switches for turnouts and the switches can be stacked. You can make unitrack into flex track and also shorten it. See videos by Mike Fifer. I recently converted 98% of the layout to unitrack and used an advertiser here for supplies https://www.trainworld.com/
I saw your plan showed a bridge to conceal hole through backdrop. I did something like that on a little 2x4 N layout I built for a couple kid back in 1975.
They just about have to be. That seems like an aggressive amount of track across 48", considering how much room is really needed for a ROW. I agree with a stub-ended yard. You can store more cars that way. All those additional switches add complexity and eat up real estate. IMHO.
You are going to want 1 1/2 to 2 inches on any exposed edges. Those edges against a wall have a natural barrier. Derailments...no matter the cause...do/will happen. Rolling stock isnt really cheap...but a 200.00+ locomotive taking a nosedive off a layout to the floor is NOT a pretty sight ! * You could put a 3" high plexigalss shield around the layout edges. But IMHO...the overall appearance of that is worse then moving the track back from the edge.
The "less is more" approach may be something to consider here. It looks like you are trying to stuff as much track into a small space as you can. Doing so makes everything cluttered and also makes working the trains much harder. I would take a track or two out of the yard. It would make the yard a bit simpler and give you more room to access trains. Also by making the loops (mainline) have a little bit of a S curve in the areas that don't have industries like in the north area will also give some visual interest over a simple straight length of track.
If you take to many tracks out of the yard...it no longer looks like a yard...but more like a siding. That being said...one less track towards the front edge of the yard...to move it all in a couple of inches would be a good compromise for the piece of mind of not losing equipment over the edge...
