In the first post of this thread I said we were downsizing and moving to a house where my wife and I would share the den for her office and my train room. That house is a model and there is a long story, but the short story is that the deal fell through. Our current house is sold and we are closing on 11/15. We had anticipated this and had an alternative option, a house that we can close on the same day, 11/15. The good news is that my wife will have a spare bedroom for her office and I will have a spare bedroom for my train room. I will be able to build a U shaped layout, 8’ long on each leg of the U and 9’9” on the base of the U. I have to begin working on a new plan but that will have to wait until after we move. I’ll keep you informed as I make progress after we settle into the new home.
I know the feeling! All my railroad stuff is packed up for our move the first of December. Per my Commanding Officer, she says I can't get my trains out at the new house until my honey-do list is completed after the move. Yes dear... I mean Ma'am! Until then, I'm model railroading vicariously through y'all.
"Me and Mrs. Jones"... "We got a thing goin' on" for 32 wonderful years now, by following that very sage advice!
I also know the feeling, my layout is still in Tennessee (I hope to go and get it between Christmas and Newyear's) and building's, rolling stock tools etc. is in Florida. We have rented a home, but no basement so the train will go on the main floor, however I will need to reduce some of the sections to get it to fit.
How will you transport your layout? Is it modular or at least built in sections? If you are able to get it right after Christmas it will be a great Christmas present. Yup, Florida homes don't have basements. N scale is Florida friendly since you can build a nice layout in a spare bedroom or along one wall of a den. I hope you are able to get your layout setup in your new home. Life is more fun when you have a layout.
I finally got to start the new layout. I decided to go with an L. There’s a closet on 1 wall and I want to keep 1 wall free so I have a place for my workbench/desk. The left side is 8’ long and the right is 8’9” long. Now I have to come up with a track plan. Since so much has changed since I started this thread I’m wondering if I should start a new layout thread or just continue here. What do you think?
First, look at what you have already, especially what you like and don't like. "Measure twice, cut once" can apply to model railroads too.
I've always liked bent layouts in a corner. Just be careful with track at the back of the corner, where reach distance can get excessive. You could use a broad, sweeping curve to keep the rear track accessible, or design a bent Figure-8 that avoids trackage in the back of the corner. You can have the tracks cross at grade (i.e. at a junction) or flyover.
Each leg of the L is 2’ wide right now. I was going to make them 3’ wide but there was no way for me to reach the back of the corner. At 2’ wide I can just barely reach the back. It’s easier if I stand on something but I can do it when I have to. I’m planning on adding another layer of foam and making the 2 ends 30” wide so I can use slightly broader curves.
That benchwork looks nice Joe! Unless you are changing the name of the layout, I'd say just continue here in this thread. Either way, should be fun to follow along.
Actually, the idea of using the crossover in the middle could give you an ideal spot for a bay with a couple of bridges. Then use the hard to reach rear area as the larger bay.
Thanks. I’ve called my various layouts the A&JB Railway for about 20 years. I like the name and will keep it. I guess, if anyone is interested, they can start at the first post and discover how my plans changed and how the layout developed.
Thanks Deacon, that’s a great idea. I will start track planning soon and I’ll keep that in mind. I think it would make a great scene.
The two curves in the middle of the cross/flyover have room for larger radii too, since they only need a 90 degree bend in 24", rather than 180 degrees.
Joe, how wide is it from front to back? I'm assuming there's enough room for a double track turnaround at each end, but you know what happens when...
Right now it’s 24”, George, but I’m going to add another layer of foam and make the 2 ends (where turn back curves will be) 30”. I’d like to have 11.1” as my minimum mainline radius.
Cool... With respect to the extra layer of foam, I can tell you with some authority that one inch of it isn't enough unless it's not much of an overhang. I made the mistake of putting just an inch under my staging area in the previous iteration of the Wilmington, and regretted that "cost-saving" move...
I am going to glue 2 layers together so the foam is 2” thick. The more I think about it I’m convinced the overhang will be 4”. I may also support it with some wood. 28” is wide enough for double track using 11.1” and 12.4” curves. The Folding Table Central used those curves and everything I’m interested in ran fine on that temporary layout.
