Here's one just for fun. As I was planning my new N scale layout I came up with a lot of plans and concepts that I'll probably never use. I really enjoy coming up with track plans so I hope you all don't mind if I post a few of them. This plan is one of my favorites from the "reject" pile. It depicts a mining branchliine somewhere in the great Southwest, winding around through canyons and hoodoos as it climbs to the mining town atop the mesa. • Atlas C55 • All unmarked turnouts #5 • Minimum radius 13.75" • Ruling grade 2.9% • Grid spacing 12" This is an island type design with only the right side going against a wall. Basically, trains enter the layout from the hidden track at lower right then loop once or twice around the scenery and over the bridges before making the climb up to the wye. There, the train works the siding and the mine before the loco turns on the wye and re-couples to the rear of the train for the trip back down the mountain. Trains would have to be pretty short for the loco to be able to run-around. An Atlas shay or two would be ideal for this layout and would have no problem at all with the less than 3% ruling grade. Note that the hidden track at lower right could easily connect to a yard/engine terminal, staging shelf or reverse loop. I would build this layout with the 0.0 elevation at least 6" above the lowest scenery in Poverty Gulch and then use strong vertical elements to divide the layout into scenic vignettes. This design has a strong Malcom Furlow/John Olsen influence and would benefit greatly from their type of detailing and characterization. Remember this plan is "just for fun" and is meant to be a bit of a caricature. Along those lines, one could also build it as an HOn30 layout by increasing the grades and clearances somewhat to create a really funky little mining line. Another option would be to swap out the mine for a lumber camp/log loading scene and change the scenery to the Sierras or Pacific Northwest to model a logging line. Then the track at lower right could connect to a nice mill scene on a shelf - though the tunnels would be a bit of a stretch on a logging line! As always, comments, questions and critiques are welcome.
sorry, but to me, it is too busy, it reminds me of layouts built in the 1950's before people listened to John Armstrong and Allen McClelland
Haha. I agree, that's why it's in the "reject" pile. BTW, have you seen the 4x8 Rio Grand Southern layout in the new MR? Talk about bowl of spaghetti busy!
What is there not to like about this layout? There are 3 points that you could easily expand off of to make a bigger layout someday. You can have one train running around on the lower loop and another one up on the wye switching the mine. I think it is a great track plan!
Thank you very much, I had fun drawing it. There's nothing really wrong with the plan, it's just not the direction I finally ended up going with my new N scale layout. It is a bit "old school" as bremner pointed out and something of a caricature. Nothing wrong with that, just not everybody's cup of tea.
It has the same type of feel that my layout is going to have. I have a 2X8'6" layout that is loop with a yard and a branchline that goes into the mountians. The backside of the loop is hidden under the mountain and will act as staging during op sessions. I am an operations guys not a run around in circles type of person. But my 5yr old wants to watch trains go around, that is why I decided to do the loop. The branch will continue off of this layout onto 2 more modules that are specifically designed for operation (switching) for me. The beauty about my plan is it accomplishes both goals that I was aiming for. 1-Something that I can operate, while my son is running trains. 2-Something that is also portable so I can enjoy train shows with my son.
I actually really like this layout! Its close to what I've been thinking in my head. I was reading a late 70's MRR that had a HO twice around with a wye at the "top" and yard w/turntable (a small one) on the "bottom". I was going to redraw it to door size n-scale with 9 3/4 branchline to wye, and 11or12 for the twice around. Pick up a litte coal or ore from a mine or two, an oil well w a couple car siding to get in some tankers, and some interchange. But only 5-6 car trains very early transition era. I'm not worried about radious. I'ts my RR and we're on a budget, plus land space is few and far between! My idea is to use one leg of the wye as an interchange for now, but later expand off of it. What is the minimum size wye that can be made with snaptrack? Anyone have plans for a small yard based around a branchline wye? I'll get working on an Xrtcad plan so I can run it and start my own thread. Arizona-how can I put that plan into xtracad again? Thanks again for inspiration! Brian
Brian, Try going onto google earth and view Colfax, Wa. There is a small yard there that is built on one leg of the wye and I believe there is also a grain elevator on the wye also. I cant remeber for sure as it has been about 15 years since I was there. Ryan
Good plan ! Dave..............I like the plan very much. I'm looking for a plan with a mountain to the right and one to the left with a deep gorge in the middle. I'm into rivet counting scenery and just bought a styrofoam "dock float" (same stuff we all use) that is 2' X 8' X 8" so BIG mountains are in order. I'm a rock carver so I can't wait to get out the knives. Only problem with your plan is color. The sand color is very difficult to see and work with. I like the terrain markings but they're almost invisible. Do you happen to have a copy in black and white ? Thanks.........Dick J
Don't listen to the haterz, bowl-of-spaghetti layouts are great. This isn't a bad plan at all, bonus points for working in space for a wye at the top.
For a small, N-Scale layout, I like this plan as it has allot of character. It allows some operations based fun and allows for roundy - round operations for the enjoyment of railfanning. I had thougt about doing something like this in N-Scale again last summer as I waited, waited, and waited to get some traction on the office space for my HO layout. I decided against re-investing in N-scale so my thought did not proceed. Yes this plan is busy....but sometimes, that works
I love this plan but, (and I am no expert) isn't there a polarity change in there, kinda like a reversing loop? I would really not know if thats so but, if so, how would you handle that.
For DCC I am thinking that isolating portions of the track and use auto reversers to deal with the polarity changes.
