I am new to the board, having discovered it while searching for help with a layout design. I read through a number of postings in different sections and found the user community to be quite helpful and very knowledgeable, so I signed up. I am looking to build my first layout in 20 years and am struggling on how to plan the layout. I am using the back half of my workroom in the basement as my space for the train layout. The space measures at 9 feet deep (might be able to push 112 inches as opposed to 108) and the room is 140 inches wide. I am open to any style (around the walls, duck under, U shaped, center peninsula, etc) however my love of passenger cars is my restrictions. Without even a bench down I have already purchased the Rapido VIA rail LRC coaches and GO Transit bi level Bombardier commuter cars in HO scale. From what I have read online so far I believe I need to limit myself to 22 radius curvers or bigger. My dream layout would allow for : -1 central main passenger station (with pass through traffic) - 2-3 commuter stations - rail yard for switcher to build freight traffic as well - continuous operation to simulate longer passenger traffic than local regional commuter traffic (looking to avoid point to point) - looking to add some variation in height as well, would like to get away from everything being on one level - staging would be nice but a real necessity.. most of the passenger traffic would stage in the multi-rail central station and the fright traffic could stage in the yard. I have been searching numerous websites, purchased numerous layout books (wife keeps making comments about finding train layout books in different rooms all the time) and 6 months into a Model Railroader subscription.. but so far have not found a layout which can fit in my 108 x 140 inch space that is ideally tailored for passenger rail traffic. I have tried tinkering with the many shareware rail building programs with no success. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome aboard! Sounds like you have a pretty good idea / vision of what you want, which is a great start! A 9' x 11 1/2' is a good space: can you sketch out the specifics? Walls, windows, obstructions like posts or pipes, and where the open space is. Is there any specific location you'd like to model? With the longer passenger cars in HO, wider curves would look better (like 30"), but we'll see what we can do. Glad you've joined TB: there are a lot of great modelers here with tons of experience & great ideas! Feel free to ask as many questions as you need!
Thanks for the quick reply already... The space I have to work with is the back half of my tool/workroom. In total the room is a rectangle that is about 15' x 11 1/2'.... my workbenches are in the front part of the room with the door, so I have reserved the back part of the room for just the train layout. This leaves me with a space of 9' x 11 1/2' that can be used in any manner with no obstructions to deal with... my initial thoughts were an around the room type layout with the side facing my work room as a duck under, but I am completely open to suggestions. Essentially it can be viewed as a 9' x 11 1/2' box where the 2 9' sides are along the wall and one of the 11 1/2' is against the back wall and the other 11 1/2' is open to the rest of the room.. I hope I have conveyed the room layout clearly.
Remember, in HO, each coach is a foot long. Train lengths become a serious issue in a room this size. That is, the number of stations you can fit in and have any run between them is the main issue. http://www.layoutvision.com/id28.html I agree that, if you accept the duckunder, it provides the best layout in this space. Turnback loops really eat up space in this size room in HO (just look at the layouts on this page). Particularly think about how such loops will mean you're watching trains much of the time from the outside of >180degree curves, which is the situation that makes curves look the smallest. You don't want to use a bare minimum radius like 22" for passenger in such a space. I'd do a twice-around to avoid tail-chasing. Without that, you can't get enough run length for multiple passenger stations without even a short train entering one as it leaves another. Then width on the shelves becomes the issue with the "inside-outside oval" configuration. And I'm struggling to see how to fit even a small freight yard. One thing I'm wondering if we can take advantage of is that commuter trains are likely to be short, and thus can climb steeper grades than a long-distance passenger train or mainline freight.
I will admit to enjoy butting into new members' business and being at least opinionated. Good idea. Wider is better, especially for passenger cars. IF your main line are going AROUND the space 9 feet deep, and does not have reverse loops or wyes that need to fit within tight space, you should be able to use "conventional" or "broad" curves. But not are curves are equally critical. Wide curves needed for passenger cars, especially on a curve that the operator/viewer will see from the OUTSIDE of the curve. Will make the cars seem farther separated. The same curvature seen from the INSIDE of the curve has the same operating characteristics but will not visually look quite as bad. Just something to think about. Also, a sharper curve on industry track used only by a few freight cars and a switcher CAN be sharper, and might make inbteresting contrast. I would not want to "avoid" point-to-point, but avoid being LIMITED to ONLY point-to-point. You might want to consider continuous loop for long-distance trains, but point-ot-point for commuter runs and local switching. Are you planning an end-of-the-line terminal station or a through station? Long distance passenger trains should be "gone somewhere else" a large portion of the time. I would favor a twice around continuous loop with as much as half of one circuit devoted to hidden (or inconspicuous) staging. Through passenger trains run from somewhere else to your station to somewhere else again. Through freight trains come through, possibly without ANY stop in a yard. But some through trains stop to drop off and pick up cars-- which will be handled locally by your local switcher. Or a "transfer run" brings cars from the big switch yard somewhere else to the "City Yard" that handles local stuff. This avoids the need to model and operate a large division point freight yard.
I agree with you that I am looking to have a mainline that hopefully loops around the table twice with broader curve that would act as my mainline for passenger traffic as well as the commuter traffic, and then something with a bit tighter curves for my freight as well which would also share my mainline to represent local freight traffic and long distance freight. Today in Canada the VIA trains share the lines with the CN freight, so I would expect to face those issues as well on the layout. From a station perspective, I am looking to have a main central station, whether it would go on one of the sides or maybe in a central peninsula that runs through the middle of the space....When it comes to a grand central station type, I can only reference what I am familiar with, in this case, Union Station in downtown Toronto. It has multiple tracks separated by platforms with trains arriving from the East and West, departing to the East and West. Both Via and commuter traffic use the same tracks.. so I envision the same sort of central station, with local commuter stations which in some cases are also shared with VIA as well. Hence the reason I lean towards a continuous operation, with a few minor stations, at least one freight yard that can serve as both the origin of a freight run and the destination as well. I have been purchasing train layout books as well as passenger line books, however I am no closer to being able to plan a layout.. they have helped me determine what I would like and dislike, however my skills at designing a layout are no further ahead.
