Ok first you can see by these layouts that I am a newbie but I found a plan that looked interesting and after sweet talking the better half I was able to expand my layout area from 3x5 to 5x9 so I tried to turn this plan into these. I am planning to do a mining layout in around 1920s. The area will be northern Idaho using Wallace as the exchange with Burke as the main mining town. Burke was a small town in a canyoun 6 miles from Wallace, it was about 3/4 mile long and only 300' wide with lots of activity. So here is what I have come up with and am looking for feed back. 5x5 is original plan type 1 is converted to 5x9 and type 2 is how would put Wallace in the area with the wye and the switch backs will be the area that has Burke in it. Thanks Les
First impression: typical "spaghetti bowl" track plan with tracks running here and there willy-nilly, way too much track running in all directions, and no room for buildings and scenery, tracks running parallel to and right on the edge of the table, many switchbacks, and most likely squished into a corner, so the upper left hand corner will be fairly inaccessible. It give me no impression of Burke whatsoever. No vison of street running in narrow streets, tracks crammed into a narrow valley, mines etc. I'd sugges you start by these three things: 1) Make a drawing of the room you want to build the layout in - it could very well be that there are better ways of fitting a layout into the room than the shape you have chosen. Maybe it e.g. would have been smarter to have a 2 foot aisle along the top wall and then a 3x9 foot table out from the left wall, with the layout split into two scenes visually with a backdrop. Maybe it would be smarter to have a U-shaped layout open to the right, with a 30" wide aisle down the center of the U, and one scene along the top and one scene on the peninsula. Maybe it would be smarter to have an O-shaped layout with a lift-out somewhere to get into the center. Maybe it would be smarter to have a 20 foot long and 6-8" deep shelf along two walls of the room instead of an L-shaped table in a corner. And so on and so forth. 2) Think about and write down what factors are important to you. Is it e.g important to you to have continuous running? Is it important to you to have several alternate paths through the layout? Is it important to you to create two separate realistic looking scenes - parts of Burke and parts of Wallace? What do you want to be able to do with the trains on the layout? If making it look or function like Burke and Wallace is important, maybe do some more research on the prototype and describe what specific aspects of the prototype you want to model/create an impression of. One place to look (if you haven't already) is the photos in the University of Idaho's Barnard Stockbridge photocollection: http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/barstock/ Whatever you do, have fun. And bear in mind that your layout have to suit your preferences - not mine Smile, Stein
Thanks for the reply! Yep the track is all over the place! I have only the area in the room for this bench work and can not move it around. I will see what I can do about the area of Burke. I want to use the long leg to represent the Burke area so I will take out some of the switch backs and move track to try and give more space for the town and mines. I like the "spaghetti bowl" tracks and would like to keep some continuous running track. I have been looking at those picks but so far can not find much info on how the track ran threw the town. I do know that at one time there was 2 RR 1 street (over one track) and a stream running threw the town and that is what I want to represent. So its back to the drawing board and see what type 3 will look like
Hi, let me ask it more directly: are you able to use the whole 9x5 rectangle, if needed with a central operating pit? Since you are running short pre-war engines and cars, what would you consider to be an acceptable minimum radius? Your labeling of plans is a bit bewildering to me. Plan 3 is not even close to being a 9x5, so it will not be type 3. Stein is an outstanding web-researcher and a great model railroad planner. It could be very helpful drawing a plan of your room, with doors and other obstacles clearly indicated. Burke Idaho Smile Paul
I have a room that is 9x9 that I can use an area that is in the corner that will let me use 5' on one wall and 9' on the other wall. I have started a change #3 I also found a early pic of the area. I will have to go with min rad to be able to get 2 tracks into Burke
Here are some more prototype photos which indicate at least a rough idea for how to convey an impression of Burke: 1) Towards Wallace (southwards) 2) Street running 3) Crossing creek 4) Hecla mine and yard 5) Tiger-Poorman Mill (end of line) Downtown Burke looking south: http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/special-collections/dm/dm1997.htm Main street Burke: http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/alaskawcanada&CISOPTR=1470 Burke, looking North: http://www.ptdla.org/journal/2003hertel Hecla yard in foreground, Tiger-Poorman in background http://contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm...OROOT=/bar-stock&CISOPTR=467&CISOBOX=1&REC=19 Hecla mine, Burke: http://contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm...OROOT=/bar-stock&CISOPTR=221&CISOBOX=1&REC=24 http://contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/bar-stock&CISOPTR=456&CISOBOX=1&REC=7 Tiger-Poorman Mill, Burke: http://contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm...OROOT=/bar-stock&CISOPTR=273&CISOBOX=1&REC=60 The question Paulus asked - about whether you have the use of the whole 5 x 9 foot rectangle is kinda critical. Because that would allow footprints like this: Smile, Stein
Update #3 I have started redrawing the Burke area and have removed the switch backs the 2 pic are of my bench work room is small could not even get bench work on 1 pic! the other is plan #3 and also a older pic of Burke in 1888? with more detail of area before much build up. I am still looking for pics to help layout the lines in Burke. I a roll out work table (red) to allow me to get to areas under layout and with my step I can reach all of the top.:thumbs_up: I really can use this feedback it will only let me get this so that it will work. Bench work is 5x9x2.5 and sits into a corner. Thanks Les .
Stine I would love to have the whole room but it took me all year to get that portion of this room, much better than the 3x5 that I had to start. Thanks for the new info I have some of it I also have found so info. I will keep looking the more I find will help out. I wanted to do this sometime before the 1923? fire. Now I am going to see if I can get your info into my folder Also my bench work is 30" wide. Thanks
nice evolution of the design. the reach to the back corner will be a bit tough, be carefull what you do for scenery at the corner so you can do the long reach without major destruction
It is an area that we have our back packing gear in. I will get you a pic but I have tried to get all of the room but we compromised and I lost. The storage is 2 standing cabinets and a stack of touts in the corner, the closet is also full of sleeping bags and tents. As an update I am trying to shift my plan around to use the short side of the L to be the canyon that has Burke and moved Wallace over to the end of the L I will put it on after I work out the Burk section
Hi, the configuration of this design by Byron Henderson could fit your space. http://www.layoutvision.com/id56.html It could be done in N-scale, just stealing a square feet or so as follows on the second plan: Smile Paul
As always, a good plan, Paul. The lowermost plan looks like a very good way to fit a continuous run layout with two visually separated scenes and good reach into approximately the space he has available, provided that 10-11" radius curves will work for the engines and rolling stock intends to use. Smile, Stein
Hi gentlemen, I asked our OP about the minimum radius, the answer he gave was not really clear. IMHO some more issues should be considered, like staging, interchange and grades. It seems possible to widen the blobs, though my first action would be learning more about rail activities in Wallace and Burke. Maybe Burke is not the right choice. Tracks in a narrow street seem to be very model-genic, in reality it is if your train is hidden in a tunnel. The OP's last pictures made me rather curious, is the benchwork already finished? Smile Paul
Its Just bench work I could change it some but as of now I took every inch sort of like a land grab! I would like to stay with this bench work but If I cant get a working layout than I will have to concider other options. Yes Burke is compressed into a small area(tunnel). I will rough in my idea of making the short section of the L my canyon is in and see what you think. But for know I am at work. My space is really all I have to work with. Thanks Les
OK here is the layout with Burk located In the short leg of the L with the canyon coming around into the long leg of the L still need to work on the track in Burke
