I have a new layout design ( no inclines this time ). Just want you guys to check it out and let me know if you for see any problems. The one in color... Green sections will be land above the track. Planning on a wall ( grey ) to end the land area's. Housing on the green area. Blue are business section building, Red some housing, bottom 2 black are double engine buildings, the rest of the black are to be small industries of some sort.
Be sure to plan some access holes for all those corners. Especially those where the tracks are covered (green areas) over.
Yes, I plan on cutting out an access hole in each corner, under the green. The other 2 corners can be accessed from the outer area. Layout is sided by 3 walls.
You may want to move the two crossovers that are currently on the right side behind the red building(s) over to the left side. This new location will make them easier to see and closer to the industries they will serve...and, if they are manual turnouts instead of electric, it will be easier to reach them than if they are behind the red building(s). Since all of the industries served by the double track are on the inside loop of the double track, do you plan to have the outer loop of the double track serve as the main (with a slightly higher ballast profile) and the inner loop of the double track serve as the industrial siding (with a slightly lower ballast profile)? When you cover the 2 back corners, be sure you make the land (and its securely attached houses) easy to remove for track maintenance/repairs and then easy to return to its proper position...perhaps by mounting your trees, houses, roads etc on a piece of green crafter's foam or blue/pink insulation.
Dave, all good idea's. I did think about having the main line ( outer loop ) on roadbed and the rest flat on the plywood, just wasn't sure how the rest being flat would look.
I am currently out of town... so, I have to use older photos. Here is some pics(HO scale) of my engine terminal. The two main tracks(well, one main, one siding) are on cork roadbed... while(even though buried in ballast) the two terminal tracks are flat on the board. Hope this helps. JMS
Jim, thanks for sharing! I concur with what has already been posted by the wisdom of those gentlemen. I would add, for visual interest and realism tracks parallel with edge are a concern, especially straight track add some gentle curves on each side it will give perspective and serve your eyes well respectfully Gary
Jim: On my N-scale layout, I have 3 different ballast profiles: all main lines (and the majority of sidings, yards, and spurs) are on cork roadbed (about 1/8 thick); some of my passing and industrial sidings are on 1 inch wide strips of cardboard (backing taken from pads of 8.5xll inch paper) stacked in layers to about 1/16 inch thick; and some of my yard tracks or industrial spurs are directly on the surface of the layout. Transition between levels is accomplished by reducing from 5 layers of cardboard strips (about 1/8 inch thick) down to 0 strips. Note: When I first tried to do this (on a previous layout about 25 years ago), I made some of my transitions too abruptly. As a result, several turnouts were subtly twisted toward the lower level and caused frequent derailments until I kept the turnouts perfectly level and didn't start any transitions between levels until about 1 car length away from the turnouts. It might be possible to create the 2 different levels of main and passing siding by using HO cork roadbed (1/4 inch thick???) under the main, and N-scale cork roadbed under the passing siding. John Smith: You've done a great job of capturing the different ballasting profiles from main to yard. In HO, how did you support the track during the transition between the levels...cardboard strips? wooden shims?
Dave H, I attached HO scale cork roadbed in the engine terminal turnout area. Then I used a plain, to shave the cork down to the board. I set some track on it, and checked it with a couple of locos, and using my eye to see it if "looked" correct. Then, when I was satisfied, I removed the temporary track and lightly sanded the top of the cork. Then I attached the track with a contact cement. I put a few weights on the track as the cement dried. JMS
Jim Would put the Xovers in front of the layout as that is where most of your switching is done & making run around moves. Also would add a yard as you have alot of industries that will normally require replacing one car for another. And if you're like most of modelers you will buy more cars. So you'll need more storage space. Besides it will get real old real fast always having to 0-5-0 cars on/off the layout. LOL
Why, on not so large a MRR do you want to have 2 engine houses ? On this type of design I'd have one or two engines which are both serviced in one engine house (on right) and make the other one's real estate a small 2-3 track stub ended yard, using the track you already plan to be engine house stall tracks (on left ) to instead be the throat of the yard. I'd run them from here all way up to top curve, eliminating that horizontal spur. As it is you have no storage tracks for holding and/or making up/breaking up trains. Also, for realism you might add a switch with a track leading off layout to represent a connection of 'your' RR to the outer world/other RRs. Otherwise you wind up with an interurban (trolley)looping around a town with engine house now a car barn.This is fine. But I don't think you are trying to depict that Also, I agree with Gary's suggestion of making some gentle curves in the main. Mark
Listening to all of your idea's/comments, I have come up with this: I took the advice and moved the industries to the right. Added by-passes and sidings, and made them accessible to engines going from either direction. I want to leave room for a downtown district and a few houses on the left. Grand kids would love a farm with animals, so I'm thinking that could go on the lower left corner by the bridge. As for the question of why 2 engine houses, I have engines going in both directions. With no loop turn around, I'd need 2 so engines from both directions of travel could access an engine house??? I guess I could pretend all engines were able to access a single engine house. You can see I moved them so both are located to the lower right. Right now, there is really no room to add a spur going to the " outter world ".
Are you concerned that both engines will be wind up facing opposite directions in the one engine house ? if so, forget that. There is no 1:1 scale rule about this, turntable or not .. Really, are the kids going lodge a complaint to the RR's CEO over this ? Use this area for yard, spur, cattle pen, lumber yard, fire station, junk yard, row of stores...Park engines in the one EH. Is that a duck-under or is it a lift bridge at bottom center ? If it is a lift bridge this is not a cake walk to install, and is dangerous at open end if you haven't wired in a way to automatically stop a train before it goes down to the floor, leave alone the common wiring , hinging and other electrically connective tissue for it to carry the current when it isn't open. On this layout i'd keep it a duck under as kids love to crawl under things anyway..
Jim Highly recommend you get a good MR planning book, especially one that tells you how real RRs work, especially one by John Armstrong.
Ok. Good thoughts on that. I am going with a lift up bridge. I have seen multiple idea's on how to do it and wire it. I'm too old and fat to be ducking under something that's 41" at top.
Yea cajon...I got a little carried away. Making this proto isn't that big of a deal to me. I just want to have fun building it, and spend time with my Grandkids playing with it. But...I will check out the library and see what books are available.
cajon: I ordered a copy of Track Planning for Realistic Operation: Prototype Railroad Concepts 3rd edition By John Armstrong
That is a great book to start with. You will be surprised at the stuff you will learn that you never ever thought of.
Get just one more book : "The V&O Story" by Allen McClelland.. It's a bible on how to approach MRRing in general; how to keep it real within every aspect....great great inspirational treatise on the hobby....
