Well trying to figure out if I should do a 4 track mainline or just stick with a 2 track mainline. Would a 4 track be too cramped? NYC of course. I would like to do a real NYC row, the 2 inner being the passenger and the 2 outer being the freight. Thoughts?
I was about to say Less is More, until I read the NYC mainline part. I say go for it, and create a few signature NYC scenes. Any peninsulas? 16x18 is an enviable space!
Not sure on pennisula. Here is the benchwork plan. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/picture.php?albumid=112&pictureid=1097 I keep bouncing between N and O. This benchwork was part of my O gauge, but now moving to N scale. I can add a pennisula if needed but would rather not. I have thought of doing the NYC as it ran through Erie Pa. (my hometown) with the Nickle Plate running beside it just as it was here. So I would have a total of 5 mainlines, plus misc trackage. Quite a bit, and I dont want it to look crowded. Thoughts?
Stick to N--much more scenic bang for the buck. The 5 mainlines wouldn't look so crowded in N as in O. You may not even be able to fit 4 mains in O scale on that grid.
Not a lot of layouts have 4-track mains. So do it! Thre's no reason why you can't. Other than the mainlines, what are you trying to fit in?
Well, I would love to have the 4 track mainline, plus the industries for operations. I just dont want to have things look crowded. I suck at trackplanning. I mean really SUCK!!! I was hoping to get some help for ideas. Main criteria would be.... 4 track mainline 3 passenger stations/towns with the center one being Erie Union station. a larger yard in the middle, smaller yards at each end turntable and roundhouse/engine facility. Rolling countryside inbetween towns. I believe that most of this is possible. I just dont want things to be or look crowded. with the above benchwork, the town of North East Pa would be in the top left, Erie would be bottom middle to bottom middle right corner and Fairview/Lake City would be top right to middle right. No reversing, the doorway would have lift out bridges. So it would be around the wall loop. Hope that makes sense. Anyone think this is possible in the space I have? Thanks for the help.
A four track mainline in n scale, by itself, doesn't take much room - only about 4 inches. How deep are the layout sections going to be as you make your way around the room? There is an obvious trade-off as more track means less room for scenery and buildings, the need for more turnouts, more maintenance, more complexity and a longer time to complete. But you can do so much in that space with n scale and a four track NYC mainline would look so cool!! Jim
The benchwork is 2.5 to 3 feet deep all the way around as seen in the link to the picture of it above. My biggest worry is trying to do too much, or it looking crowded in that space. 2-3 feet in N scale is a lot of space, untill you start cramming 4 tracks plus sidings and cities/towns in it. Im thinking a 2 track might be better, but I would like to get more thoughts on it.
I think you have plenty of room for a great layout. A 4 track main line is entirely possible with this space. However, I think your other wants are adding too much. My recommendation is go with a 24 inch deep layout if possible. I would also add a pennisula as it will get you some more run time and seperate the layout room. I am not sure what type of running you would like to do but this is my recommenation. I would add a larger yard that serves as east/west staging along the top wall. I would then make Erie the centerpiece of the layout in the lower left hand corner. You could do Erie Union station and associated yard/engine facilities along the left wall and corner. This could be followed by some "country" running on the pennisula and then the next town down the line with a station and associated industrial trackage along the right wall. Not sure where the Nickle Plate Road would fit in but you could add this along part of the layout and have it go into hidden staging.
I love n scale. But sorry, no way do 4 track mains and all the associated yards/towns/rail infrastructure fit. In Z scale you would have a shot at making it all fit. What length trains do you want to run ? In N scale a twice around 2 track main would work, with one main yard and maybe 6 station stops, each with Industries. You could stretch it and make the track go 'round 3 times, but keep the maximum train length to about 15 ft. Thats still 3 units & 40+, 40ft freight cars. Dont forget a 2 track main requires passing sidings, a town with a passenger station and industries might have 1 or 2 extra sidings at the passenger station, another siding for the industrial switcher to work from. Suddenly you have five tracks before you even put it in any industrial sidings.. ! I plan to use a maximum train length of 3 ft on my logging branch line, so all my passing tracks will handle that size train from my main terminal thru each town and logging area. And each train can leave a passing siding and not touch the next siding, I hate having a trains caboose being in one town, while the Engine is pulling into the next town. BTW NYC rocks, one of my favs.
More than one major yard on a layout this size is probably infeasible (at least unless it's double-deck). I once figured how large a "major yard" had to be. Simply put, this was a yard big enough to make up what I consider a convincing mainline train on one track, with a lead long enough to pull that entire train. Since the train in question was 3 SD40s or 2 Dash 9s with 24 50' cars or equivalent length in other cars, the yard length including lead was... wait for it... 26 feet. For a mostly single-ended yard. In N. This doesn't have to all be on a straight section, though.
Yeah, I have decided against the 4 track main. And when I say yards, there is going to be one "kind of" main yard, and 2 small 2 or 3 track yards for the locals. I have it in my head how everything is supposed to look, just dont/cant get it on the computer or paper. Going to stick with a 2 track main, some sidings for industries, passenger terminal, couple towns. Im thinking that I will just wing it for trackplan.
What I was trying to say is, in N, width (number of tracks in a mainline or yard) isn't the main issue when it comes to space. Length is. Length of mainline, number of towns, length of trains.
