Well, it would appear that my layout will be dismantled and a new one designed (see Union Pacific: Neches Branch for my current layout that was under construction). With a baby on the way, my wife has decided that the baby should not have to share a nursery. I now have a new spot - in the family room! - for a new layout. Talk about a surprise! I'll tell you what I have to work with, and some things I want, and hopefully ya'll can give me some track planning ideas. Currently, I can't post a drawing since I don't have a website. But I'll give you the demensions of the space. Length: 114" width 36" on one end, 48" on the other. Basically, its a rectangle with one end wider. I don't plan to make the benchwork fill the whole area. It would be to deep to reach. The three sides thatI gave measurements for are up against a wall. No windows or doors to worry about. I have permission for a double deck design. But since I know that a helix is above my capabilities this will be a "nolix". Also, I want a barge/ship facility, so that is how cars & engines will get from one deck to the other. Layout will use modern equipment Other musts: 1) intermodal yard - minimum 2 tracks in yard (maybe one on each level?) 2) industrial switching area 3) continous run (loop) on one of the levels - not both 4) some way to simulate outside world (interchange or staging?) 5) a refinery - somewhere Likes: 1) "interesting trackwork in industrial area" 2) good sized classification yard 3) what do you think would be interesting? Well, I'm starting from scratch, so feel free to give any and all input. Thanks, Scot [ 22 June 2001: Message edited by: my UP ]
First and most importantly, congratulation on the baby! That's great news! It also means you will be able to play with those cool brio wooden trains soon Off the top of my head double deck seems like a bit much for the space. A helix will leave a big chunk hidden and a nolix will take up too much of your available space. For me I would keep it on one level. I would also think about making sure it has a unifying theme as it will be in the family room, non-railroad members of the family will have to look at it. What I see is a main line toward the front with loops on either end that drop the main to a lower level and swings toward the front with two or three track staging yard underneath. A small town scene on the top with some light industry and lots of trees.
I feel like Rob and I are the Siskel and Ebert team of layout design. Well, if we go in opposite directions, you have more options to consider....lol. First, the smaller the layout, the more useful a helix can be, up to a point. A couple of years ago, there was an MR layout on a 4 by 8 layout (in HO) that had a helix on it. I thought it was a super idea. Helix's have more than just one function, and one of them can be for staging. In your case, I would attempt a triple track helix, the outside radius for the train going up (the least grade) the next smaller radius for the train going down, and the inside radius for linear staging (trains one after the other). Your lower deck would not be sceniced, but designed for easy access (all the staging to the front of the layout) for staging only. Staging is what makes the layout come alive. In the size of space you have in N scale, you can have a reasonable layout, but staging will be a challenge without a double decker. You don't need great seperation distance between the two decks, I'd go maybe a foot. If you do a foot, lighting will be a concern. Lighting I am using is called "rope Lights"; you probably have seen these but didn't know what they are called. Gardners and home christmas decorators use these. You run the rope light under the layout, in a snaking fashion. The advantage to these rope lights is that they are very low profile. I would paint the bottom of your top deck white to reflect more light down onto the lower staging deck. A helix is just a slinky you played with as a kid. You open the slinky up, make it wider, and attach narrow lenghts of wood to keep it from collapsing, and voila...you have a helix. I am helping a friend build one on his layout and it is much easier (but not without its frustrations) than I would have thought. The only real challenge is to get the angle right for the cut into the support lenghts of wood. Remember helix building isn't brain surgery, worst case scenario is you have to go buy more wood, because you blew it somewhere. The "intimidation" of building a helix is worse than the actual building of the helix. I would build the top deck flat, maybe using woodland scenic risers, or cookie cutter method, to raise it, if needs be. But, don't use L girder as this creates a challenge to put in a bottom deck, just 12 inches below your top one. My inclination is to semi-scenic staging. By this I mean, to use real sifted sand as ballast, and put desert hills behind, so it looks like a yard in the desert. This method is quick and easy, and isn't quite as jarring as looking at trains on bare plywood. For your benchwork shape, I would suggest a water wings approach, with one water wing larger than the other. This larger water wing is where your helix would go down with your largest radius being maybe 22 inches, then reducing for the other two radius. With three tracks on your helix, you could even have continuous running, down and back up the helix. Hardly anyone does it, but Lynn Westcott - the grandpappy of benchwork - suggested using 1/4 inch hard board, doubled and glued, and overlapping at the joints. You then paint the helix hard board with a polyurethane to seal it so that it isn't affected by humidity. Given the quality of your track planning, I am sure you can come up with a good plan. Post it and we will critique. Water Wings pictured in Figure 6-7 of John Armstong's Track Planning for realistic operation, page 54 of my book, but might not be on the same page, in the more recent edition, I don't know. I knew I forgot something (hence the edit); you don't have enough space for a nolix. Or conversely, your entire layout would be the nolix. I think in your case you would be better off with a helix. You don't need 12 inch seperation of decks in N scale, 6 would be ample, but here you are putting the helix to work for you by using it as staging (larger seperation means more trakc in the helix). In the HO 4 by 8 helix I mention above, I think the helix was solely used for staging, but I could be wrong; I haven't looked at the plan for over a year now. By the way, if you use the plan for a triple track helix, you might want to use Atlas code 100 because no one is going to see it and you are going to have to lay close to 140 feet of track in the helix alone....lol. [ 22 June 2001: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
I'm not ruling out a helix, although I do doubt my abilities to build a trouble free one. (I swa one recently and was quite confident I couldn't duplicate) Here's another idea that I'd like your input on. I guess this is what I meant by "nolix" but used the term incorrectly. What about using a barge loading dock on both levels and have the rolling stock transfered from one layer to the other via a barge that can be moved from top to bottom? Rolling stock could also be taken off layout this way. I really like the idea of including a barge or rail/ship operation in there somewhere. What do ya'll think?
There was an article using a barge/ferry slip operated set of layouts in a mag about 18 months - 2 years ago called " A bookcase full of shortlines" I can dig it out but it may take a couple of days. Also a similar idea in Iain Rice's recent book from Kalmbach . Both are smaller than your projected layout, but the articles could be a start point for your trackplan. I personally wouldn't even try to build Helixes - anyone who's seen my attempts at woodwork will know why!
Your idea of a barge is not new and several people have done it, how happy with it are they, I don't know. With something like that the question I ask myself is this: Will it be as much fun the 2000th time I barge the train, or will it just be a hassle then? Only you will know the answer to that question. Helix and construction. What I am trying to tell you is that helix construction is not the same as building fine cabinetry. Trust me my woodworking skills have been lousy, sawing a straight line was always a mystery to me, and driving a nail in straight was usually a victory celebration. I don't exagerate. Helix construction is tedious, occassionally a hasle, and a bit of long work, but it is very doable. You build a template for arcs in plywood or hardboard, lay out the arcs on the wood and cut them out.... how hard is that. You double up your plywood or hardboard so that you can have overlapping joints...how hard is that? Then you cut slots in strings of wood to hold apart the plywood. Here is some hassle until you get the angle correct, but then once you have it...you just duplicate it on all the pieces on one side, repeat for the other side. The psychological intimidation is worse than the reality. Worst case scenario is that you will have to do the slots of wood over again, because you didn't do something right...but so what. Once its done and up, no one will know you were a bit of a bozzo building it, and once it is sceniced, no one will no your job wasn't so hot. I've done some dumb things on my bench work, but then I think to myself...no one will know...they won't be able to see it. Just don't have the NMRA layout tour group over to your home to see your layout until after the benchwork is hidden....lol. I'm just bugging you to remind you that under your layout - for the size of what you have - is a good source location for staging.
I've got a first draft of a track plan just about done and ready for critiquing. Only trouble is, I don't have a website to put is on and then link to here. Would anyone be able to assist me with a place to put it if I emailed them the track plan?
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rsn48: First, the smaller the layout, the more useful a helix can be, up to a point. A couple of years ago, there was an MR layout on a 4 by 8 layout (in HO) that had a helix on it. I thought it was a super idea. Helix's have more than just one function, and one of them can be for staging.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It was October 1997, PAge 90, "Union Terminal Ry." by Don Mitchell
