The indent is to allow access to the windows. I've pretty much given up on the idea of moving the tables. If I ever have to move I'll start over. Gottal love Kato track for that. : Thanks again for the drawing.
OK, lets try image embedding again : dammit... LOL Heres the URL instead I did this after someone posted saying that, even though its a large layout, it seems small. The hollow core door threads kinda got me thinking that my room kinda fits a 'multi door' layout (2 72x36 doors, 1 72 x 24 door and 1 60 x 36 door..prolly a 72 cut down). I then basically copied Ed M's layout onto one door, then freelanced the second so I could get a nice big trestle in one corner. This is it so far. The top section will be my original logging layout, and the bottom will be a town scend with only an inglenook and a couple of single sidings. Now, tell me what wont work here guys? Xtrkcad thinks it all fits, but it doesnt tell you whats not tenable for operations. [ May 28, 2005, 11:46 AM: Message edited by: Alan ]
On a practical level, you need the yard up front. Beyond that, it looks interesting and doable. hmm, a full loop of track on both tables, hmm. That would keep things going big time. And put some passing sidings in.
Bruce, sorry but I much prefer your first design, the two loops in the centre dont look prototypical. It looks like two layouts joined together.
Thats exactly what it is Paul.... I need to build this incrementallym so the first phase would be the lower board (a door!), then the upper one would be added (another door!), followed, probably, by the town at the bottom, and then the logging area at the top. I see the ability to have a really long mainline run by using the top loops across the big trestles, the down onto the folded dogbone lower section. While thats happening other stuff can happen in the yard, logging and town areas, for those times when I get visitors Bear in mind that those 2 , or at least one, of the loops could be removed once the 2 got together. Then again, maybe I'd leave em in. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to call this the 'F&FRR'... Thats the Ficticious and Fanciful Railroad.... Nothing will be prototypical, cos I aint counting rivets... I just want something that runs and will give me lots of scope for doing something different each day. The stuff that runs on it certainly wont be anything like the same era.. Shays, Diesels (cos they're cheap) and Steam locos. Obviously, with the VERY tight turns on the lower board, its all going to be fairly short (ie, no 2880s or even big diesels)....nothing over 50'...even passenger stuff. Oh, and BTW, ignore any buildings... I was just playing with the stuff in Xtrkcad and stuck some stuff helter skelter Starting to like this program. Paul, if you have any other suggestions, throw em in.....I know exactly what you mean, because I thought exactly the same thing when I drew em in, but the long term plan made it mandatory at this stage.
I kinda look at that 16' stretch and wonder if I could get a lot more running in there Paul. Just two loops on the mainline makes it seem kinda lame. I wonder if I could fit in another loop, not neccearily full size, but close. When I originally got Greg Barlow to draw that layout, my emphasis was on maximum turn radii. Most of the radii there are 18" or so (notice how it creeps onto the other boards?) If I got brave and was prepared to go down to 11", perhaps I could get a 3 around and still have that big trestle on the high track in the top right corner. Yards dont really concern me a lot... I'm not going to have a huge inventory....heck, probably not even something that classifies as 'small'... 20 cars perhaps and 3 or 4 locos. Now you've posted that pic again, it IS nice, isnt it? But not modular in any way. Perhaps if I was to stick one loop in on the bottom board to make em go around again, with cross overs between the 2 tracks, I could fake a twice around on that board..... Even doing that, then the bottom board is going to be an operational desert, when viewed on its own. I admit that the other layout is probably TOO busy for a large layout, but sure is interesting for a single door. Dont mind me...just going through the options here... Need to think on it a bit to get a) modularity, b) operations, and c) expandability into that lower section. Anyone have any suggestions?
Its just that the layout. on the mainline, was 16' of "up n back" in 2 circles without much variation in track direction, except for that grand curve. I think I can a) fit much more mainline running in that area, and b) make it more interesting, and c) make it modular in building (so I can build it a door at a time, with minimal mods to merge 2 parts). Heres another try at an embedded image : woohoooooo, it worked! OK, note that there are 2 'hidden' tracks between the 2 loops at the board joints. When the 2 sections are joined together, the bottom layout doesnt need to change at all in regard to elevations etc. The top one will have the small section of the curve between where those 2 hidden parts join removed, and the left side track will be raised to match the elevation of the bottom boards track. Why build it like that, then change it? Well, it lets me build each section totally independantly, run trains on it to make sure all the trackwork is good, then put it together. Of course, I might just make the top board ready to integrate from the outset. I had a huge problem with this when I first drew it, because I had a huge reversing loop without realising it...that took some messing around to get rid of. Notice also that while I do have a yard, its not huge....but it is fairly close to the front, and has a lead track. This means, however, that trains will have to 'reverse out' onto the mainline. No biggie I dont think. Its not really a restriction on train length either, because the loco can drag one set of cars onto the track that connects to the main, then go get another lot, drag em up to the lead, then back em onto the other cars and push on out to the main. I dont intend running huge trains anyway, but it would be nice to do to show off to visitors [ May 29, 2005, 12:30 PM: Message edited by: disisme ]
OK... I realised making them seperate was a bit silly.... So heres the 'merged' layouts. I even put in a 4 track yard for you colonel!! The central yard will actually be used for housing livestock and boxcars for the meatworks, which will run to the sidings on the top board (farming area). The meatworks itself will be located at the spur in the bottom center of the bottom mainline board, along with stock yards. The entire board across the bottom will be pretty much a town scene, with both yards feeding a dock which will stick in from the end edge a bit (8-12"). As you can see, there are a LOT of bridges. The two trestles at the top will actually be one big trestle bridge (Xtrkcad woesnt let me draw a curved one, so those 2 are there just to give an idea). The spur that juts up towards it will actually be in the river vally. Most of the other bridges will NOT be atlas plate girders... Something more 'old and wooden' and scratch built. Its more common to see a diesel on an old bridge, than a steamer on a steel girder one Lets see if I can post 2 embedded images at once...
hehehe....the track is rather convoluted, and theres about 10 different ways a mainline train can go...thats how that sneaky big reversing loop snuck in there. I dont like it a lot either, for one main reason.... Even with 2 seperate, seemingly, layouts there is actually less mainline length than my simple folded dogbone original plan (this one is 1.5 loops, but with lotsa curves). Still, I'm having fun with Xtrkcad OK, hows this for an idea.... Do board one (bottom right) with a folded dogbone and a stub-ended yard at the front with 5 tracks, and a single track spur at the back. The second board can then use the first track on the front, and the single spur on the rear to connect and have a folded dogbone, as well (with my big trestle) in the top right corner.
More to think about: //I can post this. I now have a 10 x 3 benchwork done and I have stopped for the night.
ok..now I can embed pictures, lets do one with color! The layout has changed...yet again.... but now I've added some color so you can an idea on hom I intend to transition from town - industry - farming - logging. Its now a '1.5 dogbone', but the long run onto the upper board has 2 choices for direction without going to sidings or spurs. Comments / suggestions / recommendations?
