Ok, here's a picture of my first real attempt at designing a layout. I need all your input on this one. Is there anything you see here that may not work? What would you change if this was yours? It didn't load properly. Not sure what I did wrong. Feel free to help me out with this too...LOL.
Lorne, You basically posted a link to the file on your hard drive - which won't work. You have to either upload the photo directly to the post (100k or less) or upload it to RailImages then use the URL to the photo to post the photo. We have tutorials and help available in the Support Forum if that doesn't solve the issue for you. Charlie
Ok.....photo post, take two. Good, it worked this time. Just wanna mention a couple of things to you all. The bottom of the middle section you'll see a line going at an angle. That's the edge of the baseboard. I wanted to remove the other line but wasn't sure how to do it without ruining the whole thing. As you can see, the track would've been too close to the edge otherwise. Still might be in some other places. It's a work in progress.
OK. That's not a bad start at all. Remember, you can lay this out on benchwork, and give it a few test runs. Just to be certain everything is where you would wish. Boxcab E50
Good grief, Lorne! You're already light-years ahead of me (which is okay of course)! You've just joined TrainBoard and already settled on a scale and posted a track plan - way to go. Keep at it, your progress, along with the encouragement and input from the likes of BoxcabE50, JCater, and on30francisco, is going to jumpstart me - so thanks! My activity for today was a visit to the LHS where I picked up the May/June 2007 issue of Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette and the On30 2007 Annual magazines. Wow, great stuff! The way I think I'll start is to order a Bachmann train set (maybe the D&RGW passenger set) that will have everything needed to do a smallish oval and run a train around some to get a feel for the equipment while prepping the room and working on a layout plan. Are the grids on your plan 1 foot each? Anyway, keep the updates coming - while you're getting input from others it's all pushing me onwards.
That's great stuff Lorne, and VERY doable!! I would check to make sure you will have enough room for engines/cars on those stub tracks at the ends of the layout though, unless you plan to use those as run-around/escape tracks for the engines? Someday I will actually scan my plan and post it for you guys to look at. Jim...you are heading in the right direction too!!!!!! John
Ya, Jim, those grids are 1sqft. Each section is 3"x6" except for the middle one. That one started out that size but I got the mainline too close to the edge and felt I had to expand it a bit. John, I know exactly what you mean by the engines needing a runaround. I think I'm going to revamp this plan a bit and take care of that problem. Another idea I was thinking of changing are the tracks leading to the lumber mill and logging camp. I'm going to take them out and expand the yard to take up all three sections. That was my original idea, I don't know why I made the yard so small. Wasn't thinking. Thanks for the comments guys. I'll post the new version soon.
Look forward to hearing and seeing much more!! Again, do check out those Porters...they are really cool!! John
OK, this took a bit of time but I think it's somewhat of an improvement but I think there'll always be room for improvement. The descriptions are really hard to read. I got all the maintenance-type tracks at the bottom of the page. The runaround is just off the mainline. The caboose track is right below that and feeds from both ends even though you can't see it. Finnaly, the main yard (classification?) is bigger and takes up 4 tracks below the caboose track. Everything is accesible by the turntable. Oh, BTW, I'm sorry about the lousy turntable, but it's the best I was able to make. All the tracks that seemingly run off the face of the earth will be extended by a fourth section to the layout at some point.
Lorne, this looks fantastic!! You might want to cross-post into the Layout design thread and see if anyone has other suggestions, but from where I sit it looks great! In fact, when its done can I come over and play??? Turntables in On30 are great...I use an old HO turntable I got on the Bay for about 10 bucks (I think there is a a post about it in this thread somewhere....). If you run Porters you can even use N scale turntables. About the only thing you need to do is widen the turntable bridge to accept the larger engines!! John
Lorne, Here is the link. The focus was the round house but the TT is also pictured and discussed in the thread, especially on Page 3. John http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=78869
Thanks for the tip John. It'll be posted there shortly. I never even realized I can use a smaller turn table in On30. I thought It would be in O scale. HO works for me as all my locos will be small ones anyways. Speaking of which, I like those little Porters on your roster. Really tiny, eh? Was that round house scratch built? I was thinking of trying my hand at scratch building but want to start with something much smaller, like a freight house or something.
The roundhouse was completely scratched out. I hand carved the stones (the walls are actually foam core board). Yep those Porters are really small, and they run great too!! John
You should post a how-to on the scratch building of structures. You've obviously got some skills there.
The above was directed at JCater (John), and I agree. Lorne, I had at look at some of his Blog (I hate that word too, John) and I just bet his background in archeology is real handy for scratchbuilding. Lorne, have you decided what kind or brand of track you're gonna use? And John, what do you use or suggest?
Haven't givin it a lot of thought. I do want to use code 83. I heard it looks a bit better than code 100. If I remember correctly, 83 has brown ties rather than the black ones on 100. As far as brand name....no idea. The designing program that I used is from Atlas but that doesn't mean I have to use those. I might check out Ebay and see what's floatin' around there. I might even attempt handlaying a small peice of track somewhere. I've always thought handlaying my own track was kinda cool, like building my own railroad.
Yeah, I'm thinking I'll just use inexpensive HO sectional track with the attached roadbed to start with but not attach it permanently until I figure out what I want vs what I'm capable of handling. Let's see if some of the other guys toss in some expertise and advice on this subject. :teeth:
Well, unfortuantely when it comes to track the frugal Scotsman in me takes over. I use nickel silver flex track, code 100. I use various brands...whatever I can pull from the measly selection around these parts. I know there is special On30 track with ties that are longer and spaced further apart. For me the Code 100 flex works just as well and every narrow gauge line I have ever been on has lots of ties close together. I use flex track because with fewer joints there will be fewer electrical dead spots. Flex can be cut to any length needed. Anyway, my 2 cents on track. Thanks for the comments on the roundhouse. It is still a work in progress, but if you go through the thread on it you can kind of see how I did things. This roundhouse is NOT prototypical, but is based on the stone roundhouse at Como, Colorado. When I was thinking about it I decided that I wanted it to be lightweight like the rest of the layout so I started horsing around with foam core board, like the stuff you mount posters on. Its cheap and relatively easy to work. Cutting the individual stones with a hobby knife took FOREVER but it was well worth it. I then used a wash of India ink to make the walls a light gray and used chalks to color individual stones to give variety and texture to the walls. Anyway, maybe I can put together a how to in my blog... John
That blog of yours, John, has some fasinating stuff in it. Too much to read all at once but I read a section or two a visit.
