Starter / Practice Layout

critinchiken Apr 11, 2017

  1. critinchiken

    critinchiken TrainBoard Member

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    Greeting all! I've been collecting n-scale for far too long now, and I'm tired of Dad making fun of me for not having a place to play with my trains, so I'm finally going to get off my rear and build something! I've read far too many warnings about trying to start out with a basement empire, so I decided on a footprint that'll fit right on my computer desk and small enough to transport in my VW. This will be something to practice with and build on my modeling skills. Something forgiving with mistakes.

    The problem I've been having is coming up with something somewhat original that works. I've never built a layout and it's obvious to me now that I have no vision for such things, but I think I've settled on something for the time being. Please have a look.


    I posted this on my 0-4-0 dockside build thread, but I figured it may get a bit more exposure in this forum section. I don't want to waste time or money of something flawed so please, by all means... BE CRITICAL! Tell me what you think. Thanks all!
     
    BoxcabE50 likes this.
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Looks similar to the famous "timesaver" design. Nice to see there is curvature. Not straight/parallel to layout edges.
     
  3. Rocket Jones

    Rocket Jones TrainBoard Member

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    The limiting factor on this design is the left end of your runaround. There's not much capacity there to push cars back towards the rearmost sidings. I went through the same challenge on the Weaver Junction. If you can push that runaround half a track section to the right, you'll get more room on that end without losing too much space on the right side.
     
  4. critinchiken

    critinchiken TrainBoard Member

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    I see what you're saying now so I've taken a second look at it. I also took a good look at your thread, and love it! It's amazing what that extra foot gives you, however four feet is all I can fit on my desk so I'll make that work for me. I've gotten myself a tad more space on the left side by adding a cross over. Is this better?
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Adding the crossover does change things. But in that is the loss of the ability to easily run around any train.
     
  6. critinchiken

    critinchiken TrainBoard Member

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    OK, I'm seeing a problem with me trying to cram in all this stuff on a 4ft. wide layout. The base is already built (yeah I jumped the gun) but all is not lost. I have an 8ft. section of wall that I planed on using for a more permanent layout, so I got thinking about cutting this bench work in half and doubling the length.

    The internet is full of narrow shelf layouts, and I kinda like the longer more focused look of them. So here's another try, tell me if you see any trouble spots

    The right end would be the end of the larger layout, and the bottom left track would continue down my southern wall, if that helps
     
    flexeril likes this.
  7. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Looks Good! This plan takes John Allen's "Time Saver" and stretches it out.

    If you use a 12 inch board instead of a 9 inch board, you will be able to increase your angled tracks a little more to reduce how much the tracks are running parallel to the fascia, plus give yourself an extra few inches to put up trees or building flats between the tracks at the back of the shelf and any backdrop you decide to install.

    If you plan to build this plan on two 4-foot long modules, I'd encourage you to secure the two sections together with bolts and wingnuts (rather than c-clamps or spring clamps), because there will be less chance of wear and tear over time jostling the modules out of alignment at their seam...which is directly under 3 turnouts.
     
  8. critinchiken

    critinchiken TrainBoard Member

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    I took a second look at this a few days ago and decided it wasn't for me. The idea was to cut the 48 x 18 base in half to get two 48 x 9's, but after thinking about it, it would just make more sense to build a 2nd 48 x 18 base and bolt the two together. I don't mind seeing the tracks parallel to the fascia as much as seeing the lack of scenery, so just as you said a bit deeper would be better.

    I've been track planning just under three weeks now and every time I get to a point that I think I like what I see, I end up thinking twice. It's getting to the point that the lil red guy on my shoulder is louder and louder with his "You'll never get this right! Just give it up, you don't have it in you. Find someone elses layout and copy it for every structure, tree, and blade of grass, and call it all your idea"

    grrr...
     
  9. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    At the risk of creeping a little off-trains/off-topic...3 observations, for what they're worth:

    1. The "little red guy" on your shoulder is the Prince of Lies...so you don't need to credit what he says, unless you want what he says to become true.
    A person can look at the classic candlestick/faces eye-teasing optical illusion and choose to see two dark faces in profile looking at each other against a light background, or deliberately switch their perception to see a light candlestick against a dark background. In the same way, a person can choose to listen to the red guy's messages of doubt, or deliberately choose to hear the shining cherub on the other shoulder saying, "you CAN take this little step", and "you WILL track down that answer", and, "if you keep trying, you WILL find those plans that can be tweaked to fit in the space/skills/$$ you have this week."

    2. In the martial arts, students are continually told: the master has failed more times than the student has attempted...keep practicing.

    3. There was an advertisement recently playing here in Central Illinois: Winners never quit, and quitters never win.

    Soooo...
    Yep, the Red Guy is continually flapping his lips, but the Cherub's message is also out there: you get to choose which message you will strengthen by repetition.
    Failing or falling short of a goal/dream is a fact of life. And another fact of life is: any goal worth achieving usually requires multiple attempts to accomplish. Keep on keeping on with your track planning...and we'll keep cheering for you here on TrainBoard.
     
  10. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    For a new modeller, my advice is to include an oval somehwere. Or else have a spare board with an oval you can get out and play with easily. There's something about watching trains go roundy roundy that a lot of us like. :)
     
  11. harmi1971

    harmi1971 New Member

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    I would recommend something modular compatible with local modular railroading standard instead of proprietary interface or small permanent layout. If watching trains going roundy is necessary, then only as an auxiliary function of simple balloon loop module detachable from "normal" modules, because reasonable curve radius would need lot of space - it is a question of difference between the toy and model fidelity. Apart from modules, permanent layout needs to be large, otherwise it offers too few fun (especially over longer period of time). Modules can be transported to meetings/shows, attached to the rest of layout almost always in (slightly) different setup, partially or totally rebuilt without impact to other modules and modules force you to networking with other modellers who can help you with various crafts required. Also I do not know how advanced with modelling you are, but I would not start the first module with 3+ turnouts to reduce number of potential topics for Red Guy. And finally, do not listen Red Guy at all!
     
  12. flexeril

    flexeril TrainBoard Member

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    I like this a lot! Currently on the planning/drawing phase. I might have to copy some of these ideas.
     
  13. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    I have always been a lot like this guy. I just plonk down some track and some structures to see how things look and fit and then I'm off. On a bigger layout I might do some rough sketches so i know where the mainlines go, but after that it's all a combo of testing and fitting and planning and building.

     
    Rip Track likes this.
  14. Doorgunnerjgs

    Doorgunnerjgs TrainBoard Member

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    I'm wondering whether critinchiken ever built anything. Last post was last year but he still drops in periodically. It's a shame as he had some good ideas and folks came up with some very usable guidance. Hopefully he will let us know how he's doing.

     
  15. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    Dang, I got taken in by a year old discussion that got revived. HA HA
     
  16. MarkInLA

    MarkInLA Permanently dispatched

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    There is no such thing as a 'practice layout'. It's not the Indy 500, the NY Philharmonic, baseball spring training, or medical school students using a cadaver. It's a hobby.. You just do a hobby the best you can..You build your (OK) first and which might remain your only train layout..Either you continue to believe in it and improve it or eventually take it apart and do something different. In the mid 1950s when we caught the train bug we just did it.. I don't believe the term 'practice layout' even existed then..
     
  17. critinchiken

    critinchiken TrainBoard Member

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    Hi friends! Hope all is good. I got an email saying someone replied to one of my threads and since I haven't posted anything in a year, I though I might give an update. Well I never did get into the building phase even after setting up the room which has slowly become a storage mess again. I'm still tinkering with my trains but it's mostly weathering, coupler changes, and some locomotive maintenance, break-ins and test running. Last year I documented a project on a Bachmann 0-4-0 project here on TTB that gave me a ton of fun, an education, and earned me an article in the 2017 NTRAK Steam Annual. I have always planned to set up the video camera for a final shot but never seemed to have the time. Some day I guess...

    I was reading through that annual when the project bug bit me, so I went off hunting and found a pair of Atlas Classic RS-1's in the B&O. I did some reading and found the TCS CN's are good easy installs for beginners so I grabbed a pair of those as well. But it wasn't enough for me, and I'd love to do another sound install so I went on the hunt again. Just last week I found a really nice Heritage 0-8-0 that seems to have never been run so I grabbed it and an ESU LokSound micro.

    It comes with an 8-pin socket in the tender so it sounds like an easy install, but after some reading it seems most people go hard wire due to the tender being so small and clearances above the socket aren't enough. There are a pair of weights in the tender that everyone seems to want to keep, but my plan is to remove them and test run the steamer before and after just to find out what effect the weights has on it's performance. From there I'll be able to figure out where I can put it all and what size speaker to go with. I'm not in any way a master of these things so these projects will take some time, and I will document them in the DCC section of TTB.

    Winter is always my easiest time of year to find spare time for my favorite hobby, and this year has been no different although I do wish I had decided to take on these projects a bit earlier. Hopefully I can get started soon! The 0-4-0 was my first "major" project and while I might do a few things different, I'm happy with the results. Here is a link for those of you that missed it and would like to see a rookie's work:

    http://www.trainboard.com/highball/...ovements-on-a-bachmann-0-4-0-dockside.103822/
     

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