And here we go with my HO scale track plan...what am I missing?

[southsideandy]

I've worked for a couple weeks on this track plan, reading up on different ideas, revising the plan, fixing mistakes, working in buildings and I already have and also trying to find other things I'd like to use to fill in the gaps. So, here goes...what am I missing?

My room is small (a little over 6x10 with a windowsill area on the lower right roughly 15 inches deep, where I will create some big-city depth to the background...I hope), but I want to start small -- the thought being, when my sons are older, if they want (let's hope) their own layout to play around with, and I'm still interested in a bigger layout, they can have this one and I'll build something bigger in a different room. Additionally, while I have my dad to lean on for advice and his layout to base a lot of my construction off of, I want to start small and tackle this smaller project first...while no project is ever finished, I think a smaller one at least gets closer than a bigger one to being done!

Lastly, had I known a million years ago that I'd have a small room to use, I'd have collected N scale. As it is, I have a ton of HO scale stuff and no N scale, so a scale change isn't going to happen. Way too much invested, and I'm not selling it all.

Take a look and let me know what you think...I've even tried to separate/progress the individual locales as much as I can (starting with farmland in the lower left, progressing to small town in the top middle, on to city and industry in the lower right. I'm planning on using the sidings not so much as an "operations" layout, but more of a "parking lot" and if I feel like dragging a train of grain cars out around the layout, I can stop off, pick them up, give them a couple turns around the loops and park them again. Same with the industries in the lower right. I'm looking more to run the trains and create scenery more than stand and operate the sidings and businesses.

I used that SCARM program for this, so each box is 5"x5", for what that's worth. I'm actually sorta surprised at how much can be fit into a 6x10 space...now, maybe when I start doing the work, I'll have to cut back on some things, but looking at the track plan alone, is there anything you see that doesn't look right? There are more details in the image itself...

(Also, I hope I attached the photo right...if not, rookie mistake. LOL)

I totally appreciate any guidance or comments...in the meantime, I'll finish cleaning out that room.

 

[flyboy2610]

I like your track plan. Looks like a good mix between scenery and operations. Make sure you can comfortably reach the bottom right corner of your layout. That may be a stretch. One other thing I would do is to add some turnouts on the upper left section of mainline to create a run-around, as you have done on the lower right. The reason is that your grain operations have both a trailing and facing point siding. You will need a way to get the switcher from one end of the car to the other. You could use the run-around on the lower right, but the upper left would be close. Using the main is not how the real railroad would do it, but we have to do what we have to do.
You do realize you are now committed to doing a build log here so we can all follow along?

 

[southsideandy]

I see what you're saying about the runaround track with the grain ops. Thanks for the suggestion...I'm going to have to see if I can work something in. Maybe on that top spur that ends across the street from the Country Store...I'll have to extend that siding, pushing the road and buildings to the right, and maybe even widen the benchwork into the aisle a bit, but that might work. Hmmm...let me work at it.

As for that bottom right corner...it'll be a heckuva stretch to reach what's on the windowsill there, but my plan was to put in the backdrop, plop in the buildings and keep them crowded together a bit to where a lot of scenery won't be necessary. The sidings end at the edge of my reach point (30 inches), and that's really what I'm guessing I'm only going to have to worry about reaching once the layout is operational and that corner is finished. Obviously, I will work from the outside in, so I can lean on bare plywood while fixing up that back corner. It's not ideal, and I was just going to put up the backdrop flush with the right-hand wall, but I just thought that space would be a good spot to create some 3d depth to a static city scene and couldn't pass it up!

And yeah, I realize that now that I "opened my mouth" on here about this, I'm going to have to let you all follow along. Hopefully that helps all of us! Where do people typically post their ongoing layouts? In the scale-specific forums that match or somewhere else?

 

[Frank]

And yeah, I realize that now that I "opened my mouth" on here about this, I'm going to have to let you all follow along. Hopefully that helps all of us! Where do people typically post their ongoing layouts? In the scale-specific forums that match or somewhere else?

We have but one penalty for people that share drawings on this forum. Well, two, but it's hard to tell if people are sitting in; the comfy chair.

It looks like a nice layout, perhaps a bit on the busy side for my taste, but it does look like you'll have plenty of options for moving the cars around the track. And from the looks of it the only part of the layout that's going to be hard to reach doesn't have trains on it, so you won't be reaching there.

Are you sticking to one level here? It looks like that outer loop in particular could definitely handle a bit of elevation gain without too much work. The downside being that you lose a bit of scenery in the upper left hand corner.

 

[Rico]

I think it looks pretty good!
I might just lengthen the runaround to hold more cars.
Your grain elevator would be switched as a facing point, letting the loco back the cars into the elevator.
Oh, and add a bridge, I love bridges! Maybe do a river scene on the liftout?

 

[southsideandy]

@Frank: I thought about giving some elevation to the outer loop, but I wasn't sure if the two loops were too close to each other to accommodate it -- also, I was assuming the hinged access at the doorway on the bottom right had to be at grade level to work properly. If so, I'm not sure that I'll get enough elevation to really make a visual difference. I'm not so worried about the upper left hand corner, because that will be a "mountain" over top of both mainline loops, and the ceiling there should allow for a faster slope upward if needed, but the grain elevator spur/siding would still need to be at grade level, so again, I wasn't sure if there was enough space. The road up to the upper left already climbs quite a bit from the town.
Anyway, on my dad's layout, the track is 100 percent flat all the way around (he has elevation, but not on the track), and it would be nice to give the engines a little "exercise"...additionally, one of the biggest gripes I have about my dad's layout is that he really doesn't have much on his layout other than the scenery on the backdrop and a few buildings we bought or built for him over the years. It's the complete opposite of busy. I look at this and think it might be busy, but I won't really know until I get the benchwork up and place the buildings I actually have (in red) on there. Then, the yellow buildings are things I'd like to get, but don't "have to"...so I can make my decisions then.

@Rico: Funny you should say that...I was lamenting the lack of bridges, whether rail or road, and debating what I could do...your idea is a good one -- what I was thinking was the upper right, where I need to limit structures and such, was to put a river, with two simple steel bridges on the mainline. So that's not out of the question...but yeah, maybe the liftout is a better spot. It would help with the visual breakup of the progression of the layout (farm on the left, city/industry on the right), which the doorway kind of helps, but a river would basically "draw a line" for people. Let me think this one through.

 

[Frank]

@Frank: I thought about giving some elevation to the outer loop, but I wasn't sure if the two loops were too close to each other to accommodate it -- also, I was assuming the hinged access at the doorway on the bottom right had to be at grade level to work properly. If so, I'm not sure that I'll get enough elevation to really make a visual difference. I'm not so worried about the upper left hand corner, because that will be a "mountain" over top of both mainline loops, and the ceiling there should allow for a faster slope upward if needed, but the grain elevator spur/siding would still need to be at grade level, so again, I wasn't sure if there was enough space. The road up to the upper left already climbs quite a bit from the town.
Anyway, on my dad's layout, the track is 100 percent flat all the way around (he has elevation, but not on the track), and it would be nice to give the engines a little "exercise"...additionally, one of the biggest gripes I have about my dad's layout is that he really doesn't have much on his layout other than the scenery on the backdrop and a few buildings we bought or built for him over the years. It's the complete opposite of busy. I look at this and think it might be busy, but I won't really know until I get the benchwork up and place the buildings I actually have (in red) on there. Then, the yellow buildings are things I'd like to get, but don't "have to"...so I can make my decisions then.

It depends how high you choose to go, you've probably got room to go somewhere between one and two inches up with a 2% grade, if you place the high point of the grade roughly where the entrance to the outer tunnel at the very back of the layout is. As far as clearance between the tracks go, if you've got room for those tunnel portals, you should have plenty of clearance for a more or less straight wall between the two. That may or may not match with what you're thinking of for landscape, but it would probably be quite nice if you put a backdrop with some mountains or ridges behind it.

Ultimately, it all comes down to what you want to do, but I don't see any issues with clearance and if you place the top of the grade about halfway between the entryway and the spur to the hardware store, that will give you the maximum amount of hill to climb that you can get without redoing large sections of the layout.


Oh, and you might consider putting a lift out panel near the electric boxes, if you're finding that you want more room for scenery. Hopefully, you don't need to get in there so often that lifting a mountain or lake out of the way from time to time isn't a problem. Plus, that would be a great excuse to have a couple bridges in that part of the board.

 

[southsideandy]

See, this is exactly why I brought this here...Frank, great suggestion on the elevation. I actually did what you suggested...pulled the outer loop up to 2.5 or so on the top middle part of the layout, which gives a nice slow climb from the liftout by the door and down to the first turnout on the right-hand side where the industries begin. I then also elevated the inner main loop about 1 inch along a good portion of the top wall, just to lift it up a bit behind the town scene along the top. Not much, but at least enough that it will give it all more visibility. According to the program, the grades are fine. And, I raised up the mountain on the upper left hand side (and buildings on it) to accommodate that elevation change.

I also added a river and bridges on the main over by the electric boxes. I've thought about putting a lift-out panel there, but we'll see. That probably will be among the last things I do, if I decide to do anything. By then I'll know if I'm itching to use that part of the layout for more than just a forest or something similar.

I think I'm at the point of starting to chronicle my efforts, so I'm going to shift this over to the HO-specific board...seems like that's the place people do the journaling of their progress, at least upon quick inspection. Thanks for your input so far, everyone, and I appreciate the friendliness already!

Andy

 

[Frank]

See, this is exactly why I brought this here...Frank, great suggestion on the elevation. I actually did what you suggested...pulled the outer loop up to 2.5 or so on the top middle part of the layout, which gives a nice slow climb from the liftout by the door and down to the first turnout on the right-hand side where the industries begin. I then also elevated the inner main loop about 1 inch along a good portion of the top wall, just to lift it up a bit behind the town scene along the top. Not much, but at least enough that it will give it all more visibility. According to the program, the grades are fine. And, I raised up the mountain on the upper left hand side (and buildings on it) to accommodate that elevation change.
SNIP
Andy

I'd consider dropping the inner loop a bit near the middle section so that you get more apparent rise out of the outer loop than you'd have room for. Especially, if you're planning on putting down some foam or similar to allow for a more natural topographic flow on the valley bottom.

 

[cajon]

Guessing you have a double track mainline to run two trains at the same time. Are you going to run freight & passenger trains? Don't see any passenger depots. Also don't see any way to make up freight trains as there's no siding to do that. Did a crude revision of your plan as don't have a CAD program & used Picasa to give you some ideas.

 

[southsideandy]

Frank, I see what you're saying...I'll probably drop it some, on your latest suggestion...it makes sense. thanks!

cajon...I don't have any long haul passenger trains, so I skipped the passenger depots/stations this time. Also, I like your idea on the additional siding. I'm not sure if I'll work it in or not, but we'll see. I have a feeling that, as I move forward, this thing is going to change a few (dozen?) times...

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the extremely constructive and helpful ideas...I'm going to move this thread/conversation into the HO Scale-specific forum, as it appears to be a good place to chronicle my progress. I hope you'll follow along and let me know if you see anything good or bad. Here's the link!