First layout plan - Comments appreciated


J

Jaoquin

New Member
Hi
After spending countless hours looking through books and online for layout plans that would work in my spare bedroom (11' x 11'), I have finally come up with a layout plan I like. One that has a continuous mainline that I can reverse direction on.

Having never built a layout before and without much of an understanding of the wiring yet, I feel a bit uneasy with this plan. I have never seen one like it so I worry that I may be making a colossal blunder.

The solid black lines at the track. The thin red lines are the layout boundary.

Your comments please with regards to wiring. But overall comments certainly appreciated! I could go either DC or DCC, which ever would work best.



Layoutprintable.jpg
 
HO Scale I assume?
You might have some access issues under the 'hill' and by the road and silos. that seems like a long reach.
 
Access will definitely be an issue as drawn. Twenty four inches is a good rule of thumb to stick with, thirty inches is just about the maximum for most people. Even then, at thirty inches, you run the risk of damaging scenery and equipment if you are not extremely careful. You can make access holes but they can be a very big pain in the neck, both figuratively and literally, when you have to crawl around under the layout to work on something. The older you are, the more so that is true.
 
I'd be worried that I'd get bored with this layout. Question being "Is there enough variation in the tracks here?"

I'd look at the possibility of making a double track out of it, so you can run multiple trains. I'd also look at adding a yard on the right side. Maybe look at expanding the hill and adding some sort of logging operation in that area using that spur just south of the hill.

Just some food for thought. I hope it helps.
 
Railrunner130 said:
I'd be worried that I'd get bored with this layout. Question being "Is there enough variation in the tracks here?"

I'd look at the possibility of making a double track out of it, so you can run multiple trains. I'd also look at adding a yard on the right side. Maybe look at expanding the hill and adding some sort of logging operation in that area using that spur just south of the hill.

Just some food for thought. I hope it helps.
Click to expand...


It all helps. Thanks for looking at it, everyone.
 
As a first start, its a nice idea, as its not simply a retangular 4x8. From a pragmatic standpoint, I agree with the others, you'll have dificulty reaching into the corners, as shown, + the 'yard' track will not be as long as shown, because the switches are not that sharp.

How about something in the shape of the letter 'E,' turned on its side?
 
Railrunner130 said:
I'd be worried that I'd get bored with this layout. Question being "Is there enough variation in the tracks here?"
Click to expand...
i agree.

John Armstrong wrote an article describing 3 types of operators: an engineer who prefers intricate trackwork, dispatcher with lots of destinations, or spectator who enjoys watching trains on long continuous runs. Without knowing what your preference it's hard to know if my suggestions are appropriate.

with limited space, I think you should think smaller in order get more. By this I mean that you recognize that you won't be able to run larger locomotives, smaller trains which allows smaller radius curves.

I suggest you think about a folded dogbone to increase the length of the mainline -- two curves on top of one another or inside one another perhaps at different heights.

another suggestion is to add an additional siding. with small trains, it doesn't need to be long. This would increase the switching opportunities and allow more that one train, either to operate or to sit while another operates.

also consider team tracks and interchanges as destinations for cars requiring little space (no structure).

hopefully these thoughts will give you things to think about.
greg
 
Don't get hung up on the revers loops. They are really not necessary and will cause wiring issues. You are better off adding a nice yard and runaround track so you can switch the engine to the other end of the train.
On the top of the a layout near the farm you can make that shelf narrower also narrow up the benchwork near the hill. Will give a slightly longer main line.
Steve
 
I like the redesign better, nice job. I'd put the yard in the left lobe (seen this done many times) and use the lower space for staging or interchange.
 
Doughless said:
Why do you want to reverse the direction of the train? Everybody has their reasons, so tell us what benefit this will be to you.
Click to expand...

I am checking back for the first time in days. I came here for advice and got some good stuff from you experienced RRers. I appreciate the time taken to resketch it.

I have never operated a model layout which really puts me at a real disadvantage. I thought having a continuous run and one that can change directions would be of interest to visitors.

I am setting it in the central valley of California (where I was born). I am scratchbuilding actual buildings found in books. I want to represent agri-business, family farms and a small valley town. I know, I don't have a lot of space for that in HO. I have given a lot of thought to the modeling of buildings and very little to the actual reality of it as a finished operating layout that will remain of interest, so I am trying to catch up. I will study the plan above. Thanks!
 
choops said:
Don't get hung up on the revers loops. They are really not necessary and will cause wiring issues. You are better off adding a nice yard and runaround track so you can switch the engine to the other end of the train.
On the top of the a layout near the farm you can make that shelf narrower also narrow up the benchwork near the hill. Will give a slightly longer main line.
Steve
Click to expand...

Good stuff, Steve. I like your plan. Thanks a million!
 
Since you are leaning towards scratchbuilding structures you have seen, you might have more satisfaction with having plenty of room on the layout to show them off, and avoid cluttering the space with track.

You might also enjoy operating the layout more like a real railroad, rather than only watching trains circle the layout. Like taking cut of loads from the yard around to the far side of the layout, then swap them out with a cut of empties parked in front of one of your structures, then take the empties back to the yard. You can build this kind of out-and-back operation into any loop of track. The train just travels back and forth over the same stretch of track that's between the yard and the industry. Maybe even have another spur along the route somewhere to have the train stop and switch out a car or two occasionally. The continuous loop will always be there and can be used for other purposes.

A plan like Choops' could work for this type of operating thought, depending upon where you put the yard and the big industry.
 
Jaoquin said:
I am checking back for the first time in days. I came here for advice and got some good stuff from you experienced RRers. I appreciate the time taken to resketch it.

I have never operated a model layout which really puts me at a real disadvantage. I thought having a continuous run and one that can change directions would be of interest to visitors.

I am setting it in the central valley of California (where I was born). I am scratchbuilding actual buildings found in books. I want to represent agri-business, family farms and a small valley town. I know, I don't have a lot of space for that in HO. I have given a lot of thought to the modeling of buildings and very little to the actual reality of it as a finished operating layout that will remain of interest, so I am trying to catch up. I will study the plan above. Thanks!
Click to expand...

You say you don't know if there's enough room for what you want to do in HO. Do you already have your HO equipment? If not, I would really suggest N Scale. You can get so much more into an 11x11 room with more of that beautiful CA scenery.
 
N gauge with diesels would be your best bet.
Also, before you go on any further, Buy and read the pages off of "Track Planing for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong. This will be your best reference for track planning. "Operational reliability through standards" is the best chapter.
 
I actually think having those reverse loops in the middle would be a detriment. It would be more difficult to construct and eliminate the longer mainline runs by giving you a "shortcut" through the layout.

I'd go simple and allow the mainline to be as long as possible.
 
choops said:
layout-13.jpg

24" minimum radii atlas #6 turnouts
St
eve
Click to expand...

You might want to move that crossover on the left-hand side of the layout down closer to the stub-end yard. You could do that by using curved turnouts that blend in with the loop. That way you wouldn't have to move the cut of cars so far to get back on the main line. This is especially good if you are running passenger trains with truck-mounted couplers. They don't back so well. Looks like you'd have plenty of room for additional sidings, industries, etc. on the right return. As was said, you don't want more than about 24-inches to reach over, but that will depend on how high your layout is off the floor. I personally have a similar layout, but with the right-hand loop bent back toward the narrow shelf, leaving about 2-1/2 feet of aisle space. Of course, my layout is in a 14 x 13' 7" room, and the height varies between 32" above the floor to 36" on the left side. (Ruling grade on the right side is about 4 percent, which is fairly steep. Works okay for six-seven car passenger trains, using 72 ft. Athearn and Con-Cor cars, plus a few 85 footers mixed in. My ruling radius is 20-inches (Shinohara sectional track) with a minimum restrictive curve of 15-inches in some yard areas, where SW's and Geeps can handle the curves. Passenger trains stick to the main lines except in one spot where they can go around 18" radius.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top