Latest trackplan


D

Dougget

Member
Well, what do you think? 5x8 HO layout. Double loop with two main yards plus a couple of simple industry spurs. The turn table helps to fill in the void in the center. Other plans for the center include a main street type road. I would also like to try a water feature. Maybe a small river. Not sure yet. I'm taking this very slowly so that I can experiment with layout options and designs.

Doug
 
not bad for a small layout

elevation change
spur tracks
interchange
runaround
engine service
and 2 loops to keep one train busy wile switching
looks like you covered all the basics

nice job!

Trent
 
Looks pretty good!
As for a water feature, the upper left hand corner would be a great place for a trestle over a swamp / lake!
Your main street could go over an overpass to hide one of the exits into the divider. The other exit could be buried into some tall buildings.
 
From the drawing I'm assuming you have a divider. If so, then the larger side will have reach issues.

You have a lot of spurs, but I'm not seeing a lot of room for buildings, access roads, scenery, etc.

What part of the country are you envisioning? That will determine the road name and the industries.
 
Yes, that line cutting across at the 4' mark is misleading. I started with a 4x8 table and decided to add an extra foot (5x8). That line divides the 4x8 table and the 1x8 addition. There is not upright divider, but the 1x8 section is about 1.5" higher than the 4x8 table.

So, no reach issues. I do agree that it makes access roads and space for a town a little more challenging. I'm thinking about two main roads, maybe a Y or T layout. The rest would be more rustic dirt/gravel access roads.

I don't really have a road name in mind, or a time period for that matter. I going toward ATSF because most of my 'vintage' trains happen to be ATSF. However, my father in law just gave me a bunch of SantaFe stuff, and I picked up some Burlington box cars at a train show recently... Yeah, it's going to be a mutt. I'm having fun doing the build, and I'm in no hurry.

The lastest plan is version 11. It started as a simple 4x8 double oval. I'm sure it will change again before the glue gets opened :).

Thanks,
Doug
 
With a 5x8 table, you will have reach issues at some point since the average reach is only 33" and the center of the layout is further in than 33".

I'm not sure what that disconnected section of track is in the upper right corner. Mistake, maybe?

Is that turntable and roundhouse an absolute must for your layout? If not, you'd gain an awful lot of space for scenery and structures. I know that a turntable and roundhouse is really cool but it eats up a lot of real estate on a relatively small layout. I think I may have mentioned that before. :confused:
 
Doug, here's the deal. Most people when they think about designing a cool layout jump right to track. The put up track and worry about the rest later. But if you want a layout that brings it all together, you have to think about it from the other direction.

Your era and location determine the roadname.
It also determines the types of industries that would be found there.
The industries are limited by either your scratch-bashing skills or available models.
The available models have requirements on how the track serves them.

So you start with what you know and do some homework. You imagine the country-side and see the trains running through. Are they what kind of trains. You do a quick google search and find out what industries were in the area you were modeling, then you get out your Walther's and check who makes what buildings that will work. You see how the track fits and you bring the track to the building.

Now you have leeway with how you turn the building, etc. You can also move the building from one end of the layout to the other.

Be sure to allow for access roads, streets and parking.

Now you're ready to start your track-work.
 
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