Hi, I'm brand new here and also new to the model railroading business. My uncle has his own layout in his garage and i have a few cars and engines but no layout of my own.(I'm 16). My parents said I could build my own layout design but i have no idea what to do with the space I have. The space I have to work with is roughly 10 by 4 feet. I'm open to any ideas, hope you guys can help me. Thanks.
layout design and construction help
- Thread starter Timo1094
- Start date
lydiashaven
New Member
Hi there
Hey I dont know much about design, however having known someone who did I cn share with you what he shared with me.
First of all he said that you may want to lay out a particular RR line, say from SF to NY then you would make it into a oval with the memorable places that fall in between. What he meant was that it would not be specifically a circle but more of an eight design.
If not a particular line then think of towns you will want to depict. Here is an example of what he meant. In this layout he had a lumberyard, a coal yard (the coal building loaded up the train cars with coal aka coffee grounds when he stopped the cars there. He had a farm town, a old town and a mountain town.
Notice how he had some switching track that would make his train go to a different area.
(do ignore some of the trains that are facing the wrong direction, they were just placed there because they were on the designers desk the day he passed away and someone in the family just put them there. I did not notice when I took the pictures.)
I have lots of pictures is you want more. Like I said I may not know much but I do know that the grandchildren who watched the trains could spend hours just daydreaming.
mrsgoyen
Hey I dont know much about design, however having known someone who did I cn share with you what he shared with me.
First of all he said that you may want to lay out a particular RR line, say from SF to NY then you would make it into a oval with the memorable places that fall in between. What he meant was that it would not be specifically a circle but more of an eight design.
If not a particular line then think of towns you will want to depict. Here is an example of what he meant. In this layout he had a lumberyard, a coal yard (the coal building loaded up the train cars with coal aka coffee grounds when he stopped the cars there. He had a farm town, a old town and a mountain town.
Notice how he had some switching track that would make his train go to a different area.
(do ignore some of the trains that are facing the wrong direction, they were just placed there because they were on the designers desk the day he passed away and someone in the family just put them there. I did not notice when I took the pictures.)
I have lots of pictures is you want more. Like I said I may not know much but I do know that the grandchildren who watched the trains could spend hours just daydreaming.
mrsgoyen
I would really like to model an old 1900's short line that ran where I live but I don't know how I could do that with the limited space I have. It would be the Everett & Monte Cristo railroad, It's a logging/mine/passenger short line but I couldn't find any useful records of where the tracks used to be.
lydiashaven
New Member
Well, look at this web site there is a pic of a spot on the railway that I think you could recreate using the techniques my dad used.
See in one of the circles there was a logging station and a coal filling station then the train would go under a bridge then into a tunnel.
http://www.abandonedrails.com/Everett_to_Monte_Cristo
See in one of the circles there was a logging station and a coal filling station then the train would go under a bridge then into a tunnel.
http://www.abandonedrails.com/Everett_to_Monte_Cristo
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
Are you married to the idea of running trains in a loop? what are your goals? would you rather railfan as your trains go by, or are you interested in operations?
you have alot of room, and you might have more fun if you got away from the oval, or maybe not.
you have alot of room, and you might have more fun if you got away from the oval, or maybe not.
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
I like that I have one run around line too.
I think your layout plan is fun, I just would like for you to maximize the amount of space you have and work within your budget as well. While also learning about the many aspect of the hobby...scenery, benchwork, electrical, track laying...
It is a great hobbym but can be discouraging if you get off on the wrong foot.
I think your layout plan is fun, I just would like for you to maximize the amount of space you have and work within your budget as well. While also learning about the many aspect of the hobby...scenery, benchwork, electrical, track laying...
It is a great hobbym but can be discouraging if you get off on the wrong foot.
airport1246
Station Agent
Might be worth getting some power loc track cheap, and playing around with designs. It would be a shame to build a layout you don't enjoy, and waste all that time and money. Many model railroaders start out with it, on their first layout. If you build the layout, and just don't attach the track, you can switch the power loc out with some flex when you get the money. Power loc is cheap, and some shows I've been to sell it as cheap as $1 a piece used.
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
now, I do have a few things that I think may cause trouble, but I am by no means an expert.
The 3 way switch track, all the track coming off it are very short, and one is curved. what do you have planned for that area? it might be a little difficult to get use out of those three tracks, when you can save money and drop it all together and have three industries on a longer straight single track being served.
In general, I would look at the length of your sidings track...they may be too short in some areas to do anything...and by droping a few turnouts, you could save $100.00
The 3 way switch track, all the track coming off it are very short, and one is curved. what do you have planned for that area? it might be a little difficult to get use out of those three tracks, when you can save money and drop it all together and have three industries on a longer straight single track being served.
In general, I would look at the length of your sidings track...they may be too short in some areas to do anything...and by droping a few turnouts, you could save $100.00
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
Ok, but just because you have it, you dont have to use it, right?
I thought the yard was in the top right...that would seem large enough for your loco's and rolling stock.
I thought the yard was in the top right...that would seem large enough for your loco's and rolling stock.
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
Have you looked at many other layouts? have you thought about shelf designs? or a folded dogbone?
Like i said, I like your layout, but I have a similar one, and I recognize its limitations...so I am really focusing on scenery, and learnign how to do that well...and I focused on my track work, so it would run well. But, I am also eagerly awaiting my next layout when I have more room, and I also wish I didnt do an oval. Mine is a center operating pit oval, 6'x10'...in that space I could have done more.
Just take your time, and dont rush into anything.
Like i said, I like your layout, but I have a similar one, and I recognize its limitations...so I am really focusing on scenery, and learnign how to do that well...and I focused on my track work, so it would run well. But, I am also eagerly awaiting my next layout when I have more room, and I also wish I didnt do an oval. Mine is a center operating pit oval, 6'x10'...in that space I could have done more.
Just take your time, and dont rush into anything.
N
North Coast Railroad
Guest
what radius are the turns?
A quick no frills google search quickly yielded these links (and several others):
http://wasteam.railfan.net/emcr/emcr.html
http://www.stumpranchonline.com/skagitjournal/Railroad/Everett-MonteCristoRRBook.html (this one mentions a book on the railroad, which you apparently can get used from Amazon in soft cover for $72: http://www.amazon.com/Everett-Monte-Cristo-Railway/dp/0964752182). Or check with your local library if they can get a copy for you as an inter-library loan.
As for a model railroad, I would recommend starting with first describing the room you want to have a layout in (there are several ways of fitting a layout into a room, and it is not a given that doing a 4x8 or 5x9 foot rectangular table is an optimal way of fitting a layout into a room). Show the location of doors, windows, other objects in the room, and describe other uses of the room the layout will have to coexist with.
Then describe what you want to be able to _do_ with the trains on your layout. How long trains do you want to run? What kind of cars and engines? What part of the line do you want to model?
Smile,
Stein
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