Starting an N-Scale layout...suggestions wanted

[Burning Metal]

Hello all, new member here. I'm getting ready in the next couple of weeks to start on an N-scale layout. I had an HO scale layout when I was younger (I'm 44 now) but I decided on N-scale because I live in an Apartment and probably will for the rest of my life.
As for the layout I plan on....
I have a whole wall I can use in the living room, I plan on my layout being about 10 ft long by about 30 - 36 inches wide...I will have to reach across it so I need a width that I can cross fairly easily. I could pull it out from the wall while working on it and then slide it back against the wall so I might put some kind of wheels on the legs of my benchwork to make that easier. I plan on building it in two sections each 5 ft long so I can take it apart to move it if need be.
First off, what radius curves should I use? I will be modeling the modern era with 6 axle locomotives and long railcars plus passenger trains. Also, what might a good maximum grade be? I plan on building a twisted dogbone style ( I think that's the correct term) where the two endloops will be situated stacked on top of each other. Basically it'll be a single track up until the part where the two tracks come together and then double track mainline.
The must haves for me on this layout are...a fairly big passenger station, a port scene, an oil refinery and an auto import type deal with an automobile carrying ship and a container terminal with a container ship. I know that you can buy a commercial kit for a container ship but I'll probably have to scratch build an roll on/roll off ship for the autos. I like modeling CSX/Norfolk Southern and Amtrak. You can see I'll be running long railcars such as container cars and also automobile racks plus lots of tank cars and modern era passenger cars. I'd like to be able to run about 3 or 4 trains at one time...at least one passenger, one freight and a switcher.
I had thought about a bridge across the shipping channel but it would have to be really high for those ships to clear it...maybe a drawbridge? I had also thought maybe a tunnel for the trains passing under the shipping channel...that would probably be the easiest and would also be pretty cool...I don't think I've ever seen a rail tunnel going under a river before on a layout. I'm sure it's been done but I've never seen it.
I also plan on using DCC...I need to buy everything pretty much so I figured I'd start it out the right way instead of deciding later to switch it over.
Anyway, that's the plan for now, any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated...

 

[stlgevo51]

17'' radius or greater. With long autoracks and such, you'll be better off. My munimum radius is 20'' on the main with 16'' for spurs. I'm planning on using foam risers from woodland scenics (cut in half from 2 percent to 1 percent) for my grades. I don't want anything too steep on my layout, but you might be able to go a little steeper.

 

[larski2]

Hello burning metal, I am new here also and building a pike for myself in n scale. I picked out a plan from 101 model railroads you can build and stretched it to fit my area and preferences. Double track main line was a must with a yard and also branchline so I picked number 65 from the book. One thing I can say is don't overwhelm yourself with to much at the beginning. O by the way I have 17 and 18 inch curves or better. All my passenger cars work well. max grade is 2%

 

[pcarrell]

A 17"r curve would probably be your minimum on the mains. Larger would be better. Your maximum grade will be about 2%, which means a tunnel is probably out. The approach tracks would have to be very long......longer then your whole layout. And yes, the prototype has gone under rivers before, lots of times. They even go under the English Cannel! For you, a drawbridge sounds like the way to go. Besides, they make great models and they can add operational complexities with scheduling.

As to your proposed businesses, the oil refinery alone could easily fill that whole layout space. Normally oil refineries are kind of set aside from other businesses in case something bad happens. That doesn't mean it can't be done though.

I'd look at putting the refinery on one end of the layout, and I'd actually model very little of it. I'd suggest most of the actual plant and the tank farm on the backdrop. I'd just model the necessary rail facilities up front, and thats it. You could even cut the tracks a bit short and have them end at a mirror on the backdrop to make them look longer.

Next to the refinery I might go with the container operation and the auto operation. Again, due to space limitations I'd only model the rails close to the water areas. I'd suggest the rest on the backdrop. These operations would occupy the middle section of the layout, with maybe the drawbridge as the centerpiece, splitting the two.

On the far other side you could do the passenger station. The parking lots and such would be on the backdrop, and the rail side would obviously be the focus here as well. A city scene on the backdrop behind it would complete the look.

Your space is workable, but you're going to have to plan carefully as you have no room for waste. It'll be a little tight, but with good planning it ought to be believable.

As to loco's, I'd lean on a few really good small switchers to do the bulk of the work on the layout. Through trains could be your larger loco's. This might allow your curve radii on the sidings dockside to be a bit tighter.....maybe 15"r, though you'd have to look at the cars and see if thats acceptable.

Oh, and DCC.....I think it's even MORE important on a small layout. Thats because if you were to do it DC, your blocks would have to be smaller and you'd be throwing switches constantly just to keep trains moving. With DCC, you drive trains, not switches!

Just my thoughts............