Tentative layout plan


H

Hungariantom

New Member
Hey all. Attached is my tentative layout plan. I say "tentative" because I'm looking for opinions on what I have and what you think. No building has started and nothing is set in stone.

This will be HO scale (DC for now) and not based on any prototype. The area of the plan is 14x18. I am planning on running mostly steam with the option to run deisel so I'm setting it in the early 1950's. I have been working with SCARM (great program by the way) for the last few months trying to come up with something that I think will make me happy and incorporate as much of everything that I want. My "wants" are; continuous running, a yard, elevation change, preferably some water, a town, and industrial switching. One problem I am having with all the designs I've done (including this one) is actually visualizing it. The plan I have below has all my "wants" in it but I am a little afraid that it might be too much in such a small space (I know some would kill to have the room I have so I will use that word lightly).

Some details on the plan.

-I will have access to the south side of the layout and the inside, everything else will be up against a wall.
-Minimum radius is 18 on the inside loop, 22R on the outside loop - No plans to run big trains
-I realize the walkaround is tight in several places, I am a small, skinny guy so I'm hoping it won't be an issue
-I have a slight issue with how far I will have to back up the trains to get them back to the yard but I couldn't figure out a way around it
-Mountains and elevation change on the north side of layout
-Colors:
Blue=Town
Green=Passenger station complex
Orange=Brewery Complex
Rust=Industry
-The green track on the SE side is a plan for a trolley track to run through town to the passenger station and maybe extend the town and the trolley track back towards the yard
-With this plan I think I should be able to block off the yard, the outer loop and the inner loop so I am thinking I can have 3 trains running at once (2 continuous running on the two loops and one in the yard)

Constructive criticism is welcome. I'm not a technical train person so if something is way off base here please let me know.

I am probably 3-4 months away from actual start of construction of whatever it ends up being. My thoughts were, when I do start, is to build the bench work based on what I have here then start laying track while making any adjustments that are needed. As I said, nothing is set in stone and I look forward to your comments......Good or Bad.

Thanks for looking.


14x18 For Forum.jpg
 
any reason for the "s" curve on the left, behind the blue buildings? other than that, to each his own on the turnouts behind the buildings.
 
The only reasons for the s curve are to break up the monotony of the straights but also because an incline starts there and I didn't want to have it so close to the inner loop.

None of the buildings are set in stone and to tell you the truth I never really thought about the turnouts behind buildings. I
 
Welcome to the forums! 14x18 is a decent sized space. Any reason why you plan on using such tight radius curves? You should be able to fit a few more industries off of the yard lead. Do a google search on 'trackplans' or such. You'll get a vast number of designs for ideas. Let us know how things are going.
 
Thanks for the reply. Good point on the radius. While using the program it was easier to use sectional pieces of track then to use flex track because I wasn't really sure where things were going. I do have a good supply of flex. The only places with 18 radius curves are the south ends of the inside loop. I think by using flex track I should be able to increase the radius of those.
 
Hungariantom said:
-I have a slight issue with how far I will have to back up the trains to get them back to the yard but I couldn't figure out a way around it.
Click to expand...
This was my first observation. The solution is easy. Cut a track in the loop on the mainline on the isle side next to the orange buildings going off to the upper right. Somehow cross it through the orange buildings and connect it to the mainline on the back side. This will make a reverse loop back to the yard.
 
That's an ambitious plan.

Do you have the time, energy and $$$ to build it in an acceptable (to you) amount of time or is this a long-term/layout-of-a-lifetime plan? Have you broken the plan down into bite-sized chunks so you can get trains running relatively quickly? Maybe that doesn't matter and that's fine - your call.

Once it's built, will you have the time, energy and money to maintain it?

Some basics:
Can you reach all the areas without too much hassle or having to reach over scenery that could get damaged?
Can you deal with uncoupling and spotting cars behind buildings?

I admit I'm a minimalist because that's what I see in real life (aside from the yards around Chicago and Union Station, which could be multiyear projects by themselves), so I'm not a big fan of complex layouts. You might want to Google some of Lance Mindheim's plans if you want a different (more linear) perspective. However, this is a hobby and you need to do whatever makes YOU happy. Keep us posted with updates - always interesting to see what other people are doing.
 
A lot of it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to "operate' the layout like a real railroad or do you just like to watch trains run around the layout?

Observations:

It will be very hard to add scenery that looks realistic because there is so much track. There are 4 main tracks through every scene and they are all parallel to the wall and front of the benchwork. That screams "toy" when you look at it. Put some gentle curves in the tracks or make them at an angle to the wall for better scenic effect.

Basically it is two loops of track with no sidings on either loop (a siding in the prototype sense of a place to meet or pass trains). It looks like its designed to have a train orbiting the outer loop while a train on the inside loop can orbit and switch industries.

There is no connection to "turn" a train (a reverse loop) so once a train leaves the yard, the only way to get back to the yard is to shove back to the yard. Conversely if you want to operate a train counterclockwise around either loop it will have to shove out of the yard onto the outer main and then pull forward to orbit.

The yard has issues if you want to actually operate like a real railroad (no switching lead and no way to get cars from the left half of the yard to the right half of the yard without a long swing) but it does allow a runaround using the turntable so you can get engines on or off the trains and build a train in either direction (they just have to back in or out of the yard).

You might want to consider double track instead (vs. two loops), that gives you the same operating options, but since the tracks are together the net effect is to give you more scenic space.

Look at buying some books on track plans or searching for them on line to get some other ideas.
 
Iron Horseman - Thanks for the reply. A reverse loop is definetely an option that I've thought about and will continue to look at. It seems like a long way to back up a train as it is now.

Beachbum -
- I'll definetely take a look at Lance's plans. My plan (as of right now, subject to change at a moments notice) is for this to be a long term project. I have loved trains since I was 7 and got my first train for Christmas. I have bought things (buildings, trains, track, etc.) since I graduated from college without ever knowing if I would ever have the space, time, or money to actually have a layout. I have moved all of those things probably 8 times in the last 20 years. I finally have all of those things (well maybe not all the money or all of the time I would like). At the end of this month my family and I will be moving into a house that I really have no plans to ever move out of (unless God has other plans).
- I am in my mid 40's and have a house filled with estrogen (wife and 2 girls). At the new house I have an outbuilding, 14x24, that is climate controlled and will be my train room/man cave to escape the estrogen. With the amount of available time I have, I know this is going to be a long process and I'm okay with that. As I said in my introduction post, I think I will have as much fun building it as I do running the trains and I'm not the type that needs instant gratification or expects it.
- The only place I think I'll have an issue with reach is in the top corners which I addressed in a earlier version and may have to address again.

Dave - Thanks for the reply
Do you want to "operate' the layout like a real railroad or do you just like to watch trains run around the layout?
Click to expand...
I'm thinking I would like some of both. Part of the reason I liked this plan (which was about the 20th version) was because I liked that it gave me the option to have a train running continuosly around the outer loop while doing some industry switching on the inner or moving trains in the yard.
That screams "toy" when you look at it. Put some gentle curves in the tracks or make them at an angle to the wall for better scenic effect.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip and I will definetely incorporate that into the next version. I was worried that I had "too much" track. As I said, I am having somewhat of a hard time visualizing it laid out. I am at least a few months out of actually starting on anything so there will definetely be revisions. I will also look into running the two loops parallel (I assume that's what you mean by double track) to give me more scenic space. My plan was to build the benchwork based on this design and then lay out the track and see how it looked and make any adjustments at that time. Maybe that's not the best idea....I don't know.
I will also look into the yard issues and see if I can come up with some better options to make it more realistic to move trains.


Thanks for all of the replies. This is a learning process for me and I know that just because I like trains doesn't mean I know what I'm doing.
 
Ya way too much track and industries.

How about the entire right wing, clear out all the buildings and dedicate all of that to scenery. Start over with the track. Only one or Two mainlines rolling through scenery.

Maybe a Mountain in that return loop, hills, rivers, streams, bridges, etc.
 
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