I am currently building benchwork, layout design ongoing.
Freelancing; Great Lakes & Southern.
HO, some N for "forced perspective".
Era; vague, (freelancer) Mallets to 80's diesels. Not running together of course.
Car stock age appropriate to operating session.
Dimensions; 18' x 20', benchwork 24 to 30" wide. Considering a shelf above main
layout 12 to 14" wide.
DCC, (my wife is a industrial electrician - instrumentation specialist) I have alot of
work for her!
We are documenting the process for a possible future article. I would like to here
any new ideas you have, we may give them a try.
Wm Hime
so you're doing something like each op. session will be in a different era? I like it! Post pictures and more details when you can it sounds like a good start. Got any backround story? Why's the railroad there? what industries are it's main customers?
thanks
Background: Jay Gould strikes again ! Realizing the Wabash, which crosses from East to West without handoff delays, was a good idea, why not repeat this with East and South? The major railroads would not cooperate, of course, so many arrangements are less than ideal, but still workable. The line runs from minor Great Lakes ports (Sandusky OH, Michigan City IN) past - not in - the major industrial centers (Columbus OH, Indianapolis IN) and thence to some small pair of cities across the Ohio River (not Cincinnati or Louisville), then across Kentucky to Nashville TN or Knoxville TN. Perhaps as far south as Huntsville AL. The railroad makes its living as a freight forwarder and by filling interchange tracks. Now, what do you want for scenery - hills and mountains (OH to Knoxville), or flatland and hills (IN to Huntsville)?
If you have 24" deep viewing scenes, you will not need the N scale trains. You could still lay the track if you want...
Pick an era or you will impulse-buy a lot of cars that just look 'wrong' together. You can use any 10-year-long period you want and things will look OK together. Some posters have talked about multi-era layouts; they break down over changing the signs, gas stations, cars on road, &c. Given the 'history' above, the GLS cannot function until the Southern railroads converted out of 5' gauge, about 1890 (IIRC). You can use anything you like after 1900.
What will the small upper shelf do? How does the train get to it?
Sounds like you've got some great ideas there. I like the idea of not limiting the layout to one specific era - there's just too much good stuff out there now.
P.S. Will you please send your wife over to my place when she's done with your electrical work.