to the forums.
For your space, a 4 x 8 accessible 4 sides (32 square feet) would just about fill the space in your layout room if you want room enough to move around it freely. If you go 2 feet wide along the walls, you would have 44 square feet available along the two long walls, and any additional area across the short walls would be a bonus.
In addition to the greater area, you will be able to use wider curves (a 4 x 8 is limited to a maximum of 22 inch radius - iffy in HO for long-wheelbase steam, full-length passenger cars and hi-cube humonguboxes.) By incorporating one 'blob' you could have a 24 inch radius helix, opening the way to multiple-level operation totally impossible on a 4 x 8.
The only downside is that you would have to cross the door to permit a continuous run. The upside of that downside is that there have been many discussions about that in the forums over the years. Just entering, "Lift-out," "Lift-up," "Drop--down" or, "Gate" will give you a world of ideas ranging from very simple to extremely complex. (My personal choice, if the crossing track is or can be made straight, would be based on the KISS principle - a length of steel stud with the track laid inside rain gutter style.) Or, if you go to two levels, you could make the top level your continuous run and cross the door five feet off the floor. Even this arthritic old coot could duckwalk under it, and my wife wouldn't even have to bend her neck.
Even a simple loop with two passing sidings looks more realistic along the walls, because you can't see the half of the railroad that's behind you. That, alone, is priceless.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - mostly along the walls)
In your room you have 120.75sq feet of floor space and i'm planning a layout in 115.0sq feet of floor space. Here is my benchwork plan.
In a room of 115 square feet my benchwork yields me a layout of 68sq ft. with 47sq ft left for the aisles. While a 4ft x 8 ft would yield a layout of 32sq ft. leaving 83sq ft. of floor space. Using a modular construction I well gained 36sq ft of layout space.
If you need more information pleace feel free to ask or follow the links in my signature to see how I am planning to address this issue.
BTW I rent so my layout will be free standing.
Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
My Train Page My Photobucket Page My YouTube Channel
Bjj112 wrote:First of all I would like to say im new to this..Well kinda. I use to have a regular 4x8 when I was younger and was only aloud to play with it between Thanksgiving and New Years. I just now started getting back into it. I have this 11'5" x 10'5" room that I hope would be somewhat perfect for an ho scale layout. Its a storage room with 2 walls finished and the other 2 are cinder block walls. I was going to do a 4x8 but then I was thinking maybe like a shelf idea. I would like a little input if at all possible. Thank you
Depends upon how you feel about carpentry and bench work. The 4*8 is about as simple as it gets. Bring the plywood home from the lumber yard, set it on something to get it off the floor and you are ready to lay track.
The next step up is an around the walls layout. This will get you more track to run on, more layout area, and broader curves, in the same room, all good things, but the bench work is more complex. You need a few tools, saw, hammer, square, stuff like that, and it helps if you have made a few things from wood in the past. Only you can decide if you have the modest carpentry skills needed. Best bet for self evaluation, buy a book on "How to do Benchwork" at your local hobby shop. Kalmbach, the Model Railroader people, publish things like that. Buy the book, read it and look at the pictures. Then you will be able to say to your self "I can do that" or "Geeze, that looks awful tricky".
The other book well worth owning is "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong. Armstrong was the model railroader's model railroader. The book is good reading, and gives profound insights into what works and what doesn't.
Asuuming you decide you have the carpentry skills, I would go with around the walls. I am currently constructing my very own around the walls layout as I write this.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
If you are looking for ideas for a shelf layout, MR had an around the wall layout in a size similar to yours in the June 2007 issue called "Red Rock Northern". It has a number of good ideas in a small layout. It can be point to point or continuous. It has lots of opportunities for operation, a small yard, and two small hidden staging tracks. If you are a MR subsciber go the layout database and search on "Red Rock Northern".
I have a slightly larger room and am developing a expanded version of this plan to fit my space. I like the condensed yard and hidden connection for continuous operation.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
mikebo wrote: If you are looking for ideas for a shelf layout, MR had an around the wall layout in a size similar to yours in the June 2007 issue called "Red Rock Northern". It has a number of good ideas in a small layout. It can be point to point or continuous. It has lots of opportunities for operation, a small yard, and two small hidden staging tracks. If you are a MR subsciber go the layout database and search on "Red Rock Northern". I have a slightly larger room and am developing a expanded version of this plan to fit my space. I like the condensed yard and hidden connection for continuous operation.
Maybe some old SD35s for present day. For 80s+90s Sd35 or SD24. 70s, SD24s or SD9s.