I would like to build the Wisconsin Central RR (#52) as shown in the 101 Track Plans Book by Linn Westcott, but need more information and detail, particularily regarding elevation and gradients, minimum radius and turnouts. Has anybody out there built this layout or would anyone have some additional plan details?
If you are planning this for HO, there may be better choices in 8X8 feet than this 50+ year old plan. With no yard, no staging, and only a few industry spurs, this plan may not have the potential for long-term enjoyment that other choices would.
The plans in 101 Track Plans aren't based on commercial turnouts, but this particular plan is relaxed enough that you can probably make them fit without much trouble.
What do you like about this plan? Is it for a 8X8 foot room, or will you have aisle space around an 8X8 benchwork space? What kind of railroading are you interested in?
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I am reconsidering the Wisconsin Central and am open to ideas. The layout is a 2' bench around the room perimeter, outside dimensions are 8'6" by 9'3", with a duck under to the center open area. I am modelling in HO and would like to accomodate a combination of yard work and long raod running between the yards. a folded loop with crossover would seem to be workable. This is my first attempt at a semi serious layout, so I think I need lots of planning details and not rely too heavily on creativity and imagination. Nothing in the MR Track Plans really jumped out at me.
DieselDude The layout is a 2' bench around the room perimeter, outside dimensions are 8'6" by 9'3", with a duck under to the center open area. I am modelling in HO and would like to accomodate a combination of yard work and long raod running between the yards. a folded loop with crossover would seem to be workable.
The layout is a 2' bench around the room perimeter, outside dimensions are 8'6" by 9'3", with a duck under to the center open area. I am modelling in HO and would like to accomodate a combination of yard work and long raod running between the yards. a folded loop with crossover would seem to be workable.
Since the plan from 101 Track Plans doesn't have a yard per se, it doesn't seem it would meet your criteria. In that space in HO it might be tricky to adequately incoporpate two visible yards -- a hidden staging yard might be more effective in giving the impression of going to and coming from "somewhere else". An example of this is Steve Flanigan's 8X8 HO Georgia Southern layout from the April 2001 Model Railroader. Subscribers can see the plan on-line at:http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=1444This plan is also #48 in Kalmbach's new book 102 Realistic Track Plans
The grades and curves are a little tighter than the plan you were looking at, but in the slightly larger space you have, you can probably ease those a bit. One way to ease the grades in the Georgia Southern plan would be to have the staging along one wall, hidden behind a low or removeable backdrop, rather than below the layout as drawn. Since you have a skoche more space, this would certainly be doable.
You may not find an exact match for your needs and space published anywhere, unfortunately, especially not with all the details on turnouts, grades, etc. It might also be possible to expand a 5X9 or similar layout that otherwise had the features you liked to an around-the-walls design. I get the imrpession that the benchwork is already built, but if not, a dogbone-style layout might also fit and eliminate the duck under to enter the central pit. Best of luck!