Putting Pencil to Paper, your advice please

[jacon12]

This is the first sketch of the room and this is what I think would be the best use of the space.. I have to keep that center area open as much as possible for another use..
http://www.pbase.com/jarrell/image/34166881
..
1. I'd like to have continuous running when that is my mood just to let the train run.
2. I'd like to model a logging area somewhere around A-1 or A-8 and I'd like for it to be elevated a few inches at least. Will that be possible?
3. Maybe a dock area at c-5?
4. do I have enough room to do sidings at K-8 and H-2 (those general areas)
Any ideas and help appreciated.

[cpcolin]

First of all I appauld you for using numbers and letters in your drawing. You must work in construction or a similar industry. I am going to assume your layout is HO. I think for siding lengths it depends how long your trains are. You might be able to put a siding at K-8 within a curve the same with H2. A dock area will work at C-5 or maybe a small idustrial district or a container yard. I'm not sure of a logging area though. Good luck.

[jacon12]

No Cpcolin, I was just looking at the drawing and wondered how I could point to a particular spot on it and thought of road maps with their letters and numbers. Yes it will be HO, sorry I left that out and since this is not a giant room, my trains won't be that long. I'll try to run trains to fit the space I have. I think a dock will work good at C-5 but I'm really going to have to think about the K-8 and H-2 areas. The logging area.. hmmmm... I'll work it in somehow.
Thanks for lookin'

[johncolley]

One thing I have found very helpful....do all your preliminary drawings at scale of 3/4"=1'
The reason for ease of measuring radii and offsets, 1/16"=1" on the drawing. Another is to make a drawing to that scale of the walls, showing doorways, windows, light switches, plugs and any other feature to know precisely such as stairs. Go to a local copier and have several copies made. Make trial drawings on the copies, never on the original. If something doesn't work, use an eraser and try something else! Enjoy the planning stage and get things firmed up before cutting wood or fastening roadbed and track!

[jacon12]

Thanks John, I've got to try the 3/4=1' method, that should make it big enough to easily see.

[jacon12]

I think I understand the math on this. If 3/4th inch = 1 foot then a 22' 6' wall would be a line16.875 inches long, right? If that's right all I have to do is figure out how long .875 inch is. It looks to me like a hair over 3/4ths..[:D]

[orsonroy]

Expand the turnaround blobs to at least 54", to give you more than a 22" radius reverse curve. You'll be able to run that "new loco" in one of your other photos, and will get better performance out of your trains.

Lengthen the center peninsula. At four feet, it's useless as a yard location. Each switch will take up at least 9", meaning you'll have yard tracks long enough for one 30' twin hopper.

Consider moving the yard to one of the long runs, and using the center peninsula for switching. Yards in the middle of a run make the whole layout seem smaller, and you'll be using the peninsula more efficiently with switching. Add your logginf line on one side of the peninsula, with a harbor on the other side. Seperate the two sides with a backdrop.

Adding passing sidings at the turnback blobs will work, IF you enlarge them. Right now, you've only got room for a 22" and 18" radius curve, which are really no good except for the smallest layouts. You've got room to go bigger, so why not?

[cuyama]

Congratulations on starting your planning.

An eight of an inch is .125, a sixteenth is .0625. But it's even easier when using 3/4" to 1 ft to use a ruler and just remember that every a foot is three-quarters of an inch on the drawing and every inch in real life is a 16th of an inch on the drawing.

If you can impinge on the center a bit more, it would be a good idea, as others have said, to widen the blobs at the ends of the horseshoe a bit to allow a broader radius.

Also, if you cannot lengthen that middle peninsula, it won't be useful for a yard, but you could put a nice large industry there.

The most important peice of advice, though, would be to use a set of templates for turnouts (track switches). It's very easy to be too optimistic and plan for more than would actually fit the space. If you have a Walthers HO catalog, they print pictures of their turnouts at 3/4" to 1 foot scale, so you could simply make copies fo the components you need and then lay them out on your drawing.

Even if you aren't planning to use walthers components, this woudl give you a decent first apporximation of what would fit. Or if you already have sample of whatever turnouts you are planning to use, you can reduce those on a copier to the proper scale, make lots of copies, and do the same thing.

Regards,

Byron

QUOTE: Originally posted by jacon12

I think I understand the math on this. If 3/4th inch = 1 foot then a 22' 6' wall would be a line16.875 inches long, right? If that's right all I have to do is figure out how long .875 inch is. It looks to me like a hair over 3/4ths..[:D]

[Anonymous]

One thing that would make scale drawings easier are architect scales. You can find them at Hobby Lobby or similar places. These are basically scale rules. You can then not worry about the coversion factors and just draw with them like you would if it were full size.

[johncolley]

jacon12 The answer is .875= 7/8" You can copy a conversion table at the library. Have fun learning! None of us was born knowing all this stuff! The more you get into this model railroading thing the more you will learn about carpentry, electrical wiring, painting, and rilroad operations. When you are able to take on bigger projects you will have the mental tools to do the research and accompli***hem! Go for it.. You never will know if you don't try. It's like learning to walk, you may stumble a few times and maybe fall on your butt, but you have to walk before you can run like the big guys.