Layout Planning help/ideas wanted.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to those who read and/or responded to this one the first time. I decided that the original title my post might put people off. New title, new answers, I hope.


I have just moved into a new (old) home and must dismantle my old N-scale layout. Although I have plenty of ideas as to what to do with the new space, it is very different from spaces I have used before so I'm interested in suggestions from others.

In general, the space is a capital L rotated 180 degrees.

The boundaries of the 'world' are as follows:

West to East, there is a 6' wide, floor to ceiling window.
West to East, there is a 12" wall, 70" high to the ceiling (sloping roof)
turning 90 degrees North
South to North there is a wall 12' 3" long, 70" high at the South end, 84" high at the North end.
Continuing North there is a door, with trim 36" wide. This leads to a little used storage room but will require some sort of removable 'bridge'.
Continuing North there is a wall 8' 3" long, 84" high for 4' at the South end, 45" high at the North end.
turning 90 degrees West
East to West there is a wall 7' 11" long, 45" high.
turning 90 degrees South
North to South there is a wall 3' 11" long, 45" high at the North end, about 84" high at the South end.

This describes the 'hard' boundaries.

To the West of the long leg is a 5' wide landing/passage with stairs open below on its West edge.
To the South of the short leg is a 40" wide landing/passage with stairs open below on its South edge. (the walls form a 4 x 8 alcove with a sloping roof, al mine!)

Subject to negotiations with the 'Department of State', the window on the South wall cannot be 'significantly' blocked and a passage of about 36" to 40" must be left beside the stairs to allow for the passage of large pieces of furniture.

I model Santa Fe in N scale in the late 50's, early 60's with diesel power, I like passenger trains, I want no duckunders into the '4 x 8' area, I want some sort of continuous run, I prefer way freight and passenger switching operation to main line running.

I don't want to hand lay track.

The layout will be constructed in segments in a toolshed and the completed components will be dropped in place. NO CONSTRUCTION on site.

I have just about every track planning book published in the last 30 years.
I have plenty of CAD/Track planning software and know how to use it.

Forget two decks or helixes. The layout will be mounted on shelf brackets as a continuous shelf in a book case, so I have 4" - 6" of thickness for the layout and about 12" of backdrop height available.

What I really need is some 'schematic' ideas. Should I try a branch, and out and back, a continuous run? What should I do with the long 'panhandle'?

Many people out there must have had a similar space at the top of the stairs to deal with before. For the rest of you waht would you do with the space?

Others must have faced this sort of space at the top of the stairs

[Anonymous]

JohnPalmer,

You specified no construction on site. Maybe looking into "Modules" that inter connect will assist you. Or possibly build your world on a series of rectangles such as 2x4 feet at a time.

The long panhandle could be a dock, a harbor, or a staging yard possibly a logging or mining branch with a switch back to get to top.

Schematic Ideas depends on what you want to do with your trains. If you like operation perhaps starting at the engine house then to the small town or yard to build a train then taking empties to each online industry and swapping for loads coming back to the yard.

At the yard you can go ahead and make up a train of those loads and ship it to a interchange track (To a connecting railroad.) MR recently had issue about I/C's If you had a yard on the "other side" of your world you can send the through frieght there and switch those industries etc.

You may want to build a way to run a train contiually. Sometimes visitors come and want to see a train run while you quietly make up trains in the yard several tains later they may begin to ask you questions about all those side tracks. Ergo time to operate.

If you dont want to handlay track, there are plenty of options for ready made track. You probably will need to lay a subroadbed such as cork etc to cut down on sound. Ballast of grey will show yard tracks and sidings while off-white colored ballast will indicate a main track.

Sounds like you can have a place to make and break way frieghts (Also through trains) and send them to each town on your road. Possibly a lap for each town will assist you in feeling of distance. Then an equal number of labs on return to the yard from the last town switched.

Try for trains of 14 cars more or less. You dont always need to run just 14 cars. Sometimes you like to place a brawny engine and tie it down with many cars or a few trains will be shorter such as a shay with 4 log cars up a switch back.

That is my ideas for you. There are many ways to build a road, and you have a good start already. Have fun and let us know how it goes.

Lee

[Anonymous]

Take a look at my post in this thread:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7602

Lots of links to modular information. If you can't build on-site, modular is probably your best choice. You could build things to permanently install, but if you make it modular, you can also take it with you when you move, or if you join a modular club...

Sounds like the long "panhandle" is crying out to be a branch line, given your preference for way freight and passenger switching. Lots of Less-than-car-load still around in the 50s, and even small businesses shipped by rail instead of truck.

Can the panhandle be a branch line off a loop to loop or point to point single main? Let us know what you decide...!

(A picture of the space would be great...)

Andrew