Hi everyone,
I'm not so new to information about the hobby, but I'm new to starting out. What I want to model is the Ontario Northland in Timmins in HO. The distances are approximately 22km from East to West and about 25km from South to North.
I was wondering what size of layout you guys would usually use to create this. To remain in scale I'd need a TON of room.
I do have a full basement available though as I'm not using it right now.
The second question I have is what are you guys using as basic layout design software? I'm trying out XTrkCad but it's complicated to say the least. I'm looking for something that I might be able to import maps.
Thanks everyone!
Good question. You may have encountered, in your reading, the notion of "selective compression"? A mile in HO is 1/87th of 5280 feet, or about 60 feet. That, alone, puts a whole bunch of dual purpose basements out of the running...just a single 1.6km stretch of the Ontario Northland.
So, you pick and choose what you want to fit in the space you have, and "imagine the rest".
Some guys build hidden "staging" where trains are meant to park out of sight during the time it would take to get from one distance to another in the real world. So, it is in another room, on a second level right below the main scenery on your layout, or hidden behind trees or hills on the main surface.
True modellers find themselves having to pick a small area and doing what they can if they want it to be very much like the real thing in scale appearance. If you want every building, every fence post, all crossings, and so on, you will quickly take up a chunk of your available space...a huge chunk.
Does that answer you at all?
Yeah that answers a little bit. The main stuff that I wanted to be able to get into the layout are the Kidd Met Site and Mine Site, Hallnor Mine, Dome Mine, Schumacher Hydro Station, Feldman Timber Lumber Yard and the old Timmins Train Station.
I suppose it could be done without being too realistic. Naturally I wouldn't be able to be hardcore realistic as I don't really own a stadium! How sweet that would be though ;)
I'll see if I can figure something out to get a good representation of the key points from the city.
Thanks :)
If you have a basement at your disposal, you may be able to setup your benchwork in an 'E' type pattern where you can walk into the two open sections. If you can make the center part 24 inches wide and put a 'sky' divider down the center, you can increase your mainline run length. Just make sure that you have enough room to walk in. The rest of the benchwork can be 24 inches wide. Then you can plan the track arrangement and look at modeling a few specific prototype scenes.
Another way you could go is 24 inches wide around all four walls with your mainline going twice around. Then plan your scenes. Of course you will have to figure out some type of lift-out or lift-up section in front of any doors, etc.
Selective compression not only means shortening up the miles, but modeling things slightly smaller so they don't take up quite as much room, but keeping the doors, windows, and people in scale. Select one or two main buildings in a scene to focus on and 'imply' that more is there, just don't model it in detail. You can also use a forced perspective modeling technique, which is making things in the back smaller than the things in the front. Creating an illusion, which is what a model RR is anyway.
As for track planning programs, the Atlas RTS is as good as any to get started with, and maybe enough. Since it is free, you haven't lost anything if you don't like it. And it's fairly easy to learn and use. I am using it and it's just fine for planing a garage-size layout. I also think it is going to keep me from making too many mistakes with tight curves.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
They were still around in the 80s when I was a kid. The train basically went right through town to the Feldman Timber site on Feldman Rd.
This is the in town part of the layout. Taken from Garmin Topo Map
http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=timminshd6.jpg
Schumacher
http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=schumacherkp3.jpg
Dome Mine
http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=domeminemd9.jpg
South Porcupine to the Met Site
http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=southporctometsitesu7.jpg
Basically the only tracks that are still in existance go from the Met Site to the Schumacher Transfer station. That's just in case hydro needs to bring in equipment. The other set of tracks from the Met Site to the Mine Site for Kidd Creek are still there and in use too. Everything from Schumacher into Timmins is now gone.
EDIT: Can't get the pictures working properly so you'll have to cut/paste the links. Sorry.
You already have a good idea of what you want, but I would still suggest reading my Beginner's Guide located in my signature. While you are there look at my discussion of staging.
What is staging and why do I need it?
The other point I wanted to raise comes from Iain Rice's now out of print book, Mid-sized and Manageable Track Plans. Just because you have space, doesn't mean you should use it all. Building a successful layout is a function of balancing three key ingredients: available space, available time, and available money. If any of the three get short-changed in the development of your vision, your layout will suffer.
An alternative to building everything at once is to plan and build in phases. Take each small section and build it as if it was going to be a layout in it's own right. Then when that area is completed, expand into phase II. That way you always have something to enjoy while you are building.
This technique also gives you the flexibility to grow in the right direction with your interests. If you find after one phase you like a particular aspect of the hobby but don't like another, you can rethink the second phase to emphasize your likes and de-emphasize your dislikes.
Edit: Your pictures worked, you just had to click to the right of the image. I've seen that before with other's who used that hosting site.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
As far as layout software, I too found some of the ones out there very complicated. If you're looking for something to do track plans with out all the extra bells and whistles, like drawing in the scenery in 3D and running trains on it, try taking a look at a program called AnyRail. Their website is http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html I found it easy to use, click and drag and drop, and it fits my needs quite well. They offer a free download trial so you can see if it will work for you before you spend any money on it.