Challenger,
If you want your layout to look and operate like a real railroad, I suggest you study (1) how real railroads work so you can discern the merits of your own and others' track designs, (2) study plans of the better track planners, and (3) review track planning primers such as that provided by LDSIG. If you just want a place to see your trains run, revise your plan using using templates to assure what you draw can be constructed. Or do what many of us have done and build a published plan and learn from the experience. Your second, third, fourth and so on layouts should improve over the decades.
Mark
4-6-6-4 Challenger wrote:I am working with 12ft x 8ft in HO scale. Here is a scaled down model of what I want to with my layout what do you think?Each square represents 3"The radius on the curves are some were around 28 I believe there is no grade and I dont have any landscape put into it yet.If you have anymore questions just ask. Also give me some feed back on what you think.Thanks
I am working with 12ft x 8ft in HO scale.
Here is a scaled down model of what I want to with my layout what do you think?
Each square represents 3"
The radius on the curves are some were around 28 I believe there is no grade and I dont have any landscape put into it yet.
If you have anymore questions just ask. Also give me some feed back on what you think.
Thanks
Hi Kyle --
You say you have 12x8 feet available for your layout. Yet the plan you drew presupposes that there is space in the room for you to get to both ends of the 4 foot across yard area - ie it presupposes an available space of at least 12x10 feet, maybe 14x10 feet or 15x10 feet - if you need a 2-3 foot wide corridor on the right or left of the layout to get up to a 2 foot corridor north of the layout, instead of crawling on the floor under 4 feet of layout to a 2 foot corridor at the upper end.
Also, as several people have pointed out, your turnouts look are unrealistically sharp - a real no 4 turnout needs to move forward 4 squares to be able to get one square to the side - ie a crossover from one track to another 2 " away (2/3rds of a square) will take a 2/3rds of 4 squres of length - ie 2/3rds of 4 x 3" = 2/3rds of 12", or about 8" of length.Just a tad under 3 squares of length. For each crossover between two tracks that are 2" (less than one square) apart.
Have a look at this drawing to see where you were way too optimistic about how many turnouts and crossovers you could fit into your yard and still have room for cars:
As you can see from the drawing about - the room shape and size is just as important as the space set aside for the layout - since it affects stuff like where you can get at the layout from, how much space you must set aside for walkways/"corridors" etc.
Anyways,it is time for you to clarify what the room looks like, not just the space you (or your parents) have decided that you can use for a layout.
If you want planning help, please post a drawing of the room. Try to draw in a scale along the axis of your drawing somewhere - it is tiresome to count out tiny little squares to see how big a foot is in your layout.
Have you decided on what you want to model yet ? You still seem undecided about what you want to model.
You seem to be in love with big steam, specifically 4-6-6-4 Challengers.
When you close your eyes and try to picture your dream layout - what are you seeing in your mind ?
Or is your main fascination with railfanning - being able to lean back and watch a Challenger pull a long(ish) string of freight cars past your vantage point ? If so - do you have any specific scene or location in mind ? Hills or flatlands ? Town or rural ?
Or do you want to mainly model local switching and classification somewhere, and only then hook up a Challenger to pull the outbound freight train directly off the layout into staging (representing the rest of the world) ?
Or something else altogether ?
Your main problem is not track planning. You are not really ready for track planning yet.
You need to first take the time (and effort) to decide upon and spell out clearly:
If you don't know where you want to end up, it is pretty hard to decide how to get there.
If you don't clearly spell out all your givens and druthers, is is hard to see what factors can be traded off to make room for other stuff that is more important to you.
Good luck in coming up with a vision, a clear list of givens and a list of druthers. When you get there, post this information in a clear format, and ask people for help in trying to come up with a track plan that supports your vision, stays within your givens and tries to fit in a reasonable number of your druthers.
Smile, Stein
As you have it laid out, you can't really build that yard. The turnouts on the right appear to be #2's and the geometry appears wrong for them to be slip switches and too close together for back to back turnouts. The ladder on the left appears to be at too steep an angle as well. Your yard tracks appear to be on 4 1/2 to 6 inch centers whereas for HO 2" is normal.
I would strongly suggest you get a copy of John Armstrong's book Track Planning for Realistic Operation. This is an excellent book that gives you detailed help on determining what will fit into a given space as well as the whole design process.
You could also get some turnouts and track and lay out some yards just to see how it all goes togther.
Good luck
Paul
The part above the blue line is going to be a steam service area. And the area below is going to be a yard. I am going to add some buildings but it is just going to be a yard full of box cars and reefers. After I got to looking at it I would have to re-do the yard entrence and exit plan.
What are some good ideas that I could do then with that space?
Q: What is the purpose of all those crossovers inside the yard tracks? I've never seen such a configuration.
Q: What is the goal of the layout? Looks like something that one would build to park trains in the yard, take a train or two out to run loops, park one, and take another out.
Comments:
Basically a simple loop with a yard (4x8 blown up). Lots of straight track parallel to the edges of the board. I believe you could do much better in the space available.
I don't believe it is possible to construct the yard lead the way it is drawn on the left hand side.
The entrance to the yard on the right would require many curved turnouts. Is this what you really want?
I would really add some industries. Even if you don't like switching it would give the feel of being a railroad with some place to generate traffic. You could just put the cars there for the effect.
Take a look at this one. Maybe you could modify it to suit your needs. This is what I'm doing. (NOT my design. Someone else on the forum did this. Don't remember who??)