What is the minimum aisle width for being able to walk around and to have enough room so I don't bang into the table when I throw switches?
I would say that 22" is the absolute minimum. I have used 22" and it works, but this was a small bedroom layout and I was the only operator. If you want to have room for people to pass in the aisles, then I would recomend at least 36". Of course it all depends on the amount of space you have and the amount of comfort you are willing to sacrifice. I have seen several club layouts that use 24" ailes and they just put up with the crowded condition in order to fit more layout into a given space.
D&H,
Those who have done research say 22" min. for one operator and 28" min. for 2 people to pass. If you have the space the wider the better.
Ernie C
It depends in part on your size. To test it, put a cardboard box or something on your kitchen counter to bring it up to layout height. Then have someone hold a piece of lumber (2' x 6' or so) vertically about 24 inches behind you, and see how constricted you feel.
- Harry
I use 36" for basic aisle width, with 30" at a 'pinch' point. Our club has 48" for a minimum, but it also has two decks/levels. 22" should work if you just need to have access, but you will not be able to 'operate' from such confined aisles. Of course the 'size' of your body and how high are also going to [lay into this. An old layout I had had a 30" by 60' pit that I had to get into to switch a mine. That was in the late 60's when I was a teenager - I am not that flexible now!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
If your moderately over weight like I am, 24" minimum! I did 20" and I wish I had gone wider.
Aisleways are definitely not a, "One size fits all," proposition, because modelers come in too many sizes! Also, be aware that an individual's dimensions will change with time - usually to something bigger!
I'm built like a barrel, so for me 24" is a minimum aisle width. In order to maintain that, one piece of along-the-wall shelf that was originally drawn straight will have a gently-curving concave fascia when I install it. I couldn't narrow the end of the adjacent benchwork, and I won't compromise the aisle width.
The one place where people will interact with each other when I have visiting operators has an irregular 'blob' of floor space, the minimum width of which is 32 inches. A short side-step will increase that to 40 inches plus.
Interestingly, by designing the aisleways first, I found that the track schematic I was trying to implement just fell into place. Sometimes, you get lucky!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
An awful lot, my dear friend, will depend upon whether you weigh 150# or 350#; if you weigh 350# then a 22" aisle width ain't likely to feed the bulldog! John Armstrong said that an 18" aisle width would be acceptable as long as it was short; I weigh in at 160# with a 32" girth and I can tell you that I don't feel very comfortable at all squeezing through an 18" aisle I don't care how short it is!
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
Murphy's Railroad Law #1:
"The number of wide bodies visiting your railroad at the same time will be directly and inversely proportional to the narrowness of the aisles."
If I could do it again, I would keep it to 36" standard and 28" for short sections. I stuck to this for the most part but I have one section that squeezes to 22" and I hate it. In addition, this section has switching on both sides of the aisle.... not good.
Check out the Deming Sub by clicking on the pics:
In my younger (and thinner) days, I used 18 inches as a minimum for a non-operating aisle. Now I use 24 inches as a minimum regardless. I try to keep my aisles 30 inches or wider.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Also keep in mind that your visitors, or at the very least wife and kids, need to be able to comfortably access the aisles, so size them accordingly even if you're planning on being the only operator.
Narrow aisles are poor for maintenence and upgrade work also.
I'm lucky, I don't need an aisle for my 4x8!! When I move (hopefully next year) I will have 24" as an absolute minimum, and at leasy 36" wherever possible. My 38-40" waist ain't likely to get any smaller - and believe me I try!!
I have 34 inch aisles and I have under benchwork storage shelves. I am 65, and considered a large man. Being able to access this storage requires space to be able kneel down or bend over without hitting the benchwork.
Things to consider are your age, ability to move freely, your body size and how long this layout will be in use. As you get older your body changes and your ability to move around in limited areas decreases.
I'm 14 and I only weigh about 100 lbs but I might be running it with my brother at the same time, so I'll probably go with 24".
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Another unmentioned factor so far is that the narrower the asiles the more lilley damage to the surfaces of the railroad including buildings and equipment are likley to occur as people lean over to pass.
On an older layout that had severe space restrictions I ended up with one short (36" deep) aisle that was only 14" wide, now I'm 6'0 200+something pounds and if I inhaled deep enough before I ventured in I was OK, but I dont recommend it, it was too tight so when I rebuilt the layout I eliminated the aisleway. Today I wouldnt go any narrower than 20" for limited access aisles, if its a primary access aisle 24"
Have fun with your trains
I"m 6'1" and weight about 220 and I dont think that at my age I'm going to get any smaller, so my one aisle on the Yuba River Sub is 36" wide. That's also where the main controls are on the MR, so I have to be comfortable when I run trains. Since I'm a 'lone wolf', I don't have much in the way of company, but when someone does come over to see the layout, there's still room for two or three of us to fit in if we don't try and dance, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
My last layout had 2 aisles 24" and 30". The track was at 58". The layout felt claustrophobic even though I could get through it all right. My under construction layout at 50" high has 36" minimum aisles. That feels a lot better.
Enjoy
Paul
IRONROOSTER My last layout had 2 aisles 24" and 30". The track was at 58". The layout felt claustrophobic even though I could get through it all right. My under construction layout at 50" high has 36" minimum aisles. That feels a lot better. Enjoy Paul
I think the claustrophobia factor is a function of layout height as much as aisleway width. My entrance aisleway is 32" wide (passageway only.) With a towering fascia (60" track level) on one side, a solid wall on the other and a shelf on that wall that's slightly above my head (I clear the brackets by about 10mm) it's downright scary! OTOH, a narrower access aisleway with fascia levels of 42 and 45 inches feels like the wide open spaces.
One side of that narrow aisleway may get a second deck sometime in the future - maybe. I wonder what that will do to the claustrophobia factor.
Twice as wide as one thinks the minimum should be.
tomikawaTTIRONROOSTER My last layout had 2 aisles 24" and 30". The track was at 58". The layout felt claustrophobic even though I could get through it all right. My under construction layout at 50" high has 36" minimum aisles. That feels a lot better. Enjoy Paul I think the claustrophobia factor is a function of layout height as much as aisleway width. My entrance aisleway is 32" wide (passageway only.) With a towering fascia (60" track level) on one side, a solid wall on the other and a shelf on that wall that's slightly above my head (I clear the brackets by about 10mm) it's downright scary! OTOH, a narrower access aisleway with fascia levels of 42 and 45 inches feels like the wide open spaces. One side of that narrow aisleway may get a second deck sometime in the future - maybe. I wonder what that will do to the claustrophobia factor. Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I agree, that's why I listed the height. If I decide to do another layout at 58" I'll try to use 42" or wider aisles to avoid that closed in feeling.
Texas Zepher Twice as wide as one thinks the minimum should be.
I believe this also applies to staging yards.
My N-scale layout has a U-shaped aisle that is 30" wide and briefly pinches down to 24" to fit around a helix blob. In ideal circumstances (a lrger room), I would have established a minimum width of 36", although I have to say I was quite surprised at how roomy the 30" aisles are now that I have the benchwork in. Of course, my layout is designed for just one or two operators or maybe a visitor or two every now and then; it certainly could not support a full blown operating "crew." Jamie
CLICK HERE FOR THE CSX DIXIE LINE BLOG
You can get a sense of size by looking at doorways. A typical interior door is 30". If you have larger exterior doors they are probably 36".
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker You can get a sense of size by looking at doorways. A typical interior door is 30". If you have larger exterior doors they are probably 36". --Randy
An excellent point. Another is, are you measuring the distance between fascia lines, or the actual clearance? Card boxes, cupholders and such are like little mice, gnawing away at aisle width while you aren't watching them. Even a clip to hold a switch list can be a literal PITA if it's located at the narrowest point in an aisle that is used frequently.
As for a 13" aisle - at any height above 24" from the floor, I'd fit it like a champagne cork...
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with minimum 600mm aisle clearance)
My layout is J shaped. The short isle at the bottom of the J is 19". This works for me as my yard is on the (or will be) on the short leg of the J so I want to be close anyway. For larger people 19" would be tight. The remainder of the layout has a 35" isle which is real nice. The larger the better beacuse even though you don't need that extra width, it makes for some enjoyable viewing to stand further back from the layout to watch while the trains are running. The height of the layout would be a factor as well.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Good point - while there is the claustrophobic feeling with a tall layout, the higher it is, the narrow the aisles can be in some cases. If you have to bend over to look at the layout, there has to be room for your caboose. If you can see everything while standing upright - you don't take as much space.
But then - if you are making things that tight that you have to worry about exact fitting, you probably need to rethink things and make the aisles a lot wider. Unless you never have friends and family view your layout, it's not a custom fit suit.