http://s384.photobucket.com/albums/oo285/kmcr_photo/
Here are some pictures of my current layout. I am looking for ideas to expand it to an "L" shape to add a roundhouse and turn table. Some of you may remember my previous post from July (I don't want to start over). I am still at that point, but will consider any ideas,suggestions, or criticism that anyone would like to express.
The current layout is 5 x 9. Thanks to my wonderful wife for giving up her sewing room I now have the entire room of 11 x 11 available.
My era is the 40's to early 50's in the coal fields of WV.
I reliase my druthers out weight my givens so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your ideas.
MC
My advice would be to take your time and consider things. You haven't gone very far and starting over means re-laying track. All your buildings can be reused. Keep running your current layout and plan.
The thing is what you have doesn't have any purpose--or doesn't seem to. There is little room for scenery and no reason for shifting out cars. There is no sense of here to there. Adding to it is expanding a dead-end.
Obviously though, coal mines have a purpose. They ship coal to market. So what you need to do is create a mini version of those coal operations. There is an MR book on coal operations. I would start there. Also, an 11 x 11 space lends itself to a lot more efficient use of space than a 5 x 9 table. You might consider designing for the space rather than the table.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Space Mouse:
Thanks for the response.
I was too quick in wanting to get some trains running after being out of the hobby for a few years. My vision keeps changing so I guess I need to set back and determine what I really want.
An 11x11 room is a decent sized area -- try an around the walls type layout instead of an island -- 5x9. It will be easier to have a sense of distance and it is possible to double deck it which would give you even more run length. I get my inspiration from this website's track plan data base and from the internet. Check out some of the books out there for planning for operation; there are many good ideas in them. Most of all, take your time and plan it carefully. Show what your ideas are on the forum -- most people here will give you good feedback. Good luck!
Chuck
Modeling the Motor City
I would suggest finishing what you have built.. scenery and such. That will give you important experience that will help in your future endeavors.
While you are exploring that aspect of the hobby I would design something fresh for the 11x11. I know you don't want to start over.. but you are really hampering yourself by towing an anchor in the form of a 5x9 loop. Most things can be recycled from the current layout, even the wood.
11x11 gives you the chance to make something that operates like a real railroad. With the extra space you can reduce the track density, increase the minimum radius, and add staging. I agree with Chuck, I would investigate "around the walls.
Chris
Layouts can always be torn down and rebuilt, just need to get past the emotional first cut.
At one time I had a coal road planned from a walthers mine in the corner of the room on it's own track, see related coal mine threads previously posted in this forum by many people about building, switching and other uses for this mine.
I really wanted a harbor to ship the coal to because power plants were a tad over done. But did not have the room for the harbor. So I planned to use a rather wide river similar to the one in Charleston WVa that has one tug shoving one or two barges of coal. So that was planned in as well on the other side of the room.
The reason I did not follow through was at the time I felt building a seperate deck above the main deck was too ambitious a attempt for my first real layout. I needed to keep things simple and easy to move.
I did go around the walls with my road. sorta. I kept it a rectangle on three walls instead because spouse has defended her territory in the mount closet region on one wall. Sometimes even land barons like me casting eyes far and wide have to compromise with a Spouse willing to dig in and stay no matter how much the price. =)
I know of another layout in a similar space that does have coal mines to a harbor situation, that layout does it in 20 inches radius using three corners of the train room there.
If you do go through with the coal train situation, think about magnetic bearings inside your removable coal loads. That way you can gather up the 16 or so loads and drop em into the mine hoppers ready for the next ops session. I tend to leave my coal loads into place and use a colored dot to indicate empties.
Last Chance,
I am not sure what you mean by magnetic bearings. Do you need a magnet to remove the loads?
Hi, I feel your pain. My landlord (the wife) has the final sayso over any an all available layout space. .
I couldn't tell from the pictures but are you running DCC, straight DC, or DC cab control. I offer you two suggestions.
First think about whether you will operate the layout by yourself or will it tak a crew of 2,3 or more?
1. If you don't want to start over, DO NOT DO ANY SCENERY (yet). Keep what you have as far as the double track main-line etc. Take up every thing in the middle, put a 2 sided back drop longways down the middle of the 5x9. (or longways at an angle) you can even keep mountains on one end if you want. Put your industries and sidings between the mainline and the back drop. One side of the back drop couold be industrial, the other side could be rural, mountaneous, trees or more industries in a diffrent town. You could come off one end of the 5x9 with a 2 -3 foot wide area to make an L-shape for a coal mine, small yard or terminus.
if you do the following consider using 2' extruded foam single or stacked as a scenery base.
2. if you are open to starting over, buy and read David Popps book "A model Railroad from Start to Finish" before you do anything. I did not understand nor was I interested in operation until reading this. Although his model railroad is "N" scale the principles are the same. The modofied h design gives you a sense of different places and he makes good use of staging behind backdrops (meaning trains appear to come from somewhere "off" the layout. The trains go to a yard where the cars are re shuffled and sorted and go back out on other trains to industries in the different places. The trains come back to the yard where the cars are sorted into trains that appear to go somewhere off the layout (staging)
Like everyone else has said you can go around the walls +/- the peninsula, just leave your self 3 feet aisle way to walk in (everywhere you have to walk. if you do the peninsula)
Also if you do decide to start over you can use portions of your current setup to practice scenery, track ballasting/painting etc.. etc... etc
Please look through the MRR online track plan database. Your roomsize is about 121 sq feet. Search HO scale under that criteria and you will get a lot of ideas what you will have to work with. (leave the layout style blank so it will pull them all up. You may even find another tabletop plan you like better.
lastly, I believe you are modeling the C&O in like the 40's and 50's right? ok research the C&O during that time period. Very desirable results can be achieved from modeling not the entire system but rather a small portion of it(because in the words of David Nicastro "we are all limited by time and space and money, but there is a way to build a model railroad so that it satisfies you no matter what the limitations are on our money, our time or our space.") (his layout is 5x9..... 5x8 for the track area and the waterfront sticks out another foot))
Good luck, I hope this helps...... i want to see pictures of your finished layout out here one day ok.
Peace
Well I guess it's around the wall.. Now if someone can tell me how I can get all of this in that space I would appreciate it.
I would like to model the area from Winfield WV with the John Amos Power plant to the Hinton,WV train yard. I would aso like to have the city of Thurmond, Prince and maybe the addition of the Meadow River Lumber yard in Rainelle, WV.
As I said before my druthers out weigh my givens.
Any suggestions, other than your are full of s&^% would be greately appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
Peace,
Thanks for the comments. I never thought of that, just might give it a try.
I am using DCC. That's what got me back into the hobby after being absent for a number of years. I always wanted a way to control the trains and not the track. I made a mistake in attenting a train show here and I was hooked. I dug out all of my old stuff and made a quick visit to the LOH to see what new things were available. I was told to put it all back in boxes and start over. I wasn't a happy camper at that point but was hooked on the sound of the new engines and all the electronics. The big shock was the prices they are charging these days. My old books were $3 to $4 now they sell for $20. I won't go into the engines.Oh well it's only money.
I thought I owned every book about model railtroads but I have never heard of David Poops book. I will certainly look it up for reference. I have searched all the layouts on Model Railroad and ever ordered the new 102 Realistic Track Plans hoping to find something that would work. I wasn't impressed with the new book. It was just a reprint of articled they have ran in the past issues.
You are correct about the Era and road that I am modeling. I am from West Virginia and coal is my main interest. I have several books on the C & O and am a member of the C & O Historical Society. There monthly Magazine have a lot of useful information on C & O and the coal industry.
Thanks again for the help.
Yes I think there were magnetic balls that you would use a magnet to lift the load straight up out of the coal cars.
What kind of space do you have availible to you to run trains as in how large is your train room?
The room in 11' x 11'. Facing the room to the far right end I have a 32" door that opens into the room. This prevents an around the wall layout unless I have a duck under or lift out section.
I am currently considering a version of the Smoky Valley RR layout published in the February issue of MR. The door is on the left in this lay out but could be reversed. There are also several plans in the new MR book 102 Realistic Track Plans that may also work.
If anyone has any ideas or examples of layouts is that amount of space you suggestions would be greatly appreciated.