Nice idea. Haven't laid much track so that is a definite possibility!
Railfan Andy Hey, thanks for those suggestions. I actually might figure on starting over with a country layout with an elevate loop, like you said, instead of a cityscape. Plus, who has the money to buy all those city buildings anyway?
Hey, thanks for those suggestions. I actually might figure on starting over with a country layout with an elevate loop, like you said, instead of a cityscape. Plus, who has the money to buy all those city buildings anyway?
Well cities often had multi-level trackage too, you could still do an urban layout but have one side of town higher than the other, perhaps separated by a river or lake??
I apologize that there are the two pictures of the old layout. I have no idea why that is? Also, sorry for having to copy and paste the link to photobucket. Could someone help me out?
Okay, now I have a U-Shaped Layout. Hope you all like it so far. :)
http://s703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/Trainchase93/?action=view¤t=001.jpg&newest=1
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Andy, I edited my reply above. Please read it again.
BTW: Very little would be accomplished by just moving stuff around (ask me how I know!). Seriously, find an assigned place to put the boxes away once you've combined the stuff from partially filled boxes. Otherwise, you can wind up with a cluttered layout room. With clutter you get more dust and insects. Add to that, misplaced items "disappear" more easily. (been there, done that)
My wife's cousin's has a very cluttered layout room himself. I'm helping him redesign his layout and have included plans for a mounted workbench that slides out from underneath the layout much like a computer keyboard table that slides out from a typical office computer desk. He has over 200 boxes, most of them are crammed under his layout. He's going make space in his garage for most of them.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I actually started to clean off the boards against the wall, and making a big yard with some industry tracks! Hopefully I will get some pics up soon. :)
Andy,
I agree with Stein. I wish I had a room that size!
I don't know your home life situation, but if you enjoy this hobby and see yourself in it years from now then it would be worth the effort to clean up and reorganize this room. I don't say this lightly, as I spent an entire week cleaning up and reorganizing my "train wreck" of an office at my job. Made my life so much easier afterwards.
Do you live with your parents or are you on your own? See if the majority of those boxes can be safely stored in an attic space. Books should go in a bedroom or living room book shelf or case. Take a minute or two, and hang up that beautiful clock.
Looking at your boxes,it's likely that a lot of them are half full. Combine similar items into them and then throw away the boxes that are left over. Don't think about it too much, just do it!
Not my intent to sound pushy, but I picture a nice layout with a lot of industrial switching opportunites and some lonnnnng trains running in that room!
Andy:
Since you seem to have a good sized "storage" room in which to place the table top, (Sorry if it is something else, but it looks like a storage room from that one photo) I think messing around with various trackplans in the flesh, arranging and rearranging track, rather than strictly designing something on paper first, will serve you well. If you' don't know exactly what you want, it will give you a chance to experience laying track and running trains, and change things up, before you commit to something more permanent.
Stein makes a good point (as usual). If you do a Martha Stewart room redesign first, you'll probably find more space available and don't have to be limited to the 4x8. Even connecting a 16" x 6' shelf along the far wall with the existing main loop will open up a lot more realistic operating schemes. I would think all of those smaller boxes and such would store well under or over your benchwork.
Doug
- Douglas
Here is another idea of what I tried, but failed, building; or at least something like it :)
http://www.gatewaynmra.org/mhslayout/mhs-aerial.jpg
Sorry if the picture doesn't show, I guess you'll have to paste the URL.
Andy
Only thing I would suggest is going up to 22" radius rather than what appears to be 15-18" radius. A small difference but it might make it easier to add 18"R curves inside of the "mainline". You could have a track leading to an 18" radius elevated reverse loop, serving industries inside the loop. That way the layout wouldn't be flat. I would try to use no.5 turnouts or larger.
You can bend one or more "straightaways" in gentle cosmetic curves to help break up the "classic oval".
Railfan Andy Here are three different pictures of the layout. As you can see, I am cramped for space. :D
Here are three different pictures of the layout. As you can see, I am cramped for space. :D
Wow - you looks like you have room for a pretty nice sized layout there - you seemingly could fit in a figure E layout, with the layout going down one side wall, out on the central 4 foot peninsula in the middle of the room, down the other side of the peninsula and up the last wall. Maybe even with an around the wall thing with a liftout or a gate or something across the wall behind the the photographer.
Only needs a few more storage shelves on the wall, about 16" higher than the surface you now have overfilled with boxes, to get all that junk down off the perfectly sized tables or shelves you have along those walls, so you can use those for layout, and a little vertical separator down that long 4xwhatever peninsula you have there in the middle of the room.
I almost envy you all that room - my layout room is a basement room that is just 6 1/2 x 11 1/2 foot, with a 1 x 2 foot chimey base in one corne
Smile, Stein
Railfan AndyHere are three different pictures of the layout. As you can see, I am cramped for space. :D
fixed them for you. you need to add after the url.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/Trainchase93/001.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/Trainchase93/002.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/Trainchase93/003.jpg
Well, I used the MR Beer Line as something to work from. I downsized it quite a bit, though. I hope to post a picture soon of it.
Railfan Andy Hey, thanks for the info. It just happened that I started laying track last night, and found a track plan that I really like. And btw, I'm using HO.
Hey, thanks for the info. It just happened that I started laying track last night, and found a track plan that I really like. And btw, I'm using HO.
Good for you that you have started laying track. Just curious - what track plan did you decide upon in the end ?
Smile,Stein
Railfan Andy Hello. I have searched through the MR track plan database and did't find anything. I am looking for a track plan for a 4x8 table, that is a city/urban industrial setting. I know it will be hard to fit all this on a 4x8, but does anyone have any suggestions?
Hello. I have searched through the MR track plan database and did't find anything. I am looking for a track plan for a 4x8 table, that is a city/urban industrial setting. I know it will be hard to fit all this on a 4x8, but does anyone have any suggestions?
Yeah - don't limit yourself to exactly 4x8 if you want a city/urban industrial layout.
First figure out what you are looking for - switching in urban surroundings ? Then consider a point to point style layout, with the modelled scene flanked by staging tracks on one or both sides of the modelled scene, so trains come from "somewhere else", do their thing, and depart for "somewhere else".
Quick search in the MR database for H0 layouts with size < 100 square feet that look somewhat urban/industrial:
We have also recently had quite a discussion about small (as in less than 2x11 feet) urban shelf layouts .
That thread contains quite a few track plans: http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/153668/1705715.aspx
Thank you guys. I guess I didn't hard enough :D Tell you what, I'll start looking harder. Thanks again.
Mark has a point. MRT's project layout this year was the Milwaukee Beer Line, which was modular and could be rearranged from jsut its tabletop configuration to other designs. So you mgiht could do a 4x8 layout like that.
There must be a zillion plans of 4by8 layouts in existence, many with city/urban industrial settings. You need to look more thoroughly.
Unless you have an absolute lack of confidence in your actual/potential wood-working skills, why have you decided on using an arbitrary layout size of 4by8? You need access to at least both longer sides and one shorter side, so a 4by8 layout uses space inefficiently. You will need at least an 8by10 space to operate/build/maintain it.
Mark
-Andy