My Maclau River in Nscale is an all time evolutive track plan.
The general design is always the same, a walk around track plan whith island, going point to point whith turnback at each ends whith staging; main is divided in two sections, one low, running along the Maclau River whith no big elevation, the second upper road going in the hills, both sections are " connected" in Port and visiting numerous towns and mines. The design allow a double main lenght on the same surface.
In fact a double deck railroad in one deck. The first plan I have made is a careful plan of the room, whith quiet exact mesurations, and the place of the benchwork (L girder) Whats is important to carefuly plan, is yard, siding and general design of a a town served by track. I make a lot of research, planning, thinking of all the possibilities, looking at the prototype, to plan all these elements because they are the key of a well operationnal layout. Most of the design of these elements are inspired by existing plan, google maps or even published track plan which suited my feelings. By example the track plan of this yard is a sligthly modified plan of a Santa Fe yard at Slaton, Texas, published in Mr some years ago, it offer a double yard in one and the original design was made to serve a main line and a branch line(to Lamesa) from the same yard. Both ladder are interconnected, a great design. The modified plan use the exit to Lamesa as a double yard lead and a siding to a Coal dumper, the space generated by the ladder is a big triangle, from his started point to the end of the ladder.This place is used to made a small engine terminal for the yard engines. The lead curve are long enough to move a complete train from one ladder ( 16 cars + 1 caboose) When I have a good plan, corrected or not, I check the proposal whole line and try to find the best place to fit it on the line and use it. These place are carefully, planned, and the track is lay in place, long before the main reach them. And the main? Well I don't care about it, I mean, main is just a connecting track from one elements to an other elements. It just follow the planified scenery (river, hills/tunnel) bridges, but for me is just a connecting track. I use the Yardstick method, a flexible piece of wood which give extremly flowing track design; I discovered this method on the www.aorailroad.com blog of Mister David Stewart, a wonderful O project. The yardstick method allow me to connect the elements whith a track which naturaly snake in the country. When elevation are needed, I lay the main and adjust the elements to the desired height, like a roadbed. I use this method in Nscale, many of the elements are lay on a specific support including some scenery and buildings, this allow me to more easily decorated these elements on the workbench. This design of planning had helped a lot to find mistakes and I beleive had made my track plan more accurate to the prototype.
In fact a double deck railroad in one deck.
The first plan I have made is a careful plan of the room, whith quiet exact mesurations, and the place of the benchwork (L girder)
Whats is important to carefuly plan, is yard, siding and general design of a a town served by track.
I make a lot of research, planning, thinking of all the possibilities, looking at the prototype, to plan all these elements because they are the key of a well operationnal layout.
Most of the design of these elements are inspired by existing plan, google maps or even published track plan which suited my feelings.
By example the track plan of this yard is a sligthly modified plan of a Santa Fe yard at Slaton, Texas, published in Mr some years ago, it offer a double yard in one and the original design was made to serve a main line and a branch line(to Lamesa) from the same yard. Both ladder are interconnected, a great design.
The modified plan use the exit to Lamesa as a double yard lead and a siding to a Coal dumper, the space generated by the ladder is a big triangle, from his started point to the end of the ladder.This place is used to made a small engine terminal for the yard engines. The lead curve are long enough to move a complete train from one ladder ( 16 cars + 1 caboose) When I have a good plan, corrected or not, I check the proposal whole line and try to find the best place to fit it on the line and use it. These place are carefully, planned, and the track is lay in place, long before the main reach them. And the main? Well I don't care about it, I mean, main is just a connecting track from one elements to an other elements. It just follow the planified scenery (river, hills/tunnel) bridges, but for me is just a connecting track. I use the Yardstick method, a flexible piece of wood which give extremly flowing track design; I discovered this method on the www.aorailroad.com blog of Mister David Stewart, a wonderful O project. The yardstick method allow me to connect the elements whith a track which naturaly snake in the country. When elevation are needed, I lay the main and adjust the elements to the desired height, like a roadbed. I use this method in Nscale, many of the elements are lay on a specific support including some scenery and buildings, this allow me to more easily decorated these elements on the workbench. This design of planning had helped a lot to find mistakes and I beleive had made my track plan more accurate to the prototype.
The modified plan use the exit to Lamesa as a double yard lead and a siding to a Coal dumper, the space generated by the ladder is a big triangle, from his started point to the end of the ladder.This place is used to made a small engine terminal for the yard engines.
The lead curve are long enough to move a complete train from one ladder ( 16 cars + 1 caboose)
When I have a good plan, corrected or not, I check the proposal whole line and try to find the best place to fit it on the line and use it.
These place are carefully, planned, and the track is lay in place, long before the main reach them.
And the main? Well I don't care about it, I mean, main is just a connecting track from one elements to an other elements.
It just follow the planified scenery (river, hills/tunnel) bridges, but for me is just a connecting track.
I use the Yardstick method, a flexible piece of wood which give extremly flowing track design; I discovered this method on the www.aorailroad.com blog of Mister David Stewart, a wonderful O project.
The yardstick method allow me to connect the elements whith a track which naturaly snake in the country.
When elevation are needed, I lay the main and adjust the elements to the desired height, like a roadbed.
I use this method in Nscale, many of the elements are lay on a specific support including some scenery and buildings, this allow me to more easily decorated these elements on the workbench.
This design of planning had helped a lot to find mistakes and I beleive had made my track plan more accurate to the prototype.