Howdy hope all you guys have found my new thread here. If you have, great. If not you would not be reading this! Anyway here's the scoop, my latest track plan is a sectional 20x4 (I have a 16x40 storage shed that can be used for this) that can be packed up and taken to club events and such. The mainline runs level around the entire layout, on one side is Cascade where the CNRR Mining-Logging Branch spurs off the main line, it then begins to climb around the middle to the other side there the mine spur is the branch continues around back to the other side to the logging camp. The track plan will be posted this afternoon if I get around to it.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Sounds like you have a plan, but one point sticks out to me. If your layout is 4' wide, 22" is the maximum radius you can use. Granted a logging branch with short locos or logging locos can probably negotiate 15" curves, but you wouldn't have much separation between the two.
If you could make your modules 5' wide it would give you space and a maximum reach in of 30". If you had each module 5'x4' (joining on the 5' sides) your layout would be wider and still have manageable size modules to move.
Just a thought.
Good luck,
Richard
EUREKA!!! The layout is 8x20 split level. the first level is 2 feet deep 8x20, the second level is 4x16 allowing plenty of space! It breaks up into 20 2x4 sections.
I can operate the middle or the outside or both.
cascadenorthernrr EUREKA!!! The layout is 8x20 split level. the first level is 2 feet deep 8x20, the second level is 4x16 allowing plenty of space! It breaks up into 20 2x4 sections.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
It's only 4ft wide when you put it all together I would build the center separate from the outside so it would only be 2ft reach and on top of that the second levels mainline runs around the edge the middle is going to be mostly mountain scenery. And far as derailments during ops I could use the Micro-Mark Topside Creeper Step Ladder Support System to reach the interior.
I should explain slowly the second level is a 4x16 table featuring the mine and logging camp then the first level is basically a 2ft wide shelf that sits about a foot lower than the middle all the way around.
Picture a long rectangular two level wedding cake.
Also I must point out that I happen to be over 6ft tall.
Steven: You have received a mountain of advice from readers of both your threads, which I believe shows the desire of those readers to help you in any way they can. I won't muddy the waters of their fine advice other than to say this: "Do it". Build the SIW or the cascade logging road or whatever you choose. But get started. You will learn more from the experience of building a layout than you will ever get from reading about building a layout. We all wish you good luck and smooth rails.
Old Fat Robert
As a member of a club that has an 11x140 sectional layout - none of our sections is over 3' wide and most are less. There are even grades - there's a lower level cutoff through an engine terminal which enters the main from a lower level in two places to accurately represent the actual track in the prototype location.
The other problem with wider sections, besides the reach in, are when it comes to transporting them. Both in trailer/car space AND getting them through doors. The wider sections are the corners and are shorter than most. Even the two big yards are more liek 30" wide, only the end of the coal yard extends wider in order to have a place for the huge breaker structure.
Or like this, this is my last layout in a 10x17 room.
The top part with the small yard and staginging hidden behind (removable backdrop) was 2' wide. The part at the bottom, the benchwork was only 1' wide. The penninsula with the cement plant (which never got finished) would have been 2' wide. I built it all as 2x8 sections but put the track and roadbed across the gaps continuously, I cut it all with a Dremel when I moved. It's all currently stacked in my basement but I have no desire to reassemble it as is, I have much more room to work with and have a completely different idea with two decks in the plannign stages. But this little railroad fairly accurately represented a branch line near me. The place names are correct and in the right order, but the whole thing was compressed, plus the cement plant was torn down in the early 70's and is now a business park.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
As I previously stated it is going to be built in 2x4 foot sections.
dehusman I know we have told you this about 10 times already, but I'll try just one more time, making an 8 ft wide table is a really, really, really, really bad idea.
I know we have told you this about 10 times already, but I'll try just one more time, making an 8 ft wide table is a really, really, really, really bad idea.
Alton Junction
cascadenorthernrr Picture a long rectangular two level wedding cake.
Upon trying to sketch it out I'm stumped!!! Anyone interested in helping??? I see now that the idea I had was not going to work too well.
456 posts in less than 3 months. I'm afraid unless Steven shuts off his computer, he will never lay that first piece of track. Of course, there are a lot of "arm chair" modelers in the hobby.
Slow down there pal. I would have a layout already but my parents haven't been too accomodating to my hobby.
The reason I started this new thread is to get ideas I can't track plan I'm horrible at it! So if anyone wants to help please do!
Back to the essentials. I want a reletively compact layout, but one with grandiose mountain scenery, a long mainline, a small yard, and a mining-logging branch. I have tried and tried but I just don't have that knack for trackplanning. If you want I could post my first attempt at planning. (It was pretty gruesome)
cascadenorthernrr Slow down there pal. I would have a layout already but my parents haven't been too accomodating to my hobby.
Then all this superball track planning is a waste of time for everyone - including yourself.
Find out from your folks what size layout they would consider as "acceptable" and plan your layout using those dimensions. You'll find that "fences" will force you to think how best to utilize your mrring space and you'll be freer to work within those confines vs. running out to the end of your choke chain and strangling yourself everytime you come up with your next great layout idea.
Focus on small and achieveable goals for your first layout then plan your US version of Miniatur Wunderland when you have the money and the space...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
cascadenorthernrr Back to the essentials. I want a reletively compact layout, but one with grandiose mountain scenery, a long mainline, a small yard, and a mining-logging branch. I have tried and tried but I just don't have that knack for trackplanning. If you want I could post my first attempt at planning. (It was pretty gruesome)
Don't know if you have available what you need to do this.
What I used to do years ago was find track plans with features (from books and magazines back them) Copy them using to the same scale using a copier that allowed setting the % print size. Then cut out the features I liked and arranged them on a large sheet of paper and drew connecting tracks as necessary. When satisified I glued or taped everying down. I did this with prototype track maps also.
Today I scan hardcopies into my computer and/or use on-line resources, then do all the manulipation in the computer.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
I will try that.
Since I was modeling something that is at least partly still thre, I used Bing Mapsn and Google Maps to look at what's still there (and it's not far away so I visited in person as well). For my new plan, I went through a few dozen ways of laying out the track before I hit on what (so far) I am planning to go with. It's not an exact model of anything. How i did this was first get an accurate outline of my space. You might want to draw that on graph paper, and then get some tracing paper for drawing by hand. I use CAD and different layers. First thing was to figure out a run for the main line. At this stage, no real concern where to put industries, just plan a main line. Next step for me was my main yard and associate track (also another layer - ie, another piece of tracing paper). Next I will start working on industry locations. By using tracing paper until you get a certain part fairly well fixed, you don;t have to worry about erasing and having ghost lines that confuse you. The room is fixed, so that can go on permanant paper. Tracing paper for each try as the next phase of the design. If you're doing it right you'll go through a bunch of tracing paper coming up with the design that gets the most railroad the way you want it in the available space.
After staring at a blank sheet of paper for long enough I finally came up with this.
richhotrain cascadenorthernrr Slow down there pal. I would have a layout already but my parents haven't been too accomodating to my hobby. Wait till you get married, lad, it only gets worse.
Wait till you get married, lad, it only gets worse.
Unless you find the one that plays with trains. Probably 1 in 10,000 chance. Maybe more. I found one. But she also likes cats, I now have 2 catzillas running around the house. But she's building a door to keep them out of the layout room, so it should be fine.
For me the answer is simple when and if I get a wife and she doesn't like trains and doesn't want to make the concession for a layout room I can just build a building for it! And yes I know how to build a building last year I helped my dad build a 16x16 addition to our existing 16x24 building he built 8 years ago and at 50 years old and running two hotels for a living (it's the same company and they are literally right across the street from each other) I ended up doing most of the work.(Not that I'm complaining I actually really enjoy framing to the point I have considered it as a career)
cascadenorthernrr After staring at a blank sheet of paper for long enough I finally came up with this.
How wide is it?
The club that you joined, is it a modular railroad club or do they have a permanent layout or something else?
If modular layout, maybe consider building a module to their specifications?
If I recall you said you were 16? Do you have plans for after high school (college, work, technical school) and if so, what do you plan to do with your layout?
Many people have suggested that you bite off a smaller project. My previous layout got to the stage of limited blue foam scenery and 70% of track layed. That took 3 years. It was somewhat larger than most of your plans have been. I wont tell you what it cost.
Take a look at this article. It should give you an idea about what a railroad costs to build. It is a very simple layout with very sparse desert scenery. It has only 7 turnouts.
http://www.jimspavins.com/trackplans/deseretpowerrailway
My layout was less than half that size, but the cost was going to be in the ballpark.
My suggestion, build something small that you can take with you. That T1 probably wont see much use for the moment (maybe on a club layout?) save it for later when you have your own space to build a layout.
Just to tell you a bit about myself I may be a 16 yr old but I watch M*A*S*H and Hogans Heroes reruns and my entire Itunes library consists of mostly Billy Joel, Andy Williams Dean Martin, etc... I don't believe there is a single song from this millennium in my library. Ohh, and I bought a '69 Ford Mustang when I was 13 with my own savings (its just the body and chassis)
I'm pretty sure it's permanent.