Need help with layout design

[johngraser]

Currently building HO bench work in my Garage. The area I have to work in is approximately 12 x 20 with an area taken out for a freezer at the top (grey area is layout) area. Have four 2’ x 6’ section open grid sections built on the right and top. Some other sections our built but not sure how I should configure them due to not have a layout design yet.

Era is mainly transition (Steam and first generation EMD) with some thru 1980 (Emd SD45)
Railroads modeled are Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, DGRW, and Western Pacific.
Layout will be Oregon or California mountains single track main with passing sidings with industries for switching. Main freight will be lumber on flat cars or center beam (depending on era), grain and passenger trains.

Restrictions: No Duck under, Helixes, Section along right wall near bottom (the half circle) is a circuit breaker box and needs clearance for door.

Preferences: Point to Point or return loops, 3 or more passing sidings, small branch off main track.

I have been considering a G or E shape.



John

[Anonymous]

With your indication of running passenger service, i would probably lean towards more of a G type layout giving you more running room, before having to dead end the train and run around it to return. Also the longer equipment would look better running on expanded curves, say 26 inch +. You are running a wide variety of equipment from different era's. that kind of makes it hard as first generation really doesn't look to bad on sharper curves.

Also, if deciding point to point, is this layout going to be more of a switching layout?

[dehusman]

The key to your design is the room size. If you want no duckunders then all the loop designs are out the window and you are left with just dogbones and point to points.

Your space is 12 ft wide. 2 feet is already benchwork so that means you have 10 ft left. If you want a center peninsula, then that means you want two aisles, on on either side of the peninsula. The absolute minimum for an aisle is 2 ft, 30" is better, 36" even better still. At aisles under 3 ft all the controls will have to be recessed. or you'll keep snagging them as you walk down the aisle. Anyway, lets assume you choose 30" aisles (that's the width of a normal doorway). Two aisles is five feet. That leaves you 5 feet for the width of the center peninsula AND the outer side of the E. Since you aren't going to loop the tracks around the room, that means each end of the E will need a turnback area (affectionately termed a "blob"). If you go with 24" radius (going much smaller than that will be hard on six axle engines and steamers) that means that each blob will be 4 feet wide plus 3" to the edge of the benchwork or 4 foot 6 inches wide minimum. You will have to stagger the blobs so you keep an absolute minimum of 18-24" between them.

You railroad is going to be veeerrrryyyy tight. I have a 12x23 space and I used 18" wide benchwork with 36" aisles, around the room with a duck under at the door and one center peninsula with 5 foot wide blob. It gets pretty congested when more than 4 people are in the room.

You might want a big C shape with the part along the wall 2 ft wide and the part down the center of the room 4 ft wide. You would need a blob next the freezer along the wall and a blob across the aisle from the freezer (good news is the benchwork is already 4 feet wide, all you'd need is another 6" to get the turnback area) and the last blob against the bottom wall. The track would look like a big S.

Dave H.

[cwclark]

the layout in your diagram is really too wide and you won't be able to get to derailments easily...it may be better for you to make a U or G shaped "Dogbone" layout...(the trains always want to derail at places you can't get too) so having a layout you can walk around could be a lot better....there are many publications from Kalmbach Publishing that will show you different railroad designs you can use to get the most railroad out of the space you have to build it in....they also have books that will show you things from building benchwork and laying the track to realistic scenery techniques....it's a good investment to purchase a few of these publications...they have a web site where you can get them directly to you through mail order...Chuck

[NZRMac]

Hey!!

dehusman talked about E shaped designs with a centre peninsula and two foot isles, here's mine. 22" radius curves and about 120' of mainline

The whole thing is 16' x 8'-3 peninsulas



Cheers Ken

[Anonymous]

hello:
i am just starting to build my new dream layout,size 38"x22" which looks like a big "C" can u give me some ideals or where i can get information.
thanks

[NZRMac]

dansm10 [#welcome]

You'll find loads of info on these forums.

just a suggestion open a new topic and ask your question again ( some people won't look here in this topic for your question)

Cheers Ken

[Jetrock]

dansm10: Shades of Spinal Tap! I assume you mean 38'x22'...more information would be helpful--what scale do you want to model, what features do you want in your "dream layout", geography, location, line modeled (or modeled after), era..?

[Bob Hayes]

John,
Check out the articles David Barrow has done on his Cat Mountain & Santa Fe. Also, on page 41 of Great Model Railroads 2005 is a layout I find very interesting. A little re-arranging might get you what you are looking for.
Bob Hayes

[johngraser]

Thank you for your sugestions.

John