Hey Y'all!
First time post here
I had a fairly large 12x8 layout about 5 years ago, but ended up getting out of it. However, Im back! Walled off half of the garage and have about a 11'8"x13'8" area for a shelf layout. Currently, I have a 24in shelf on two walls and a 36in shelf on the other two. I know, 36in?????? Well, the plan was to have a big yard on the one side. (long wall with 36in shelf), but know I am wondering if I made a mistake. Maybe I should have kept everything smaller, and even had a shelf in the middle of the room. Not sure now though.
Heres what I want in my layout:
double main (prefferably)
big yard (at least long)
lots of switching for a busy ops session
I dont really need track going up or down, but a mountain or valley or two would be nice.
Does anyone have any ideas for track plans or what you would do with the layout? I know model railroading is all realative to the person operating, but I feel like I wasted space. Maybe I can get more out of a better track plan.
I have track laid now, but thats about it. Im not afraid to rip it all up and start again. Almost wish I was though.... lol
If I forgot something, let me know
Welcome to the forum. A 36” deep shelf is somewhat wasted space, since most folks find that they can’t reach more than 30” over a scenicked layout without damaging something near the front edge.
You’ll probably receive more effective help from others if you can post a dimensioned sketch of your layout space showing the room entrance(s) and any obstructions. Images must be posted elsewhere and linked. Imgur is one good site for this, I use Trainboard’s Railimages. Are you ducking-under or using a lift-out to get into the space? Is this layout HO or some other scale?
Instructions for posting images are in this thread – the first post is the most useful.http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/249194.aspx
Good luck with your layout.
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Hi.
to the forum from a fellow (relative) newbie.
One thing to bear in mind is that any layout design will go through multiple iterations. I myself have, with the advice of a number of people here, including Byron, gone through a number of evolutionary steps on my project.
Probably the piece of advice I found most useful getting started was to consider the whole space. Not just the area around your shelves, but how much of the rest of the room you can "occupy". Maybe it's nothing, maybe you have an allowance where you could add a peninsula or a blob somewhere. Rough out several plausible "footprint" sketches, with some basic ideas for trackage, to find out what's going to work best for you in terms of giving you what you want with the minimum crowding. I liked my initial plans, but taking this piece of advice to heart gave me a layout I'm gonna really enjoy.
The second most useful piece of advice, as Byron put it above, is to minimize your reach. It's not only about your wingspan, but making allowances for reaching over or around scenery pieces to correct issues or complete a scene. I myself can easily reach a 36" deep shelf, but I cut my layout to 28" max width to allow for reaching over and around items.
Last, if you don't have it, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong. I can't say enough about how helpful this book is in the planning stages.
Good luck!
- Adam
When all else fails, wing it!
Hey Byron!
https://www.bobstrackplans.com/single-post/2014/07/12/John-Erwins-Conrail-Harrisburg-Line
I found this layout plan last night. I think it is what I am looking for (in a general layout). I will have to make a few adjustment for my area. And I am thinking of having the shelf about 18 inches wide.
By looking at that track plan image, the garage door would be the right wall, and the door entrance would be on the bottom wall, four feet away from the left wall. If its still a little confusing, I can try to draw a plan that explains better. Its a two car garage btw, and I am only using half of it.
I currently have a lift bridge, which I plan to keep. I MAY make it the full width of the layout and scene it with whatever I need for that area, but it is currently about 8 inches wide.
Also, I have come up with a few decisions/ideas. First being that I think I want to make it only a single main. And I will add 2-4 long passing sidings. It is only me operating, and although I like having more then one train running, I think the single main will add for more "difficulty" and planning.
And I definately want to fit a long yard, but it may just be 2-3 sidings that run a fair distance.
Lastly, on the bottom side of the peninsula, I am thinking of having a small intermodal yard. But I will have to determine that once I get the shelf all built.
And oh yeah, it is HO. Definately no changing there lol. Should have mentioned that before.
Here's the image from the link you posted:
You'd want to arrange things so that your moveable benchwork portion has as few tracks across it as possible to avoid realignment problems. You may find as you begin to sketch to-scale that the shorter overall length of your space causes some challenges on the central peninsula if you want a turnback curve there. It’s surprising how much a small difference in length can make in trying to accommodate those curves without creating S-curves (while maintaining adequate aisle space).
The linked layout has some good ideas worth emulating, such as placing the yard on a gentle curve for added length. Aisles might be a little tight in a couple of spots. It can really help to modulate the benchwork depth rather than have the same shelf width everywhere.
As far as single vs. double track, in a layout this size where you are the solo operator, double track with crossovers (and more are needed on the linked plan) would be better to keep one train in motion on the mainline while you switch in an area -- if that's your interest.
If I read the layout right, there is not enough walkway room to really use the layout with walkways at places being aprox. 15". That being said if you have a smaller radius in the center and narrower shelfs you can make it work.
Not sure if this will be of any help, as the dimensions of the space are different... but a friend has a garage layout on which we operate, and he essentially has two islands in the center and narrow (1-3 tracks) spaces along three walls. There's a narrow aisle between the two islands, and one island is double-decked, with a yard below and one of his cities up top. It's a great layout for operation.
I don't have a track plan but Dan did this video that shows an overall shot of the room...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jST4ZfxnM3A
Aaron
I looked at your layout drawing. Not bad. A few comments from my experience. First get and read "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong. It's got track plans, rules of thumb, design methods, tables of things like clearance needed on curves. Fantastic book. i kept it open on the bench while building my layout.
Think about staging tracks, places for- a complete train, all coupled up and ready to run. After running a train for a while, you put it onto a staging track and bring another train from staging onto your main line for running.
Try not to run your main line straight down the edge of the table. This just emphasises the table edge, making it look like toy trains running on a dining room table. Put some curves into your main line as if it were following terrain features rather than the table edge. Think about a deep canyon somewhere with the trains soaring over it on mighty bridges. Think about your rail served industries. Some can be packed into an industrial area in a town. Others can stand on commanding sites out in the country. Think about view blocks to break up peninsulas into two scenes. Think about doing your backdrop BEFORE you put in benchwork. Even the simpliest backdrop, a solid sky blue, is very effective. And makes a fine backdrop for photographs.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
What's your weather like? Garage layouts present unique problems, like heat, cold and humidity.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Although it might sound a little restricting at first, I would recommend finding a prototype situation that interests you and model that. I used to freelance all of my layouts and since I am fairly creative, I thought most of my layouts were successful. It wasn't until my current layout though, that I decided to model an actual prototype and everything became so much easier. Admittedly, I model a "what if" scenario based in the 1950's for a fallen flag prototype that was absorbed into the Southern Pacific by 1900. However, my track plan attempts to duplicate the prototype and lineside scenes/industries meaning I don't have to "invent" much. So much is already planned out for you since it really does/did exist. Most of the modeled rail served industries are/were real and so are completely plausible on my layout, even if I do give them funny names. Where prototype information is lacking, feel free to invent things. I think you'll make better progress and enjoy your layout more. Its also a lot of fun when visitors actually recognize (or at least think they recognize) scenes you have modeled on your layout. Sometimes all it takes is a track and/or roadway configuration to suggest a location. Add in a signature structure or two and your scene becomes readily recognizable.
The hard part might be finding a prototype to model. I was lucky in that the prototype I found was right in my own backyard. I would recommend looking for an interesting prototype in your area. Another helpful tool in this regard is Google Maps and Street View. Explore your prototype's right-of-way on Google Maps, then explore the neighborhood(s) you want to model using the aerial maps and Street View. Most of the scratch-built structures on my layout copy or were inspired by real buildings I have found this way. If your prototype is nearby, actually visiting and photographing the area(s) can also inspire your modeling.
Good luck and enjoy!
Hornblower
I apologize to all for the very delayed response, but better late then never I suppose.
So there has been some progress since I last posted.
I tore up all the track (saved it of course)
Removed all of the benchwork
Resized all of the benchwork to an 18inch bench
Built the layout to the earlier design that I posted
Built a backdrop
And installed a bit of track to see how the 18inch was going to work and look
Honestly, I could not be happier with the design and layout! There is still tons of track to lay, and industries to create, but the benchwork layout is exactly what I wanted.
To address a few quick things,
Yes, this layout is in a attached 2 car garage (insulated). But so was my last layout, and with out weather, I never experienced anything negative. While that may easily change, I was considered conditioning the space if the temps and humidity get to one extreme or the other.
Also, I have always been a freelancer, and (for the most part) this layout will continue that idea. But I am modeling some nearby or personally famous railroad spots that I know. For example, there is an old trestle near me that I always kayak under, so I built and replicated the prototype.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who posted, because you helped guide some of my decisions and led me in the right direction.
Today's agenda for the layout is to get some paint, and get ready for the backdrop painting. I plan on just clouds and sky, so should be relatively easy.