I would imagine most everyone here has had aspects of thier layout that they just couldn't live with. Either during construction or even after the layout is somewhat finished.
I do not believe any layout is ever completely finished because there's always something to change to make better, something to add or do.
Sometimes I see something I definitely know I will change some day but move on to something else or it would take me forever to finish anything.
I thaught this may be an interesting thread to see all the various changes made to our layouts.
I have more but here are two of mine.
I have a longer girder plate bridge that goes over six tracks below that is curved and will have supports between sections. I had a foam Viaduct portion in the middle that took quite some time to start building but I never finished the bridge because I thought it wouldn't look right. Since then I've taken that foam peace out and added two more girder plates on either side and am now resuming work on that bridge.
Another portion of the layout had to be changed. An afterthought track was added going around the outside of my layout after I discovered I could make the tracks go down to a lower portion for a lumber mill over the lake. Things got too tight by a bridge and would only look right if it was put into a tunnel. So I had to extend my layout 2 1/2" and move that track over to get things to work right.
What types of layout changes have you made?
Thanks for posting.
TF
I haven't made changes yet, but I'm in the process of putting my layout back up again in my new home.
The big change, other than reconfiguring the whole track plan to fit it in to the new train room, which is smaller, is getting the carfloat terminal out in the open. I was originally shoehorned in a tight back corner, and since the approach track is finicky girder rail around a curve, I could never get trouble-free performance. I've also got a second unbuilt carfloat kit, so I'd like the whole thing out in the open so I could use the carfloats as cassettes as originally designed. Besides, it's a really great scene, so it deserves a better spot than that dark corner.
I might like to add catenary to a main line, to run my totally-out-of-place GG1. Just out of staging, a short run to the passenger station and back, perhaps with a different train while the train it came in with gets a new engine to continue on non-electrified trackage.
For this iteration, I will probably not replace the subway system. That's a tough decision, and may be revisited. I like my subways, but seriously, they are just a short loop with a short passing siding and a few dead ends, which serve no purpose other than places to put station platforms. Besides, the subways are on the old part of the layout, which is all Code 100, and the more recent stuff is Code 83.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Electrical almost every time I fire up my layout.Mechanically only one. I eroded when I designed and built my layout by putting a turnout at a grade transition. I put up with it for years before tackling it about 12 years ago. The only way any of my locomotives would clear the diversion was at almost a creep. Straight through worked OK. It was a major overhaul under a mountain to move the turnout about 16” to 18”. Took about a week to remove the existing track, redesign and reinstall the turnout and track. It was a PITA but well worth the undertaking, not a single derail since the change at normal running speeds. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Since this is my first layout, I haven't made any major changes yet, but there are about a thousand things I would like to change in the future. Two are:
1. I would put in a whole bunch of rerailer tracks all over the place. My fingers have a terrible time rerailing the N Scale cars.
2. I would put in some much longer sidings. I cannot fit some of my longer trains on the sidings I have.
I'm unsure about starting over at my age, but the longer I do this, the more I think that is going to happen.
York1 John
Does ripping out your entire layout and starting over count? After I had track laid and running, I visited a friend's layout for an operating session (which was a blast) and realized my layout was not designed very well for operation. There were some other things I didn't care for either, like too much hidden trackage, or some areas where there were too may tracks on different elevations with not enough space between them to make the scenery plausible.
So the day after Thanksgiving in 2018 I started dismantling everything. I am building the new layout in two phases (the kids things occupy the other half of the basement right now). Phase I has the backdrop up and benchwork complete. I am currently laying down roadbed and hope to be putting down track in the next few weeks. It's been so long since I've run a train, I'll have to relearn how to turn on my DCC system
Scott
About 5 years ago, I thought I was pretty much done with my layout, other than addin details. Then, I added a 20'x25' extension. This extension included a western themed town, an abandoned grain elevator, steam locomotive watering and coaling towers and an oil manufacturing plant.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
When I commpleted the original track laying in 2012, I had a small engine house and adjacent shop building on one end, and a small yard with a coaling tower at the other end. Someone here suggested consolidating the engine facilities, which I took on. That involved adding a third entry track from the mainline and a 3-way turnout to the coaling tower. On my small layout, everything is compact, but I like the way it turned out. I can't seem to find a "before" picture.
20201105_142150 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Mr B. Re-doing your track in a smaller area of your new home sounds challenging. And congratulations on your new home. The float car kit and moving that scene out of the dark corner sounds encouraging. Deleting the subway part of your layout because of limited space sounds like a hard decision. You will get it done and while doing it just remember it's a labor of passion.
RR Mel. That problem area of the turnout at grade sounded like a difficult change to make. Especially in the area where a Mountain was in the way. I would imagine the removal and putting everything back made it take so long. I bet it was a pain in the butt. But when you get something like that done, what a sense of accomplishment.
John. You mentioning more re-railers on your layout made me think about when I, and still am thinking about that. I wanted to hide them in my tunnels but all my tunnels have curved track in them. I do not believe they make curved re-railers. I hope a start over will not be deemed necessary and you can find the problem areas of your derailments.
Scott. Ripping out your entire layout and starting over. I'm sure you have your reasons. I still had my old layout that was rather elaborate and a lot of work went into it back in the day. That I did 35 years ago when I picked up the hobby again. The grades, radiuses, s-curves and everything else that broke the rules were so jacked, I did have to start over. I did learn from some of my friends with trouble-free layouts when I restarted. I hope you can talk your kids out of some of the other side of the basement. I haven't ran trains for 37 years and I'm just itching to do so.
Marlon. A 20 by 25 extension with a western town. Sounds great. To fit a grain elevator, water tower, coal Tower, and an oil manufacturing plant. What an achievement. Goes without saying that added a lot more to look at and for sure made your layout a lot more fun.
Paul. I didn't see the before pictures but the after pictures speak for themselves. That packed in seen is beautiful with a lot going on there and looks like an area I would want to see on my layout for sure.
Fun to see everyone's changes here
Track fiddler RR Mel. That problem area of the turnout at grade sounded like a difficult change to make. Especially in the area where a Mountain was in the way. I would imagine the removal and putting everything back made it take so long. I bet it was a pain in the butt. But when you get something like that done, what a sense of accomplishment. Fun to see everyone's changes here TF
TFIt was a real task working in the tight spot. Going back and looking at pictures the actual turnout really wasn’t moved very much, the entire corner tracks were overhauled moving both mainline tracks reducing the radius to the inside track to 24” from 26” and moving the transition 16”. It seemed like removing the old track was more difficult than installing the revised section.The solution was moving the actual transition touchdown point 16”.The ¼” plywood section tapered to a paper thin transition took more work than any other part of the fix.I put up the problem for 25 years because of the location. I still remember how much trouble it was to make it perfect but it was worth every minute of labor and pain it took. I haven’t had a single problem since the overhaul in 2014. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Mel
That is really cool!
No more problem in that area after 25 years of it
I saw what you did by your pictures. It was worth every bit of effort you spent and all the time you put in to it
I always do like to hear about others efforts succeeding after time well spent!
I’ve always been a lone wolf and back in 1988 when I did the design of “my dream layout” I didn’t know that putting a turnout at a grade transition was a no no. I never did much research other than the MR or RMC magazines. Self taught model railroader since 1951 at 14. My model railroad mentor was John Allen and I didn’t see any info about the “Don’t” put a turnout at a grade transition anywhere.It was only after I bought a few newer locomotives in the mid 90s that the turnout problem surfaced. My Roundhouse 0-6-0 (1951), Bowser Big Boy (1963) and my two Athearn four axle diesels (1975) didn’t have any problems at the “bad turnout”. When I added a few newer six axle diesels the turnout became a serious problem.I was able to tweak the Athearn six axle diesels to work at reduced speed and one Model Power E7 never had a problem, Proto six axle diesels wouldn’t even creep through the diverted turnout. My Rivarossi Cab Forwards pilot wheels would sometimes derail at the turnout.After the fix everything works. I can’t remember having any derails on my layout since the fix.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Interesting Mel
I got to tell you I was really freaked out when I misunderstood information elsewhere. My gathered information was turnouts on grade would become a problem after I spent two years designing my layout and it was already concrete
I felt a chill in my soul when I was misled to believe this was true
Almost all my turnouts are on a 2% grade. I have since realized this is not a problem before your post.
Since your post I had already realized it's only when you change grade elevation before or after a turnout that it becomes a problem
I can indeed understand a turnout that has a grade that starts before or after it. One of those long Steamers, like the Big Boy or the Challenger rolls over it and the middle wheels elevate in the turnout causing the wheels behind to miss track. I understood your problem 100% when you first started talking about it.
I'm so glad you got your problem solved. Learning something here from you. What I learned was confirmation turnouts on grade are not a problem that gave me a sigh of relief.
I'm a rather slow modeler and I still haven't laid my track yet. One of the other things I had to change was the dreaded S-curve. I had to fit a tangent in the middle of it.
TFI have a Mel made Atlas #6 double crossover a real S curve, I haven’t had a single problem making the S curve with my articulateds or my Athearn 72’ passenger cars that have diaphragms even at high speeds.I had a couple of Walthers 85’ dome cars that didn’t like the double crossover but they looked out of place running with the 72’ Athearns.I sold one several years ago and the other two are going soon.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Transferring a 30ft by 22ft layout into a space 11ft by 8ft. was a challenge. What had to be included and what could be ommitted? The new layout had to be easy for my grandchildren to operate. Hopefully I have got it right.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought