Layout Design Suggestions

[Anonymous]

Greetings to All!

I am new to the forums, but have been a model railroader for quite some time. Currently I am starting work on my 3rd layout which will occupy 2 bedrooms of my 3 bedroom home (one of the advantages of not having kids [:D]).

My layout is based upon the old Seattle North Coast RR and has a rather simple, point to point, track plan - a railroad carfloat at one end (Port Towsend) with large paper mill on the other end (Port Angeles). Two passing sidings (one intentionally shorter than the length of the average train) fill out the rest of the main line. Overall mainline length is roughly 100 feet.

My questions:

DCC or DC? The Snick was not what one would call heavily trafficed. I will operate this layout either by myself or with one or two other operators. Is DCC worth the expense? (My previous layouts used 2 cab control and I had no problem wiring them up)

Trackwork - handlaid or flex track? Rail size (code 70, 83, or 100)?

Ballast. By the era that I am modeling, the Snick's roadbed (at least in the pictures I've seen) was pretty much indistiguishable from the surrounding dirt. So, I plan to lay my HO track on N scale cork roadbed (I've already laid a test section of track using salvaged felx track from my previous layout) but, I'm not sure if this can be carried out successfully through out the entire layout.

Thanx, in advance, for all the help,
George

[Anonymous]

I'd say DCC. An entry level system isn't that expensive compared to the extra switches, etc., for DC. I think it would be great for operating singled handed, since you'll only have to pay attention to the trains, and not extra switches. No opinion from here on the other points...

[dgwinup]

Hi, George.
DCC is such a personal question only you can decide. On the one hand, on a new layout, DCC is easier to wire than conventional DC. On the other hand, you will have a pretty expensive start-up cost. You will need the basic DCC units, decoders for all your engines and throttles for each engine you plan on running at one time. And there is a learning curve.
With your single-person operation with occasional visiting operators, you may not be able to justify the expense. But if you do, you will be amazed at how realistic your operations will seem.
Flex or handlaid? Another personal question. If you are in any hurry at all to get trains running, you may get frustrated with handlaid track, especially if you build your own turnouts. If you're already are experienced at hand-laying, go for it. Code will depend a lot on your existing rolling equipment. Buy some different code samples of track and test your equipment for clearance over the various size rails. That may help you determine how small your rails can be without causing derailments. If the Snick's track was pretty well covered with dirt and weeds and you want to duplicate that, remember to check those wheel clearances on a test section before doing the whole layout.
You tested the track on n scale roadbed. If you are satisfied with those results, there is no real reason why it wouldn't work on the rest of the layout. Keep in mind, though, that railroads laid track above the surrounding terrain for drainage purposes. On a flat surface, n scale roadbed may not give you a good prototypical appearance. If you use risers to lay your roadbed, there is no problem.
Look at n scale ballast for your roadbed and consider using the finest available. The Snick's ties were pretty well covered and you will want to duplicate that without causing clearance problems.
These are just my opinions and like I said, you asked some questions that only you can really asnwer. Hope this helps to organize your thoughts.
Best of luck with it. Keep the forum posted.
TWO bedrooms? What an opportunity!
Darrell, being quiet......for now

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys for the quick responses.

Yes, I have handlaid track. On my previous, freelanced model railroad, I ran into a situation where I had to handlay a curved turnout. However, it was a quite a challenge. I have to admit, I like the availablilty of Code 100 flex track and ready made switches. In the end, I think I will blitz through with Code 100 and then, go back and replace it with handlaid code 70 as time permits. All my rolling stock (except my Rivorossi GG1's[;)]) will run on code 70 track.

DCC or DC?

Good points all around. Yeah it is a personal choice. I've been thinking of initially wiring the layout out as one large cab to get things running and then choosing a DCC system. If I decide DCC just isn't for me, I can still cut it up into blocks and make control panels etc. I've noticed that the longer I wait, the more affordable DCC has become. (Sometimes procrastinating is a good thing! [:D])

I will, of course, keep ya'll up to date on my progress. As soon as I get a decent trackplan done I will post it for all to see (the current trackplan is decipherable only by myself! [:D])

Thanx,
George

[Anonymous]

HO on N scale roadboad would work, but I believe you would need a small spacer in between(Check out the MR Feb. Issue on the Turtle Creek Expansion). For ballast, I would use very fine N scale, like dgwinup said. For track, you would probably suit yourself best by using flextrack, instead of hand-laying it. Even the great Pelle Soeberg said that factory made track is as good or better than hand-laid(see MR July 2004 issue on How To Lay Track - Perfectly). Then again, that's just my 2 cents.

[selector]

George, think about the cost of energy. That means that everything will go on an upward spiral before long. It has already affected major appliances, so can things of hobbies be far behind? I'd say spring for a starter set and enjoy running your trains, not fighting your blocks.

Ballasting? Make a slurry out of plaster of paris, dyed to suit, and mix in fine ballast. Spread it over your trackbed and wipe up the ties a bit to make them look prototypical. This will add immensely to your handlaying, should you choose to do that. Good for you if you do, but many on this forum have decided that flextrack is the pretty darned good happy medium.

[West Coast S]

I remember a photo in a magazine showing a SNC F7 on some scary tackage, mud for ballast, standing water on the right of way, severe changes in elevation and rail that would put string cheese to shame. Depending on how feisible this could be modeled, flextrack would represent track in too good a condition. But the choice is yours to make, I would recommend you consider code 70 or 83 rail regardless of your decision.

Dave

[dehusman]

DCC. Wireless DCC. Go with a full featured system to start with, don't bother with a starter system. I reccommend NCE.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

A few opinions:

Roadbed -- Rather than modifying N scale cork I've come to like the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed. It has a lower profile than HO cork, it is very easy to use and their O scale roadbed is the same thickness which makes it very handy as a turnout pad.

DC or DCC -- I think the deciding factor may be whether your existing motive power can be easily equipped with decoders. With 100 feet of track you will probably need bus lines and power districts for DCC. While not exactly plug and play it is still simpler that DC wiring.

Code 100, 83 or 70 -- Depends on how much realism you feel you need. What I like about Code 100 is that it is very forgiving. There are other ways to simulate lighter track should you go with code 100. Lower profile roadbed, laying track directly on insulated foam sub-roadbed, weeds between the ties, etc... work well for me. There are a whole lot of things available in Code 83 nowadays.

[fwright]

If you are planning on hand laying track eventually, you might want to start with Homasote or Homabed (commercial version) for your roadbed from the beginning. The cork has too much "give" to it to hold track guage and alignment properly, and when older can get brittle and crumbly (useless for handlaying track). Even if your ties and method of holding the rails to the ties hold the guage correctly, the give in the cork can disrupt alignment between ties.

Depending on how realistic you want to make your track, probably Code 55 or Code 70 rail would look best. If you are planning to cover most of the ties with dirt for that buried look - simulated or not - then commericial flex track with small rail would look very good. However, if the tops of the ties are showing through the dirt, then handlaid track will look much better, and will not take much more time than cutting and painting and disturbing ties for the rough track look with flex track. Scale size tie plates and spikes are available, if desired, from the Proto87 stores.

It's your choice where you want to spend your time modeling for great realism. You can spend your time handlaying ultra-realistic track, or ultra-detailing cars or locomotives, or building super-detailed structures, etc, but there's generally not enough time to bring all facets to the same very high level of detail except on small layouts. Even on small layouts, to keep the detail level very high across the board requires a restraint I don't have from buying too many "future projects" at the LHS.