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Turtle Creek MRR layout
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Wow, <br />Here's my first post over here in a long time. While I don't always agree with Brakie on his tactics, (Hey Brakie, its Lee from over in Atlas Land), I have to agree with his comments on the 4x8 mentality that is predominantly offered to MR's novice readers. These layouts are consistently dull, generally un-realistic, and once built, terribly inconvenient to live with. <br /> <br />The criticism being out of the way, let me give a few pointers to our young friend... <br /> <br />You mentioned that you are using N scale. God bless you. You are one of US. Next, take your 4x8 sheet of whatever it is, plywood, foam or what have you, and cut it in half down the middle, so you have two pieces 2' x 8'. Place these in the corner of the room, in the shape of an L. You now have a layout area of 10' x 8'. You can safely use 11" radius track for your return loops. <br /> <br />You also have the length of run necessary for A) a decent passing siding, B) A reasonably long yard area of 4 or 5 tracks, C) opportunities for some switching in at least one area, D) some scenic variety, and most importantly E) a linear design that gives your trains more of a feel for going somewhere. <br /> <br />Some other tips I've learned over the years... <br />Never run your main line track parallel to the edge of the train table. Visually, it is TOO perfect. Real railroads are built in the real world. The follow crooked streams, or climb along a hillside. Aside from those midwestern grain haulers, tangent track is usually the exception, not the rule. Even if you intend to only run loopty loops, this will give you a much more appealing railroad to watch. <br /> <br />Second, don't be in a big hurry to lay your track. Take your time, do it right. I used to tell my construction crews, if you don't think you have time to do it right, what makes you think you have time to do it over? You'll find that reliable track work is the key to satisfaction in this hobby. <br /> <br />Next, look at the published track plans for ideas, then throw them away. If you have a favorite locale for railfanning, or there's a railroad from the mists of the past that interests you, go visit the physical plant. Find a location that is compact enough that you can adequately represent it in model form, draw out the track plan for that area, then design the rest of your layout around it. Again, no need for prototype operations here, if that's not your bag. But you'll have an interesting challenge ahead of you to represent that prototype scene as accurately as possible. <br /> <br />Finally, do what makes you happy. If the 4x8 scene appeals to you, go for it. Just whatever you do, don't let your wife know how much you're spending. Let's face it, there's some things she's better off not knowing! <br /> <br />Have fun. <br />Lee
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