So you want layout advise

[Anonymous]

A number of people have posted here and in the layout forum requesting layout assistance. Below I am going to give some recommendations so that you will receive some quality advise:

1) Post your request in the layout forum. There are some good reasons for that. Threads move much more slowly through there and it gives people a chance to think about the request (some are easy, some are harder) and respond to it. For you, the person seeking the advise, it is easier to find your thread and get the info on it. This forum is new and summer is upon us, when things get busier, you'll soon find out what I mean. In some forums, you can have 5 new pages added in one day ,so if you requested layout advise three days ago, your request is back 15 pages.

2) Be as specific with your question as you can. Don't come in and ask for advice on building your layout, or something like - "I've decided to build a layout, any advise?" Try to start with a question that says where you're at; for example, lets say you know you definitely want a 4 by 8 in HO. Then ask for some recommendations on 4 by 8 track plans, there are some sites out there for you with 4 by 8 plans.

3) If you have some flexibility with what you can do with a space, rather than come in and say you want a 4 by 8 layout, maybe say how much space you have, and any problems with it, like water heaters, furnace, etc. and let people work with you on the space and possible shapes of layouts it can handle.

4) Very few people can take this next suggestion, but keep an open mind to scale versus space considerations. If at all possible, think about the possibility of changing scales. For example, - "I have a 7 by 12 space and I want to build an O gauge layout" - will severly limit your options. In that same space, you could get a wonderful N scale layout going.

[Anonymous]

A number of people have posted here and in the layout forum requesting layout assistance. Below I am going to give some recommendations so that you will receive some quality advise:

1) Post your request in the layout forum. There are some good reasons for that. Threads move much more slowly through there and it gives people a chance to think about the request (some are easy, some are harder) and respond to it. For you, the person seeking the advise, it is easier to find your thread and get the info on it. This forum is new and summer is upon us, when things get busier, you'll soon find out what I mean. In some forums, you can have 5 new pages added in one day ,so if you requested layout advise three days ago, your request is back 15 pages.

2) Be as specific with your question as you can. Don't come in and ask for advice on building your layout, or something like - "I've decided to build a layout, any advise?" Try to start with a question that says where you're at; for example, lets say you know you definitely want a 4 by 8 in HO. Then ask for some recommendations on 4 by 8 track plans, there are some sites out there for you with 4 by 8 plans.

3) If you have some flexibility with what you can do with a space, rather than come in and say you want a 4 by 8 layout, maybe say how much space you have, and any problems with it, like water heaters, furnace, etc. and let people work with you on the space and possible shapes of layouts it can handle.

4) Very few people can take this next suggestion, but keep an open mind to scale versus space considerations. If at all possible, think about the possibility of changing scales. For example, - "I have a 7 by 12 space and I want to build an O gauge layout" - will severly limit your options. In that same space, you could get a wonderful N scale layout going.