Layouts and layout building

Hello folks! I'm a returning model railroader, and I wanted to say that my love for these little machines has recently been rekindled and I have decided to go open up my old box of N scale and build a layout! I've decided on a few things:

Foam base, to be inset in a custom coffee table / low scenery (coffee table!) / 2x4 or 2x3 foot size

Does anyone have a favorite 2' by 4' or 2' by 3' track plan? My goal is to have a nice run aorund the perimeter, partially hidden inside some industry buildings and maybe a short tunnel with a coal filling station nearby. I love my woodwork and I plan on scratchbuilding a nice trestle as part of the scenery, and maybe a few old bridges and the coal depot. I'd also like some sidings and a 2-track engine stall to keep all my pretty rolling stock! I plan on mixing it up a bit with movite power, I have some suh-weeeet B&O F3's and am ordering my favorite set of all time, a warbonnet set of F7A's (A&B) to pull my freight (yeah I know, I need a streamliner too! haha). So yeah, any help on the small-trackplan fornt would be MUCH appreciated! Thanks guys!

 Sounds like you have an ambitious plan for such a limited space...

 There's a lot of resources on the interwebs to help you with small track plans.  Here's one that comes up as the top listing under a Google search for "small track plans"

Take a look around there and see if you can adapt something to meet your needs.

Lee

Thanks! I had come up with this: http://www.thortrains.net/nscale/nminis1.html when searching for "small N scale layouts" and between the two, I'll likly have some interesting choices! I particularly like the 11/13/2003 divided layout on the page you showed me; I could have my city to run the pretty stuff, and the yard to display my rolling stock! I think I'll be doing some drawings now....

A 4'x8' HO scale layout will generally scale down to a 2'x4' in N.  There are bunches of HO 4x8. 

Texas Zepher:

A 4'x8' HO scale layout will generally scale down to a 2'x4' in N.  There are bunches of HO 4x8. 

No it won't.  N scale is about 60% of HO, so a 4x8 would be too big.  But you can take a look at the vast catalog of HO 4x8's for inspiration, if not for actual dimensions...

Lee

Hi from Belgium,

Nice to see the story of the Laurel Valley in Nscale railroading; it was fun to read and the old cars look pretty good for so such old cheap.

Marc

OK so here's what I'm working with-  ATSF F7AB's warbonnet, B&O Sharknose AB's, NP GP7, NYC (some ALCO, I forget), and a good lot of boxcar rolling stock. With my assortment of good pulling power, I'm thinking one of there layouts would be good, but with the runaround & mainlines elevated/lowered and partly tunneled, for a mroe dramatic effect. I don't necessarily need to stick with 4% maximums because I'll be running way too much motive power for a 2' train.... this would allow me to stage a nice set of coaches for continuous run too!

I especially like this next one because it would give me more stalls in a yard/city setting, but allow for some nice green hillside scenery on the reverse!

HO = 87.1, N = 160

HO/N = .544375, 54.4375% anything HO multiply by 54.4% (.544) to get N

N/HO = 1.83696, 183.696% anything N multiply by 183.7% (1.837) to get HO

4x8 HO works out to 2.176x4.352 feet. A better figure would be to go 2x4 1/4 feet. If going with 4x8. One thing to consider, an 11R curve will be 22 inches across, plus about 5/8 inch for the half track past the centerline on each side of the curve, would be 23 1/4 inches. This is also assuming that the display/track area of the coffee table is 2x4, if the over all size of the coffe table is 2x4 then the track area will be even smaller. You're looking more at around 10.5-9.75R curve, which is fine with 50 foot cars and 4 axle lokes, but passenger equipment won't be too happy, if work at all that small. The two double track main line plans probably figure on 11R outter curves and 9.75R inner curves.

I'll be scratchbuilding the table around the layout.... so model-able space is literally a full 2x4! :) I have likely settled on a track plan, and it'll end up being steeper grade on parts and I'll be sticking with 4-axle diesel and 3-axle steam power, with no full-length passenger cars. Likely an old steam train styled passenger train, and all my freight will be under 55' or so. I'll be using flextrack for most of it 'cause, well, it's just cleaner-looking and in the turns less chance of trucks bucking offtrack due to misalignment. I have a line on a good deal on basic DCC (Backmann), and I do my own decoder installs with the tiny lenz units. I'll have the whole shebang on DCC with remote electric switches. My #1 goal here is to put a nice bit of eye-candy in the town itself, lighted houses et al for some good conversation (literally) over the coffee table...... I'm starting the track & scenery mockup tonight if I get a few hours free.... mostly plaster & foam. Easy stuff...... now where did I put that hotwire?

wm3798:

Texas Zepher:

A 4'x8' HO scale layout will generally scale down to a 2'x4' in N.  There are bunches of HO 4x8.

  No it won't.  N scale is about 60% of HO, so a 4x8 would be too big.  But you can take a look at the vast catalog of HO 4x8's for inspiration, if not for actual dimensions...

 hi,

ok you want something different. A small layout should be seen at eyelevel. My advice is: build a nice coffietable and build your layout on a small shelf along a wall. Or do at least both.

Have fun, keep smiling

Paul

EMD F7A:

With my assortment of good pulling power, I'm thinking one of there layouts would be good, but with the runaround & mainlines elevated/lowered and partly tunneled, for a mroe dramatic effect. I don't necessarily need to stick with 4% maximums because I'll be running way too much motive power for a 2' train.... this would allow me to stage a nice set of coaches for continuous run too!

I especially like this next one because it would give me more stalls in a yard/city setting, but allow for some nice green hillside scenery on the reverse!

Personally, I like the first twice around arrangment.  Longer run before the train returns to its original location.

In my opinion the center one would provide the most operational interest.  But in a coffee table one would have to remove the glass top to take advantage of that.  There would be no continuous running (rail fan operations) that put trains over and under the trestle.

Track is laid and soldered, joints are tight! The layout is a modification of the plans in the above post of mine, the 2nd pisc. I'll have the three tracks above elad into a nice dark tunnel for illusion, and I'll have a apssenger depot up top with the rest fo the town. BElow will be an industrial bldg. or two, and a water body out in the rear corner..... it's gonna be a lot of fun to add the scenery!