I know that there are no perfect layouts, and most new timers like me usually cram way too much track into a small space, which of course I am trying to do. I keep gravitating to this design because it offers me most of the things that I am looking for in a layout, but of course, I don't have a whole lot of room to do it in. The bench is basically two 4x4 foot sections flanking a 2x5 foot middle piece. Elevation will be made with mostly trusses, and a "mountain" platform will hold the top loopback. Let me know if you think this wont work well. As all layouts, things change.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804256912729/0
Edit: Here is one more:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804256942730/0
Thanks,Wes
That design will be exciting.
A retaining wall is a must on that track plan. The wall color and patterns would have to contrast with the major colors and textures of your locos and cars.
Andrew.
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
A retaining wall like Franks,or a retaining wall to keep my trains from hitting the floor, or both...
I like 1 for excitement, and 2 for scenery as well.
If 1 is doable, I would push towards that one too.
Wes
I like the second layout. It feels more open and relaxed.
One feature that made a layout fun to me was to have a siding that will hold the longest train I wanted to run. For me that meant a siding 90" long.
On your siding on the left side of the layout that comes off the back of the loop. If you move the switch from the back, and put it one track section towards the front, you can have a siding that runs diagonally across the left side of the bench. That may get you a longer siding.
In addition it may also allow you to do more scenery on both sides of the track.
Chris
I think I know what you are saying. It should add another 35" or so. The only problem is that that track is on an elevated section, so I will have to put truss on that diagonal. That might actually be pretty nice.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804257112581/0
Is it a problem that you can't pull through my train station area? I changed it, and made that yard area instead.
thanks for the suggestions. They are very helpful to me.
Wes,
The change looks interesting. Is there a way to post a 3D view?
This is what I was originally trying to convey, but I don't know if you would gain anything.
In the picture below the switch is the blue "Y" and the siding is the blue line.
Ahh, ok. Pictures speak a thousand words. I like the concept, but I don't have bench there. I only have the strip near the wall. That area you are wanting to build on is my walkway into the other room. Would you put it anywhere else?
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/album/576460762391168294/photo/294928804249288334/3
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/album/576460762391168294/photo/294928804250355095/12
It's not a very wide shelf. Just under 7" from tip of foam to tip of foam. The good thing is that I can actually punch a hole though that wall and add a shelf to the other side, and use a tunnel to connect scenes. That was going to be a project way down the road though.
Wes,If you are planning on punching a hole in the wall, why not make it a double level hole and have the lower siding in a tunnel?Then you could seperate the upper level from the lower level and run two trains independantly... you could have a lower level to upper level transition inside a tunnel as well.Edit....Slightly different than yours, but you could modify them... Both use ONLY O-36 curves and switches...Slightly skewed 3-D view:black track is grade 0 (flat on foam). The blue track is elevated 8 inches (I know you don't need to go that high, I did that for effect. 6 inches should be good, but 7 would give you clearance and space for homasote sub road bed). Yellow track is downgrade from 8 inches to 0, red is uphill from 0 to 8. The red track grade is 6.2%, a bit steep, but if you cut the height down to 7 the grade is 5.4%. Downgrade is a lot shallower because it is easier on engines as they will not gain as much speed.This would allow you to have two trains running without any problems and your passenger station can sit behind the connected siding on ground level. The left side blue track loop could have additional sidings inside of it for your industries, and the right loops would sit inside and on a mountain. Behind the blue track behind the station you could have a false front town similiar to what Frank53 has on his layout.Brent
I only have RR-Track LIte, and I dont think it does 3D. It would help if it did.
I made a change here and took the siding down and into the basin of the benchwork, but to get to it, you need to use a hidden switch under the mountain. I'm sure there is a better way.
Brent,
You have my attention on the double tunnel. I don't know exactly what you are saying, but with some more guidence, you can probably paint a good picture in my head. Is the bottom tunnel just to hold the siding, and the top tunnel to send a train down to a turn-around? I was initially going to send out of town trains in and out of the same tunnel hole, and just put a loop at the end. It was only going to service the outer loop. Maybe your idea is better. The outer loop is the bottom loop, so anything that passes over it will need to be bridged, unless I can get a 45 degree crossing in there or something.
I am also going to put another hole in the sump pump closet to the right of the layout and put 2 more feet of track with a bumper in there as a siding/trolly bounce area.
Like this? The two sidings are not on top of each other in this picture, but will be in the real thing. i wanted to be able to see it. I put two turn arounds at the end of each siding so each train can stay on it's own level, or like you said, change levels on the main layout. It looks pretty neat to me. That makes for a really long back stretch to the "next town"...
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804257642011/0
Thanks for the idea.
Wes,Close. You have to remember that the track to the left through the tunnel are just reversing loops. When the trains return there is no way (in your plan to get them to go back the other way. Let me play with my designs and I'll post... I have a couple interesting ideas now...Brent
Brent, It's hard to see, but there are two reversing loops, and two sets of tracks going to the left. It's just a very small picture, and I don't know how to make it bigger. Still, please post your ideas and plans. I love to see new ideas!
Wes,Here they are... first one is two sets of track (reversing loops on each level with the ability to send the train down the long reversing loop sidings). The second is a long reversing loop where the two levels are connected thus resulting in a continuous loop and not a reversing loop... I like the second one a bit a more (you can run three or four trains on this one).
Thanks for doing those Brent. That addition allows for some really long trains, that's for sure.
I don't know which one I like better. Each has it's own stong points. I guess the first one allows to you set two trains for unsupervised action without much change of collision, but the second one allows for a long single track path. I guess it's a good place to be.
I initially had my station siding on the 2x5 area as well, but found it hard to get much of a station in there. I'm sure it could be done. Of course, with a train much longer than the siding allows for, the train will have to leave the station before the next train comes along.
Great ideas, and thanks for the help. I'll try to get back into the program and make some improvements like you suggested.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804257924152/0
Here is a little change to the plan. I changed the yard/station area, and extened the lower section pointing towards the left out before it joins back in with the loop. I also shortened the most left sidings so the picture would be bigger, but still plan on running it 10 feet into the next room.
The doors are still where they are (one at just over 5 foot from the left of the main bench), and one at the edge or the right of the bench). I think they show up in the pictures above. They are staying there, as I just finished building them!
I shortened the two sidings just for illistration purposes. It was making the layout too small to see. So to add it up, there will be a 5' siding just to the left of the main (like in the pictures), and then it will go through that wall (just to the and continue another 8 feet and then turn around and come back.
It should be very fun to control the trains on such a long layout.
The more I think about it, it is a little like Buckeye's layout now. He has an upper section of track that loops back to itself, and then goes down a long hill, makes a turn around, and heads back towards the bottom section of his layout. Of course his layout is so big that you get lost with what the track is actually doing. It's a great layout, that's for sure.
Wes,Here is the latest version of my big layout... the dimensions are now correct (after measuring the room myself and finding that who ever measured before added 2 inches to both length and width).
There is also going to be a raised trolley line, and a subway line below the deck. These are not on the layout yet, have to figure out how to incorporate them after I get the basics down.I also have determined that a ceiling layout is a definite go... as long as the walls to the right are not poured concrete (which I do not think they are after the home inspection on Wednesday).
Brent
Wow, I wish I had that much room available. You can get lost in all of that square footage. I think you should keep the turntable. That might take a while to build. it makes my track plan look pretty basic.
Hi Brent,
Is that layout only 13x18? That's a lot of action. Looks great.
Jerry
Well, I have made some progress. I found an MTH graduated trussle kit at the LHS, and started messing around with that for a while. It cleared some things up for me, and I worked on this for a couple of days. I have come to the conclusion that I like doubling back dogbone layouts when space is limited. I found a couple of places to but sidings and other pathways around the loop, so I can park two trains and drive the third. The only tricky piece is the double curve switch (031 and 042) which I haven't seen in the stores, but it's in the MTH set catalog. I plan on making the top section all flat on top of "rock", and the trains will go into tunnels underneth. I will have to make plenty of access to the tunnels, since I have a couple of switches under there. The total price of track was $770. I don't like to think about that, but it's actually cheaper than other plans I have come up with, and this design leaves a lot of area for scenery and buildings.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/weswhitmore/photo/294928804265787514/0
Hope you like it!
I like it, there's a lot of action in a small space, just keep those switch controls handy.
BTW, I'm lovin' this! I love the turntable too. If you're hunting for more room, maybe shorted the run-off lines that are on the other side of the turn-table, it won't solve all of you problems, but it might help. I like this layout a lot, because there is a lot of motion throughout the whole thing, but the focal point will be the turn table; as it should be.
I'll try to group the switches together so i can hit them both at one time and throw the whole path, or Even wire up multiple turnouts to one switch. i haven't thought that far ahead yet.
W
Wes,You could decide on a 'preferred route' and wire those switches to be automatic (throw approprite to train direction), see the video that ATSJer posted, at least it appears that the switches automatically throw to avoid derailments, you can then concentrate on throwing the other switches when you want to...Brent
I'l look around for that video.
Those buildings represent the station that go on the 2x5 foot upper section. i just moved them so you could see below.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month