Let me throw a layout design by you guys...

[Anonymous]

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

[Wes Whitmore]

Brent,

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

[Wes Whitmore]

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. 

Wes

[Anonymous]

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

[Wes Whitmore]

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

 

[Birds]

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.

• Move the switch circled in red to the location of the small arrow (one curve section forward)
• The curve of the switch will become the curved section of the loop now
• The straight section of the switch now points out diagonally across the table
• The siding now moves down away from the wall and going out diagonally across the table

In the picture below the switch is the blue "Y" and the siding is the blue line.

 

[Wes Whitmore]

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

[Birds]

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 

[Wes Whitmore]

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

[Andrew Falconer]

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.

[Frank53]

I like the second one more for scenic opportunity, however, it appears the first will let you operate two trains concurrently. Truth be know, while I kind of try to stick with "less is more", I too enjoy having the opportunity to run multiple trains and would go with version #1.

[Wes Whitmore]

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