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Plan for 8' x8' x8' space

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Posted by John Busby on Saturday, December 2, 2006 12:17 AM

Hi Sandy R

Thanks for the thought.

I would get bored with unconnected loops and no operational potential very quickly.

regards John

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Posted by John Busby on Friday, December 1, 2006 11:47 PM

Hi iandor

This layout is to be built in my Hobby room inside the house which in spite of the 1/4 acre block is a miners cottage that has been tacked on to  and tacked on to so the rooms are small.

R1 curves are not a problem I have 3 train sets worth to get rid of that will not make it to the real railway in the garden.

The railway is for when its tooCensored [censored] hot or flooding the town with rain so is indoors and really restricted for space

The "REAL" railway is being built in the garden where it can spread have a number of stations, with my idea of long trains (4-6-0 locomotive and ten bogie wagons + guards van) and still be able to maintain the minimum three times train length between stations rule for most of the line, not including no facility stopping places put there because it seemed a good idea at the time.

The US is an imperial measurement country so better input will be had by quoting feet and inches 

Given the Aussie view on Authorities you should not be that surprised at the use of real measurements instead of that funny foreign stuffBig Smile [:D]

regards John

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Posted by SandyR on Friday, December 1, 2006 9:58 PM

How about two loops, one above the other, but not connected?

SandyR

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Posted by John Busby on Friday, December 1, 2006 4:14 AM

Hi Vic

It will be walk around I figure if it isn't it will not get off the floor level

I am hoping I might be able to get extravagant and have a few R2 curves but not holding my breath on that.

Stock will be small 4wh the largest being the LGB toy train stock I don't know of any real short bogie stock in "G" so don't expect it will have anything with more than 4 wheels.

In the absence of those rather nice DHR Sharp Stewart 0-4-0's with 6 or so crew hanging off them I have no idea what to use for loco power but it had better be tiny and small at the largest any thoughts

Access could be problematic it would have to be pretty mountainous to get the twists and turns as it goes up to look right

things will probably be steep and sharp curves

regards John

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Posted by vsmith on Thursday, November 30, 2006 10:26 PM

I drew my plans on Autocadd also at 1:1, I always include the track width so that the clearences ar shown. Theres no guess work planning wise and I can get an accurate track count and fiddle with finetuning it.

 I would be interested to see how your layout as planned would translate into a  program using Autocadd. I tried but my take was as best I could get and still stay within the 8' square area.

 Anyway John has to answer a few basic questions to continue. Vic

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 30, 2006 9:37 PM
 vsmith wrote:
Heres Elizabeths plan I worked out using an R1 template
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Bit tighter than the sketch would lead one to believe. And that been my experience and the lessons learned from my trails and travails in small layout planning. At this small scale of layout planning it become very critical to design at actual full size, so you know how much area an R1 switch takes up and what size make up peices you likely need. Its the only way to make sure the area given will accomodate the desired track plan and still have room for buildings , scenery, etc.

 

Hello Vic,

 

The layout plan  posted for the 2.3 by 2.3m space is actually planned in 1:1.  

As our techie/designer tells me each Millimeter equals exacty one Millimeter when drawn. Our experience has been that many of  the layout planning softwares are not accurate enough for our purposes. Some of those inaccuracies show in you drawing. In order to get the required accuracy we use CADrail.

Cadrail allows you to select one millimeter as the basic unit and everything fits perfectly that way. When things fit and align perfectly - including the make-up pieces -  one can easily use the CADrail drawings to construct any type of layout from small Z-scale to the largest "G" design.

 

Best regards

 

ER

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 30, 2006 5:54 PM

I am convinced that the American Dog bone configuration is the best way to get the most track into a given space. I have a double dogbone in area my 3 and i have 70 m track ib 21 M2 space.

John you have surprised me all this business of restricted space, you live in the biggest state in either USA or Australia. What is it about 3,000,000 square kilometres. I was also surprised that you used imnperial measurements.

I would remind you that Australia is a metric country and real Australians should do their best to support this.

Rgds ian

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Posted by vsmith on Thursday, November 30, 2006 2:28 PM
Heres Elizabeths plan I worked out using an R1 template
-
-
Bit tighter than the sketch would lead one to believe. And that been my experience and the lessons learned from my trails and travails in small layout planning. At this small scale of layout planning it become very critical to design at actual full size, so you know how much area an R1 switch takes up and what size make up peices you likely need. Its the only way to make sure the area given will accomodate the desired track plan and still have room for buildings , scenery, etc.

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    December 2001
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Posted by vsmith on Thursday, November 30, 2006 1:15 PM
The Shoehorn Mining co?  
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This is my take on the plan from Carl's website
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One question is crutial...what are you planning to run on this layout?
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If you plan to run small lokies and small cars the clearances (verticle and horizontal) are easier than if your planning to run a Bachmann Connie on this.
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8 x 8 is very tight as the plan showns. This is an over and under with a very steep grade to get a min of 7 inch clearance at the bridges, small engines might clear 6 inches or maybe even 5 1/2 if carefully done, might be better to take the "layer cake" approach and fit 2 or 3 individual loop levels in the space provided.
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Edit*
What in the hell is up with this dam format again??????????
Its compresses my post and the result is far harder to read. Censored [censored] format!
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PS I added those - bullets so my post could be easily read! Banged Head [banghead]

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by vsmith on Thursday, November 30, 2006 11:16 AM

John try here

http://carendt.com/index.html

 

This is an idea from the scrapbook, its N but could be revised to G, heres the scrapbook page:

http://carendt.com/scrapbook/page37a/index.html

All I can say is READ EVERYTHING! from ALL scrapbook issues, and review ALL the Microlayout gallery

This is a treasure trove for small layout planningWink [;)]

 Its the site that gave me the courage to try G indoors, to embrace R1 (or smaller) curves and chuckle at those guys *limited* to 8-foot diameter curvesBig Smile [:D]

 

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 30, 2006 11:13 AM

Hello John,

 

Just one of many possibilities

 

 

 

At 2.3m by 2.3m slightly less than your space 

 

Regards

ER 

  • Member since
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Posted by vsmith on Thursday, November 30, 2006 10:53 AM

8 x 8?

 I'd use R1s to maximize space, could do a cool mining tram or logging line in that space. Going up in that area is going to have some mighty steep grades, keep that in mind.

 Is this going to be a walk around layout or will it be build into an 8 x 8 room? Its important to know wheter you have to plan space for access out of that 64 sq. ft.

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: West Australia
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Plan for 8' x8' x8' space
Posted by John Busby on Thursday, November 30, 2006 3:05 AM

hi guys and girls

I have been granted an eight foot square indoor concession for rainy days and when it is just to Censored [censored] hot to play out side.

Any one got any ideas of a track plan to fit that space, I figure start at floor level and work up is going to give maximum track-age I want to use commercial made track for ease of construction

The bench work is literal going to be two sheets of 8 X 4 laid on the floor with skirting board run round it as a kick board.

Starting at that level then working upwards hence the three dimentional space figures.

regards John

 

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