I am wanting to build a N Gauge layout on a area of 8' X 4'. I have never worked with N Gauge before so I am wondering if someone could help me out with the curved track especially. Should I use 11.25" radius or larger and how many of them to complete the round ends of the layout? Also aproximately how much straight track will I need to do the straight aways in the layout? Is 5" or 10" track better for the staight track areas. My layout is in the shape of an oval at this time.
Thank you
Everett
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Hi Everett!
Welcome to the forum!
You know, each manufacturer is a little different when it comes to how many sectional pieces to do whatever. Most people will tell you to use the longest pieces possible because it reduces the number of joints which is usually where problems occur. They, and I, would also strongly suggest you look at flex track as well. There are a number of advantages to flex track, not the least of which is the fact that since most flex is about 3' long you really recuce the number of joints. Also, most people would suggest that you go with the largest curves that will fit. Thats true to a certain extent. If you model the 1800's or early 1900's the train cars and loco's were shorter, so big curves aren't quite as important. Big modern trains need big curves. And having generous curves is never a bad thing if you have the room.
Downloading some track planning software can help a lot too. There are a couple of freeware programs that you could get. There is the Atlas RTS 7.0 program and there's Xtrakcad. Make sure you do the free registration on them to unlock all of the tools. The Xtrakcad progam is pretty powerful, though it's a little tougher to use. The Atlas program can yield nice results too though.
Here's an N scale layout (4x8) that I did with the Atlas program.....
Otto Ray Sing wrote:Get some railroad planning books. That's one of the best starting points, and then follow the Atlas RTS suggestion.
I'm going to respectfully disagree with both point here. The first is the starting point. Getting railroad planning books focuses the planner on where to put the track. The track comes later. Instead, look at pictures either in magazines or here on Weekend Photo Fun and develope your vision. what do you you imagine when you think of a really cool model railroad.
Looking at plans won't tell you if you want a logging operation or a mine or city switching urban canyons. Looking a track plans show you ways to get track on plywood and leave you with big imagination gap when it comes time to add scenery.
The first thing is to develop your vision so you know why the track goes where it goes and what the scenery looks like.
Second, the only person I know that can use RTS well is Phillip above. It is really easy to learn to start, but leaves the user in a constricted thought process that produces awkward track plans. XtrkCAD while it has a steeper learning curve (but provides a 4-hour tutorial) but allows you to lay track to serve the function of your railroad. RTS's main function is to sell Atlas track.
So it's your choice. You want a fillet mignon or a fries with that frozen burger.
The Model Railroader mantra is Dream...Plan...Build. It makes a lot of sense.
Try to find some train shows and club layout open-houses that you can go to. Go to look at operating layouts, not to buy stuff. If there are a few of these in your area, you can get a lot of ideas, and see what things really appeal to you. There are a lot of options in this hobby. You can build a logging railroad in 1890, or a modern-day commuter line. Think about when you want your railroad to be (era,) where you want it to be (location) and what you want it to do (industries.) You might even want to go to the library or google around the web and do some research on history, geography and industrial engineering to get a feel for things. All of this comes under the heading of "Dream."
Get a copy of John Allen's "Track Planning for Realistic Operation." This is considered to be one of the best planning books around. It doesn't have layout-sized track plans, only concepts and ideas. Read it, and then read it again.
I did my layout plan in Atlas RTS, and it came out OK. Then, my hard drive crashed, so I started over with XTrakCad. RTS was easier, but XTrakCad is more capable. You can download them both for the same low, introductory price of FREE, so, if you feel like it, you can do your own comparison. And there is nothing wrong with pencil and paper (plus erasers) if you prefer. (And get used to people saying, "It's your railroad." Some people won't run a car on their layout if the built-on date on the car is 1942, and their layout is set in 1941. Others are happy to run steam engines on their modern industrial dockside layouts. It's really about having fun, whether "fun" to you is Thomas or prototype operations.) Plan ahead, and you will end up with a more coherent layout, and you won't waste money on materials and models that end up not fitting on your layout. That's all part of "Plan."
Finally, it's time to "Build." But, for now, I won't get ahead of myself.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
4x8 is a really big layout for N scale. I'm going to try building one this winter and I've decided on a 6x3, the track plan I'm working on will alow me to have a dbl track mainline, a third elevated line and a nice yard and service track area, AND a town......a 4x8 might be a bit big for a first time layout, take a look at some smaller plans like 2x4 or 4x4 first. It's really easy to get started and then run into problems if you go too big right out of the gate. Good luck.
My last two layouts [HO scale] utilized 4x8 sheets of OSB, I had plenty of space but was stuck in the ''square'' frame of mind and didn't consider anything more ''custom built''.
After much thought and taking into account the wasted space and inability to reach across 4 feet of terrain, I dismantled my layout and ripped the OSB in half, now I had 4-2x8 sheets, and I made an around-the-wall layout that is so much better and easier to maintain and view. And with the amount of straight runs on my layout I have ample oppurtunities to expand, I wish my wallet had ample cash to expand!!! LOL
For a first time N scale layout a 4x8 table will be a MAJOR undertaking, the track quanity alone will be enourmous, even using flex track.
If you want to give it a shot I wish you the best of luck, don't try and rush it though, get some reference books on track and scenery and make sure you have a handle on wiring, this will help everything run smoothly during construction.