4' x 12' layout

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have a 4' x 12' table available for my n-scale layout, but I'm just having a very hard time coming up with a good track layout for this kind of space. I've tried to find some published layouts for this size, but have been very unsuccessfull so far. Anyone any ideas where to find such layout?

Thanks

Frankwin

[Jacktal]

There are interesting 4X8 layouts that you could stretch for your purpose,or build as is and add a switchyard at one end,or a big industry or what else............?I wish I had your problem.

[Anonymous]

Try http://www.thortrains.net/ They have some good things,

RMax

[Anonymous]

Frankwin,

If I might make a suggestion, it would be that you think about what era, location, industries, scenery, and other features you would like to have as part of a layout before you search for a plan. By making a few key decisions about the purpose of the railroad you are about to build, a track plan may suggest itself.

For instance, a full size intermodal yard, coal mine, shipyard, and a 1000' trestle may be pushing it, even for Nscale in a 4x12 space [;)]. However, if you wanted to do a gritty industrial switching scene along one side of the 4x12 (ie. taking 2 or 3x12) and have mountain scenery and a big trestle, waterfalls, whatever, on the other side, this is probably "doable"...

Having said that, this is an interesting site for smaller Nscale track plans. A few are even planned for doors, which approach your 4x12 space. Maybe you could combine a few of them to suit what you have in mind:

http://www.naisp.net/users/mfischer/m_train2.htm

Andrew

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jacktal

There are interesting 4X8 layouts that you could stretch for your purpose,or build as is and add a switchyard at one end,or a big industry or what else............?I wish I had your problem.

Good suggestion.

Also have you looked at HO plans. You can adjust track spacing and other dimensions to N scale standard. HO plans as large as 6' x 18' reduced to fit you space could make a nice layout

[Anonymous]

In N-scale, 4' of layout depth is rather a lot, it is certainly enough to be divided with a backdrop of some sort in order to create multiple "places". I did just this with a 4x8 foot layout I built back in my younger years, where on one side of the backdrop was the city of Winchester, VA, while just a quarter of an inch away was the very remote city of Portsmouth, VA.

With 12' of length, too, you can do an excellent job of representing a realistic station stop or passing siding. I'm currently planning my layout around my 9' long staging tracks, which will be able to hold approximately 3 deisels plus about 24 cars, including caboose. If you're ambitious and want to run similarly long trains, you'll need passing sidings long enough to hold them, which can be done in 12' even if you only have passing siding along the tangent tracks between the loops at the ends.

Staging is something I highly recommend, but with your space restraints it may be difficult to add in staging where it will be hidden. I suggest just dedicating the first 4 to 6 inches of your 48" of depth to staging, and place two or three accessible tracks in this foreground. The rest of the track, which will be part of the scene, could be elevated in order to minimize the impact of the staging, with a partial helix (spiraling ramp) leading to the staging. I would say that two tracks are better than three in this case, because rather than provide "parking spaces" for full trains, instead what you're creating is a front-and-center fiddle yard, where you physically add and remove trains to the layout, and which is ordinarily empty. One track could be a through route, with helixes at each end. Think of it like a stage for a play, and you're looking at it from the actor's point of view: you place trains onto the ready track, then when they get their cue, they spiral up onto the scenicked portion of the layout, perform their soliloquy and break a leg, then come spiraling back down to be taken "offstage". Of course, you could have staging tracks on both sides...

With a divider down the middle, and staging on both long sides, you might even choose to represent two entirely different railroads, which have an interchange somewhere. There are so many possibilities...

[Anonymous]

Thanks all for the great advise. It gives me some ideas to think about.

I'm not really planning on having my layout in a certain era (at least not to start out with). I would like to have some mountain and a river in the scenery since I want to gain some experience with tunnels and bridges and it just looks really cool.

I like the suggestion of taking some of the smaller plans and combining them or taking an HO scale plan and resize it for N. :)

I did start out by putting a 2" foam board on the table so I can work in a river etc and could cut part of it down for a staging area too.

Anyhow.. any more ideas are welcome and I will certainly let you know what I choose to do.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

Thanks again for all the advice. This is what I came up with as a layout. It's based off of one of the layouts on Mike's Small Trackplan page.

The part on the left is just made a bit deeper since I have 48" to play with and the plan was for 30". The part on the right is added and the plan is to create a town in the big open area in the middle. With a river running through it. I'm also planning on separating the Industry part and the town part with a mountain range. Also the tracks on the complete left will be in or on a mountain area.

Please let me know what you guys think of this plan and if there are any suggestions or tips.

http://www.hooglanderonline.com/frankwin/layout.jpg

Thanks

[Anonymous]

That is an interesting plan! I have a few questions/suggestions...

On the left side, there are a lot of bridges, and up-and-overs that may require very steep grades. There is some pretty complicated trackwork there too (not that it cannot be done) with reversing loops, and the wye on the right side of the layout.

Are you able to get around both sides of the layout, or will you be running/building it from one side only? If it is against a wall, it will be hard to get to the far side - 48" reach is pretty far, even on a stool. Guess where the derailments will happen (you can thank Mr Murphy for that...). If it is in the middle of the room, are you able to go "round the walls"? If you consider that you need at least two feet on each side for access, you are occupying at least 8x16 - that is a good size space for something built-in.

Lastly, and this is just my opinion, I would avoid having the track run back and forth over the layout. Railroads tend to be linear. If you divide the current layout down the middle (longways) with a view block (a row of hills, or an actual backdrop) you can put you majestic scenery - rivers, bridges, tunnels, mountains - on one side, and have the roundhouse, industries, and yard on the other side.

Hope that helps.

Andrew

[Anonymous]

Andrew,

Thanks for your comments. To answer your questions: Yes it is against a wall, but I have access from 3 sides, just not from the backside. I was planning on making sure enough rerailers are in place to hopefully minimize derailments on hard to reach places.

I also did calculate and measure that I need only a 2% grade to get high enough for the bridges and up and overs. There is 1 spot where it might be a bit tight, but since I'm using a 2" foamboard as a base I'm planning to just lower the bottom track there a little bit to compensate.

I agree that running the track back and forth is not ideal, but since I only have limited space there's not a whole lot I can do about it.

Thanks again

Frankwin

[Anonymous]

A few suggestions based on that plan:

The "passing" siding at the top middle-right seems extremely short; if this is intended to serve some specific industry it makes some sense, but a regular old industry spur is easier to do with a single switch. A true passing siding needs to be long enough to hold a complete train. Another possibility for it is a helper engine pocket, with a small enginehouse and fuel/sand towers... which would make sense if it is positioned at the base or top of a grade. What do you envision for this siding?

The small yard near the bottom-middle seems to be an uncomfortable fit. If this yard were oriented the other way, with its yard ladder branching off of the left-most siding switch, it could fit in slightly longer tracks at an angle to the layout's edge. Also, both yard seem to have ladders (the series of switches) which are not done properly: real yards try to avoid s-curves by having a straight route through the switches, with the curved routes leading to the dead-end tracks. In other words, swap left-hand for right-hand turnouts. You'll get longer tracks as well, since you won't need as many curves after the switches.

Another thought is this: there is an opportunity being missed, perhaps because the plan is based on sectional track. John Armstrong's concept of "cosmetic curves" refers to broad sweeping curves which take the place of tighter curves plus their tangents. Specifically, I'm looking at the two-track route through the wye, where you seem to have placed a station. This entire length could be replaced with very broad curvature, though you'd have to rely on flextrack. The lead tracks to the wye could be on the straight route through turnouts rather than the curved routes, and the curved routes could belong to the overall sweeping curve. With a depot here, you'll have reason to stop your passenger trains there, and they will look immensely better on a long gentle curve than they will on straight track going abruptly into a tight curve.

I have placed a depot on my own layout at pretty much the same location within a similarly broad curve, and it makes for an excellent trainwatching spot. I have a large enough layout that I can afford to keep my tracks from running parallel to the layout edge, which is another trick to add interest. Considering your table limitations, I think this is a worthy plan, because you do have tracks moving through the center of the scene, with plenty of foregroung and background.