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New Layout Help

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  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
  • 75 posts
Posted by Antag2002 on Friday, December 3, 2010 5:37 PM

in the drawing of my basement the area with measurements around it is the space i am going to be using and no i have a workbench with all my tools in a seperate room. this whole are is going to be dedicated to trains. I havnt decided yet if i want to base my model off an real live area or freelance it i know i love shays and climax locos so an industrie such as logging would fit well

 

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Eastern Shore Virginia
  • 3,290 posts
Posted by gandydancer19 on Friday, December 3, 2010 4:54 PM

One of the major issues you will face will be designing a layout or track plan.  The first thing to do is define the space that you have.  How much of the room can you use?  Do you need to have a workbench in the same room?  You will get more running track if your layout is along the walls with a peninsula or two sticking out toward the center if you have room.  The longest that you can reach things is about 24 inches.  Thus quite a few folks make their benchwork 18 to 24 inches wide.  The peninsulas can be wider because you will have access from both sides and the end.

What I do for layout design (have done so far) is define my area and benchwork first.  Next I decide on a theme.  (Mainline running, with a branch line(?) or other special interests.)  Then I put in a mainline.  I am fond of twice around the room types divided by scenery and grades. 
Since I have gotten into operations, I also have a staging area of some sort, whether it is a lay-over for entire trains, or a yard that simulates an interchange yard.  One track in staging is a through track for continuous running.  If I put cars on it, the layout becomes point to point for operations.
Next I try and determine how many small towns I can have, and possibility one city with a yard and loco facilities, without them crowding one another.  Usually small yards and facilities unless I have the room for larger ones.  I will try to fit in a way-side industry or two just for variation as long as it won't crowd things.
Then I go looking at plans for modular railroads. I look for ones that would make good towns or cities because their track plans are usually fairly compact, and most of the way they will be switched is already determined with a good track plan themselves.
Because I freelance, I don't worry about town and city names etc., but if you want to model a specific prototype, you can name the towns as the railroad you are modeling would, and build or plan you scenery to suite the area you want to model. Also, some of the industries that may be recognizable in a town you choose to name from a real one may have to be built or otherwise implied to achieve the "feeling" of the real town.
When building starts, I try and get all of the benchwork built first.  Then plan where the towns will go and install the mainline to get some trains running.  Then I work on one of the yards so I can store stuff when not running.  Then I plug along on the other track work and scenery design and continue from there.

You can think about and play with a bench / layout design while you are getting the room ready.  As was said before in other posts;  "That means lighting and backdrop installation but also can include things like drop ceiling, carpeting, etc.  Things that make for a pleasing environment.  That will be more important to some than others and only you can decide that.  All these things are much easier to do before you start building the layout."

If you want to start building right away, build a switching module that can become a town on part of your layout.  Something about 2 X 6 or so.

By the way.  If you copy and paste these posts into a document and save it on your computer, you can refer back to them instead of trying to remember everything.

Hope this helps.

Elmer.

The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.

(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
  • 75 posts
Posted by Antag2002 on Friday, December 3, 2010 2:41 PM

This layout will most def be dcc as there will be multiple users and multiple locos.

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: huizen, 15 miles from Amsterdam
  • 1,484 posts
Posted by Paulus Jas on Friday, December 3, 2010 1:34 PM

hi,

don't  worry about it, it's done by photobucket.

paul

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
  • 75 posts
Posted by Antag2002 on Friday, December 3, 2010 1:14 PM

thank you anyway of scaling the drawing down ?

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: huizen, 15 miles from Amsterdam
  • 1,484 posts
Posted by Paulus Jas on Friday, December 3, 2010 1:05 PM

hi

most posters are member of   http://photobucket.com/.  You'll have to upload your pics on that site, copy the image number, and paste the number on here.

and yes, without a good drawing of your space you will not get appropriate responses.

paul

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
  • 75 posts
Posted by Antag2002 on Friday, December 3, 2010 12:44 PM

Photobucket

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: Newmarket, ON Canada
  • 334 posts
Posted by Aralai on Friday, December 3, 2010 12:27 PM

Welcome! I am in Newmarket, ON and am in the process of building my own HO layout. Check my signature for details of the layout and progress photos.

It sounds like we have a similar need to have a continuous loop and switching.

I am currently running DC not DCC, and have a dual control with one zone controlling my yard and track to several industries/sidings, while the other zone can run a train on a continuous loop.

My layout is basically a shelf layout with a duckunder to complete the loop. I am at the stage where I am finally happy with the track and it is tested fully, and now starting to work on scenery and industries. The sidings are not 100% completely done, as I need to make sure they integrate properly with structures etc.

I think based on my experience it would not be difficult to achieve both goals - probably even easier if you are using DCC.

 

 

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 3, 2010 12:17 PM

Welcome to the MR forum, Antag2002!

There are quite a few layout ideas which combine continuous running with switching operation, so that should be not a problem to come up with workable ideas, but:

Without knowing your room, it is going to be quite difficult to make a suggestion. There are some fine and helpful folks in here, but they need to know the dimensions of your room. The best is to provide us with a fairly accurate drawing of your room, including any obstacles, like doors, washing machine, dryer, heater - you name it, that have a fixed location.

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
  • 75 posts
New Layout Help
Posted by Antag2002 on Friday, December 3, 2010 12:12 PM

Starting an HO Layout. I live in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

I in Spitting distance to the CN/CP/Via/GO transit tracks. I have always been a fan of steam, and of early diesel so naturally I will be modeling somewhere between 1941 -1960.
I have a decent sized space to work with roughley 150 sqft.

Now here in lies my need for help.

 My friends and I who will be operating this layout have the need for lots of switching and industries to haul freight to and from, as well as a yard to sort and prepare the strings of cars to be moved.
But. My wife has the need for simplicity of a continuous loop so she can just set the turnouts and flick a switch and the train will do circuits while she is doing the laundry.

As for scenery I can look in my backyard and see what it looks like now but to do a model between 1941 and 1960 I need to find pictures and route maps, As well as some ideas of what industries where being served by these rails during that time.

Well that’s all I can think of right now.

Any suggestions?

Thank you in advance

Howard.

 

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