Your layout can be a scene of an industrial area. Industries along both sides of the 36inches where goods are transfered from one side to the other. Pehaps some ramps in the middle and a freight office.
LOTS of details in the scene/layout. Lots of figures working on loading and unloading. Lots of lights etc. Maybe a double slip double throw switch too to add to the track mix.
Think verticle with the buildings. You can make up for lack of length with height.
With some good switching and lots of detail you will be more than occupied for some time to come.
First off I'd like to thank Stein for the grammar and language corrections . You're right though I wasn't thinking when I wront what I did haha!
So needless to say I am going to take a picture of the room area that I have to work with and try to post it in the next few days (I don't have internet at my hosue at the moment so I have to really on free WIFI elsewhere) so you can see what I am working with.
With the layout hanging down on the sides, you guys are right where I could have it hinged to stand up vertically instead of hanging down. It would just be a matter of not having tall scenery where the two ends meet at 90 degrees.
I've been looking at those Inglenook setups and they have some potential I think. I know they are in N scale, but I have an extra 6" in width and with a 6"x24"lead, I could create something similar to them.
Content removed due to a completely frak'ed up and incompetent Kalmbach customer service.
As I said before, the Brits are the world´s champions in building small, but interesting layouts. I can only recommend to take a look at what the cousins over the Big Pond are doing.
Here is a link to a British railway modeling forum, which should offer tons of ideas for your small layout:
RMweb
Many of the designs should be easily adapted to follow US prototype.
Just as food for thought and to show what can be done in small spaces:
Both the left and the right fiddle yards can be detached - plenty of operation!
Narrow spaces require a lot of thinking outside the box!
Very interesting Madog... I like the idea except the space I have to store lead track or fiddle yards is very narrow and can only hold a 6" wide section. Perhaps I can make it so that that 6" section, which can have 2 tracks lets say, can be made to slide or change to the top end or bottom end of sceniced portion of the track (I'm not sure what you would call that sorry) sort of like how a transfer table would work. I don't think I can afford a transfer table seeing as they are $350, but would something along those lines work? Also, what is OO scale?
Svein. I will have a rough drawing for you in the next couple days. Kinda fighting the flu at the moment so when I get home I crash and go to sleep right away.
I saw this Inglenook setup that I really liked. The track that is coming off the first turnout heading north could be where I place my engine house and the other three tracks can be a small yard. What do you think? My area isnt 48" in length like the one shown, but it is wider and my lead extension can help it out as well.
Just a quick answer.
OO gauge is only used in Britain. It is 1/76 scale, running on regular HO track. As British trains have a lower clearance than continental European ones, the slightly bigger scale is hardly noticeable.
Those traversers in the drawing are not expensive, electrically powered transfer tables, but simple sliding tables you can build yourself.
There are a number of railway modeling forums in Great Britain, where you can find tons of inspiration for your own design.
Oh so OO is the same track size for HO but I am assuming the trains are... larger? Smaller?
So I can build those traversers myself? Have you built one yourself or if not, could you point me to a site or forum that has a thread for that? If you don't I can check out that British modelling forum, since it seems to have A TON of stuff pertaining to tiny layouts. Thanks for hooking me up again :)
hi,
British trains are smaller then continental trains, so the difference in scale is making the difference in size hardy notice-able.
Paul
Ah OK. Thank you for clearing that up for me Paul. Much appreciated
For transfer tables construction, here is a good link: http://carendt.morphoist.com/articles/FAQs/traversers.html. Here is another on the site (on the bottom of the page) http://carendt.morphoist.com/scrapbook/page26/index.html.
I am actually planning to build one myself for my 12"x 36" layout I am planning right now. I am making a condensed engine shop facility and really don't have room for any turnouts.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot Visit my blog! http://becomingawarriorpoet.blogspot.com
HAHA! My work blocks those links as "Gay and ***" for the block reason. My works firewalls are ridiculous :S
But that is terrific that you are building the exact same type of layout I am! Mines a tad wider but still very close. Would you mind if I correspond with you in a private conversation as well to pick your brain? I am going to check those links when I am off work and can get some net outside of the office.
OK, I've finally got the scanner to work, so I can upload some of the track plans I sketched for your space.
The first is the engine terminal. Of the three, this plan provides the most operating potential. Since the most you'll be operating on this would be a handful of diesels, you could shorten the staging cassette to 2 feet.
This one's a typical large industry. I selected a coal mine for no particular reason except that they're popular modeling subjects. No through tracks on this one. You'll get more operation out of this once it's connected to a bigger layout.
(Edit: I'm not happy with the runaround track on this one. It's too short to be useful, but lengthening it would put the points under the tipple. Might as well eliminate it and save yourself two turnouts.)
Finally, a small town station scene, with a foreign-road grade crossing and a dummy interchange. Again, you'll get more fun out of this one once it's connected to a bigger layout, but you can switch the interchange and the team track.
I don't expect you to use any of these as-is, but hopefully they'll help you see that there are possibilities even in your very compact space. Happy railroading!
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steve! The time and effort you put into thosw drawings is fantastic! Thank you so much for them They will Definitly be giving me ideas to use... Heck I might even steal the design (!).
One question that I posed earlier though was modern railroads (I have settled on 1980-modern era) don't use turntables anymore do they? Someone mentioned that some railroads might still use them if they were already in there engine facility yards. Would this be accurate?
Also, other than walthers, I there another option for a decent looking turntable? Theirs is far too expensive for my poor college self to afford but I was looking on their site for other manufactures but they seemed very... cheap looking (I guess that reflects the cheaper price eh?). The only one I found that I found that looked half deecnt was this one http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/322-804 but I wasn't sure if it was a late turntable (one that could survive until the late 20th century).
So another thing I wanted to add as feed for thought is that I am fascinated by short line modern railroads. There are a couple near where I live that have inspired me to want to model a freelance railroad loosely based on them. Basically second hand locos from say CN or CP where I can allow the old paint job or lettering to show through a bit, older equipment that i can heavily weather and if they are on the cheap, maybe a turntable that they still use. Is this all possible of the era I am modelling?
Steven,
for those track plans.
We should make a project party out of building such a small layout ...
Steve thinks like a true Brit doesn't he Madog? Honorary British modeller honor in Steve's future possibly...?
arvanlaa One question that I posed earlier though was modern railroads (I have settled on 1980-modern era) don't use turntables anymore do they? Someone mentioned that some railraods might still use them if they were already in there engine facility yards. Would this be accurate? Also, other than walthers, I there another option for a decent looking turntable? Theirs is far too expensive for my poor college self to afford but I was looking on their site for other manufactures but they seemed very... cheap looking (I guess that reflects the cheaper price eh?). The only one I found that I found that looked half deecnt was this one http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/322-804 but I wasn't sure if it was a late turntable (one that could survive until the late 20th century).
One question that I posed earlier though was modern railroads (I have settled on 1980-modern era) don't use turntables anymore do they? Someone mentioned that some railraods might still use them if they were already in there engine facility yards. Would this be accurate?
There are some old turntables in the Chicago area that are holdovers from the steam era that are used to turn diesels. I am sure that a lot of railroads still use their old turntables to turn diesels.
Regarding the Walthers turntables, the newer indexed turntables are, indeed expensive and in the absence of a round house provide mo particular advantage over a manual turntable. Get your hands on one of the older 90' manual turntables that Walthers put out. You can buy a separate motorized unit but don't bother. Just turn it manually with your fingers.
Steven, U Da Man, taking that extra effort to prepare, scan, and post those diagrams. Nice work !
Rich
Alton Junction
hi Steve
it was rather obvious, the passing siding in the second drawing can probably hold not even one car.
The solution is clearly visible in the third drawing. Apply a cross-over on the extension.
I chose the Walthers turntable because of 1) its size and 2) its "completeness" as a kit. There are better looking turntables out there, but they probably look more old-fashioned than you would want, and would definitely involve more work than you think. I bought a craftsman kit turntable for my layout, which is great because it lets me build it to exactly my specs, but even I was a bit daunted when I opened the box and saw about 3 dozen white-metal castings and a bundle of scale wooden planks.
Whether a railroad would still use a turntable has to do only with how useful it is to them. Diesels don't strictly need to be turned and can be operated backwards, and on a main line, they'd probably use a wye to turn a diesel if they needed to. But at an engine terminal on a lightly used branch line, they might still use one if it's already there. Especially if it's used to access different engine stalls, as I drew.
Your choice of prototype sounds plausible. An engine terminal like I drew would fit in on a lightly used branch of such a short line. Setting your layout on a lightly used branch would also justify a choice of short older diesels, such as GP35s, MP15ACs, and GE 70-tonners, which would better fit on that turntable and turnouts.
A modern setting wouldn't be good for the interchange module, though, unless you boarded up the station or turned it into a restored museum or excursion-railway headquarters.
Here is a brand new Walthers 90' manual turntable on sale right now on eBay for less than 50 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WALTHERS-CS-HO-SCALE-90-TURNTABLE-933-3171-/300614280357?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item45fe01e4a5
richhotrain Here is a brand new Walthers 90' manual turntable on sale right now on eBay for less than 50 bucks. http://www.ebay.com/itm/WALTHERS-CS-HO-SCALE-90-TURNTABLE-933-3171-/300614280357?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item45fe01e4a5 Rich
Ah, I see the problem. I accidentally wrote down the Walthers part number for the built-up version. Yeah, that one is a bit pricey. The one Rich links to is out of stock at the moment at Walthers, but they are expected in January, and are on sale for $45. So yeah, a cheaper turntable is possible.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3171
richhotrain There are some old turntables in the Chicago area that are holdovers from the steam era that are used to turn diesels. I am sure that a lot of railroads still use their old turntables to turn diesels. Regarding the Walthers turntables, the newer indexed turntables are, indeed expensive and in the absence of a round house provide mo particular advantage over a manual turntable. Get your hands on one of the older 90' manual turntables that Walthers put out. You can buy a separate motorized unit but don't bother. Just turn it manually with your fingers. Rich
Thanks for that info Rich. I just wanted to say I really appreciate your input in this thread. Thank you :)
Sorry to be a newb, but what is an indexed turntable? I'm not familiar with that term. And yes, I think I might try to find a manual turntable. I just cannot justify sinking that much of my budget into a single product on my layout at this point . I understand where you are coming from Steve with the completness but I might have to show around a bit for a manual one that looks half decent and modify it a bit or just weather the hell out of it to cover any cheap plastic look.
richhotrain Steven, U Da Man, taking that extra effort to prepare, scan, and post those diagrams. Nice work !
I agree 100% with that statement. Steve is an A+ class act!
And yes Steve, I was planning on using some 44 ton switchers, GP 35 and maybe some GP9s. My engine house is single stalled some maybe I can think of another use for that extra track. Put another building next to it or maybe turn it into a RIP track?
An indexed turntable is electronically operated with the ability to preset start/stop positions as the turntable rotates. It is very useful with multi-stall roundhouses.
A manual turntable is one in which you simply turn the bridge track assembly with your fingers to position it.
Ohhhhhhhhh... is that one with the part number for a ready built one? That would explain it :P But thanks Rich! I wonder if I could find one on amazon when I get home (I use amazon over eBay usually. I feel better with it for some reason lol). Thanks a ton for looking that up for me! I shall check it out ASAP and nab it if at all possible.
Steve you said they will have stock in January? And in January are they for $45? If so, I could save up and have a turntable after Christmas lol. Or I can just get the one Rich linked me too. Either way I could get one :)
There is a new one available right now on Amazon for $43.34.
http://www.amazon.com/Walthers-Cornerstone-Scale-Turntable-Diameter/dp/B000AQT8LG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320860988&sr=8-1
richhotrain A manual turntable is one in which you simply turn the bridge track assembly with your fingers to position it. Rich
In 1:1 scale, this is called an "Armstrong turntable."
No telling how long the Walthers sale will last. You could order at the sale price now and wait for them to get stock in and deliver to you. Or you could order from one of the sources Rich found for you. It's not much of a price difference.
Oh ok Rich. So indexed is very convienient but adds a ton of cost. My old fingers will do the trick :) And that amazon deal looks great! If shipping isn't an arm and a leg, I might just go a purchase that! Might mean a few dinnerless nights... but meh! I need my turntable!
arvanlaa Steve thinks like a true Brit doesn't he Madog? Honorary British modeller honor in Steve's future possibly...?
I am not quite sure whether this would be an honor.
With a last name of "Otte", he is most likely of German ancestry - like so many reputed model railroaders. Come to think of it, is this because the hobby enjoys such a good standing in Germany with over 6 million members registered in in the German counterpart to the NMRA?
Enough of hijacking this wonderful thread!
6 million members?! Wowwwww... I had no idea! And you are not hijacking at all, you've added tons of quality posts Madog!
So Rich, I checked that turntable and the shipping is $23 to get it to me up in the cold north :P I might check on the .ca site and see if I can find a Canadian dealer that might have cheaper shipping :) If not, I may have to wait till January...
arvanlaa 6 million members?! Wowwwww... I had no idea! And you are not hijacking at all, you've added tons of quality posts Madog! So Rich, I checked that turntable and the shipping is $23 to get it to me up in the cold north :P I might check on the .ca site and see if I can find a Canadian dealer that might have cheaper shipping :) If not, I may have to wait till January...
Have Steven Otte order it on Amazon for you and he can drive up to Ontario and drop it off.