Layout Design Help Needed

[Anonymous]

My attempt at building a On30 layout ended in a disaster, as I grossly underestimated the space requiremnets for buildings. This layout will be taken down and whatever can be salvaged will be sold.

I am planning to make another attempt at a new layout - this time in HOn3, as I still have a loco and some rolling stock in this scale and gauge. I have been trying to come up with a layout idea, but did not succeed so far to find something, which is

• represents a typical Colorado or New Mexico setting
• is rewarding to operate, despite the small size I have available
• can be built applying Freemo HOn3 standards.

The space I have is 10 ft by 19" - certainly not much.

Any help is highly appreciated!

[skagitrailbird]

Sorry, I can't help much with your layout design but I can offer a tip regarding space for buildings.  I find that nearly all HO scale plastic structure kits are too large for a modest sized layout.  I almost always reduce the footprint by selectively removing sections of walls.  This can generally be done without materially changing the charavcter of the building.

[norpacguy]

You might consider some form of linial switching layout in standard gauge (pick your scale).  In several of the plan books you can find something that would suit your tastes and fit your space.  You may have to modify the layout a bit, but that is normal.

[NorthWest]

Don't forget fold down sections for increasing your space by a few inches, to facilitate loops.

[tomikawaTT]

A prototype to nudge your thinking - D&RGWs Monarch Branch.  Approached by switchback, interesting loading facility, legitimate use of vertical natural rock formations to separate levels.  The top-of-the-pass customer supplied high-quality limestone used as flux at a steel mill in Pueblo, CO.  For operating interest you could add a company store (box cars) and fuel depot for the mine's haul trucks.  Some interesting images came up when I queried Google.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Texas Zepher]

Sir Madog

The space I have is 10 ft by 19"

Perhaps one of the mills, mines, or ore crushers on one of the three lines going north out of Silverton.  Interchange with the D&RG on one end and the mill on the other.

[wickman]

10x19 is certainly a nice size space to work with. Any thoughts or ideas?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the input so far, but keep the ideas coming...

Chuck, I am going to look into this!

Lynn, that 10 feet by 19 inches. I´d be a happy man if it were 10 feet by 19 feet...

[rrebell]

One of the best designs for that space is one done that I beleive was called the Gum Stump and Snowshoe.

[Anonymous]

I have benn thinking of a design similar to the famous Gum Stump & Snowshoe R.R. developed by Chuck Yungkurth in the 1960´s. I am reluctant to have a multi-level layout built in sections. Aligning track on diffeent levels is some task. As I have a move coming up, the layout must be in sections (or modules), hence the wish to build it according to Frremo HOn3 standards.

[ndbprr]

There is nothing like practice to design a good layout. Either buy a track template so you can keep things in proper scale or a track cad program to design with. Then design away. Y ou will learn quickly what is doable and what is not. It is like nearly everything else in life. If you figure it out you will never forget how to do something but if someone tells you you will forget how very quickly. One of John Armstrongs tricks was to make squares the same size as a circle of the track radius. Then you know from the get go how many times you can fold the layout.

[dehusman]

What kind of operation are you wanting?  A terminal of a larger system or some sort of self contained industry.

I would not confine myself to HOn3 layouts.  Look at ALL HO shelf layouts, regardless of  prototype, or locale.  Switching is switching.  Also look at around the walls layouts for spare bedrooms.  They tend to be in the 8 to 10 ft on a side type of thing.  Just use one wall of a layout that goes around 4 walls.  Don't over look sea-port based layouts, they end to have compact switching opportunities.  The track plan is the key,  the rest is scenery.

Your real limitation is staging or someplace for a train to go or come from on the layout.  Even a 3-4 ft removeable tail track or cassette would add a whole bunch of flexibility.

[snjroy]

Have you considered HOn30? I think you can fit a loop in there (and another). And what about dual gauge HOn3-HOn30?

Simon

[Texas Zepher]

Sir Madog

Thanks for all the input so far, but keep the ideas coming...

Ok I have some more specific suggestions.   On the Rio Grande Southern there was Pandora Colorado.  There the track did a switch back to get to the Smuggler-Union Mining Red Mill and the Black Bear mine.   You would of course have to leave out the wye track.  Town diagram is on page 121 of the "Silver San Juan" book by Ferrell, 1973.

Then there is always the famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it)switchback turntable at corkescrew gultch on the Siverton Railroad.  That could be used to get two levels out of your space.   (See The Rainbow Route by Sloan, 1975).

 

[Anonymous]

The layout will be definitively a HOn3 layout according to Freemo standards. I hope to be able to join one of the groups one day.

Freemo standrds do not allow for multi-level layouts or HOn30. HOn30 is fine for tight curves, but there is hardly anything available following US prototype, other than Minitrains Fiddletown & Copperopolis RR 0-4-0 and the upcoming "Forney". European locos are way too expensive - Bemo´s HOe (i.e. HOn30) stock is to the tune of $ 800 (without DCC/sound).

[wickman]

I  think that is a great idea  doing the Freemo, I don't have any Freemo members in  my area. If  you do  Freemo you can concentrate on making  it highly detailed and still have some operations.Pack it full of interest.

[SPV]

Your criteria reminded me of a plan for an Sn3 layout that appeared in the Model Railroad Planning 1996 - it represents a generic D&RGW location in northern New Mexico in roughly the same space, and was designed to fit into teak shelving in an office.  I bet it could be adapted well to HOn3.

If you're looking for more prototypical options, I think Embudo or Espanola, NM, both from the Rio Grande's Chili Line branch to Santa Fe, could be effectively modeled in that space.  Dolores on the RGS might also fit well and has plenty of operational potential.  Another option might be to model one of the many little-known logging operations in the area, or maybe an interchange between one of those and the RGS or D&RGW.