My dream layout:
1. I'd use one of those Overland Models brass truss bridges, perhaps multiple spans of it.
2. I'd need some dramatic western scenery, perhaps Abo Canyon, New Mexico, and/or Devil's Canyon, on the SP&S...or perhaps the often modeled Feather River Canyon/Keddie Wye...Maybe the fill section across the Great Salt Lake...perhaps other sections of the old Los Angeles and Salt Lake division of UP.
3. I'd like to see ocean waves and a beach scene modeled in HO...perhaps along the Surf Line?
4. I'd need some big time steam power that I doubt I'll ever actually have. I'd start with W&R/Samhongsa WP 251 and 257 class 2-8-8-2's, Rio Grande L-107, L-131 and L-132's, and add in PSC WP 4-6-6-4's, and some NP Z-5's and Z-6's, whichever make you prefer.
John
5150WS6 Another question for all you guys. We are in the process of building a shop that will be deemed railroad only! WOOHOO! Finally getting a layout with some size. That being said, what would you guys want or do for your dream layout? One of my friends said multiple yards so you have somewhere to fun freight. Genius! Any other inputs? We are looking at about 1200sq ft so we have room to do some cool things. Just looking for input on what all you guys would do different if you had a change. What would you add or get rid of?Looking more design wise with the layout. Mike
Another question for all you guys. We are in the process of building a shop that will be deemed railroad only! WOOHOO! Finally getting a layout with some size. That being said, what would you guys want or do for your dream layout? One of my friends said multiple yards so you have somewhere to fun freight. Genius!
Any other inputs? We are looking at about 1200sq ft so we have room to do some cool things. Just looking for input on what all you guys would do different if you had a change. What would you add or get rid of?Looking more design wise with the layout.
Mike
Read this:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/271142.aspx
1200 sq ft is not as big as you think, especially if you go for 48" radius, 36" would be big enough.
My last layout filled a 1000 sq ft room, my next will fill 1500 sq ft., and have a 20 ft long freight yard - only one visable yard......
Sheldon
Think about stuff that's easy and relatively inexpensive now, but much harder later. Consider how your layout must be blocked and divided for signalling. Build a power distribution system for your trains, and a separate one for structures, street lights and so on.
Plan and be faithful to a color code for wiring. Plan ahead for future maintenance and additions.
Plan your roads. They should be designed in, not thrown together later. Crossing Gates and signals add a lot.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Check out Onewolf's layout, in it's own building! He's on here, and does post occasionally.
http://www.onewolf.org/Album/LayoutConstruction/index.html
Mike.
My You Tube
Thank you guys for the input. I guess it would have helped if I would have given all the info! LOL!
So era we are looking at is the end of SP. So 80's through 90's. I do have some modern stuff as well though so we can sort of go from 80's till current as weird as that sounds. Hard for me to pick one era as I have a love for BN, BNSF, SF.....but dad and I's original love is for SP.
We are in Oregon and I lived in San Diego for a little bit so we will be modelling some of both of these. I have a plan to do the San Diego Union station as well as a beach scene where the tracks go right down close to the ocean near San Clemente, complete with surfers and a cut away ocean view using epoxy. Also lots of trees, lots of forest. Hopefully some of the Shasta area with the river and lake maybe. Trying to model some of the local economy although it's changed so much it's hard to know what we will do. We just are picking the best parts out of both areas. All diesel. Only steam that will be on the layout will be my brass Daylight if I don't chuck it out the window. Trying to get the DCC in it to be trouble free but that's a whole nother post! LOL!
It will be all one level. We have one large yard about about 25' long with 8-10 tracks and another smaller yard at the other end that's only 9'ish feet and so far only about 6 tracks. But enough for us to stage things at different areas. Two stations for passengers and about 10 sidings for various businesses and industries. We plan to do the downtown San Diego roughly and transition to the ocean scene and then into scrub then to forest with big cedar and pines.
It's about 1000' of track and all one continuous loop. I have double track but I'm not a fan of everything being double track. It's too easy. I like having to watch signals and things and with dad being the only other one on the track some single track makes it a bit more challenging when you have to watch for other trains vs just passing them. We had doubles all around on our first layout and it was almost boring. So we will have passing sidings but the are limited a bit so it will force us to not only use signals but have some planning which will be fun.
Since we have the room I'm doing 48" radius's and #12 switches to be the smallest in hopes of keeping things running ultra smooth.Keep the ideas coming. I really appreciate your guys input. This will probably be the last layout I do and dads getting up there so I'm sure it will probably be his grand finale which is cool. This is something that started when I was 4 and has been a long time coming.......so it should be exciting!
A few thoughts, some better than others.
Possibility of continuous running when non MR friends are over.
Staging, both ends better.
Passing tracks need to be long enough to hold the longest train you will run.
Each passing track allows one train to run each direction, as long as each side of passing section is empty to begin. Therefore a passing track in each town to be switched.
30" aisles are not wide enough for multiple people. 42" would be good.
I prefer single deck, others may differ.
5150WS6Any other inputs? We are looking at about 1200sq ft so we have room to do some cool things.
That is almost as large as my entire house!
Only you know what you want. You need to make yourself happy.
My layout (soon to finally begin contruction):
1) Must have two loops for continuous running.
2) Must have a waterfront port scene.
3) Must have a multi-segment running plan for a local switcher for tons of one-man operation fun.
4) Must be able to run point-to-point when I really want to "operate" the trains.
5) Must have an interchange track.
6) Must have a huge roundhouse/steam service/turntable scene.
7) Must have lots of different scenes for photography, which for me, goes hand-in-hand with model railroading.
That is what I need. It is not really a wish list, but what I had to work into my plan. Your will be very different.
I found a way to make it fit in 225 square feet.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
What era will you be modeling? That would be an important factor in producing a wish list. My layout is dual-era, so I can justify both diesel and steam.
I do like things that can span those periods. I stretch reality a bit, but I am not bad at keeping things between the thirties and early sixties.
I would plan for a main line or two with catenary. I don't have any now, but I would love to have some wire to run my GG-1 under. Modern electrics like the Acela would also benefit from the scenery of catenary. For me, this would just be a staging to staging thing, but on a larger layout a decent sized passenger terminal might be possible.
I have a carfloat with the apron, set in a waterfront scene. I have another carfloat kit, as yet unbuilt, but one of these days I will have this whole operation out in front so I can spend more time switching it and using the carfloats (removable) as cassettes to introduce more traffic.
Did I mention staging? Yes I did, but now I will do it again. Plan for staging, including access. Don't, like I did, try to do staging as an afterthought. It needs to be an integral part of the traffic flow of the layout.
Water elements are something else that needs advance planning. Rivers and streams give you opportunities to build bridges. Real railroads have to deal with the realities of traffic constraints getting over bridges, and additional switching and signalling to manage the constrictions will enhance operations.