MR Mar 2002 Article: Designing a layout to fit your DINKY SPACE!

[BRJN]

A few weeks ago I got to go on 'remote assignment' at work - I was running a project to repack/relabel some product into the new numbering system. (My employer makes plastic plates, lids, to-go containers, and such.) The product was in a storage warehouse with a ceiling about three stories above the floor, rooms easily 150 ft square.

I was mentally filling the space with visions of the Smoky Mountains in HO scale ... and A LOT of plaster gauze ... or a version of the Grand Rapids & Indiana that was only SLIGHTLY condensed between towns (This would be laid out on the ultimate snake-shelf peninsula layout). I had thought about an around-the-room spiral but I would have to provide remote controls for every train, and aisle space for two forklifts to pass each other.

At this point a bit of reality began to set in: I work for an employer that cannot afford to buy itself enough forklifts, let alone pay me enough to buy a bunch of forklifts for my own. [:o)]

This is far too big for anybody's $$$ (except maybe a government project). The Smoky Mountains can be painted or photographed onto the backdrop. And most of the GR&I layout would have farm fields (and a loosely parallel highway) as scenery anyway. So this probably ought to be condensed into a profitable thought experiment. A regular bedroom - or even a master bedroom - is big enough to get the real nuggets you want for the flavor.

[SpaceMouse]

I'm thinking 3 years maybe for my 20x12 mid-size basement layout. Maybe $1200 for lumber, a Zepher, track and tortoises. I have plenty (I almost said enough) rolling stock and engines.

I could not conceive of actually doing a warehouse layout.

[robengland]

Spacemouse

amazing how time and mony estimates look when you really pin them down, whether managing IT projects, house renovations or MR layouts. May I suggest you never refine the estimates you have already made [:O]

As for your technique, I think it would be a good one for designing a biggish home layout. For small ones, I think the reality constraints soon chop so much away that it wouldn't gain you much over just listing a few bullet points. But it would be a fine armchair exercise anyway [:D]

[GMTRacing]

Spacemouse,
You are talking about what i'm trying to do now. My first attempt was too small and after several delicate negotiations , i acquired the rights to my present 12' x 12' location. I alreaady had a table and a fair bit of track and now I'm going through existing plans and seeing what i want to feature. Hopefully i will be able to do both point to point and at least one main line loop with scenery and grades, but how does one draw the line, and how do you avoid looking like 5 qts in a 4 qt tin? I'm now 6 revisions into a 100 page graph paper sketch pad, no one has enough room for real scale distances,probably not even the switch yard only layouts. How do plan to do this yourself? J.R.
he who has never made a mistake has never made much

[ukguy]

cmrproducts, do you have a website or photos online of your layout that I could view. I would be very interested to see it.

Have fun & be safe
Karl.

[BRJN]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GMTRacing

Hopefully i will be able to do both point to point and at least one main line loop with scenery and grades, but how does one draw the line, and how do you avoid looking like 5 qts in a 4 qt tin?

I am not a professional at this, but you could try designing a continuous loop with a 'division-point' facility in it. A branch line runs out of the division point and goes around the room (maybe above the loop or maybe in front of it) to its endpoint destination, maybe half-way around. The continuous loop could be hidden behind hills or under a tunnel or behind buildings where the branch is supposed to occupy attention. The other half of the room (where there is no branch) you can have the loop be the main thing to see.