track plan books

[Anonymous]

does any one one know of any track plan books besides the 2 i have, 101 track plans for model railroads and 48 top notch track plans (both by kalmbach books) ??? do any web sites offer any plans or is there any other publisher that has plan books? i appreciate any help with this.[;)] i'm having trouble coming up with an L shaped plan that i like thatwill fit onto an 11 x 11 foot wall. being that i am new to the hobby i want to try to stick with a published plan for my first layout. also all opinions welcome..... should i stick with bench work that is 3' from the wall for easier working and constructing or should i go with 4' from the wall. one idea i was toying with was to have the L shape with a section coming out from the corner of the wall making an arrow shape.



|

[ereimer]

depending on the height of your layout , 3 feet might be ok , 4 feet is too far to reach when you only have access from one side . many layouts are built fairly high off the ground - 40" to 50" and at that height for most people even 3 feet is too deep a reach . the arrow shape you mention has been used as well , it certainly adds some extra real estate .

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12229.html has some ideas that will work well in your space

[IRONROOSTER]

I would recommend "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong. Even if you go with a published plan this book is good to have.
Enjoy
Paul

[bsteel4065]

John Armstrong is the way to go. There was a man who knew everything about planning a railroad. Also, pick up the books that apply to what you plan to do. For example, if you're nto freight yards .... so it's 'Freight Yards' by Andy Sperando and 'Locomotive Servicing Terminals' by Marty McGuirk. But definitely anything with John Armstrong's name on it.

[Anonymous]

There's a thread on here, a forum, for planning for operation. That's good.

That said, I'm biased... if you model a model railroad track plan you will have a model of a model railroad... which is fine if that is what you want.

An alternative is to go back through as many RR and Model RR mags as you can get your hands on and look for the articles on the real thing... and the track arrangements they had. There have been many articles suggesting how to convert the real thing to a layout in a given space.

It is worth trying to work out as many track plans as possible from ideas you pick up... including from photos.

If you find a photos that shows you a lot of a track plan that you like, then see if you can work out your own arrangement from that. It will give you something uniquely yours.

I would not personally go for a baseboard more than 2' deep and (except for storage tracks) would keep the back 3" of that for scenery not track. What you need is not depth but length... except if you are making a loop back when you can't avoid the diameter of the circle.... BUT make sure you will have access... 'cos the bit you can't reach is the place things will go wrong.

Making an arrow shape is good if you have space... if you had space to make an E and were to use 20" radius curves (Absolute minimum.... but I stick to 36" minimum... and that only where I can't do more)... the inside tracks of the curve are going to be 40" apart between either of the top and bottom arms of the E and the middle arm... don't know the math for the arrow head but hope you get the idea.

On second thoughts... problem with an arrow head would be that, unlike the E, you don't have equal access into each aisle... Each aisle will be pointed... reducing to nothing... so instead of having to reach from the board face you will be having to reach from the furthest you can get yourself into the V... which is okay if you are V shaped...[:)]

Don't forget... anything that sticks out you will have to walk around... same as a table top layout... you get in a lot of mileage... for some reason things always go wrong on the other side of the stick out never the side you're on. If you can it would be easier to go for a U.

Have fun.

[Anonymous]

Iain Rice has two books published by Kalmbach. One is called Small, Smart and Practical Trackplans. The other is Midsize and Manageable trackplans. Rice is a true artist -- he hand draws all of his track plans -- and all of them have great operations features. Plus Rice is from the UK where they don't have supersized basements for empire layouts.

Layout design is an art. One thing I love about the hobby is studying a truly great trackplan, especially when it incorporates a prototype. Rice is one of the best.

[SpaceMouse]

Even if you go with a published track plan, you need to draw out the plan--preferably on one of the tracvk designe programs. The published plans are drawn for publishing and are not necessarily drawn to scale. I once drew a plan from 101 that was supposed to be 6 inched x 8 feet shelf layout. By the time I got all the turnouts and turns in, the layout was 9 inchess by 11 feet.

It's best you work out the bugs before you start building.

By the way. If you get adventureous and decide to draw your own plans, the people here will coach you throught the process. As long a s you are open to suggestions and don't get frustrated, you will end up with an excellent custom plan.

[Anonymous]

try Atlas HO King size Layout book #14. An excelent introduction for the new comer.
It is a step by step instruction book with 6 layouts for all tastes

[Anonymous]

thank you for all the comments. i returned from the hobby shop with i returned with midsize and manageable trackplans. this should keep me busy through the weekend. i also have been plugging in bits and piece of aothe track plans into atlas right track which on alot of these plans definately change when put into scale. i think my biggest problem is taht i need a return loop on both sides of my L shaped layout. i still want yard operation and will be using dcc but i also want to be able to sit back and watch 2 seperate trains running without having to jump up and throw switches at times[^]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

Even if you go with a published track plan, you need to draw out the plan--preferably on one of the tracvk designe programs. The published plans are drawn for publishing and are not necessarily drawn to scale. I once drew a plan from 101 that was supposed to be 6 inched x 8 feet shelf layout. By the time I got all the turnouts and turns in, the layout was 9 inchess by 11 feet.

Chip,

Which layout was this? I, too, have 101 track plans. I've been planning my shelf layout in CAD. Occasionally I'll open up the good 'ol 101 book, and think, "wow, those guys back then were sure better at get more track in their layouts than I am!".

Maybe they weren't in fact after all, huh?

[loathar]

You can also just Google "HO train track plans" (or N). I've found hundreds that way. The Atlas site also has a lot of plans on it.

[jecorbett]

I have most of the above mentioned books and they are all excellent references. To me the king of track plan books is Linn Westcott's 101 Track Plans and "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong is a must for anyone designing a track plan. I would try to find a plan that is close to what you want and then tweak it to fit your space. You could use a play for a slightly smaller layout and just stretch the mainline or if you find a larger one, shrink it down and maybe reduce the number of yard tracks. You could find a long straight shelf track plan and bend it around your corner. I doubt you are going to find one that exactly fits your needs but don't be afraid to start with a published plan and be a little creative with it. I would second the suggestion by those who tell you not to go beyond a 3 ft width for a shelf layout. That is the absolute max unless you want to install access hatches. My layout is 48" high with 3' width which is stretching it little. I can get away with that because most of my mainline track is near the front of the layout. The only exception is through the yard where I want to yard tracks within easy reach. For those times I need to reach the back edge of the layout, I keep a step stool handy.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CARRfan

Chip,

Which layout was this? I, too, have 101 track plans. I've been planning my shelf layout in CAD. Occasionally I'll open up the good 'ol 101 book, and think, "wow, those guys back then were sure better at get more track in their layouts than I am!".

Maybe they weren't in fact after all, huh?

#8 Port Ogden and Northern RR. The 3d view looks really good, too.