Here’s the gist of my situation: (Scroll to the next paragraph if you don’t care) My dad built me an HO layout when I was 5 that I’ve outgrown at this point. It’s got 24" curves and I can’t count the number of times myself or a friend (Think Thaddeus Thudpucker here) has stringlined a train of boxcars into Redrock Canyon. The 50s style spaghetti bowl that my current MRR is has just too much packed in, and leaves not enough scenically for me to do anything with, much less prototypically - so I decided that I wanted to build my own layout in the next room, and dismantle the old one. I came up with a beautiful 3-deck half-cutaway-mushroom design with an absolutely beautiful yard for the 14x25’ space (turns out I’m really quite good at designing layouts) and was almost done the mainline when it hit me - I was still living in my parent’s house, and so was likely to move out before the scenery was even complete! I also realized how hard it is to pack truly breathtaking and overwhelming scenery in an HO scale layout along with a good mainline run and a finite space. A 14-18" shelf can get a lot of scenery, but hardly anything as truly overwhelming as the landscape I live in. N scale, of course, became incredibly appealing, but as I have a 30-locomotive strong HO roster that I’ve been building up with much affection for 10 years,. a straight switch would be deadly. I decided to make use of a small space at the end of the room with a small, simple layout that would help me transition into N scale modeling for the future. I decided to make use of a 6x14’ space at the end of the room, and design just a loop with a few features.
Tech questions:
1: I was planning to use a 30" minimum radius for the HO layout to allow for large locos (especially steamers) Is 18" a good minimum radius in N to give wide curves without limiting the use of space horribly, or would, say, 16" be a better compromise?
2: Switches. I’ve been looking at the Atlas code 55 line, and though I was planning to use #6s in yards and
I am also modelling in N scale and I would dream of having the space to use 18" radius curves!
Seriously, you should be fine with that radius, even 16" would work. Regarding turnouts, plan on using the # 7 turnouts also in your yard ladder. Peco code 55 track differs very much from Atlas track. Atlas track has more prototypical tie spacing and tie arrangement at turnouts. Peco uses European tie spacing and their turnouts look also European. Peco code 55 rail is also different - part of it is embedded into the ties, making mixing with Atlas track a little difficult (can be done, though).
Track spacing set at 1.25" is OK, you can even go down to 1 - 1.125".
I am building my room-size around-the-walls N scale with “18 inch minimum radius curves.” That said I would suggest having a place or two on the layout, a dead-end spur which will only be used by a switcher and 2 or 3 40 foot boxcars, with a sharper radius, for contrast. Make those 18" curves seem broader by comparison.
Monsieur Mad Dog, 18" is easy when all I’m making is an interesting-looking loop [;)]
I appreciate the advice on turnouts - I’m also considering Micro Engineering as they have a #6 (that should make a good yard ladder without too much space!)
For track spacing, what have you found works in yards? I’m modeling single track, and I’m worried about not being able to get my not-especially-skinny-or-fat fingers in between cars.
Whichever scale you work in, since you will probably be moving someday, build your layout in seperatable sections. You can either use a modular approach or just build your layout base in sections that can be seperated (unbolted) from each other. Even if you have completed the scenery over the joints, it is much simpler to make a cut through it, then repair it, than it is to do it all over again.
That’s the plan! I’d make a larger, more complicated sectional layout if only I could have confidence that different rooms in different houses could be the same. (Hah!)
I’ll second Richard’s advice, and applaude you for already planning along those lines.
I’m in somewhat the same boat. I’d been in HO ever since I outgrew the Lionel 35 years ago, but didn’t have the space to build the layout I wanted. So I switched to N last year, and I’m lovin’ it. I’m using hollow-core doors to build a sectional layout that is expandable and even somewhat adaptable to different-sized rooms. I’m probably at least three years away from having a permanent layout space, but I got tired of planning and waiting and just plunged in on the consutrction.
To answer your questions, an 18" radius in N is about equal to 33" in HO, which is fairly broad. I’m currently running on 13.25" radius (equal to about 24" in HO), and full-length passenger cars handle it with no problems. (Easements help a lot.) But when it comes to curves, bigger is always better – or at least more attractive.
The Atlas code 55 is an excellent choice. I ended up going with their code 80 myself, but only because the code 55 wasn’t readily available for much of last year because of a hiccup somewhere in the supply chain. Personally, I think the #5 turnouts would work fine for your yard ladder, but I can’t back that up with personal experience. However, the late, great John Armstrong always claimed that anything more than a #4 in a yard ladder was a waste of space.
As far as track spacing goes, 1.25" is fine, but 1.5" might be even better. (I forget what I’m using, and I’m not at home at the moment, but I think I went 1.5" in the yard to provide a little extra finger room and to help avoid a nasty “domino-type” disaster if I accidentally bump a freight car off the tracks.
Good luck and have fun! And congratulations on planning ahead for future moves!