I’ve been doing some soul searching lately and have decided to pull the trigger on my current 17x20 layout. No big loss as I haven’t gotten too far along with scenery and the trackwork is pretty bad. The biggest flaw is a distinct lack of operations and nowhere to add it.
But all is not lost, I’ve been burning the lead planning my dream layout and am going to start building it in managable sections. This track planning went far easier than starting with blank paper since I’ve decided to try prototype modeling. Actually I don’t have the entire layout planned but just the first section since I have personal experience with it and Trains published a great track map for me last month.
So I’m starting off with the PC in the Cleveland flats area including a steel mill, Whiskey Island, the PC and B+O drawbridges over the Cuyahoga river. Planned area will be a 2x16 shelf with one end widening to 4x4 L shaped area with lots of switching. Heck it would make a decent layout on it’s own if I make a loop track to turn trains at the 2 foot wide end.
First though is making room to start over so salvageing track and turnouts, tearout old benchwork and cleaning the layout room will keep me busy for a couple weekends. Then construction can begin on the new section and finishing the room.
First thing I would do is review accessibility throughout the layout and address any area’s that you found could not be reached. From there I guess it’s all lessons learned, visiting local railroad yards and sidings and reading.
Maybe a tempoary loop at the end of Cleveland flats would give you a start so you could get some running going sooner, then work on the rest and connect at some later time. [?] [?] [?]
Though I should be more clear in my description: the dimensions given are just for the Flats area, Whiskey Island will be a 4x12 section added to one end of the flats and the steel mill (6x6 L shape) at the other end.
Except for whiskey Island and the corners of the layout the shelf will be 24" wide and except for 2 turnouts leading to staging none will be more than 18" from layout edge. I’ve learned quite a lot from my previous disasters, er layouts.
Lee, the actual right of way is 26x33 but I do need to leave room for an aisle on 2 sides of the layout so the total footprint is 24x30.
So far all thats set in stone is the benchwork design with the following standards: 3 foot aisles for operators except for the previously mentioned 2 foot aisle but there should only be 2 ops in there at any time, long main line run (about 300 feet) 2 foot shelfs for track and scenery, nolix arrangement 30" lower deck (viewed from a chair) to a 70" top deck, 20" railhead to railhead. Around the walls with a peninsula. Average grade 1.5% but there will be a helper district with a 3% grade. Towns and switching areas wil be kept level. Designed for train lengths up to 12feet (2 diesels, 10-12 cars and caboose) though drag freights of coal and iron ore could be up to 30 cars.
As for actual track arrangements, other than the Cleveland area not much is detailed yet. But the plan is to model the PC from Cleveland to Stubenville then turn south to Omal. That should get a nice mix of urban/industrial and appalachian/coal operations.