Once I get my wires running from the switches done, I will be able to begin scenery. I know i want a farm area on the top part of the picture, but im not so sure the bottem. I was going to make a logging/mining area, but it is way to small for that. Any ideas for the layout would be very helpful!!
Also any information about putting ballast on Bachmann EZ track would be very helpfull!
Bob,
i know you do not like it but I think you should reconsider yor trackplan.
You have facing and trailing spurs but you can’t serve them, because you have no passing siding. And above all, trains do more then running around; they are going somewhere. This is called staging. When one train is in staging you can run the other. You can also stage meets between the two.
The beauty of EZ-track is those changes can be made easily now. Planning your scenery and tracks have to be done at the same time. I see some possibilities, but not with the tracks as they are now.
Is it possible to create a mountain with tracks in a tunnel?
BTW can you pull the table in to the middle of the room, so you have access to the back if needed?
Paul
Yes I can pull the table into the middle for access to the back side, and i guess I could make a tunnel also.
And if it helps, here is the place where i got my layout, it is the fourth one down (last one) –
Bob,
in another thread “4x8 Californian trackplan” you will find some good idea’s.
The Cactus Valley, you can find the plan in the Track-Plan-Database, is a good start. The main difference with your design is a grade. Without the grade you get the level crossing which makes it difficult to find a place for a passing siding.
Important are two additions: the passing siding and staging (can be on the bench or off the bench, as e.g. a cassette)
My corner-stones for a good design are beside prototypical inspiration: staging, a passing siding, and at least four spurs, not all facing in the same direction. Those four spurs are a team track, a freighthouse track, an interchange and a spur to a large landmark industry (or mine or …).
BTW also the interchange track can do the staging, I like an extra possiblility to set up (stage) my trains.
Paul
If you extend the sidings on each edge of the layout (left and right sides in the picture) and connect them up with the loops, you will change the figure 8 into an oval with a pair of crossovers in the center. This will take some special wiring, because you’ll then have a pair of reverse loops so your trains can reverse direction, making it easier to serve the sidings in each direction.
Personally, I don’t like curved sidings. Typically, you want straight sidings so you can position structures and loading docks up against them. That doesn’t work well on curves. Also, you’ll find that cars won’t couple easily on the curves, meaning a lot of manual intervention.
While a farm is a nice scenic feature, railroads run past farms but they don’t usually stop there. You might have a milk platform or a small stockyard, but in terms of operation, a farm would not generate a lot of rail traffic. Put the farm in a corner and let the trains roll by it. In the middle, think about things like grain elevators or local fuel dealerships which would get significant amounts of rail traffic.
Wonderful thanks guys!