Alright, I’m currently living in a cramped sub-urban apartment and don’t have room for a big (in size) layout. So what I want to do is create a “compact” but yet functional layout based on the local industry with some twists to give me more operation options. I’d like to be able to operate some RS-1’s, GP38s, GP40’s and maybe a handful of smaller “switching” locomotives…
I live in Central Vermont, and the old rail line runs not too far from my house. Currently it’s rather inactive, now that Bombardier is gone. It used to service the granite industry shops (2 seperate ones with a siding and spurs inside the building for each), the Bombardier facility, the local furniture stores, and with a recent renovation a place where the local municipalities can get salt, sand, etc by the train car.
Long story short… What size turnouts can I use so that I can have them connected together and be able to cross over between parallel tracks at the smallest width possible? I’m going to twist the local operations around and try to make it as much fun to operate as it was to build. Where can I find examples of N scale bookshelf layouts? I’ve tried searching on here and Google without much luck.
Run arounds, a simulated main line, servicable industry with detatchable staging yards are a must… If I can somehow find a design that will allow me to cleverly hide a “loop” to allow constant running, even better…
As to the turnout question,…the larger the number on the turnout the more shallow the diverging route will be. So the new Atlas code 55 #10 turnouts hooked diverging route to diverging route would look best. However, their #7’s and even the #5’s are designed to be hooked the same way and offer the same track spacing as the #10’s, they just are sharper in curvature as the train passes through them so they don’t look quite as pretty. You may want to concider them though as they take a lot less room, and if space is a concern as it is for you, you may want to make that tradeoff.
A bare-minimum-size shelf switching layout, five feet long and six inches wide. The cyan track is the interchange. Five industries (the white block at the right is an unloading ramp for flatcars) provide room for at least nine freight cars, sometimes by a very convoluted route.
If you can spare 5 feet in length, you could build this linear spaghetti-bender. A busy chemical works takes up the left side, while the center and right hold three more industries and the interchange track.
This switching layout is bent around a corner, so it only takes up 5 square feet. In that limited space, you still get 6 industries and interchange. The curved center gives your switch engine the chance to run a little.
A minimum-size shelf switching layout, with seven industries in a space 4 feet long and only 6 inches wide. The siding with the rerailer is the interchange track.
Here’s some more that can be converted to N scale;
I looked at the space I have, and I think I’m going to go with an “L” shaped design. 24" deep on either portion, and 4 feet long. Here’s the tricky part though…Dual level without showing a helix or “hilll”… How much can I drop a 235 degree turn at 10" radius? It won’t be visible to the eye so if it doesn’t have to look great in terms of having the locomotives / rolling stock go down it… as long as they will. Could it be possible to get 1.5 - 2 inches?
Basically what I’m trying to do is hide the “loop” under the layout and leave a nice switching setup on the top. 2 or 3 staging tracks in the bottom and thats it. I may have to revise this plan and go with something like a traditional single track helix and just sacrifice the extra space in the room to make a true multi level layout.
I think you’re going to find that for one deck of the helix to clear the next and fit a trail in there you’re going to have way too steep of a grade.
For example;
For N scale a 10 inch radius with 2.5 " seperation between decks (thats about a thin as you’re going to get) yields a 4% grade. That grade on a tight curve will offer too much resistance. You’ll be lucky to get much more then a loco by itself up that.
Your best option may be a switchback to get the height you want.
Keep this in mind.
A 2% grade (good) will raise the elevation of your track from zero to four inches in 16 feet.
A 3% grade (tough) will raise the elevation of your track from zero to 4 1/2 inches in 12 feet.
A 4% grade (steep) will raise the elevation of your track from zero to four inches in 8 feet.
