i am new to n scale just wanting to know if i have the right size layout to really do something nice . what i have is 6 2foot x 4foot tables in an l shape do you really think thats enough room to do plenty of things .
I only know that N scale is smaller then my old eyes can see. Is the bench I or L shape? If I shaped then is 24 foot long! Yey you could do a lot with that.
As far as does sizes matter, well my wife. Hum never mind but she is happy.[:I] I have seen some pretty cool 4 X 8 foot HO tracks that look great.
I happen to come across this PIC on this site and must say I it is one of the best I have seen so far. It is HO scale and I am guessing around 4 X 8 but might be a littel bigger.
What is your foot print of your tables and shape? But sound like for N scale you are ogg to a good start.
Cuda Ken
yes you have plenty of room for a nice n-scale layout.just start with a single loop to begin.with.are you going to fasten the table’s together someway? will they be free standing? i have my layout in seperate section’s(4) which are bolted together.have fun.terry…
that was “L” shaped
Actually, Ken, that IS an N-scale layout. The layout belongs to Dave Vollmer, whose in the Air Force(?) and moves around a lot. Yea, he did a very nice job on that layout. [tup]
mastercerro,
Here’s a link to a thread that Dave wrote about why he likes N-scale, that you might find helpful:
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/952851/ShowPost.aspx
Dave also just started an N-scale thread called “The ‘N’-crowd”:
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/957052/ShowPost.aspx
I don’t know if Bergie (our moderator) will allow it stay or not. But, for the meantime, it’s there and may be a helpful spot for answering some of your questions.
Don’t hang out there exclusively though. There’s plenty of information and ideas on the rest of the forum that’s helpful - no matter what your scale is. [:)]
Tom
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I really think that if you’re a beginner that’s way more than enough room to really get yourself a heap of problems.
You don’t say if you are new to MRR…?
The best advice I can give is to tell you to look for the stuff here and elsewhere on working out your “givens and druthers”… someone give the nice man a link or two please…
One way I would NOT go is to cram all that space full of interesting track in yards and things… but you might like to -(to give all yourself all that work - don’t forget maintenance… building it is just the start).
You might get some really spectacular mountain… or desert scenery that the track can flow through and the trains can look great in.
It seems to me that if you are using tables (what sort of tables?) your first priority is going to be to set them level, make the board joins and maintain them… when you’ve mastered that you can think about lots of interesting things…
If you are discreetly looking for layout plan suggestions … DON’T! You’ll miss out on all the fun of working out what you might do, what you can do / is viable and ending up with something that is yours and unique.
Having said that 2’ is quite deep for any scale (re the need to reach stuff at the back).
You don’t say if one or more edge is against a wall or if the L is a free standing island. These things will make a difference to what you get up to.
What are the tables made of?
What climate are they in? What climate control do you have?
Have fun!
P.S. Yes… size
The only thing I would add is with a 24" wide table, you’re limited to 11" as your largest radius. That will handle most equipment but it’s a little tight, I would consider making the end sections slightly larger, so you could go up to say 15-18" radius curves. This will work (and look) a lot better if you decide to run large locomotives or passenger cars. Otherwise 24" is very good for N scale, that’s how wide the main part of my “on the drawing board” L-shaped HO layout is going to be, but will widen out to about 6’ at the ends to allow for 30" radius curves.
Tom, you sure that is N gauge? Only reason I ask is I can see it![:)]
Cuda Ken
I second that. One of the things I like about N-scale is that you can get a good “feel” for open country running.
Somebody on another forum posted pix of one of his modules - it’s the BNSF mainline at Waterman, Illinois where the BNSF crosses a UP branch at grade ( called BX). The module is a long straight stretch of single track next to a highway, crossed once by a single UP track. It looks a lot more realistic than many layouts with tons of tracks and spurs. I really like complex yards and industries, but there’s a lot of single tracks running through “nowhere” in the real world.
But it’s your railroad, so it’s up to you.
Yes, with that size you can do something nice. Since you seem to be unsure what, I would suggest you go to a few trains shows, they usually have one or more N layouts. This might give you some ideas for what you want to do and how much space it will require. Then you can decide if you have the right size or not. As the pictures above show, you can do something nice in lot less space.
Enjoy
Paul
Yepper, Ken. I believe Dave built his layout on a hollow door. If that (gray) mine facility against the left side of that front mountain were in HO, it would be huge. If you still don’t believe me, check out the first pic in Dave’s “Why I love N scale!” thread:
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/952851/ShowPost.aspx
Look familiar?
Tom