Hi all, first post here, thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve been working on my first layout, in N scale. I have it to a point where I think I’m happy with it but I just wanted to get some other eyes on it to help me spot any potential problems I’m not thinking of. Being my first layout, I’d rather learn the hard lessons from some of you more experienced folk!
It’s going to be 2 or 3 levels when finished, I’ll make that determination as I go, depending on if I can make a curved crossover where the two upper level tracks intersect in the SE corner. Either way, the inner loop is the elevated one. The outer loop will elevate above the inner loop at the back (where it’s all straight track) and be at ground level at the yard entrace in the SW corner. The layout goes off to the right in a minimalist loop for the outer line and a branch entrance to the inner line. I attached a pic of the initial layout plan for reference. It’s difficult to describe the topography but ask if you need clarification. I can see it in my head Some of the spur tracks are not at their final length, this is just a dry run. But you get the idea.
Anyway, for “theme” I’m going for transition era, tiny utility town/shanty town nestled into rocky cliffs, rickety infrastructure, quaint and quirky, heavy decay, railroad and yard evolved over time making due with what they had, with lots of layers and visual interest. For example, for a section of the shortline, the line will be running on a precarious trestle build into a cliff wall. I’ve built in some intentional challenges like the tight curve coming off a wye into the SW corner of the yard, the RIP track needing the loco track clear to move something, some meandering tracks navigating the yard where they made use of turnouts that were already laid the last time they had to add on to the yard.
Hi there. I would definitely aim for a simpler plan. Unless you have kids in your home that like to see trains go round and round, you will realize that the “spaghetti” bowl will lack realism. It’s also expensive, difficult to build and will involve lots of maintenance. A simpler plan with slow running engines will put the trains and the scenery at the forefront.
Yes, the layout needs to get simplified. You’ll thank yourself later for doing that. I would make the left side a single-ended yard. That provides a lot of operational interest and fun. Next, I would make the middle part have only two tracks for a double mainline. The purple track that’s a run-around I would make that a siding for some industry.
Never thought about the white, thanks for that! Seems like a no-brainer thing but it never occured to me! Black it is, I can use white marker to mark things up.
Great feedback, thank you all! It deserves a thoughtful response. So what I’m hearing is I should simplify, right?
FYI, single guy, no kids, I’ll be the only operator.
Well, I had a simpler yard, and a completely alternate yard design as well that I never really got to trying out. I had to change the original plan because Atlas code 55 LH #3 and #5 turnouts no longer exist, apparently. maybe I go back and try out the other design.
Let me offer some arguments and questions, for discussion, help me understand
I’m the kid in the home that wants to seee trains go round and round! Isn’t that the fun part? All joking aside, let me give you some reference as to the intent of the layout, because I think iit’s a unique scenario. Y’all are gonna think I’m nuts
This is a living room layout tucked along the wall around an inoperative fireplace with a TV above (the square cutouts in the middle are the fireplace surround). It sits on the wall opposite the lounging couch. The loop to the east is the corner of the living room and it loops around an existing lamp (which might turn into a hanging lamp as I get that far). The whole layout is at about eye level when you’re lounging on the couch. (approx 20-24" off the floor). Everything east of the large, wide section where all three lines come together just before the fireplace - the entire layout east of that becomes like a shelf, about 4 inches tall and floating. It’s meant to be mininmal where it turns into a shelf, nothing really more than ballast and grass. The front of it will be furniture-quality finished and countoured. The main part of it sits on a media cabinet. This was inspired from reminisching about watching Mr. Roger’s trolley as a little kid! Y’all gotta remember that!
It sounds like your layout goals are similar to mine.
My next layout will feature two continuous loops representing a double-track mainline through town. The outside loop will not connect to the rest of the layout at all. It is display running only.
All the rest of the track is for play value only. Just so I can pretend to be a locomotive engineer and move trains around.
My layout goals have changed a lot since I have aged. Hosting, and even attending, operating sessions went from my #1 priority to “take-it-or-leave-it” status. Play and photography are my interests now.
Maintenance includes cleaning track, vaccuming the layout and fixing things like soldering loose wires in sections that lose power for some reason. The more track, curves and levels you have, the more maintenance it will involve. However, if you run two diesels together in consists, that will reduce the need for track cleaning.
If you like loops “without a purpose”, then that’s fine. Personally, I prefer a single or double main that goes through mountains and bridges, with limited cross-overs. I also like to do some switching for industries, which appear to be limited on your layout. Double mains build in more action for sure.
But if you like to see two trains go round and round while watching TV, that’s perfectly OK!
I’ll bite. I think the dream is a lot bigger than your time available. I could be very wrong. But I have seen too many never-finished layouts - both simple and complex - that had a final date with the chainsaw and the dumpster.
The personal parts feeding into that are your layout construction skills and the time you have available. Can you consistently lay track that doesn’t cause derailments on the 1st try? Can you consistently solder wire connections that don’t need to be redone? Will you only have quality locomotives and rolling stock that need no adjustments to trucks or couplers to run derailment-free?
For me, I didn’t have those skills when I first started. And my budget has always required me to “make do”. So I spend a lot of my hobby time reworking locomotives (re
so I’m taking your advice and looking for ways to simplify. I put some locos, rolling stock and building on there just to get a sense of scale and start figuring out where things are going to go and realized that my sense of scale was off. I’ve never worked in N before, always HO.
The yard has been cut down to three classification tracks and a loco track, shortened and compacted. Most of the turnouts in the middle section have been eliminated leaving two double ended sidings to park idle trains. The long lead remains but has been simplified to one turnout where it joins the main. It’s also my only way to turn something around so I figured out how that needs to work to accomplish that.
I spent a chunk of time last night trying to lay out and figure out the topography. I’m still working on it as I begin to realize that I may have some impossible topography going on. Funny what’s in your head doesn’t always translate to the real world!
The elevated inner loops are starting to look like they’ll be cut down to one loop depending on how the topography starts to build out. I’m a hands-on visual guy, gotta see it and work it as I go.
To address a couple specific points: soldering, I’m a pro been doing it my whole 30+ year career, least of my worries!
Track laying is a different story but I have confidence. (Perhaps I’ll be knocked down a peg by reality once I get into it!) I do plan on soldering all rail joints though. (Except of course wherever I need insulation!)
Time, I think you may be right. This is an evening and weekend project and there’s only so much I can do around work and other commitments. I’d rather be running trains on a simpler work-in-progress in 3 months than still working on complex benchwork and track!
I counted 11 turnouts (in the main section) before I simplified the yard and I know I eliminated at least two. I
You can do that layout in 6 months, no problem but you need to know what you are doing. For fastest construction use box construction with a foam top. WS foam risers are very fast to use but use cork for your roadbed as it can be sanded smooth. Now you can build it with basic scenery in that time frame but building buildings and trees and adding details will take a long time.
Some of the spur tracks are not at their final length, this is just a dry run. But you get the idea.