Howdy,
I’ve finally got a good whack at a first-effort for my layout. I’ve been slogging my way through 3rdPlanit and starting to figure it out. So far I’ve got a mainline developed, and ideas for what I want to see where, type of operations, etc. I obviously still have a lot more to add (not the least of which is the benchwork 
including the switching areas, developing the towns , and figuring out the real design for the main yard. What do you think? (see links below)
Here are my objectives so far:
- Need to use narrow shelf except in certain locations
- Need to provide access to maintenance room, utility access
& (emergency) access to exterior door
- Two Operating Modes: Point-to-Point & Rail-Fan
- Ability to do Switching Maneuvers when desired
- Ability to operate alone or w/ others
- Medium-Sized Yard Facilities
- Interchange w/ One or More Railroads
- Revenue Sources: Coal, General Freight, Passenger
- Long Mainline Run w/ Moutain route requiring use of Helpers
- Single-track mainline w/ sidings
- Low-Line track elevation: 54" (might revise upward)
- High-Line elevation: 60" (might revise upward)
- Large Curves (36" radius preferred) for rail-fan feel & nice
photo-op locations
- All staging areas two to three tracks wide & can be stacked
vertically for more tracks
- Typical Through-Freight: 25-30 cars + locomotives
- Typical Local Freight: 6-12 cars + locomotives
- Typical Passenger: 4-8 cars + locomotive(s)
- Passenger operations mostly run-through w/ limited stops
Here is the link to the current plan to-date:
[link]http://picasaweb.google.com/bratwizard/CurrentModelRailroadLayoutSpace/photo#5218038336692584626[/link]
Here is the link to the rest of the album:
[link]http://picasaweb.google.com/bratwizard/CurrentMode
Really Nice ideas here!
I do not know much about designing yard layouts but I’m very impressed with the level of detail you have put into your plans.
The bench work is very impressive also and I bet it will be a great layout when up and running.
Please keep us up to date with pics as it grows.
I wish I could offer some advice but I’m new to the hobby but I know what I like and I really like the attention to detail here.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you. Nice of you to say. However, if you’re referring to the benchwork in the photos, that’s an older album from about year 2000. I started a layout in my office (a commercial building I had leased) but the owner of the building sold it and voided the leases so I wasn’t able to get much beyond the benchwork. (Though it was very nice, if I say so myself. Very solid. You could park a car on it 
I did get a little track up and running on it though so it wasn’t a total waste. But I really wish I could have taken that one farther.
I recently moved into a house where I have a lot of basement space and so am able to work on a layout again. Hopefully this time I won’t have any issues requiring a move-- I hope this is the last house I live in, I really like it a lot. My current aspirations are for a layout that I can both “operate” as well as sit back and “rail-fan” while I’m working on other (non-railroad) projects (I know that’s tantamount to sacriledge… And it would be fun to make a friend or two who’s into MR and have fun having some operating sessions.
john
Nice looking plan and concept John.
One thing that I would suggest. None of us ever think about moving when we go into building a new layout, but it does happen sometimes. I would try and make my towns / switching areas like modules, or in modular form. Not like N-Track or any of the other standards out there. Just make them as stand-alone switching layouts that have been incorporated into a larger layout. That way if you do move, they will be easy to separate from the main layout and save for your next place.
I’m 64 now, and also have no intentions of moving, but the layout that I am currently working on is being built this way, just in case. And, I have already moved it once, and it wasn’t even finished yet. It went from a spare room I had in the house, to the garage.