I start designing my layout but it seems that i have not any experience to do it.It is my first attemt to the Railroadmodel world.
So, if you have any suggestion for track planning please help me.I am thinging Era III or V in Germany, and the space that i have is an L shape with one dimension 4,15x1,0 m and the other 2.85x1,20 m.
Almost all of us will suggest you get some books on layout design and some magazines that will give you pictures and read until you know what you like and want. Then you can start to design . Questions that need answers:
Scale
Space size
Point to point or circle route.
Opperations or scenery(you can have a little of both)
Flat or mountains.
Run trains or build models or make scenery.
With time you can do everything(10 years), but it is more fun when you are doing what you like the most at the beginning. You may change your mind later, but start with what makes you want this in the first place.
As you think this through, keep posting and you will get more help than you need.
Some answers.
1.Ho
2.L shape with one dimension 4,15x1,0 meters and the other 2.85x1,20 meters.
3.Circle route.I like running trains.
5.Some small mountains
About 4 and 6 what do you mean exactly?
I was thinking to the one side of the layout built a station and the other side a scenery with passing trains.
If you like opperations, you need to design a track plan to service all the facilities you want. You then add enough scenery to get what you want. If you like scenery(myself) you design the scenery effects you are after and then work the opperations in where they fit. I started with a switchback lumber camp in a mountain, a huge floor to ceiling canyon with two huge bridges and a box canyon mine in an Arizona mountain. When I had that all worked in my space, the rest just fell into shape. Many of the guys would really do it differently, but that is what I wanted.
If you want to run train, lay some track and finish it later.
If you like building models, build some nice ones while you decide on a track plan.
If you like scenery, lay enough track for a diorama that will fit in what ever you decide on.
The most useful early planning for me was reading dozens of issues of old mags and marking scenes I liked.
Let the fun continue
If it is 1 meter wide,that is roughly 39.4 inches wide.That would be similar to an 18" radius circle sort of tight but still usable.Are you thinking of using steam or Diesel ? I don’t know if a 2-10-0 could run on that radius. Joe
You’ve gotten some great answers already, so I’ll just add a little. This web site has helped me learn a bunch about layout design. Another site that has helped is here: http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/~smithbf/BFSpages/LDSIGprimer/TOC.html . Check this out and be sure to bring all your questions here. We’ve got you covered!
I also suggest readin my beginner’s guide below.
Nice guide Spacemouse.
Also i see that i can’t add a attactment in my message to show you what i am planing.
Thats not a problem, go to
photobucket.com and create a free account. log in to the site and click the browse button followed by the upload button, this will upload you image to the site. Once its uploaded you’l see 3 tags below the the image, highlight and copy the the one at the bottom of the 3 box’s (with “[IMG]” at each end) and simply paste this into your post, job done!
I’d have suggested that as it’s a great primer, but I didn’t want to steal your thunder.
Well,i have design 2 plans as the base of the whole project.The 2 turnouts down to the image is the join with shadow station.
Please show me my mistakes and if you have any suggestion say it.
I feel like a small boy on the 1 first day to school!!
The second plan.
Both of those plans show promise, but they need some work.
I made this some time ago, but it’s still useful. It shows the parts of a yard and labels them. Notice that the yard lead is long. The yard lead is as long as the Arrival/Departure track. That is so that the train can pull into the A/D track and then the yard switcher (sometimes called a goat) can have room on the yard lead to break off chunks of the train and then get them onto the ladder track and sort them into the yard tracks. Anyways, here’s the pic.
It’s nice but it is to long for my 13’6" x 9’ 6" Layout.
I want to have moving trains so i desinged two main lines.Also i would like a third one independent line but i have not find where to put it,if it is possible.
The point Phillip has made is a good one. If you dont have room for all the aspects of a good and workable switching yard its a good idea to try and incorporate at least one or two aspects. The bottom plan as is could do with some sort of yard lead as you’l be fowling both the mains with any yard switching you do and so parralizing the whole layout.
You could incorporate a short branch by way of an elevated section and have some of the mains hidden. This will go some way to lessening the round and round feel of the layout.
I’m sorry, I wan’t trying to suggest that you install my diagram as your yard. I was mearly using it to demonstrate the parts of a yard. Those parts can be worked into your plan. The lead be on a curve so that would help to fit the space. The A/D track is really nothing more then a continuation of the lead. The ladder is already in your plan. This could work.
Do you really want a doublecrossover at the yard in the first plan? Maintaining complex trackwork is not something that everyone wants to do. That crossover aside, you might want to add another (single) crossover farther out for more operational options.
I like the second plan but I would add another crossover. Is that a doubleslip switch by the turntable? I also like the diamonds crossing but I’d try to hide the fact that the track is looping back on itself with some kind of viewblock(s).
I lean toward linear designs with the simplest trackwork possible, but that’s just me, so take my comments with a grain of salt…
Are there walls along the sides of your layout? If so, you will not be able to reach parts of your track. About .75 meters is all you can expect to reach.
Now is better?For yard lead i can use the line beside the main line.
What do you think of this thought. At the end of the main line from both direction (at the point that the tracks stops beside the station yard) the trains will be lead to the shadow yard and make a loop so that they come back from the same direction that left.
Yes Spacemouse the outer side of the layout is against the walls.
Don’t apologize! I need your suggestions!Does the above plan works?
It’ll work, but you’ll be limited to a single mainline as the yard lead and the A/D track is being used as one of the one of the mains. It essentially negates the use of that track as a main if the A/D or the yard lead is being used at all. I’m not sure that was what you where after. If you want a true double track main then you need a dedicated lead and A/D track as well as a yard. This would be pretty easy to do. Give me a few minutes and I’ll give you an example of how it might work in your situation.