I am looking to get the most out of the benchwork I have shown above. I am new and open to suggestions and ideas.
The requirements for the layout are as follows from the CEO, namely my girlfriend, who has allowed me to use the dinning room area of our apartment for my benchwork.
The layout will have a coalmine and a lumber mill. I would like a service area if possible. Steam through diesel.
Planning to have mountains on the layout. Cardboard latice work, coved with paper mache.
Have you downloaded RTS7 from the Atlasrr.com website? Do that… draw lines in matching the space you show for your benchwork area. You can put track down, pick it up, move it around… Will you have access all the way around that benchwork. Reaching across 4 feet areas will be really tough…
The area in the large square is ideal for 24" curves, but unfortunately, they would have to form a perfect circle if you want continuous running. Othewise, you are going to have to have a point-to-point with that area and configuration. Now, that is not necessarily bad! If you want mountains and logging and mining, point-to-point could be achieved with switchbacks up to each location. That way, you could have your engine servicing on the thin ledge at right, but all the rest could be on the larger square.
Yes I have RTS7, still have not quite figured out how to use it. As to the 4ft, issue was planning to have a couple of hidden recess to come up from underneith and grab derailed car and engines, ect…
That is going to be a tough one on all counts. Any chance it could be reconfigured into 4’8"x8’ with a 6’ wing on one side? Otherwise this is bascially a 4x6 layout with a wing.
Nope the bench is what I have to work with. I was hoping some if the more experience modelers on here might see what they could do to show me possiblities of layout designs. I have track sitting on the layout but not nailed down yet, It seems to be missing some thing.
Ok then, is this like a flat top table, or is it an open gridwork where it will be easy to do elevations with? Specifically can the “wing” area have an upper and lower segment?
Currently, am seeing a thrice around, a twice around with an out-and-back yard arrangement on the wing, OR a tiny point to point.
Well, here is the tiny point-to-point that I was “seeing” for a flat table. Just because of size it is much more fitting for a 1890-1916 era - except I turned the tracks off the round table to be parallel for a diesel house instead of a steam type round house.
One could, of course, do anything they wanted with the various industry tracks. The important parts are the joint use of the round house, and a run around track at each end.
Also note that this is using #3.5 turnouts (Atlas snap-switches), 18" radius curves, and as drawn requires one 22"/18" curved turnout.
And here is the tiny twice around out-and-back, with a sissors wye for the yard entrance. Note since there is no run around in the yard it would require two locomotives to work it. A run-around could be added at the expense of most of the storage space. One more yard track could be added if one didn’t mind solid track, and/or it could be made more like the yard in the point-to-point above.
I still couldn’t make it work without a curved turnout, but this one is with the standard Atlas custom line #4.5 turnouts instead of the snap-switches. Industries could be squeezed in many places as desired.
Okay I am back and I am still working to make my first layout I thank you all for the help so far and look forward to the continued suggestions from this great community of fellow model railroaders.
Gryphon
A one tracked mind on a collision course with destinity.
So along what lines are you thinking now? I’m out of ideas other than the more traditional yard or industrial area on the wing and a single or double loop on the main board.
The “more experienced modelers” are going to tell you that what you have isn’t real practical due to the shape you’re confined to using. The width vs. length doesn’t lend itself to much more than an circle or oval. Why are you locked into this benchwork shape?
