I am reluctant to get into this particular space on a small railroad.
First off, you are going to need to be mobile. This arrangement cannot be pernament because you state that you are with a Girlfriend and in a Apartment.
All things considered it is a good way to test the relationship and perhaps positively speaking result in a happy marriage where there will be trains in the home in the future.
On the other hand if things dont go well you at least need to have your Mine and Sawmill on a small base where you can put it all into a box and take with you to a new home or move into a bigger and more pernament layout.
I see the two small plans that was posted by Texas and Space and they are quite good with two different approaches to the same space.
You probably will be seeing 18-22" radius at the most 40’ equiptment to maintain a balanced view of the railroad. Fortunately there are good engines and cars out in HO that will do the job well. I own a Roundhouse 4-4-0 that will be right at home on this small space but leaves my big steam out in the cold.
Control will definately be a Digitrax Zephyr or similar because you wont need very much in the beginning and still be robust enough to expand in the future.
To me apartments are not secure places to live, I lived in one for a time and did well but far better to be a homeowner if you can make that happen. I can tell you that in my apartment my trains sat in boxes and did not fare well.
Selector, he DOES hae a wye. Take a look in the top center, drive an engine out of the yard from the right to the left side. Come back through the switch over the crossover and continue to the curved turnout. Proceed forward and voila! yer turned around.
He did forget to put a second span bridge, Im assuming Atlas Warren Truss here. he already has the one bridge, just need to extend it a few inches… maybe a cut down plate girder or something.
I beg forgiveness but I took both Mouse’s and Texas plans and saved to the local computer for future study. They are that good.
I also wanted to say that with the apartment space and clear goals in mind like a sawmill and mine, you need to put some track down and get those two industries up and running pronto. Just remember to try and keep it easily broken down for transport.
Okay, I see the wye…thanks for pointing it out, Safety Valve. I was looking downward toward the crossing, and didn’t look beyond to the next turnout where the two lines meet.
Didn’t forget just figured everyone could assume it from what was given. Sort of like the industrial tracks that could be “squeezed in” as the owner desired.
That’s why they get posted. And that is why I still love the 101 Track Plans book that so many people are dissing these days. It is chuck full of wonderful track constructs that can be applied in many many different situations.
Being I am confined to such a smallspace. A 4’8" x 6’ with a 2’ x 4’ wing.
In building some of the the models for the layout the wing has become the outskirts of a town.
In the front is the street with a single row of buildings broke up into 3 blocks. On the back wall is a walters background building 2" in depth with some homemade tanks as an industry. and a old wooden coal tipple inbetween the fore and aft scenery is a single line track with roon to be a double mainline. I figure in the 4’8" X 6’ area could have a line hugging the wall and running around to an engine servicing area and maybe a small switching yard. On the back wall I plane to run the track through a couple of mountains build to hug the wall to give the appearance that the train has traveled farther that it actually has.
Being the area I have to work with is so small trying to figure out whqat kind of industies to consider that will not require lots of room.
Thanks For Your help in advance.
P.S. when i get home I will drawn out a sketch of what the wing looks like since I have no camera as of yet to take photos.
Industries can be represented without being fully modeled. A front can have just a loading dock. A coal-loading facility can be just the tipple and conveyor originating from over the hill. (Saw a great prototype for that one).
I have noticed than the more one spends on these forums lurking the more our engineer heads come up with a better mouse trap. Since I last wrote about my benchwork I have changed jobs, I am in construction now and the more I look at my bench work the more I want to do some sort of cookie cutter layout, in a module design to be moved when that time comes.
Plan A
Backwall 8 feet wide
Right Wall next to Kitchen Entry 2 feet long
Left wall 6ft long
Front 4 feet wide Executive decision by GF so she can get in kitchen.
Plan B
Build 3 standard 2’X4’ modules
Plan C
Put shelves around the room and have mini scenes and long truss bridges that can be removed when not in use.
Plan D
Sell off all my HO scale and switch to N scale, not likely I’de bbe shot after all the HO scale gifts I have recieved.
Plan B…for certain. For one thing, once you have them built, you can start a fourth, then a fifth, and so on. Getting tired of module #2? First module no longer cuts the mustard for ya? Insert numbers 4, 5, and onward.
Sections are a great idea. 2’X4’ is kind of short for HO, in my experience. Makes for a lot of sectional joints and limits where turnouts can go easily.
There’s also no reason they all have to be the same size and shape. Come up with an interesting layout first, then decide how to break it into sections based on the trackplan, easily movable segments, etc.
Hey Gryphon!! If you don’t have any saw and live in an apt.Yu might consider a battery powered reciprocating saw. By using different blades you can modify old work,Aaccuratley cut out new work and use a narrow blade to do your cookie cutter work all for the same price as a circular saw.You can cut nails and plastic pipe, metal pipe, and prune trees with these little goodies. Look at HD for one.
The Dinning room area of or apartment is what I am allowed to use. Thinking of having two 2"X4’ modules and a some sortof short module to make a 90 degree tun then another 2’X4’ module. This seems to perhaps be more practical and then I could always take them to modular groups.
So a year of messing around and exactly what you all said is true. a 6’X4’ with a 2’X4" wing just isn’t really usable space. So when I get the chance down comes the bench work to be turned into modular sections.