I have a 2x5’ area that i want to put an HO scale switching layout in. Here is what I have so far:
This is about the 20th plan I have done. I am going to be using a SW-9 and 40’ cars. The lower right hand track will have a cassette to extend the track another foot to allow for runarounds. I can’t extend the layout more in any direction.
I envision a switcher coming onto the layout from the top left, droping off cars in the small yard at the bottom left and delivering/picking up cars from the industry sidings to leave again the same way it came.
On the layout I’m building I have a problem such as yours, that there is not really enough room to work the yard. Instead of a 1 ft cassette, I designed a hinged lead that folded down when not in use and up when I wanted to run. Ultimately, I made the extension permanent.
I’m wondering if you could use that in this case. Maybe turn the layout a little while you’re running, pull up the extension, and fold it back when you are done.
Not the dreaded 2x5! [}:)] Kidding there! It looks like you’ve done a really nice job or getting something where there isn’t room for anything, and it looks like you’ve avoided the ‘puzzle’ temptation. The only things I’d say are that you can use the smallest turnouts you can (and you may have already done that), and look into the possibility of a 3 way or wye turnout here and there to see if you can sqeeze any additional lenth onto the tracks.
That is a great idea. Unfortunately the left side of the layout comes up against a computer desk and the right side comes up against a bookshelf that is 1’ deep. The layout itself will be on an entertainment stand.
Vail,
When I read the dreaded 2x5, I literally laughed out load! Wyes are something I have not considered. I will have to go back and take a look. I did try to avoid making it look like a puzzle and make it something that I could actually run.
It looks like it could be a lot of fun. Build it and have a blast.
The only thing I can see is that you’ll be working directly from the yard a lot, moving 1 car at a time from there to the various industries, because there are 2 critical switchback stubs that can hold the SW and one car. It appears that you will be able to move 2 cars at a time from the main to the yard.
If you’d rather move a whole cut to the main or runaround area and then work from that, you might extend the LR stub a foot or so, or replace the existing yard with industry tracks and perhaps add another right-facing stub track to make that area into a yard.
As it is now, though, it looks fine, and you can always make whatever changes you like later. Go for it and have a good time.
Here’s an idea, too: When you’re done, and it’s all working well, take it to a train show, so the public can see that trains are good for more than orbiting. Somebody did this at our local show, and it’s amazing how much attention is drawn, even with the switching done at very slow scale speeds.
My only addtional comment would be, have you considered a double slip switch at the single crossover point? It takes up less room than two turnouts, and allows for more flexible routing.
Ok, I added a wye and changed the track plan a bit:
I was able to squeeze an extra siding out of the plan. The Entertainment stand cannot roll, and I can’t afford to buy a double slip switch. If I could, that would be a great idea, though. The cassette at the bottom right of the plan remains the same. Should I go with door number one or two?
The wye does not add anything because the new track takes the space where you would have placed a building. You have a good track plan. Start placing buildings and see if you can make it make sense.
How about investing in $10 worth of cabinet rollers, leave the cabinet where it is and pull the layout out two feet like a drawer. Would that clear enough space to give you a switching lead? This can be added later if you just keep your framework an incher or so from the edge of the plywood. (Let the plywood hang over an inch.)
Again, I’m thingking in terms of getting you a longer (lower right) switch lead so that you can take everything your runaround in one cut. If you can extend that lead, you can increase your operational capacity.
Ok, maybe I should have posted it this way to begin with:
Is that what you are talking about? I can fit this on because the bookshelves on the right are only 12" deep. This was in the original plan but got cut off when I exported it out of xtrkcad because I had my layout size set to only 2x5.
Great ! You solved the riddle of the famous 2x5, and as long as my wife can’t see the door hinges holding up the rest of my layout! Just kidding of course and now I have added many 2x?? sections to my layout it goes from the "door end of the room to the middle of the room in a bent dog-bone. The hinged-upward section is the other end of the dogbone.
You are on the right track with the 2x5 as 2x4 just doesn’t cut it with many small-starter switch yard layouts. Mine started as an innocent 2x6 and now has many aledged needed extentions with my wife’s hesitant OK, she finally agreed to the huge 40" x40" hinged section of the other end of the dogbone because I leased her some R.O.W. so she could start her farm section of the layout. Little does my wife know that the ROW had the mineral rights leased to a mining company here in New Mexico and we start blasting for rock after her cattle get moved onto the property. Ain’t life in HO scale great??!!
I always establish the exact “footprints” of planned structures and (consider other “scenery” such as roads, creeks, hills, etc.) before “finalizing” the plan and laying track.
I’m too ADD to do that. I was lucky to get a whole plan down. I figure that if I have to tweak structures I will. Another excuse I used was that by the time I wanted to buy the sctrucure it wouldn’t be available, anyway, so I just left ‘space’.
