I have a 42" x 66" table for a N scale layout. I want mountins (hills) at one end and a medium city with a small fraight yard and plenty of industries that run multiple cars. It needs to be modern day because i recently purchased a SD-90. I also want to have passanger accents. I want to use Kato track (preferably 12 3/4" radius) and have a two track mainline. I would also like to have tunnnels and bridges. If you have any ideas please let me know, my e-mail address is sbogart@carolina.rr.com.
Buy a book like everybody else does.
A book is a good place to start. I would recommend John Armstrong’s Track Planning for Realistic Operation as a starting point. You may not understand everything at first, but it will give you an idea of where the current thought is in layout design. Don’t be in a hurry. Even a small layout is too expensive to design poorly.
There are a couple good track planning software programs out there that are free. Get one and play around. Post your best guess and let the old-timers (and newtimers) have a crack at helping your design evolve.
Wow, that is a tiny space for everything you want even in N-scale. With that radius requirement you will be lucky to get in a folded figure-8 for the bridges, tunnel the bottom back track, put a couple short tracks (2-4) for a yard into the front with a switchback for an industry, and then another industry off the back into the center of the main circle, a spur to the center of the “mountain” loop for a mine. And even that is still going to be spagetti.
Switch to 10" radius and or ditch the double track requirement and you could fit more in.
Great site
I got my layout Ideas from there
Also look into investing in a CAD program
I would think it would be wise to get a book, preferably John Armstrongs book. I found it to be quite helpful. Since you have a very small space, to get some sort of operation you are going to need some special track items such as double slips and 3-way wyes. Since you hinted at modern day passenger cars, that means you’re going to have to ditch one of your items, and since most cars are 85 feet long, they require a good size radius just to operate, never mind look prototypical. Also, if you use passenger cars, be forewarned that your will probably have your train in several scenes, such as your train has reached the next station, but it’s end car it still observable from the platform of the previous station. Even if you scrap the passenger and just operate freight, you will have to deal with still large cars, but remember to sat away from 33,000 gallon tank cars. That bridge that you want might not be a good thing, since it really won’t have a dramatic effect , and it eats up a lot of room. If you have already made the purchase, and you find that it is hindering your layout planning, Stick it in the city, and pretend that it crosses a subway track. The mainline should be reduced to one track, since at this point it is just a continous running track for display with a few industries along it. I think that you should look more at operation, than having a dramatic train running along your layout. These things would make the layout more enjoyable, and would allow you to perhaps have an operation group.
kingbro … do some more research as many have said here. You will not regret it. [;)] I spent 2-3 months reading the “books” and then took some other advice to “just get started”. I am building N on a 48x60 table. I of course wanted some of everything, as you can tell from the picture; I took a plan from a book and modified somewhat. Needless to say, my original space is somewhat cramped. This is what you may hear as spagetti bowl. I now call this my experiment. It is important to write down what you want … is it passenger train running, freight with switching etc. etc. You’ve indicated some of these. That is good.
I’ve no real regrets. I’ve been able to sample several areas that the hobby has to offer. I’ve also continued to read and heed. Now, I cleaned out two other bigger spaces in my abode and am “planning” what I really want.
Kalmbach has a book called 48 Top-Notch Plans. It speaks about doodling by the squares, also by John Armstrong. You can plan a lot with this; on plain ole paper.
Keep us on top of what you are doing and thinking. We learn from each other and there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Give XrtkCad at http://www.sillub.com/ a try. It’s intuitive, has a great demo/training session and is free. It is only lacking the 3d view.
Have you tried http://www.atlasrr.com? They have a free layout design program that you can download, and it’s pretty easy to use. They also have layouts that you download, not to mention a book of layouts. Do whatever floats your boat, or switches your train, as the case may be, and enjoy yourself!!
ok ive decided to take out the mountains and bridges i had planed, but i still want industries and a city. I also need a name, i would like to keep union pacific as the main company in the layout, if you have any ideas let me know
It will not work for you to ask us to give you a plan. If you don’t know what you want, we can’t help you find it.
Do your homework. If you interested enough to spend a year of two building a layout, then you should be interested enough to go to the library and start looking through some books. When you find some ideas of what you want, work them up and we can talk about them.
But when you say you need a plan and want others to provide, it’s not only realistic, it’s impossible.
And now you want us to give your layout, which has no form, no theme, a name. Okay, How about the “Punxsyutawny and Chatanooka Railway and Shipping Company”
If you want a name for your layout, decide what city your layout is servicing, or the general area that it is in. Since you have decided to get rid of the mountains and the bridges, you can focus on operation, and switching, I would have the greater portion of your layout the city, and then have a loop which can be used for continous running. Your off and running to a good start! Remember, use this as a way to find out what you really like to model, and just have fun!
Union Pacific? Go to http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/sysmap/index.shtml. There are some good maps.