#1) Based on various posts here and on a Facebook thread I’ve decided to do an N Scale Layout. The smallest would be 3x8 and largest would be 4x8. I’ve seen several people say 3x8 is PLENTY for running large freight or passenger trains, however, others have said for all equipment I may purchase in the future to run properly I might want to do 4x8 instead. Obviously the longer section doesn’t really matter as much.
#2) Once I determine a size I need to find a layout that fits running two trains at once with some some siding to park cars but also gives me enough room to build a city. Does anyone recommend a particular book for this considering the layout sizes above?
Now as for size…there are N scale layouts on a 30" standard hollow core door that have two loops for two trains running and sidings and spurs so 3x8 should be sufficient. 3x6 might be a tad short, but if a standard door is good enough, then 6’ or 8’ length is plenty good.
A 4x8 would be VERY PLENTY for N scale…
{FWIW, I built a 3.5 foot x 5.1 foot HO SCALE layout with 2 loops and a 4 spur yard and 2 spur engine servicing facility- If I can get all that in HO in that space at a scale about twice the size of N scale, imagine what you can do in the same space with N!!}
If I were to do an N scale layout based on the 4’x8’ option, I’d get a saw and make it into a 1’x32’, then make the whole thing a city scene. No round-‘n’-round, but lots to hold your interest if you enjoy switching moves.
Or you could put a divider down the middle and make it a 2’ x 16’ shelf layout. You can still have the roundy-round for times you just want to watch trains run.
Dave Vollmer´s Juniatha Division, a 36" by 80" N scale layout built on a hollow core door, with a yard extension added at a later stage - view it here
Marty Mc Guirk´s Androscoggin Central, a 4 by 8 ft. N scale layout featured in the Kalmbach book “N Scale Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby, Second Edition” - you can get it here and
MR´s 2010 project layout, the Salt Lake Route, featured in Jan. to May 2010.The Salt Lake Route requires a little more room - it´s a 4 by 9 ft. layout.
The Salt Lake Route is truly an island layout, requiring access to all sides of it, so the actual footprint is much larger.
Lest us not forget the SLR was based on a single sheet of 4x8 ply, a simple 1 foot wide notch was cut off (roughly 4 feet long), turned 90 degrees and glued on to the other end (4 foot side) to make a cookie-cutter top in total 4 foot by 9 foot, but about half of it is truly 3 foot deep.
Another one I am impressed with is from April 2008 issue of MR. I can’t remember modeler/layout name, but the man built a 2’-8" by roughly 8 foot long shelf (a little wide for a shelf but the modeler truely built it as a shelf attached to the wall) with a continuous loop, a 3 track “yard”, and a long spur.
Building according to the HO plan but using N scale, the 15" radius
In N scale, 3X6, 3X8, or 4X8 would all provide plenty of space for the Original Poster to build what he has described. There are hundreds of N scale layouts designed for hollow core doors that can be adapted to these form factors. [Personally, I wouldn’t actually use the hollow core door for the benchwork base, but the size is handy for N scale.]
Although a narrow shelf-switching layout is a fine option for many, it won’t provide what the OP has specifically said that he is looking for (running two trains at once, etc.).
The Google search string: n scale hollow core door layout
… will provide many alternatives. Any of these could be expanded to a 4X8 fairly easily. And while there are usually more-efficient layout footprints than an island in almost any space, at least in N scale a 3X8 or 4X8 is not nearly as restrictive as the same size in HO.
To the Original Poster: Although the track plan may not provide everything you are seeking, Marty McGuirck’s N Scale Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby, Second Edition would provide lots of useful how-to information for building any track plan, as others have suggested.
Correct. I need to be able to run the two trains without doing switching so a narrow shelf layout is definitely out. I just want to watch them run by buildings and scenery. My boys are 1 and 3 so would enjoy that as well. Thanks for the layout suggestions. I will check out those links and see if those plans work. I’m noticing that Kato Unitrack gets really expensive once you add a switch or crossover so that may adjust my plan due to cost. I also plan on doing DCC. Is there anything I need to know about that before I buy track and lay it down?
You are correct in your observation that Kato Unitrack gets expensive fast. When I started out I was using pieces of sectional track and it was getting to be a nuisance with all the joints so I scrapped it and went with Flex Track. It has fewer connections and is much faster to lay down in my opinion as it comes in 36" sections that you join with small connectors and solder together.
You first lay down your cork roadbed with your choice of adhesive and after it is cured (a day or so) sand it all smooth. Then you secure the track down using a VERY THIN layer of latex caulk and weight it down with cans of “wobbly pop” or if not available, cans of soft drinks for 24 hours or so.
Oops, I missed that part. The Salt Lake Route would still be a good recommendation I think. I loved it when it came out and planned on making it, but don’t have room for an overall 4x9 island.
MR has a neat little download (free) called Room Sized Plans, or something like that. In it is a nice MRL layout set in Montanaland with some good mountain scenery, although it is a bit bigger than you are asking about at 12’ long. It is a twice-around continuous-loop track plan with grade separated tracks that cross over each other, enter tunnels, and there is a river scene where track follows waterway but don’t remember if it crosses it.
It was designed as a table-top layout with hidden staging at the back, and even included a cement plant (rail load out) in case you ever did decide to do some switching.
Also don’t over look MR’s very own David Popp’s New Haven layout. It is a lot bigger being a room-size layout, but it’s a wonder. There are a few parts that are designed on a HCD, and many other portions, like the paper mill, that provide great insperation. He authored a book published by MR/Kalmbach that is mostly made up for articles from MR featuring his layout, but IIRC there were a few things not covered in MR magazine that are in the book. It’s a good book to have around.
MR has a few books on DCC too, they are available at the very top gray tool bar under the “shop” button.
We often suggest to newbies that they READ, READ, READ some more, then RE READ what they read! SO that it helps to eliminate any pitfalls that come with jumping in to fast.
ANY of the tracks with built-in road beds are/can be expensive. It adds up fast, even if you go with Atlas or Peco track and switches, and buy cork roadbed or the foam roadbed from Woodland Scenics to go under it {available here: http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=20010856 } So don’t let the prices “scare you”.
The more track you want for your layout of any size, the more it will cost, BUT if you build your layout in stages, it helps to spread out the cost of the track.
Oh, and BTW, you can adapt any track plan meant for another scale to N scale, it will just be a smaller version in N than the stated HO or S or O/O27 scales/guages sizes.