So I have finally found a design for a layout that I like. Im planning either some sort of Industrial/Farm country setting to it. It has some switching operations to it. I know its not that big, but it is going to be a part of a bigger layout somewhere down the road. I used sectional pieces to get it laid out. So when I go to put down the roadbed and the track not long after I plan on using flextrack on all the long straight aways and all the curves. Heres some pictures with comments to them about what I have going on. Any comments or suggestions would be great.
This is a picture of part of the switching it will be doing. I plan on taking the straightaways about 1.5inches short of the end. That way I can use a 3in. or a 6in straight piece to make the connection on the next section.
The other set of switches and where it starts to make its turn.
This section I really like. Off of the wye I plan on using flextrack to come off both and straighten them out to where they run somewhat close together. That way I can put some sort of industry on either or both sides of the track. Off the two other sets I plan on doing the same thing as the other end. Stop it short for space for the next connection. Im planning on making an extension to those to that I can add and take down to give me more storage room for some switching. Maybe something 20-25in. long and about 10in deep. I think that would give me room for about 4-5 coal cars on that end.
…add in a small 45-degree-triangle benchwork-piece with (say) two 6" sides, at the corner of the second picture, providing scenic and especially derailment-safety factors.
First picture, track closest to the bottom. I don’t think there’s enough tail track there to pull an engine plus a cut of cars past the points of the turnout in order to switch tracks, unless you plan on using a cassette. If you can, I would move that crossover further to the left so you have more room for pulling more cars.
Same thing in the third picture, turnout on the top. I don’t think there’s room for even one engine to pull past the points.
I know you’re planning to add on to the ends at some point, but I think the truncated tails will hinder current use.
I will look into that. Question. If I moved the turnouts to right before it turns in picture 2, would having the turnouts directly after a turn cause a problem? As In the engine comes out of the turn and directly switches tracks, say there are 3 or 4 cars on it, what would the result be?
Very probably a 50’ or less anything with body or truck mounted couplers won’t have too much of a problem…but that’s only my guess. Testing is a sure way to find out.
But, if you are running long passenger cars and autoracks, I could see it causing problems. If this turnout is in a key position or nearly so (could move left another 8") why not place a curved turnout there, say a #7.5 or so? You would have to move it left to become part of that curve, but it’s an idea.
In your second picture, it appears you have an S-curve problem shaping up, by coming around a right-hand curve and going immediately into a left-hand turnout. As a general rule of thumb, it’s desirable to break up the S-curve with a straight section that’s the length of the longest rolling stock you’re going to use. If you’re running 40-foot cars, then you’d probably want a 6" straightaway. If you’re running full-length passenger cars, then about 12" straight.
I know that’s a tough bit of real esate to give up on a small layout, but you’ll be much happier if your cars stay on the tracks!
Move crossover between rearmost track and middle track right in picture three. Enough to make room for an engine between the turnout and the end of the track at the far left end of the rearmost track. Otherwise you cannot run an engine around cars at all.
Move crossover between middle track and front track left in picture one. Preferably by so much that you have room for at least the engine and two 40-foot cars, between the turnout and the far right end of the frontmost track.
As it is now, it is hard to tell whether you have room for both the engine and one car. If you don’t have room even for minimum both the engine and one car, you simply cannot move even one car between the front track and the two rearmost tracks.
I wouldn’t worry too much about S curves on your layout. You will not be pushing long cuts of long cars through S-curves, or run passenger trains at speed through your layout.
General comment on your current plan : I would start by figuring out where your industries will be, and what they will be.
You do not have the luxury of enough space to leave the decision of what to model (“some sort of industrial/farm country setting”) until later - small track plans demand focused design, so you get the room to do the switching you want to do, and don’t waste too much space.
The smart place for industries on a small shelf switching layout is along the rear wall, where you can model industries as flats. You can get a respectable looking industry by just putting the front and rear wall of a building kit side by side along the wall.
The length of track A might be as long as track B plus one engine.
Why didn’t you take the design by Byron Henderson?
On his layout industries were drawn, but you can also easily see the function of the tracks.
A main with a passing siding. A small yard to keep switching managable. All the “new” cars that are coming in, the cars that have to be pulled first, before the new cars can be spotted, need a parking parking place, so the little yard comes in handy.
And then just add some spurs.
Try to get a cut of cars from the yard to these spurs. Byron Henderson carefuly balanced track length’s, I added a cassette. Below you have a link to Byrons (Cuyama) design.
I wanted to use the one by Byron. Only problem is one side is 7ft long, whereas I only have 5ft. I figured that was to much to cut off of it. Granted I know im working with minimal space. I like the plan that you drew, so im going to dismantle and lay it out and see how it works. Where did you get the software to draw it up like that.
Doodling a little - this one may be too track heavy - turnouts used are Peco code 70 mediums for the crossovers and Peco code 70 short turnouts for the various industry spurs. Minimum radius on the main is 21.5", on the switchback lead by industry B 18.5":
Some points - I did as I recommended in my post above - selected the engine I would have run - in this case an SW7, decided on 40-foot cars, tried for an industrial look, and tried to make tail tracks long enough that I could fir one engine and up to three cars at a time.
Layout has got about 14-16 industry spots at 7 industries, of which five industries are up against the wall, while one is at the front of the layout and one on the side of the layout.
Well - that single car spot by industry B may be pushing it quite a bit - you might want to just have that spur as a switchback lead to switch industries D and E.
It should be possible to do something like deciding to bring in 7 new cars, which will be swapped for seven cars currently at various industries. I would have started a new session with the two industry support yard tracks between industries F and G empty, and with a new train consisting of an engine and 7 new cars “having just arrived” on the siding (as shown in the figure above).
Type of engine, type of cars, type of setting may not be what you have in mind - but this is more intended to be an illustration of the concept - industries along backdrop, testing with the engine and cars you will be using, trying to create enough space to move more than one car at a time, leave some work space where cars can be parked temporarily, and such things.
Wow. That looks pretty good. Im going to sketch this and lay it out. Question about the industries on the wall, Are thos buildings cut in half? And how does that work?
You buy a couple of sheets of e.g Evergreen 0.060" plain styrene at the local hobby shop or at some internet shop. Then buy and open a box containing some building kit that looks good to you - e.g. some of the Walthers cornerstone kits.
Take out the front and back wall from kit, Put side by side instead of at a 90 degree angle. If necessary, cut of file down corners so they fit closely together.
Cut a stripe of the styrene sheet (one cut to score, then bend a couple of times to snap off), glue strip behind joint to make edge between the two kit walls stronger.
Cut another two strips of the styrene sheet - use as plain side walls of some suitable depth. Or score and snap off a strip of the original kit side wall. Glue at an 90 degree angle to the front - reinforce corner with something - a triangular gusset or whatever.
For building at edge of layout, you either put a plain sheet of styrene at the side that has been cut off (and maybe paint that side black), or leave that side open, and adds internal floors for each story of building, some shelves or whatever - so you create a cut-away view into the building.
Lots of tips on techniques for building an detailing city buildings and scenery in John Pryke’s “Building City Scenery for Your Model Railroad” (http://www.kalmbachstore.com/12204.html).
I am not all that great at buildings, but even I have done quite a few cut things apart and glue them together so they fit into my scenes - these are various buildings roughed in at
You should read Byron’s article (Alcos in the Alcove) in the July issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist. He made interesting use of the tracks for overlapping operations (also seen if you click on the image on his layout design page (not the blog).
Alan
Stein had it right I guess (max length is 6.5), You had one 5x1.5 and one 5x2 piece. Or your space is 7 feet or it’s 6.5 feet long. The difference with Cuyama’s plan is 0.5 feet not 2 feet. On his design the long and short leg are flipped!!
IMHO Byron’s design should remain an option. You now have 3 good designs. I would try to keep the option for a cassette open. An axtra long tail track can make switching more pleasant, beside its staging possibilities.
I gave you some info about critical spots on small layouts. Try to pull the three cars from the Tankspur on Stein’s layout (two at a time is possible). Here a cassette would be very welcome.
BTW you had some problems with switchnumbers lower then 6 and radii under 24" in the past. Did you change your mind?
