I got my railimages account and now I’m ready to accept all criticism of my first layout draft. It is a 6x9’ N scale layout using Unitrack. I did the drawing in XtrkCad (great program with small learning curve), but I may have to opt for one with a 3D rendering because it would be easier for my wife to picture it that way (and get her more interested).
So please fire away. I tried to keep the file small for those with dial up, so if there is a question, let me know. Oh, and just to explain, most of the “dashed” track running down the back side is under table staging. I think I’ve figured out how to make this work, but any more suggestions would be appreciated.
Well, it doesn’t look that clear, so I’ll explain a bit. The track that runs long along the back loops around at the bottom right and crosses over the track going down to below table staging. It circles past a passenger station (with double ended siding) and down through a town with a spur and two-stall engine house, has a couple more spurs again in the bottom right (going under where it was before) and down to the below table staging which has a double ended siding and 4 stubs. It then works its way up comes out a tunnel in the middle of the top area, loops around a mountain (with a view block from the town area) crosses over a river twice along a gorge kind of thing , through a tunnel and back to where we started (with a double ended siding). I’m not sure of what industries to use just yet, so any suggestions there would be nice!
I think you either need to post a larger picture or keep the one you have and post a link to a larger version. What you have is impossible, for me at least, to read.
it looks like a long reach from your centre operating position to the yard over on the left edge of the layout . i’m guessing it’s about 3 feet , depending on the height of the layout and any scenery in that area that may be a bit far
i agree with chip , a bigger version or a link would be helpful
I agree With ALL OF YOU! it is fuzzy and Impossible to read! Another good site to use for planning model railroads is: “atlasrr.com” Look for the Layout planner software. This is also FREE! I USED IT ON MY CURRENT LAYOUT! If you need more info, EMAIL ME AT MY USER NAME AND SUBJECT “TRAINS”
As for the reach to the back, the way the layout is situated, it will be open to the front and sides so the only reach issue will be straight back to the back which at this point I think I can live with.
Much better. There are 3 types of track. Solid, Transparent and Dotted. What do they mean. I figure solid is main, transparent is sidings and dotted is tunnel.
What is the stuff under the town? Is it easy to reach?
All of your siding are in one direction. Will you run in one direction or both. IF the answer is both you need runarounds. If you plan to run more than one train, you need passing sidings.
You are correct about the track types. The stuff under the town is the staging which I think will work as a shelf under the layout, but until I do a mock-up I’m not 100% sure about.
I never really realized all the sidings were in the same direction, good observation. I do plan on running in both directions and I have accounted for passing sidings - one starting at the bottom on the high part and rounding the corner towards the top, the second one is below the table at the staging area and the third is a smaller one beside the town. Now to think about the runaround track…
This looks like a nice layout for watching trains wend their way through the scenery with a small amount of switching on occasion.
My concern is access to your staging track. Will you be able to reach all of it?, maintain it? Are you planning some track occupancy detection devices for it?
Enjoy
Paul
That is pretty much the idea, Paul. Both my son and I like to watch the trains run through the scenery but I also want to do some switching. The staging track is still the biggest concern I have with it. I know there is “theoretical” space for me to reach it, but will it just be a pain? I’m thinking it might. If I drop it another inch, I think it will be workable, but then I have to deal with the grade (its 4%at the bottom to get down there, 3% at the top). I’m debating a helix, but that would bring in other issues.
i may be wrong but it looks to me like you have industry sidings in your below-the-layout area . i think it would be very hard to switch and uncouple cars there . also the 3 foot reach to your staging tracks at the left side of the layout is way too far . you’re going to have to reach into a 6" or so space , reach back 3 feet and re-rail a car ? not a chance that i could do it , and with all that other track and cars in the way ?
the visible portion of your layout is great , a bit of work on the sidings and runarounds and you’ll have a very nice layout . keep it up !
I think the plan is basically sound, but it might be a bit limited in its long-term appeal. You have most of the basic elements. I thought that perhaps that was a passing track right-most at the narrow point of your layout, but maybe I’m misreading. If I am wrong, put one up there…FOR SURE!!! It will be imperative to have at least that one so that you can do as you claim to want to do…run trains in both directions.
Another point, besides a lower right industrial spur with possibly two industries, you have no choice but to back in and pull out; no provision for running around. Might get tedious.
Finally, in order to add variety and interest to your overall plan, I recommend that you seriously work at an engine servicing facility, particularly with a turntable and small roundhouse…if you can posibly fit it in, and IF you are running any steam. Otherwise, build-in another industry elsewhere besides the industrial site at lower right. Maybe a pax terminal, siding, whatever at a village?
You should have lots of fun scenicing that layout, and then watching trains do their thing. A really good first effort.
No industry sidings in the below area - just a few stub ends right beside the operator which still might be difficult to switch and uncouple. I think I’m going to rework the under table staging and repost the revision. I was thinking of pulling it out from the wall a couple feet so I had rear access, but that would still be a pain.
INstead of pulling the layout from the wall, rework it so that the staging is reacable from the front of the layout under the center of the U. This can be done without much change in the current contfiguration–just bring the ramps down from the back of the layout.
I just thought of that, too, Chip. I’ll rework the plan tonight and repost it tomorrow.
Incidentally, selector, I don’t look at it as a long-term layout. I’m looking for this to get me and my family’s feet wet in finally building and scenicking a layout and then in three to five years I hope to get a larger house so we have more space to build the “dream” layout. This smaller layout will also act as a demo for my wife to see what we can do as a family. I know once I get her involved with the scenery aspects she will enjoy it more than she wants to admit!
I split the lower staging into its own image to make it easier to view. I hope I received all your comments in the right way, but I’ll guess you’ll let me know. [:)]
The only problem I have is with the staging. It still is awkward the way it is set up. However, using the layout exactly as it is, instead of looping the top so tightly and going to the top of the staging yard, loop it around the bootom and come into your staging from there. Likewise loop from the bottom around to the top of your layout and come down into the staging.
You should be able to get 4-6 parallel tracks right up in the fromt where they can be reached easily.
I think this plan has really come together. As I understand what you’ve said, you would like to have a train (or trains) running on the layout while you do switching in another area, and this layout provides that.
I had a few thoughts on this. On your lower level, because of the re-alignment to bring the tracks closer to the front of the layout, you have lost some siding length. Turnouts chew up real estate in a hurry. 3-way turnouts use less space than two turnouts end-to-end. One thing you might do is to use 3-way turnouts for the first two or three turnout locations (as you travel from bottom to top). Off the right leg of the first 3-way, could you extend two stub sidings so they follow along the left side of your operator’s area, rather than being in front of the operator’s area? This would allow you to extend the other two legs of the 3-way, branch them into two and/or three lines each and then converge them again as you exit the area to return to the upper level. Might not make the sidings longer, but there could be more of them in nearly the same space.
This is a little hard to understand from a description. I can do a crude schematic for you, but don’t know if I can figure out how to post it here.
My other thought was to add one or two sidings along the mainline. One siding for a small industry, the other to represent an interchange with another railroad. This would give the mainline train something to do, and have a place to send the loads from your existing sidings. They could be located anywhere along the mainline.
Just a couple of thoughts. If you make no changes, you will still have a great layout with running AND operating possibilities.
Aside from considering what the others have suggested, I feel that your river will be lost where you have it. It is stuck out on the end, and will rarely get the attention that it will need if it is to be there at all. It will justify the odd trestle that you and She will surely want to tackle…? [:D]