Ok. So I am finally getting ready to get started on a shelf layout. I have been looking on here and through magazines trying to get an idea of what I want. Its going to be a piece of a future sectional layout. Right now I have very little room to work with so Im starting this hoping for it to be a corner piece or somewhere in the middle. I have a 5ft x 18in piece and a 5ft x 24in section that I am torn on which to use. I was thinking of doing up a yard and making it the corner piece, or a switching yard and putting it somewhere after an actual yard. Im not sure if 5ft is big enough to make a yard(I always thought with the size of rolling stock it would be better to use an 8ft section for a yard). Im still torn on what gauge to use. I have like 12 pieces of 100 flextrack, along with some sectional pieces. I have alot of pieces of 83 sectional to work with, and like 20 switches(all code 83, and they are assorted manufacturers, shinohara, atlas, peco). Anyone with any advice or better still, links to websites that could help my predicament would be huge.
Also I bought a box of misc. things today. Mostly for the switches in them, they had like 6 of them and I figured 10 bucks that many of something that sells for 3-5 is worthwhile. But there was also 5 transformers by MRC that have Trainpack across the top, the simple direction switch, and a lever on the side that runs the models from 15-120. They are old I know, but I was wondering if they would be useful temporarily till I can afford a dcc system?
Probably the best resource for very small layouts is http://www.carendt.com/. Keep in mind that in such small spaces, you will be much better off using early 1950s or earlier era equipment - small diesel switchers and 40ft long or less cars. If you like steam, tank engines or geared locomotives will also work well.
Some of my favorite small shelf layouts are:
Keep in mind that by using sectional track and commercial turnouts, you will probably need a little more space than is shown in the track plans to achieve the track arrangement. Wyemouth is the exception, being designed for Atlas track from the beginning. But if you don’t have the wye turnouts, it will take some adapting to other turnouts.
The great thing about these types of small layouts is that they are fairly quick to build and try out. If you don’t like the results, you don’t lose much from trying a different plan or arrangement. Personally, I’m building adaptations of all 3 designs, 2 of which will likely make it into portions of my larger permanent layout.
The downside of incorporating mini- and micro- layouts into a larger layout is that their operational capability will always be constrained by short runarounds and short sidings and spurs. Just because you incorporate a section designed around
Do you allready have an idea? And can you share it?
Do you mean you have to chose between the two or do you mean you can build e.g. a small L-sized layout; one leg 5+2=7 feet long and the other leg 5 feet long?
BTW you are using the word yard in many way’s. Switching is done in every yard or do you mean a stagingyard?
The word gauge refers to the width between the rails, narrow guage can be 3 feet wide, standard gauge is almost 5 feet; code refers to the size of model track, code 100 means track that is 0.100 inch high. Code 83 track is 0.083 inch high. So you can have narrow gauge code 83 track and standard code 83 track
LOL, you need a link between the left and right side of your brains. In stead of running to the store and buying stuff you may not need, you’d better start thinking about what you can really do in the space you have. You didn’t mention it but the codes of track indicate HO.
As long as you realise that building in decoders is more expensive and more difficult doing it later. So don’t spare on your engines. They will run on DC as well.
There are also a number (23) of shelf layouts in the track plan database, just search on Select All and Shelf. Even if the layout is too large for your space you can always use a small section of it.
As to your space, are you talking just one shelf along a wall, in an island? or are you talking L-shaped?
Unfortunately, it is rather expensive, with the turntable and roundhouse.
You could certainly scratchbuild the roundhouse, or even buy 3 stalls, and make the rest of the roof and front parts from scratch or molds, to save $$. The grid is 6 inches per square
Ideas? Something like industrial switching is what I initially planned on. But I have been thinking about a country setting with a farmish look to it. Right now I know I have enough track and switches just torn on an idea. But is 5ft long enough for any of my ideas?
I have to choose between one or the other. I made them the two different sizes in case I wanted extra space for some structures.
Yes, when I said yard i meant staging yard. But I figured that would be a fast project and boring.
It is HO and I have a mixture of code 100(alot of flex track, a few switches, and some sectional). I also have a good amount of code 83 flex track, most of the switches and wyes are 83, and some sectional. Just dont want any of the track to go wasted(Not used)
5 ft really limits the amount of switching you can fit.
Think about it - one turnout is 1 foot long, pretty much. another turnout to the parallel track is another foot. That leaves only 3 feet for sidings, etc…
You didn’t mention if your contraint is space, or pre-existing layout. Can you build an 6 or 12 or 16 foot module? Hollow core doors would make an immediate 7 foot module, and you can make the width anything between 18 inches and 36 inches. If you have the space, 2 doors: end to end would be a nice 14 foot long layout.
Unfortunatly that is the best I can get right now. I know its not much. Im hoping somewhere in the near future of having a full basement all for myself(isnt that all our dreams? . So Im probably stuck with making it a mid section. Throw down some track, some scenery, maybe a structure or two. I was just looking for ideas that would allow me some operating time on it.
Browse around - you will find H0 scale layouts smaller than 5 feet long that can be switched. Some with the help of a small removable extension cassette for the lead.
Course - if you were to switch from H0 til N scale, 5 feet is about the same for N scale as 9 feet for H0 scale. Then you would have had plenty of options - there is quite a few 2x8 foot H0 switching layouts you could have replicated in N scale.
Stein-I plan on putting it in one of the corners of my bedroom with 3 or 4 L brackets. Space is the reason its at five feet. I would wrap it around my living room but there is one problem, and its a four letter word. W-I-F-E lol.
Why not ask for ten minutes of your wife’s time? Take her to the computer and ask her to read the various responses to this thread. Then ask her what she understands about your situation. From her response to that question, you would hopefully learn that she may be more flexible about your available space in view of her recent learning. Even a few more square inches will be a boon to what you have now.
Or, she may be adamant, and you would then be faced with a sober reality…it isn’t going to be a great train modelling experience unless you slide down a scale…probably two. Or don’t do this at all until you can make a decent case for it. Otherwise, your options are greatly constrained, and you will only possibly enjoy the results of all the compromises you will have to make in order to have a layout of any kind.
I do understand that your wife does not want a layout wrapped around all walls in your living room. That is pretty normal for wives
But you still have not actually explained why 5 feet is the max you can go. You have explained that you want to put your layout in “one of the corners of your bedroom”.
Since I am not a psychic, I don’t know what your bedroom looks like, or what corner you are planning to use.
I also don’t still don’t know (despite you having been asked so before) if you by “in one of the corners” mean that you have room for an L shaped layout - five foot on each wall, or just 5 feet along one of the walls.
Since you now have explained that the layout will be in corner, we probably can assume that the one end will be butted up against the wall.
How about the other end - will that be dead ending in e.g. the side of a cupboard or some such thing, or could you on that side have a fold-down board or hook in board is added when you are going to be running your trains, but is not there when you are not running ?
Because if you can scrape together e.g. 1 x 6 feet total (or go to N scale), you could e.g. do Scot Ostweiler’s “Highland Park” switching game layout (which is variety of Linn Westcott’s “Switchman’s nightmare”.
The one corner is the only corner available. 5ft from the corner is a window which I would love nothing more than to keep running past and make it an 8 or 9footer. The other corners are take up with a dresser, entry, and baby. I dont think going down to N scale would be something I would want to do. Your correct that one end will be butted up against the corner. I was browsing the site you gave me.
The one by Craig Jenne Im a fan of. With just a couple alterations it would work. Mainly just taking off a foot of track on both ends. It looks like something I can build off of both ways. Which would mean I would be using the 5ftx2ft section on it to give me space for some other things I might wanna do to it.
First off, the plan you picked appears very interesting, and looks like fun to build and operate. Now for some practical considerations:
The original layout was designed around the Trackmobile as the motive power for the layout. It was a contest entry for a layout for the Trackmobile, which is a very tiny locomotive.
The swiveling 19 degree crossing is about 6" long if I read my Atlas templates correctly. That means the locomotive and any cars that are going to be switched on the the swiveling crossing must be less than 6" long. Cars and locomotives must be 40ft long or less. Pretty precise spotting will be needed to use 40ft cars. Does all your rolling stock and the locomotive to be used on the layout meet that criteria?
You will have 2 back to back 19 degree crossings. Do you have the crossings on hand? Is buying them a problem? Is modifying one of them to swivel - and still have power to it - within your skill set?
Atlas crossings do not have powered frogs. Will you
Mmm - as Fred pointed out, that layout is intended for very small engines and really tight clearances, especially if you cut it down on the ends.
Wasn’t one of your requirements that you would like to make something that later could be a small scene on a bigger railroad ?
If so, maybe something like Dave Howell’s 4-foot “63rd Street Yard” would work better. Here is the original 4-foot layout plan (linked from Adrian Wymanns excellent “Small layouts and shunting puzzles” website, URL http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/small-layouts.html)
Here is a variant plan (which I called “64th street yard”) based on Dave’s layout I did for a 7 foot space:
You could perhaps do something along those lines - diagonal main, hiding both ends of the main behind partial buildings, maybe a tiny runaround, and a couple of spurs branching off from the center of the layout to the right behind the main and to the left in front of the main, with some kind of scenic viewblock (like a highway bridge) across the center of
IMHO, those ThorTrains shelf layouts are unworkable. It seems to be just as much track as would fit with no thought to an operating scheme. They are filled with tedious switchbacks and most lack meaningful runarounds. I couldn’t recommend those to anyone.
Just my opinion, but I think there are issues with most of the ThorTrains layouts (shelf, island, whatever). It’s unfortunate that they are cited so often on the Internet.
As others have pointed out, this only works with a very small one-of-a-kind engine. Especially if you cut a foot off each end, it’s unworkable with even a small normal locomotive.
And the swiveling crossing is a theoretical idea that to my knowledge has never been tried by anyone successfully. Definitely not a beginer project, IMHO.
Stein’s recommendation of Box Street is a good one. The sector plate is slightly tricky to build, but only a fraction of the compexity of the swiveling crossing.
I’ll ask a different question. If you didn’t already have the wood cut to a 5 foot length, would 6 feet work? 7?
We all have to make accommodations for our non-railroading cohabitants, so that’s understandable – the shelf must be limited to some negotiated length. But if you are limiting what you can accomplish in model railroading in order to use an existing piece of wood, that may be a false economy.
is it possible to use the 4 feet before the window for a one or two track cassette?
With it you could build a mixture of Stein’s 64th-street yard and Alexander Losch’s Fat City pike. On this link to Carendt (thx Stein) you will find this beauty.
Aside from the other problems, instead of a swiveling crossing, why not a double-slip? Or is he also trying to turn locos and cars? If so, a one-track turntable-bridge-like plate would work.
What about an engine servicing facility and turn table? You could run your engines without any cars, so the small track lengths wouldn’t hinder you as much. Instead of a large roundhouse, you could even use a 2 or 3 stall engine house.
. So Im probably stuck with making it a mid section. Throw down some track, some scenery, maybe a structure or two. I was just looking for ideas that would allow me some operating time on it.
