i am building a n scale layout that is 48 inchs long by 28 inchs wide. i am trying to base the layout on the minneapolis and st louis railroad or the Chicago and Northwestern .
That’s great!
… so what is your question?
Welcome to the forums.
We will need a little more information on what you are looking for.
Are you looking for a layout plan? If so and you are a subscriber to MR magazine, you can go to the subcriber only trackplan database on these forums. They have a number of small layouts suggested. There are also some N scale track plan books available.
Do you want continuous running or switching? City scenes or open country?
You have chosen a prototype railroad, what era are you interested in?
There are many questions one has to answer before “getting into it.” Having a vision of where you want to get and a plan that will get you there will save many mistakes (not all) and having to backup and start over.
If you haven’t read a couple of beginners books on model railroading, I would suggest you do, they help understanding some of the things you will face. Basic books on benchwork, trackwork, wiring and scenery will also help you along. I have been reading for a long time and am just getting started building. (Mostly because building time was not available.) However, it does seem that I can progress faster, despite limited time, using others experiences from these forums and magazine articles as a guide.
I will say, if you get something running, even if it is a just a loop that will be added to later, It gets the energy flowing. Hope you can do so soon.
Good luck,
the winona and south western railway i am modeling it after. the Winona & Southwestern railway was a railroad in the southern minnasota.
i already know how to do that because i have built a ho scale layout. i found a railroad that has never been modeled the winona & south western railroad. i am from winona mn and i have just found this old railroad tonight.
In the relatively small space you’ve described, the best you can hope for will be a well crafted diorama of a familiar scene on your prototype, with a simple track plan that allows you to run model trains through the scene.
This is a completely valid approach for a small layout.
What I would suggest is to find an iconic view of your chosen road (I’m completely unfamiliar with any of them, so I can’t give you any direction there…)
But as an example, I’m modeling the Western Maryland Railway, and have attempted to capture several locations that are immediately recognizable to anyone with even a modest interest in the WM… None of these scenes take up very much space, so you could choose something similar that relates to the Winona and Southwestern, and work the rest of the loop in to put the trains in action. Here’s a couple views I’ve done:
!(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ERLF7TTPvmA/Syh_-h8s6BI/AAAAAAAAIiM/GJosUQcoaZg/s640/WMGP940 034.jpg)
A typical coal mine scene…
!(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ERLF7TTPvmA/TNk7-tdKsHI/AAAAAAAAMAI/xZhqUlvcm6w/s640/Reconstruction Ph.3 001.jpg)
High steel bridge, such as the WM Bridge at Ohiopyle, Pa.
!(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ERLF7TTPvmA/TOCha6yL7dI/AAAAAAAAMCA/LqpA-UgI85o/s640/Reconstruction Ph. 4 005.jpg)
US 40 and a fast moving stream…
Maryland Junction
I could go on… but then, I’ve got a little more room to work with!
What I’m suggesting you do, since you have such a compact area, is to really study a particular scene. If you feel like you’re up to the challenge, try scratchbuilding the structures to look as much like the prototype as possible. Put trees in as they app
I agree with the above post. Try to do a small switching layout with some industries etc. The space you have is small, but it is certainly doable, especially in n scale.
You could also use your 48"x 28" space to model part of a future, larger layout. Build it as a section and when you get more space you can add on to it.
Good luck!
Hi
If you have built an HO layout already you know the basics.
And one of the basics is the almighty “track plan”.
I have a short line in my area that serves a scrap metal facility and picks up drops off Propane tankers to a customer at the far end of the oh about 45-50 miles they run. I would love to model it. But if I did it on a 28x48" like you propose, I would have one side for only one industry and teh other side for the interchange with NS, or a “spaghetti bowl effect” loop of track. Maybe you wantthat,
What I would like to do and maybe you can too… is get two solid folding closet doors one foot wide {maybe 18" wide} each and hinge tehm together. on one door would be the interchange {with a “wye”} and to the first industry the scrap yard, then would have the “country passage” cuving around to the other door for the “country passge” and the sidings they use to store propane on at a old station and then have the second industry the propane user and a pass by and a turntable to turn engine at the end.
I don’t know if you can visialize that or not. My idea would be to hav enough space to put the doors end to end in one foot by 15 foot shelf type layout but I haven’t the room that way. So using the hinge bolts to insert/remove I can connect the doors and leave them that way to stand on end when not is use . or separate and store individually.
Dunno if this helps you or confuses you. Hope it gives you at minimum food for thought.
i figured out what i am going to do.
I’m confused, was there even a question posted? I have a couple of quarter sheets of OSB around (48 x 28 x 3/8) and even with 10.5R curve, theres about enough room for a very small loop and a single siding if you want room to model scenery or buildings and the like. 28 inches would let you get away with 11R curve though, but still. The train length I plan to run are only about 48 inches long, buty I’m also thinking of a shelf layout built around the walls in the spare room, roughly 8 x 10, most likely the end of a small branchline where all 12 cars or so in the consist will be spotted.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1332427090344&set=a.1332427010342.43722.1821041388
you can see the rough design of my layout that i want to do 48inchs long by 28 inchs wide.
is that to small for the layout that i want and what size do u recomend?
what size would recomend ? the photo you will see is the layout design
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=666593&l=9ed07572b4&id=1821041388
i am doing a 4 by 3 layout now.