I won’t even try to help with track planning. I’ll leave that to those who know what they’re talking about [:D]
As for SD26s I have a couple - one in Guilford grey and the other now owned by Guilford but still in its Santa Fe colours [Guilford were very slow to repaint some of them]
I weathered the SF unit to look like the typical Guilford recruit and it was a lot of fun to do. Just another angle you might like to consider some time in the future
Good luck with the planning.
Mikelhh,
That Engine looks like it has seen a few year’s in the bush. [Y]
Good Job! [:D]
Frank
When doing freelance I find it helpfull (so you don’t buy everything you like) to limit it to a time frame and that can include what was available but built later, for example there was a diesel built in 1939 with one designation and another that was built in 1944, looks the same except for the trucks which were availiable in 1939 but in 1939 they picked a different truck (all the real diferences between the two were inside).
I’d call it mid-late 70’s. Most modelers can be forgiven for a year or two leeway one way or the other.
But unless you have a real attachment to it, don’t plan your entire layout based on ownership of one admittedly obscure locomotive.
Layout of LION occupies 648 sq feet. Good thing layout has square feet as LIONS can not run very fast with square feet. Layout of him is on three levels with 14 scale miles of tracks. But him runs short trains : six 50’ subway cars, on a 5 minute headway, and taking 20 minutes to complete the 9 mile local journey.
You want LONG trains. LION may be crazy (probly is) but maybe you want to make your yards at the longest diagnal line in the room, then draw a layout from either end.
LION just came back down from looking at his layout (him had to go over to that building to help someone else with their computer, 27" is my long wall, which may be too short for a long yard. Putting the yard at a diagonal across the room will give you the longest run, and hopefully the washer and the furnace will end up on the same side of the diaganol as the stairway.
LION uses 50’ cars, and six of these take up 4’ so if you have 30’ of yard that is only 30 freight cars long, not counting yard ladders and stuff.
LION SEZ: draw a diagram of your basement, where the stairs, boilers, heaters, washers, dryers, doorways and windows are; define the space you can use, and where tools and work benches will be, and then decide what can be built with what is left.
Route of LION is on three levels, so run is long, but trains are short, him has no yards 'cause him runs subway trains.
ROAR
My layout is built on benchwork of 1x4 and 1x3 lumber with an open grid design. I put 2-inch pink foam on top of that. I found that this is an excellent way to build a layout in general, and it’s also very good for “rapid prototyping.”
Since you want to be up-and-running in about 6 months, try building your benchwork all the way around, with consideration for doors and stairs. Drill holes through the crossmember for wires, and wire a track bus, control bus and some accessory lighting buses all the way around. Then top it with pink foam. Then, you can lay track directly on the foam. Don’t glue it. Instead, get a bunch of paper clips and a pair of needle-nose pliers, and open up the paper clips into a U shape. These will hold your track in place while staying out of the way of train wheels.
You won’t have any “finished” trackwork, but I’ve had parts of my layout pinned in place like this for years while I worked elsewhere. It’s easy to lift up and change, or remove sections completely to re-design.