New (and first) layout -- input or ideas welcome

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I have been kicking around the idea of building a model railroad
back in October, finally began to plan a layout that would fit in
the limited space available in our house.

The planning phase is almost done, and I should start on the bench-work
in a few weeks, but thought (belatedly) it would be a very good idea
to seek input and advice from people with actual model railroad
experience (books and magazines make for great instructional reading,
but there’s nothing like the sage advice of those who’ve been with
the hobby for a while to point out problems and improvements with my
layout).

I’ve created a web page with track plans and a description of the
railroad (a freelanced design based on the Union Pacific’s line from
Ontario to Burns, Oregon):

http://www.whiteweasel.net/leonard/rail/index.html

I’ll keep the website up to date with photos of the prototype area
(we’ll be there next week), as well as construction updates and photos.

Leonard

2

Hi. It looks very interesting, and should work nicely. The only area that I can see might need some adjustment is in your yard. From left to right, your #2 and #3 tracks have no way to switch between them, so a set or loco must move out toward the throat to get from one to another. However, I was not able to see the detail clearly enough with the screen presentation that I got at your site. I am unsure how to enlarge the image to get a clearer view.

Otherwise, it looks good.

Backdrop as you describe should be fine, although masonite would work, and I hear that linoleum placed back-side out works well, too. You’ll need a light blue paint and some white to mix-in as you paint nearer to your mean horizon. A mask made of cereal box cardboard will do to make some clouds. You’ll need some light grey paint for the bottoms of any substantial clouds. As for surrounding vistas, you’ll have to practice deriving realistic terrain using techniques (strokes and dabbing) and different hues and colours. You find what works soon enough, and then you can have at the walls.

3

To enlarge any of the images, just click on it – depending upon
your screen size and browser settings, you may be able to enlarge
the bigger image by clicking on it again. Each “clicked on” layout
image size is 1481x881, and you should be able to see the individual
track ties when displayed in full resolution.

Thanks for the input on the backdrop and yard! I’ve gone back and
forth on the yard with having the #2 and #3 tracks connected and
not, which is one of the reasons I was hoping to get feedback here.
Fortunately it is very easy to connect them again at this phase of
the project.

Thanks again!

Leonard

4

There are some good point to your layout. There are a lot of places you can switch cars in and out. If you use the tunnels as staging, They layout can even make sense in an operationally. You have allowed for continous running, and while it is nice to watch trains, the way you did it takes way from the realism. Your train disapears and then instead of appearing somewhere else to complete the circuit, it appears right where it left going the other way. I would spend the time to make the tranistion a little more subtle.

On a technical note, you have made a reverse loop by joining the two tracks in the center of the top section.

5

That is true, Mouse…good catch (he critiques track plans all the time, so the is the Man). If you trace your long bent loop, you main, across the top from left to right, and then follow down around the U-turn, and back up, when you begin to move right to left, you have a cross-over there. If you let your engine take that cross-over, when it meets the upper track we were just on, it will be reversed for polarity at that point and it will short. In fact, that entire cross-over will have to have insulating gaps tight after each turnout if you want to get a decent train length inside the crossover safely, and then you will need to have a polarity switch, either automatic or manual.

There is more to this, but we can deal with it in more detail later. Either way, what Space Mouse says is absolutely correct, and you must take this issue under advisement when you wire up the track.

6

Thanks for the great input on my layout! I had intentionally
added the reverse loop to allow trains to leave and enter the
yard head on without having to use the staging area. I knew
it was a reverse loop, and would have wired it accordingly
(the idea for the loop came from one of John Armstrong’s
books, where he discussed methods to turn trains around so
they could reenter the yard).

To be honest, I hadn’t considered the implications of the main
loops on realistic operations, and I can see now how odd it would
appear to have trains entering one tunnel and then a moment later
leave an adjacent tunnel heading in the opposite direction.

I’ve radically redesigned the main track outside the yard to
completely hide the return loop beneath the level of the main
layout to improve realistic operations. The track plan now relies
on the reverse loops in the staging area to allow trains to leave
and enter the yard without stopping and backing up.

The staging area can also be used to simulate point to point
runs, with trains leaving and returning through the same tunnel.

The new layout is on the page listed above, or you can jump directly
to it at:

http://www.whiteweasel.net/leonard/rail/burnsN5.gif

On a non-IE browser, what are codes required to insert a link
here? The FAQ mentions a code set, but does not give examples.

7

wulf:

I see three serious shortcomings in your plan.

  1. No passing sidings on the main – which means you cannot run two opposing trains at the same time on the main because they will have no way to get by each other.

  2. No switching lead on your yard, which means you won’t be able to do much serious yard switching without fouling the main.

  3. No separate run-around track in the yard. You do have a couple crossovers in the yard garden tracks, but you need something in the yard ladder area that’s a double-ended runaround track – makes switching the yard a whole lot easier.

I have an article on my web site about analyzing track plans using some formulas. I find you’ll learn a lot about how your track plan will perform long before you build it if you use these formulas to analyze the plan.

In fact, if you take these formulas and analyze some published plans you like, you’ll learn a ton about what goes into a good layout track plan. [swg]

8

Thanks Joe for the advice. I can see that far from being close to
starting physical work on my layout, I still have a lot of work
to do on the design. The footprint of the layout is fixed, and so
I’ve been trying to balance using the space for a good operational
track plan as well as having plenty of room for scenery.

I’ll check out the information on your web site, and continue to
read the advice posted here, and will then redesign the layout
again when I return from vacation – at least it’s cheap
and easy when it is all still on the computer.

Thanks again to everyone for the great comments.

Leonard

9

I have spent a bit of time reworking the layout, and incorporating
the great input I’ve received here. The layout is now point to point,
with a separate staging area (and reverse loop) for each end point.
There is now a relatively long passing siding on the main line
(adding more might be possible, but they’d be fairly short). The
switch yard now has a ladder at both ends, and I’ve designated the
inner most track of the yard to be the run around track. I’ve also
added a substantial length to the switching lead (alas, but the lead
has two spur lines leading of from it, but these are low traffic
lines).

Updated plans.

Please comment – I’m sure I’ve added new problems.

Thanks!