Hi everyone, My name is Warren I am from Australia,here is a plan of the HO Scale layout I have drawn that I am about to start. I drew it up using RR Track. I am happy with it but not the yard section.
Does anyone here have any suggestions how I could improve this plan please. I can not change the overall size as it it designed to fit in a double garage( Along with the wifes car . She wouldn;t let me have the whole garage…) WOMEN !!!
The bridge will be either lift-out or swing up. i am not sure yet.
OK… so just how exactly does one load a picture up on this forum???
If you go to the General Discussion part ot these forums, find “Weekend Photo Fun (WPF) June 10-12” there is a discussion on posting photos on pages 4 and 5. Sorry, I don’t know how to set up a direct link for you. I haven’t done it yet, but hopefully it is just a matter of time. If you don’t find enough information there, go to the right hand side of this page and scroll down to Search our Community and search for “Posting Photos” that should give you several more explainations. If that doesn’t work, type up a new thread and ask, many knowledgeable folks here on many different mrr subjects ready to help.
Welcome to the forum. Sounds like agreat start. I was there 5 years ago, and I have had a great time, though I also had to work around space constriction advized by my wife.
Pictures. I can do it but I sort of forgot how. The longer tutorials may be better. Here is my guide
Take pics on a digital camera. Take care with focus and light. Blurry pics are worse than none at all.
Store pics on your computer in an easy to find place.
Sign up with a free holding site. I use Photobucket.
Upload pics you want to post to Photobucket from your computer.
To post, open the forum and start a post as ussual. When you want a pic, go to Photobucket and click on the lower box under the pic and copy. Then go back to the post and paste. That should be it. It ussually works for me, though I admit when it does not work, I ussually do not know why.
Sometimes when I want a long post with many pics I will compose the whole thing as a Word Document and when I like it I copy and paste the whole thing as a post. The difficulty here is you don’t see the pics on the Word Doc until it is posted on the forum.
Good day mate, if you want to up load a put a photo up you have to do it on flicker and then you copy and paste the photo on to the post message area. I have traveled to Australia and been to Brisbane and up to AirlieBeach. I bet your modeling the suger cane railroads in Australia.
Welcome aboard. Posting pics can be done in several ways. Two simple ways:
Get yourself an account at some picture sharing site, e.g. http://www.photobucket.com, sign up for a free account, upload pics there. When you want to post a picture here, click on box labeled “IMG code” under photo on photobucket, paste into the post you are writing
Here’s a screenshot of photobucket. Notice on the bottom right in share this image. It has several options. You simply click on the one that says IMG code and it automatically copies. You then go to your post and click paste. The pic doesn’t show up until after you post.
Hey it worked, thanks again guys for all the help. NOW down to bussiness… What would you dp to improve this plan?? I will be mostly modelling late diesel power and would like a line with heavy grades so I can enjoy multiple lash-ups. Hence there will be mountains and bridges. I would love to have a double ended yard but dont see how I can fit it in.
Also can you see how I might make it a dual main line.?? and do i need it?
I’m going to start with my standard advice (which isn’t always welcome): stop right now and figure out the basics about your layout – where in the world is it located (Western US, perhaps), what concept of operations do you want (I’m guessing continuous loop running is more important to you than switching); what industries and layout elements do you want on your layout (that is, what will your trains be doing). And what era (modern? transition? I’m guessing not steam.)
Right now, you can switch trains into a yard… IF they’re coming from the correct direction; you can park them at a roundhouse, maybe service them, and you have one siding which might hold a couple of cars. What will your yard be for? Loads and cars can’t enter or exit your layout from anywhere, so you’re basically pulling cars from your one industry, sticking them in the yard for a while, and sending them back to the same industry. Other than run around in a circle, there isn’t much for your trains to actually DO on your layout, unless you plan to concentrate on building and sorting trains in your yard (which will be difficult, since all the tracks are dead ended).
Another immediate problem that comes to mind is that, unless you are Mr. Fantastic, you’ll never be able to reach the center of those islands at each end (figure 24-30" reach in on a chest height layout). This might not give you too much trouble on the lower left one (except that you’ll have trouble putting scenery in the middle), but those turntable tracks will be unworkable. If this layout will be against a wall, forget reaching the outside tracks. Unless you’re planning to operate long locos and cars, you may not need 36" radius curves. I can operate 6 axle transition diesels / electrics (an Alco PA and DL-109, and a GE E-33) and full length passenger cars on 22" curves (the passenger cars look a little awkward, but have no performance issues).
Also, while you might want heavy grades, a more modest grade (say 1.5%) and some suspension of disbelief will probably serve you better. You can still multi-unit consist, but you wont have to worry so much about the other operational headaches (random uncouplings and vertical easements) that come with steeper grades.
Thanks for the replies so far guys. I do already have the books mentioned and as also mentioned; I totally agree the layout lacks operator interest. I guess thats why Icame here in the first place. I don’t know how to fix it.
I am starting to think that may be a point to point might be the way to go. I could drop a loop and go around the third wall as long as it was no more than 24" wide. I have added a return loop/section to assist in turning trains. I think this will add more interest to an other-wise fairly simple (read boring) plan. Here is a revision in the plan…
To answer a couple of concerns raised above. There will be hidden hatches in the loops for access. Also the loop on the left has a door in the corner that opens out so I have easy access from there for maintenance etc.
Another suggestion has been to reduce radius size, the only problem is I also have several Lionell challengers and a Big Boy I would like to run from time to time so really anything less than at least 30" radius wont work, or at least wont look very good.
Some one mentioned lack of sidings, I will add many more once I get the basic plan down. They are so easy to add in RR Track software. Any way thats it for now, thanks again for the help… Keep it coming.
