Hello fellow railroaders. My name is Joe, I live in Central Oregon. I’ve played around with model trains since I was a boy. Now, I’m 35, have a family, and own my home. I’ve spent the last several years collecting lots, and lots of N-scale stuff. Mostly e-bay lots, and various new purchases as well. I’ve got a couple roads to choose from here. I have a large 2-car garage, and could start my layout in there, but I’d have to keep it confined to one wall, as I also build old cars, and trucks. I have a 20’ travel trailer frame, and am considering using it for a train room as well. I can rebuild the travel trailer, with 2x2, or 2x3 exterior walls (2x3 if wood, 2x2 if steel), and dedicate it specifically to a train layout. I think the trailer idea would be better, as it wouldn’t interfere with my automobiles. I thought about building the trailer to look like an old caboose, and could even use the custom '53 Ford semi I’m building to tow it with. Now, come for the help part. Atlas no longer has the RTS downloads available. What track planning program works best, or where do I start with drawing my own? I know I want to use a “L-Girder” frame work, and would really like to make it multi-level. Multi-level isn’t a must. I do know that I prefer the 50s-60s era, as it would give me the best looking automobiles, and would still realistically run steam, as well as diesel power. I don’t care to much for the look of the modern diesels, but do like the earlier ones, and I’m a sucker for a steam loco. I grew up drooling over the “Jerome&Southwestern” featured in several MR issues of the 80s, mostly because I love the idea of a below-grade canyon. So, to be honest, I can draw out a car, or a nature scene all day long, and used to win ribbons for art shows. I can design houses from the ground up, but I am constantly hitting a wall har
L girder is so much harder to do than foam and takes three times as long. As far as multilevel, it will be hard as a helex takes up a lot of room and a trailer is not very wide once you consider the studding.
Hi Joe,
there are quite a number of track planning programs on the market. Each one has a learning curve to it, and each will only support your design work and not do the design.
With Atlas dropping RTS, there are still some freebies available. One is Xtrkcad, which I find difficult to handle. Another one is SCARM, which does a pretty good job, is quite easy to learn and even has a simple 3-D feature.
You´ll find the download page here:
Hmmm, I see. Yeah, I think the multi-level will be too much. If I were building a museum, or starting a club locally, and had the facility for it, I would go with a multi-level. Since this is not specifically for anything other than enjoying the hobby with my kids, then I should lean towards the simpler side.
Thanks for the link, I downloaded SCARM. It’s the getting the curves right part that keeps me from being able to sit and sketch it out. The program will make it much easier.
Beg pardon!
If your estimate is correct, then you should be able to build a basic foam foundation for a 5 x 12 layout in 15 minutes - erecting the ‘C act like L’ girders, joists and legs of my second peninsula, assembled with steel studs, took just about 45 minutes from a standing start.
One key factor. Will the layout simply be one height of pink foam prairie, or will it attempt to reproduce mountain railroading at its best - 2.5% grades with an occasional level spot for a station or yard? If the former, a flat foam table is a good starting point. If the latter, L-girder and cookie cut roadbed makes a lot more sense (and a lot less expense.)
A helix is only one way of transitioning from one level to another. For many purposes, a train elevator will work better and take a lot less space. Mine has a footprint 7 x 56 inches, sized to handle my standard coal unit (with locomotive.) John Armstrong designed one sixteen feet long, The length is adjustable, but the width (for HO tangent track) doesn’t need to change.
Just my [2c]. Other opinions are sure to differ.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
wmjoe1953!
Welcome to the forums![#welcome]
As far as layout design goes, I use 3rdPlanIt. It is not free, but it is thorough.
I am no expert but to me your 20’ trailer sounds quite workable in N scale. The caboose idea would be really neat!
As far as construction goes, because there are kids involved, my suggestion is to choose a design and construction method that will have you running trains as soon as is practical if you want to maintain your kids’ interest. If you can, design your layout so that you can add more levels in the future without having to destroy most of your work to do it, but get trains running ASAP for the sake of the kids.
Dave
I am absolutely going the route of hills, and mountains, and plains, and valleys. I’m thinking a hybrid bench work may be the best route. For some areas, an L-girder would work best, and the cookie-cutter in others. I build a 4x8 a while back, and used foam over board. I stacked foam, and used a rasp for cutting grades and such. It was my first real model railroad, and I had to tear it down to make room for a '63 Ford Falcon restoration.
I downloaded the 3rdPlanIt demo. WOW!!! I’ll unlock the full version later, as it’s a bit pricey. As for the trailer, I like the idea of it, and I can build it however I need to in order to accomodate a train. Tax season is right around the corner, so I think I’ll be hitting the books, and magazines, and various web site between now and then for ideas. It won’t take me long to build the trailer, so I can be in it, and on benchwork before spring. I have several parts from the motorhome, and trailer, including a/c, and a ducted furnace, so I can regulate the temperature. We have a dry climate here in Central Oregon, so it will be easy to regulate humidity too. Before I had to reformat my hard drive, I had RTS, and was able to throw down a pretty elaborate railroad to fill an 8x20 area. I thought about getting a shelf type set up going now, but making a spot on it where I can relocate it into the trailer, and add on to it. It wouldn’t need to be fully landscaped and such, so relocating a bench work with some track would be easy, and leaving a spot not fully attached would allow changes for adding on. I suppose that’s how I should go, just to get back into it, and get the kids involved.
There is an N scalier, on one of the N scale forums that got hold of a 30’ mobile RV. He cleared it out to put in the layout. Leaving the front driver area intact. That way the H/C works and the layout can be moved as one piece if needed. Just drive it away.
For my layout I use the, in the garage method. As that was what I had to work with.