My layout will be 4’ by 8’ with another 4’by 8’ in L shape pattern. My question is after reading everything how do i draw out my track plan(once i figure one out) onto the foam? mainly how do i draw out the curve part?? I am clueless on this or dumber than I thought. I still trying to figure out the difference between different radius’s still. I am smart with computers lousy with geometry…and also at 43 beginning to think im too old to learn new tricks[:D]. Oh I am using Atlass code 55 flex track with a cork roadbed.
Welcome!
Felt tip pen, compass, trammel, string and pencil.
I have generally printed it out on 11x17 sheets with a graph background and used that as a guide. No matter how carefully planned you will probably need to fine tune things a little.
Using multiple 4x8’s like that you want to consider very carefully what you can and can’t reach. Unless you happen to be married to Elastigirl that is, or you are spiderman 
John
Hi, djack, welcome! Nice to have more nscalers around. You’ll find you can get a lot of layout in the spaces you have.
As jdtoronto mentions, you should watch you reach distances. Three feet is about as far as you can go and if you’ll be putting the layout against the wall, you’ll be in trouble if it’s much further. If it’s freestanding, four feet is fine (my own layout is a simple 4x8, with walkaround space all around it).
I’d suggest you start sketching things on graph paper, or even better, grab some planning software and start seeing what you can do. I’m sure other people here will be happy to offer suggestions on what package works best. I just grabbed my layout plan from a book and in retrospect wish I hadn’t.
If you feel like getting amibitous, some of the software packages I’ve seen will let you print 1-1 so you can just use the paper to make templates on the bench.
If you’re smart with computers, go with the track-planning software. 3D-Plan It, Atlas RightTrack, Google for others. Longer learning curve on some.
I think (think, not know) that 3D-PlanIt has a printing feature for 1:1 printing. It will print your trackplan to the full dimension of your layout. Then just transfer the plan onto your foam and start laying track. Maybe not that simple, but it isn’t too difficult. Easier than working out radii, swinging arcs with loci somewhere out in space, etc.
Keep asking questions here. Best answers on earth!
Darrell, quiet…for now
Or you can do what we did as kids: start laying out track in different patterns on your layout surface until you find something you like.
But, like a kid’s designed layout, you will tire of it quickly because it wasn’t planned to accommodate all the features you will want.
Darrell, still quiet…for now
hello and welcome to the best forum going to learn about MRR . im just starting my N scale on 4x8 but just one right now… its been many years since i have tried to run my trains and it shows .
you are never too old to learn to have a great layout and with the wonderful wisdom and guidance of the folk here , it will be the most fun we have had in a while.
i just wanted to say welcome and have fun with your railroad. best regards john hall
djackjr,
First of all, [#welcome] to the forum! Good to have you aboard! [:)]
Stop by your local library and see if they don’t have a book on layout construction. (Why spend money if you don’t have to.) A good layout book should have a section on how to correctly layout track.
If that doesn’t work for you, stop by your local hobby store (LHS) and peruse through some of the Kalmbach books on MRRing. There’s a lot of good material out there. Kalmbach has one called Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders that might fit the bill for you. Here’s a link and description:
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/005/007gixum.asp
Looks of good pictures and helpful hints.
Tom
Welcome. [:)] Looks like you have been Dreaming and you have a basic space identified - 2 4x8 areas.
See http://home.earthlink.net/~mrsvc/index.html or
[url]http://www.trainplayer.com/layouts_101.htm[url] [;)]
These are a few links that will give you some ideas to think about for your Planning stage.
Don’t be intimidated and ask lots of questions. None to dumb except … well you know …
Regards,
I used 3rd Planit to plan my 80" x 40" layout and printed it out in 1:1 at Kinko’s.
I than placed the prinout on the 1.5" foam I’m using and traced the track centerline with a star wheel. A black feltpen made the centerline more visible.
Hope this helps.
On my latest layout (12 X 12, around the room with middle peninsula, N scale) I used Atlas Right Track to lay it out, then printed out turnout and track templates on paper and built a small scale, 3D model of it using foam board.
Doing that pointed out a couple of things that looked good on the screen, but didn’t work in 3D. Besides, it was kind of fun!
Mike Tennent
Thanks For the info, jeez I feel like such a noob…[:D]
If you do use software to design your layout and if it does not print at 1:1 (100%) scale, you can always take the printouts to a copy-centre and ask them to enlarge them up to the proper scale. You may have to find a copy-centre that can handle making enlargements onto large sheets of paper (look for copy-centres that serve architects and engineers since they use large-size paper for blueprints).
To transfer the plans to your benchwork, you can use carbon paper (or use a trick artists use and coat the back of your plans with charcoal). Position your plans on to the benchwork with the carbon paper under them. Then with a pen, trace the plans. The plans will be transfered onto the benchwork. The tracings may smudge easily, so be careful. Once traced, you should redraw it with a permanent marker since the trace lines may be very faint.
No plans are perfect. And even the most careful and methodical transfer techniques are not 100% accurate. You will most likely have to “fudge” and “wiggle” things around to make them fit.