Opeartions On A 4X8 layout

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a 4x8 layout,I love Model Railroading but I have a problem. How can I get a feeling that my trains have a purpose even with industries to serve and minimal switching,I still get that thought in the back of my head that says to me "This is only 4 feet wide and 8 feet long"my trains arent really doing anything but running laps. Can anybody kindly give me tips on how I can get that feeling that my railroad has a purpose even though it’s only 4x8.

Thanks

Jeremy

2

I have a 4x8 ho scale railroad as well. You can’t really do much except run the trains in loops and do some switching at industries. 4x8 is just too small to get a feeling that your trains are traveling anywere. I think of my layout as only a portion of a larger line that exists around my layout. (make believe) but also you are very lucky that you have 4x8. When I started I had only a 4x4 on the floor.

Shaun

3

Also try making a history or purpose of why the railroad was built.

Shaun

4

Judging by the number of 4X8 track plans and how-to-build-it articles in MR there must be a lot of people out there in the same boat. Maybe MR should try going a little bigger, like the 5X9 (ping pong table size) that used to be almost the standard for beginning hobbyists. That’s why the NMRA recommended minimum radius was once 24"; it easily fit on a 5X9, but for 4X8 you had to drop down to 22"

5

Judging by the number of 4X8 track plans and how-to-build-it articles in MR there must be a lot of people out there in the same boat. Maybe MR should try going a little bigger, like the 5X9 (ping pong table size) that used to be almost the standard for beginning hobbyists. That’s why the NMRA recommended minimum radius was once 24"; it easily fit on a 5X9, but for 4X8 you had to drop down to 22"

6

My operation is in the same format at present, and as with most, it is a work in progress. If you can have at least a walk-around on 3 sides (4 ft side against the wall), here’s a thought…

Why not put a DOUBLE-SIDED background in the centre (or diagonally if you wish)- the thought being that then with a 2 foot width, you have easy reach across and at the same time you expand the layout without taking up more space. The background need only be 18 -24 inches high (half a sheet) to be quite effective. You could complete the background first and then add it to the 4x8 sheet. By cutting “tunnel-holes” near the ends/edges of the backdrop you can in theory have two tunnels that take up almost no space (if you want that) - by following the train around the layout it appears to go through a tunnel on one side and (immediately) out of the tunnel on the other side… into a completely different scene / era. You can do all sorts of mountain buildup either way. What I am doing is laying the track first, then determining where the tunnels / overpasses are in the background - if you include a smaller loop for variety, you might end up with more than 2 tunnels. A yard area / station having a “dead end track” on the layout might also serve as a starting point for future expansion… another 4x8 sheet.

(initially I had considered using this same idea with a centred 4 sided “cross” background, for the 4 seasons… yikes. Seemed a bit much for HO scale on a 4x8 sheet - it might work for a smaller scale N or … but I’ll leave that to someone else.)

Have fun.

7

I too am one of the many 4x8 foot layout modelers, and yes my trains run lots of laps! Ran the traction tires right down to the metal on my Rivarossi Challenger! But I made up an imaginary town in Utah that has a new John Deere Distribution Center being built and a JD Dealership, couple of stores, firehouse, coal tower, etc. This way I can run my John Deere F7 ABB’s and cars along with Union Pacific Challenger, F7 AA’s and freight cars of all types in the 50’s era. Being in Utah the 2 main lines (outer loops) and one inner loop also serve Western Pacific Freight with a 4-8-2 steam loco. (Santa Fe has trackage rights, so I have a F7 ABB running passengers to my 3 stations. I have one dead 0-4-0 that sits inside the engine house for repairs and a dead 0-8-0 that sits at the coal & water tower siding. Believe it or not, I have 16 turn outs, 6 sidings and a reversing section so all trains can get turned around. Only my outer mainline runs a grade, but it is a steep 4%, usually only the UP Challenger, F7 AA or the Santa Fe run it regularly. Lots of action and actually lots of realistic scenery, free lance all the way. Started with only an idea of how to lay out the track (Atlas track layout program is great and a free download!) and went from there. Of course I run DCC so all engines can run on all lines in any direction or combination. If I had more room, I’d have more layout, but 4x8 can be really interesting. Turning around the Challenger from the outer loop and back takes lots of switching for lots of trains. Takes a good 20 to 30 minutes at times! Took lots of practice too!

8

There have been a number of “operations on small layouts” over the years in MR. Hints:

  1. Divide the layout with the view block. Then develop two complimentary views on each side. Ex: MR’s “Gold Hill Centeral”. The main loop has the function of a mine branch. One “view” has a mine w/ spur. The other view has a junction with the SP. Hoppers would come in, be swithched into and out of the mine, and then move to the junction, to be switched again, and “interchanged” out. Concentrate on developing the primary views. If you are railfaning in the country, you are likely to be able to see only a mile or two at the most in either direction. See articles about “design elements” in MR and other publications.
9

Probably the best you can do is to hide one side of the layout with a couple of layover tracks (use curved turnouts to maximize length). At least different trains appear. The visible part can be a station with some sidings. Alternatively, you can have a small interchange with a branch line rising over the hidden side of the mainline. A better use of the 4x8 sheet of plywood is to cut it into 4 2x4 panels which can be arranged as a 6x6 layout with a 2x2 center cockpit. The advantage here is that by operating from the cockpit you don’t see all of the layout at one time. You can also put it in a corner since you since have access from the center to all parts of the layout.
Enjoy
Paul

10

I suggest that you make a list for each industry on the layout.

  1. What does it do? What kind of business is it?
  2. Where do raw materials come from? Who/ where are the suppliers?
    What loads come in & in what kind of cars?
  3. Where does finished product go? Who/where are the customers?
    What loads get sent out? Are there any waste product to be recycled or put to other uses?
    Now you can begin to see business relationships building. The interchange track is your link to the world. You also may have 1 pair of industries that will require you to swap cars. This is where the concept of loads in & empties out was born. Have fun with your 4x8!
11

As others have suggested:

  1. Get an interchange track to connect you railroad to the rest of the country and world.
  2. Use view blocks (mountain ridge, back drop of clouds, buildings, etc.) to seperate the railroad to add to the sense of distance and seperation. I feel that trees create the strongest impression of distance.
  3. Don’t crowd the layout too much so that it looks like spagetti, use your space for fewer but larger industries if you don’t like the look and feel of smaller ones.
  4. Don’t use simply a basic loop for your track to run in. Break up the 4x8 feel by using slight curves on your mainline and lay out your industries in different ways so that they aren’t all facing in the same direction.

Hope this helps some! Good luck!

12

Imagination That is the key element . Do what you feel like doing . There are several good ideas posted so try a few do what feels best to you. The divider in the the middle sounds like a good idea to start with. Remember it’s your layout and you do what you feel comfortable with.

13

That’s exactly what I started with. Sandwiched in between, and added on end sections.

Must be a few second hand tables in the for sale ads.

Chuck Walsh
Grand Rapids Mi

14

You could try building a pair of 2x8 boards - this will usually fit along one or more walls, and allows you to model a reasonable number of industries. This isn’t a continuous run, but it will give the feeling that your trains are going somewhere and doing a useful job. Also, by modelling an industrial branch you can run shorter trains (saving money on equipment!)

15

The closer to eye level the layout is the bigger it looks.

16

hey locomotive 3:
how is Grand Rapids? great place. I’m hoping to visit the City in 2006 for my 20 yr grad reunion from Calvin College…
have a wonderful evening

17

Jeremy, If you really take a good look at a 4 x 8 piece of space, you will find that you can have quite a lot of room to add spurs and switching opportunities. Obviously, this will cut down on the amount of scenery you will be abel to Model but, it gives you more of an operational situation.
Like many posts here, I woud run my mainline several times around and start switching in a truncated situation. It all depends on how you want to run YOUR Ry, It is only limited by your imagination.[:D]

18

I want to build the Turtle Creek Central except with sectional track, #4 turnouts, and a Western Oklahoma theme.

Alex in the sooner state

19

Jeremy,

You are most likely limited in the amount of space available for expansion, but if you have a wee bit of room to spare you could try running a track or two off your main layout onto a narrow shelf. If you can, a shelf 1’ wide by 6’ long would do nicely.

This shelf could be a ‘fiddle yard.’ Your trains can exit your layout and new trains made up in the fiddle yard can appear. This gives the impression that your railroad exists beyond the confines of the 4x8 layout and can enhance the realsim. The exact length of the shelf would depend on how long the trains are that you run (and space limitations of course!)

Also using a wye type turnout on the shelf will allow 2 tracks to diverge in the least amount of space.

As others have already mentioned a view block is another good idea be it a backdrop, a hillside or buildings.

Charles
Hillsburgh Ont

20

Operations is very much track planning dependent. There are some track plans in HO that would allow some interesting operations - the Red Wing Division 4 by 8 layout comes to mind. However most 4 by 8’s aren’t great “ops” layout.

In an older MR track planning book was a shelf 2 by 7 layout that was much more interesting in terms of ops than 85% of all 4 by 8’s I’ve seen.