Clearance! Said I’d never go bigger than a 2-6-6-6 or 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement and based swing clearances on that basis as I had a turn with a bridge over it where these beasts would “narrowly” make it. Darn if I went out and got a Big Boy [8o|] Now the bridge and upper track and adjacent track will have to be realligned and re-graded… It never ends
Stick with the NMRA track guage! and don’t compromise cuz it will bite you!
Aisle width is often overlooked. I have seen layouts with two foot or less aisles. I decided I wanted a three foot aisle minimum but my 10 x 14 shed was too small to accomodate my around the room shelf unit with a five foot peninsula which was my original layout. Solution: I knocked out the back wall of the shed and added on a four foot additon. Three foot aisles gives me plenty of room to work and room to have visitors pass each other without damaging the layout.
Thinking everything has to be “once and done.” Build it, test it, improve it. All the time. What was “good enough” five years ago might be “meh” now.
“S” curves… d’oh!!
My biggest pitfall was never obtaining a crystal ball and having the ability to see into the future. My first two real layouts were modeled or slightly larger copies of John Allen’s original Gore & Daphetid so not pitfalls, John was my Mentor.
My third and current layout is full of pitfalls that have showed up over time (25+ years). My layout is in what used to be our two car garage (first pitfall), it measures 14’ x 10’. During the design mode I covered for almost everything mentioned in most of these posts, I have no idea when it went bad. The bench work is made in two movable sections, bolted together and mounted on 800 pound capacity casters.
My layout has a little bit of everything, a small yard with a roundhouse, a hidden siding, mountains with a 3½% grade up and a helix down, an open truss bridge and a nice trestle.
My pitfalls are: I can’t possibly split it into the two sections now without major damage to the scenery, because of rheumatoid arthritis I can no longer crawl under, even with a Top Side Creeper I can’t reach the middle of my layout and with 25 years of adding stuff it’s so heavy it takes two good size guys to help me roll it around.
The one thing that isn’t a pitfall is most of my structures are on removable modules and can be easily removed with the exception of the turntable and roundhouse module, I can’t find the screws under the scenery, also mentioned above.
Oh well, it’s still the greatest hobby in the world! Even with all the pitfalls.
+1 for lighting. And anything to improve the environment for that matter. Spending hours doing anything in a cold dark basement can lead to burnout. I painted all the walls white, installed a drop ceiling (to keep dust from falling on the layout) and bought anti fatigue mats to stand on (Best Step brand from Home Depot are about $18 for a 2’x8’ strip that’s modular (4 2’x2’ pieces) so it can be moved/removed for cleaning is what I’ve found to work well and not cost too much). Heat is another thing, but slippers (with padded insoles) and a comfortable hoodie allow me hours of comfort while in the basement.
It kinda sucks having to spend a lot of time/money improving the basement, which doesn’t show as progress on the railroad, but it improves the house, which increases the resale value and makes spending time down there pleasant, which translates to better enjoyment of the hobby and better modeling.
As for modeling…I always do research (either online or in books on my favorite railroad; books,remember those old things? lol) before doing any modeling and I try to make my models resemble the prototype as much as my skills allow (and my skills improve). Wiring? Thought shall put a feeder in the middle of EVERY piece of track! Rail joiners should never be used to conduct electricity (even though they usually do), they are there only to line the rails up, not provide a reliable path for electricity. Turnouts (MicroEngineering) get 7 feeders each (the frog gets a wire soldered to it even if it isn’t powered…it’s easier to power it later if need be and it’s easy to add one more feeder when adding all the others.
Plan ahead! I sketch trackplans on paper many months before I start laying track (or even building benchwork). This allows me time to test switching of industries and and train movements. Also, it helps to put a plan down for a few days and come back to it to see if you still like it. Try to visualize the building placement to be sure it isn&#
Got plenty of those, not a problem if you keep everything small!