I took all the rolling stock off my layout because I’m trying to figure the task of where I should place the structures I do have. I have enough as you can see in the pictures and still a few others that’s not on the layout that need to be placed. I’m trying to get all of my structures in the space that I do have so I need to maximize every square inch without it being overcrowding if that’s not already the case. I have
-2 Warehouse bldgs which is on the short siding by the mountains as you can see,Firehouse or another factory bldg in the front just beneath the single track overpass, a huge movie theater, roadside inn restaraunt, kentucky fried chicken, Amoco gas station, 2 store-front bldgs, barbershop, 4 single family homes, 4 apartment bldgs, and 2 passenger stations…most of the structures are on the layout. Do you guys have any suggestions on where I could place these structures for better utilitzation of space or am I good where I’m? The upper level as you can see is where the homes/apartments are and the lower level is for the downtown area…the short stub sidings I could either model passenger platforms in between the track or leave it as is and ballast and add scenery. What are your suggestions.
Yeah, it’s a little crowded in spots. In other places, it’s OK. Generally, I’d say you want to consider thinning things just a little. First of all, what buildings are most important to helping your RR look like it’s working? That RR tower (Atlas?) would look better at the place where the double-track crossing is as that is usually a spot that would have a tower. The platform looks good there, but should have a station structure that seems to match is another example. Maybe that siding would work better for an industry since it would be more believable in terms of length as a freight siding than a station track?
After you’ve considered the RR-relevant structures, then see what you have in terms of houses, restaurants and other buildings that fit the space without overpowering everything. I do think you need to be willing to thin the herd on what can be seen. With both more green area and parking, sidewalks, etc it will be more pleasing to the eye.
My industry buildings I am happy with but my city buildings have moved around so much I think I am back where I started, but I am now slowing working on doing more the thin background buildings. When the right building is in the right spot, you will know it. [:D]
Looks like we’re about at the same “crossroads” with our layouts. I had a drawn out plan of where I was going to put everything structure-wise, but a lot of it didn’t work out. The entire Walthers Steel Mill will be saved for the next house. What I had just didn’t fit and I’ve been building structures for 30+ years. I learned that I needed more approach room for most of the industries that I wanted to include and there’s a few buildings that are going to be chopped down in size. Now that that’s straightened out the real problem I have is going to be street connections, a real challenge.
PS I bought the same Kibri Station platform for my Amtrak station and I love it.
I know that you would like to use all your structures on your layout, but would your layout look better if you put some of them on a display shelf instead of cramming them onto your layout? Save them until you have room to expand your layout.
I have a few structure kits built and quite a few structure kits on hand, but have put off putting any more of them together until I see what space is available. I lost a lot of railroad space with a son moving home, so I am glad I hadn’t done all the building before I had space for them. I will try to build the most important ones for railroad function first, then ones to fill in.
Many folks have rr equipment on display shelves and I have seen structures displayed too.
Oh yea I do like my station…I might decide to paint it another color though! I was thinking about maybe taking the roadside inn restaurant out for right now until I get more space or expand my layout. As for everything else I don’t see what I can really take out. I want to have a residential area and a downtown area…That’s mostly my industry because I want to run the Metra on my layout and Amtrak as well. I like the small suburb feel…I know I can’t possibly model a entire town in a 5x9’layout but I just want to do as much as I can.
One issue you have is you aren’t thinking about what buildings you are placing where, You are just trying to fit boxes on the layout. I have a building that is 4"x6" and I have a 4"x6" flat spot so I’ll put that building there. You need to think about what the building is, what it does, how old it is, how people use it and how people get to it.
Bad news, you really have way too many buildings for that size layout. You would have a better looking layout if you placed fewer buildings more logically with a little more space around them.
Residential, commercial and industrial buildings face a street. Their backs will be towards the track. Residential and commercial buildings need access. People need to be able to get to them. Modern buildings need parking. That means an open space around them. Older buildings can be placed closer together. Brick buildings will tend to be closer together (less fire hazard).
Try grouping all your multi-story brick buildings together in one area. That will be your older “downtown” that was built in the 1900-1930 era. On the edges of that put a couple lower, one story buildings that were expansion from the 1930’s to the 1950’s.
Putting the theater and fast food joint in spaces that are completely bound by tracks, cliffs and rivers doesn’t make any sense. Put the theater in the “downtown”. The fast food joint needs to have an open area around it for parking and be on a visible road.
You might be better off reducing the individual areas. For example you have a town area with the HoJo’s and then another area above it. It might be more logical to get rid of the upper area and make ONE bigger area on the same level. Then you run one street through that area and put buildings on either side. It looks more logical, it save the width of a street and allow you to pla
While I agree with some of the suggestions made by dehusman, I don’t agree with the above statement and don’t feel you have too many buildings. You just need to re-think where you are placing them. If you can’t find a logical location for a building to be, then maybe it should be omitted. You have gotten some pretty good suggestions on what to do. Like most small layouts, the property on them is at premium prices. Track work tends to take up to much real-estate; however, layouts are designed to run trains on and therefore compromises are the order for the day and need to be made.
Above all, are you having fun? The hobby is all about what you like, not what others think you should do!
I am not sure there are too many structures. Often what we try to do is cram too much variety into a small layout with improbable transitions between a town with stores, industries that nobody would really want to live near or or shop near, residential areas, and a rural area, all within a scale football field of each other. if you determine that the entire layout is a small town then there is a certain density to a shopping or business district.
One thought, that has been written about a few times in various magazines, is to categorize your structures by size of footprint. Just as no law says every freight car we own has to be on the layout at every moment, structures can come and go as well and that is made easier if you basically “plug” a replacement structure into the available space.
True, it’s unlikely for structures particularly from different manufacturers to have exactly the same footprint. But it is possible to work around that. Thinking back to my old home town, back in the 1950s and 60s when a small town or city would have a busy shopping district, there were lots of fairly small structures all cheek by jowl with the others. But sometimes there would be a little gap between them – just wide enough for a person to walk between and presumably get to a side door that led to the living quarters up on the second floor.
There there also some incredibly tiny and narrow structures. I remember an art supply store that was crammed between two other stores. it was side enough for an aisle and shelves on one wall only. There was an even smaller and narrower building between two other structures where shoes were repaired.
Thanks for both of your responses Dave and NP2626.
Dave some of the suggestions that you mentioned are on the layout are already there. Now the KFC that was on the edge of the river…that was just put there for right now as I know it obviously won’t be there so I understand why you would say that. The two factory buildings by the small siding next to the mountain will have a road that crosses over that siding and the river to the other side…at least that’s my vision right now! Lol The theater is actually next to those storebldgs in my “downtown area” its just next to the factory blgs to see how it would look there. As far as my residential homes on the upper level I put them there because as you can see in the pics I paved a road up there and they back up to that cliff. Atlas track plan 28 caused for the plywood to be cut with the elevations so that is permanent I’m guessing. I had the plywood made professionally so I don’t think I can bring that upper level down. I plan to put a road and sidewalk in front of the houses with a culdusac at the end of the street since the double track crosses the single track at that edge. Since the edge of the upper level is uneven I’m going to have to smooth and level it out so I can create a road downtown which will be in front of those storefronts you see and will lead to the brown bldg just underneath the crossing. I have those two small spaces though on the upper level on both corners. Maybe I can put the gas station there and have a grade crossing there???
You could do an entire block of 3 or 4 buildings on a piece of Gatorfoam, plywood would also work. Have another piece exactly the same size, with a different set of buildings on it. This could not only be done downtown, but in an industrial district too, say a lumber and coal dealer exchanged with a fuel oil dealer.
If carefully planned, curbs, fences and hedgerows can hide the seams where you remove and replace your exchangeable sets. In a rural area you could have a farm scene exchange with a simple hill or park. Residential areas could have different houses on each set.
So are you saying to have like a block of structures for both the downtown and residential area up top built up on a removable plywood or foam base and switch them out back and forth? I never thought of that and that may be an option. I only have those bldgs for my residential area that’s already up there so I don’t have any more I think but yes I do have a few more bldgs for the downtown area so maybe I could put them along with the restaraunt on that removable piece.
I have only a few comments that I can offer on this.
First, the roads; I have a narrow shelf layout with little room for visible roads. Not all of the roads on your layout have to be visible. On my layout, many of the roads will come “out of the backdrop” and access the buildings, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on the visibility of roads. Simply creating the illusion the roads “come from someplace” to your buildings can be enough access.
Second, cities and towns have zoning laws. These laws were, in part, meant to put residential areas where residential areas should logically be, and so too with industrial areas. The exception to this may be before these zoning laws were put in place, which would be the early to mid 20th century. A good example of that model-wise is George Selios’ Franklin & South Manchester RR, which is in the early 20th century, where residential areas are intermingled with heavy industry. A good example of modern, “zoned” modeling is the stuff that Lance Mindheim does (see www.lancemindheim.com).
Third, (and this is a little off-topic and it is unsolicited advice, so take it for what you may), the track road bed. Main lines have the elevated ballast, such as you have on your main line track (great job!). This is not so with sidings and spurs, however. If you look at the prototype track, the roadbed for sidings is lower profile than the main. You can probably replicate this by using a double thickness of gasket cork (found in auto parts stores). Spurs and industrial tracks have yet a lower profile, perhaps a single layer of gasket cork, or even right on the plywood. Pelle Soeborg has a great article in the January, 2013 issue of MR on this subject.
Bottom line is: it’s your layout so you can do whatever looks right to you. Having fun is the “right way” to do it!
