I know it seems like I am all over the place, but I am trying to get something working without spending a lot of time and money doing it. I know, if I was trying to do that, I picked the wrong hobby. The thing is I have engines and rolling stock in HO for 1885 SP, plus I have some 15-20 craftsmen kit structures as well as the buildings I already have on the small version. Plus I have already installed electrical wiring and track lighting for building a layout. I was just going to make it the Union Lumber Co and California Western Terminal.
So anyway, I was just playing around and I took the tater mountain/Rock Ridge part of the Rock Ridge and Train City RR and plopped it down on my TV (or at least where the TV will go). I didn’t think I could get much out of it–especially since I couldn’t come up with a good plan in N-scale, even though it was half the size of what I was working with.
Well, the downside is that the town of Rock Ridge will show us it’s backside–giving us a good view of the back of the church and funeral, while Red Rock Canyon is displayed in it’s full glory, as is the Rock Ridge Station. The rock Ridge mine is visible, but it will not displayed as nicely as it merits. But still all in all, it fits.
Going counter-clockwise you come to Rock Ridge Canyon. This will be a floor to eye-level affair with two curved trestle bridges ala ArtHill. But the vertical separation of the bridges may only be two inches. I want to stay under 2% grades.
Next is the city of Train City. I’ll lay it out once the foam is up. The tracks are vague approximations. The hidden loop is just that. Staging is exposed, but coming through the wall. The small track at the top of the yard will hold a switcher. The turntable is for engines, cabooses, and business class coaches.
The yard is simple. Although there is some operations, the layout is about 62.35% railfan.
Comments? Suggestions? I really don’t know which dir
I assume that the short leg next to the staging tracks is so that a switcher can remain parked so you can uncouple the lead locomotive from the train after pulling in head first, then using the switcher to move the cars to another track allowing the lead locomotive to be able to get out and move to the turntable to turn it around. The only other alternative I see is to reverse the direction of travel around the layout and have the train back into the staging. Or you could have a crossover at the end of the longest staging track.
Well, I think you’ve said it. You already have the locos, rolling stock and some really nice kits for a time period you love. And the N scale can come later or be planned/worked on gradually after you have this up and at least running.
As long as you can reach that TO to the right of Rock Ridge Module, I’de say go for it !!!
Go for the complete rubber gauger package! Get some On30 to run with/on your HO gauge track, and some HOn30 to run with/on your N gauge trackage. When you run both scales in the same train, and have both gauges on the same layout, you will have achieved complete rubber gauging Nirvana.
Yours in rubber gauging - it’s more fun than any other scale/gauge, but it’s really hard on the wallet.
Since there will be travel in both directions on the layout, I will have to do some backing out onto the main and backing into the yard anyway. The turntable, which I’m assuming will be an Atlas cheapy, is a way of making use of space. I figure it will be powered by the same engine that runs the 0-5-0 switcher.
Anything that improves the way the Steelers look this year…on second thought, maybe I should loosen the cable and watch the games through static and snow.
The narrow part will be about knee to ankle level. If I was smart, I might not go all the way to the floor and protect the scenery at shin level. Thanks Tom.
My wife still hasn’t figured out how much this hobby costs. But the cost of this layout is more likely to keep me off sleeping on the couch. I was really looking forward to building the N-scale layout. I admit I was nervous about going down in size. I like adding the detail and I didn’t know if I could keep up to my level of standards in N. Still I was jonesin’.
I didn’t mention it, but the “room” is a corner of the basement with only the three sides drawn. The Rock Ridge module is visible on three sides. Unfortunately, it was the “front” that faces the only wall. Still since I sceniced the backs, it presents an interesting perspective. It will work out okay. You still see the fronts of the buildings, its just that you kinda have to look through and around somethings to see them. Kinda like life.
From an operational point of view, the N-scale 3 x 7 layout is the better layout. There is a lot to do. You could literally have 4 people working that layout.
The funny thing was, I could not achieve the same quality when I used this space with N-scale. Not to say that I wouldn’t have gotten it. I think I was just trying to do too much. What ended up happening, is the part about N-scale I was looking forward to, the rail fanning, was relegated to running behind the city and when in the “open country” doubling back on itself. The illusion of an interchange track is something I had not achieved either.
This HO layout, has all the whimsy of the original rock ridge, and although it still goes through the same scene twice, the loops are at least disguised. Also I think that the 1880’s aspect, grants one a certain toy-like license that you can’t get away with with modern (post 1920) layouts.
The down-side is that the operational aspects of this layout are barely more than the original 4 x 8 Rock Ridge and Train City. You still have the two points and the same industries to service. They are just a little more drawn out. You still have the small yard–well we’ll see how much difference that makes.
I may take this space back to the drawing board in N, just to be sure I have covered all my bases. However, this does seem the best possibility for saving Tater Mountain and making it look good.
Here is the new plan. I rotated Tater Mountain to get a better look at the mine as well as Mongo who would have been lost in the shuffle. This adds a lot of area that may just become wilderness. I’m also thinking of a cattle line shack or lumber. I do have a Climax A that needs a reason. My best guess is taking terrain up with a hillside that covers the back track right up until it parallels the inner track at Rock Ridge Canyon on the trestle.
I’d love to vertically separate the two tracks, but I can’t figure it out without exceeding 2% and I know how poorly small steam works with 3.1 and 3.7 percent grades.
The TV is closer to the sofa–the yellow block. Walk around is very tight, but at least everything above the knees is open which gives it less of a cramped feel. I may change some of the #4 turnouts to #8’s on the mainline when I can.
The turntable has been moved further back into the corner, the roundhouse now gone in favor of a two stall engine house. The A/D tracks are much smoother. I’d like to get a passenger station and an icing platform in there.
Unless my math is way off; you can get about 4" grade separation at Rock Ridge Canyon and not have any siding on grade. This is about a 2% grade. Start just left of your front turnouts and end just before the right front turnout for the up-down grade changes. The front area between these points is all at 0 elevation.
That’s great but how would he get back down again? That hidden half-loop would have to be a LOT more than 2% to get back the 4" grade seperation. Maybe by making it a helix, but you need about 26-28" radius to get adequate (and then barely enough) clearance with a 2% grade in HO.
It WOULD look 200% better if the rear passing track and siding were well above Train Town though.
I’ll be danged if you aren’t right! Probably a shade over 2, but definitely less than 2.25. That is if I have all the yard areas, Rock Ridge, and Train City level. That will add a lot. Thanks Alan.
Okay, I just did it the hard way using XtraCAD track lengths to work it out, keeping the cities and yards flat. From the yard counter-clockwise to the center of the outer bridge–a 4" rise is a grade of 2.29%. From the bridge back around to the base of the yard–2.01% If I go up only 3.5", that is exactly a 2% grade going up.
I’ll have to work out how the town of Train City will deal with the elevations.
I figure that there is about 33’ of track between those two points. At 2% grade that is 4" up to the half way point and 4" down. The Canyon is about at the half way point.
It only takes a car length (6") plus a foot to get to dead level from any of the turnouts on grade. This would allow all of the spurs on grade to come to dead level in 18" from the grade. Other than not parking cars on the grade transition; everything else would be OK.
I took all the switching off the upper passing siding so the siding can be part of the grade. At the same time, as Randy suggested, the passing siding can be above Train City. So the switching is now down from the lower level. There’s a lot of track in that town, but that is why my son named it that, so I guess it fits. Thanks.
It’s not as bad as it seems since I won’t need to go up the isle’s except during construction–which will be bad enough. But since the obstacles are all low and my butt and stomach are high, at least operating won’t be so bad. Also the couch is huge. I may start looking for a replacement seating arrangement–except once I build the layout, I’ll have to sawzall it to get it out.
