I’m giving thought to my “next” layout. The current one is a simple 4x6 spaghetti loop, I’ve been working on to regain confidence in my skills and to have something the five-year-old can play with. However, I’m really wishing to start on something a little bigger in the next year or so. I’m thinking of taking my current “office/study”, and turning it into a smallish layout room (political considerations probably won’t allow more space, unfortunately.)
Givens: office plan is a room about 11.5’ x 9’, with a closet set into one side. Shelf along East and South sides of the room (bottom and left in the drawing linked, respectively).
Druthers: HO scale, 26.5" min radius mainline.
Freelanced UP, I’ve got locos and rolling-stock from 50s through present.
Want to get into some operations, though I’m currently more of a modeler who models trains, than a model railroader.
Want some variety- small yard, couple of industries, but likely to have some kind of loop.
MAY have hidden staging.
I’ve laid out a loop mainline on the following link, along with some ideas for what might be developed in certain areas.
I have a question regarding the part you have labeled “Curved Yard” - is there actyallu going to be a curve to the tracks? or just like on the lead track?
I just think that trying to couple/uncouple on a curve would be difficult.
I’ve seen curved yard concepts before, including in MR and prototype photos. From what I’ve gathered from uncoupling magnet locations (see the latest MR, the article on passenger operations), as long as there is an area near the (each?) end where everything straightens out, having a curve in the middle isn’t so bad.
The key during building consists would be to NOT push the string of cars all the way to the other end of the siding, but to push the string back as each portion is built up. Again, as long as the coupling is taking place on a straightaway, things should be OK.
That means, of course, that one can’t build a longer consist than your switcher can push, but with this size layout, I don’t expect to be pulling a hundred cars anyway…
Other things I thought about after posting last night:
The planned height would be around 60", with some variation. The shelves are closer to 48", so would be a likely level for hidden staging (figuring 3" for framework of the main layout, and 1/2" plywood as a base, on top of the shelves, for the staging layer, leaves about 6" for cars and 0-5-0 switcher. Tight, but do-able for perhaps 3 tracks.
L-Girder construction. I’ve tried foam on the 4x6, and while it’s been an interesting experiment, I’m not sure I like it.
DCC is planned. The current 4x6 already has it, and all the locos I regularly use have DCC+sound.
Operation is likely by one-to-two people. I don’t actually know any other modelers in the area well-enough to have bigger operations, and again, with a small space like this, more would likely just get in the way.
I’m sure I’ll think of more.
I’m not too sure about the 6" for car and 0-5-0… you need roughly 3" clearance for the cars themselves, and if you’re picking up something from a track at the rear, you’d be cutting it close to the top of other cars.
Although - I don’t have much more than a loop o’ N scale EZ-Track, a junk loco, and some random cars (yay for Bachmann trainset stuff - it runs though, so i’m not complaining… much[}:)])… but I have absolutely no space (college dorm room)…as such, i don’t have anything permanent…so i may be way off here…