Track Plan for New Layout

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

This is the track plan I have worked out for my new layout. The outside mainline is already laid with the exception of SPUR B and the turnouts to connec to the inside branch line which is still in work. I NEED MORE TRACK!

[IMG.nr]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h80/jeffrey-wimberly/trackplan.jpg[/IMG.nr]

Will post more when I have it.

2

2 suggestions- (1)Don’t use EZ track! or any track with plastic roadbed attacted, for that matter. Use Atlas track (NOT true track, tho) and Midwest Cork roadbed. (2) Don’t use 18" curves. I’ve regretted using them ever since day 1. Luckily my new layout will have 22" curves.

how important is switching to you? You could include more spurs, or better yet, a yard.

3

I have to go with Mouse on this one. It looks like it would bring you many hours of joy as it is, but you can stand some substantive improvements right away. A yard is a biggy; where you have your Siding E, you could fit an inner parallel track, or two, and there is your yard, rudimentary though it is. A yard is handy to allow you to fiddle with your rolling stock manually, and to store it all, but it also allows you to classify your trains just like the real thing…without handling them. So, if you could get a bit of a ladder in there, even though it is on a curve (no problem!), I would do it.

Having shared Chip’s misery over the past year with respect to EZ-Track, I can only say [#ditto]. What you have drawn up is worthy of something less constraining, and is worthy of the tweeking and naturalizing of your curves that flextrack will afford you.

I hope you have not bought a lot of EZ-Track. It ties you down.

-Crandell

Edit - I had typed “…more constraining,…” instead of my intended “less”.

4

I’ll second the EZ track concern. I spent more time working EZ track, making it work and making it look good than any other single endevor on the layout. With 17 turnouts, one has a switch motor that has become detatched from the throw bar and 3 others that no longer close against the rails. While I could replace the 4, I’ve chosen to solve the problem in different ways. Manual throws on the sluggish ones and a Tortoise on the broken one. (just to try new things for my next layout.)

Anyway, my biggest regret/mistake was using EZ track.

5

selector, you’re right. A yard is an absolutle must, even if it’s only 3 tracks.

6

Too late for that. Track is laid, it’ll have to stay. As for the reason for 18" radius, I can’t go any larger. I won’t be able to get to the door to go outside. The EZ track is cheap, easy to work with and I can get it almost anywhere. I have diabetes, severe nerve damage and arthritus, so working with cork raodbed, nails and the like is out.

7

The layout plan is deceptive in a way. The top, left and right sides are walls. Even if I had a yard up front, the only way to reach it is to come up through the drop out. That’s only there for things like track cleaning and derailments.

8

I’d love to have a yard, but alas, space is a huge problem. Maybe sometime in the future, I’ll be able to put one in where spur B is now. For now, it’ll have to do as it is.