Hello all. I am building a layout in the garage. I know about heat and track flex in the summer down in Florida, but it is the only room my wife will let me build. This also isn’t my first layout. It is however my first big, around the room layout. I have half of the bench work built and I’m still stuck on the track plan. I had an idea but I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to “Planning Track.” I am hoping some of the nice people here could help me design a plan. I would like some longer runs in mountains doing coaling and logging around the 60’s. I was thinking two towns, one on each side with switching in the towns. I just don’t know where to start with track. 22" minimum radius is a must and I am using DCC. I am really thankful for any help I get . I posted pictures of what I have so far with the dimensions in the pictures. Thanks Again!
What I do for layout design (have done so far) is define my area and bench work first.
Next I decide on a theme. (Mainline running, with a branch line(?) or other special interests.)
Then I put in a mainline. I am fond of single track mainlines that run twice around the room
types, divided by scenery and grades.
Since I have gotten into operations, I also have a staging area of some sort, whether it is a
lay-over for entire trains, or a yard that simulates an interchange yard. One track in staging
can be a through track for continuous running. If I put cars on it, the layout becomes point to
point for operations.
Next I try and determine how many small towns I can have, and possibility one city with a
yard and loco facilities, without them crowding one another. Usually small yards and
facilities, unless I have the room for larger ones. I will try to fit in a way-side industry or two
just for variation as long as it won’t crowd things.
Then I go looking at plans for switching layouts and small modular railroads. I look for
ones that would make good towns or cities because their track plans are usually fairly
compact, and most of the way they will be switched is already determined with a good track
plan themselves.
Because I freelance, I don’t worry about town and city names etc., but if you want to
model a specific prototype, you can name the towns as the railroad you are modeling would,
and build or plan you scenery to suite the area you want to model. Also, you can model some
of the industries that may be recognizable in a town that you choose to name from a real one.
These may have to be scratch built or otherwise implied to achieve the “feeling” of the real
town.
When the actual layout building starts, I try and get all of the bench work built first. Then
plan where the towns will go and install the mainline to get some trains running. Then I work
on one of the yards so I
Not everyome will agree with me on this, but I’m convinced that buiding benchwork before you’ve fully designed your layout is putting the cart before the horse. Especially here where you have lots of room to expand. You will greatly limit your options here. More importantly, though, we can only help you, we can’t do it for you. From your sketch, you appear to want the option of continuous running, and you want coal and logging. Are you going to model both ends – in other words, the mine and logging camp, as well as the final destinations – or just a transshipping point? Do you wnat any ports? A yard? Locomotive maintenance? Lots of track or lots of scenery? In what part of the world is your railroad located (as specific as possible). My own prefernce here is to forget about the track for a bit and think about what the world is like. Then yiu can do what real railroads do and connect customers.
Will you be “closing” the gap on the fourth side, to allow for continuous running?
If not, will you use a loop, wye or turntable to turn your trains? Looks like you are planning one blob, what about the other side?
The corners with fillers in the front corners will be difficult to reach the back. I would either plan a large area with no track that can be finished before the area in front of it or cut an access triangle out of the corner.
If you are doing as it appears with the blob in the lower left of your sketch, I would elevate the rear track some to create visual separation. I have visited one layout where towns were fairly close together, but on different levels. A few trees or taller buildings can mask the track passing behind the front scenes. A single track with a little scenery going in front of a raised town doesn’t draw as much attention. Your track need not be elevated enough to pass over another track, just raised what you can to create the separation. The raised level can vary in width, depending on which level your main scene is on at that point.
You could also plan a peninsula or two, depending on width and length, one as a possible place for your logging operation.
Thanks everyone. I planned on making the left side with a loop and/or Wye which would make it a dog bone. I would like to have a decent yard with the engine working lines and switching. I was planning on leaving room to park my car in there but I am about to say forget it and would be willing to add 1 or 2 peninsulas depending on the room. I can always change or move the bench work around if we come up with a good track plan. The corners I can still reach with a step latter. If I have to cut out a corner I will. I would like a continuous main line or two running the loops. I have never made my own track plan and I want it to be as realistic as possible. I really want river scenes too, so what ever opinions you have are every welcome. I need to do more research on actual Train operations. Thanks again everyone!
You must remember that a railroad is a transportation system that goes from point A to point B. In between those two points may be industries that are served by the RR. This is what we are simulating on our layouts. Don’t try and see the big picture or your complete layouts track plan all at once. Concentrate on the plans for the smaller parts and the big picture will come into focus.
Draw up a small plan for a yard and loco facilities. Then draw up a small plan for industry A. Then do the same for industry B. Take these small plans and move them around like pieces in a puzzle until they fit like you want them to, or until you like the way they look. Then connect them together with a mainline track. Of course you should draw small plans of the industries and things that you want on your layout.
To make below grade things like rivers etc., you will need to cut below the top surface. Many of us now days are putting a layer of builders foam on top of the table surface. This will allow easy cutting and shaping for rivers etc. I use one inch thick foam, others use two inches.
In your situation, I don’t see any problems with building the benchwork first. If you end up needing a dipsy doodle addition to one of the tables, you can add them on easily enough.
I would take the general approach that Elmer suggested.
If you want to have two towns and mountain coal/logging ( I would pick just one as your theme) I would define point A and point B by elevation as well as by lateral spacing. Looking at the 6th pic of your layout, 7th overall, consider having a mining/logging along the wall at the L bend high on a mountain, then descend along the far wall around the loop and back down all the way to the other end of your layout, with that being a processing facility for the logs/coal or a marshalling yard. Several industries could be along the way to give you a way to send box cars or flat cars the other direction and up to the logging/mining town that needs goods. Your main train(s) could be shuttling coal/logs and empties between upper town and lower town and then add variety by running some locals in the opposite direction.
If you wanted to get fancy, lower town could also be an interchange access, whereby another locomotive is waiting for the log/coal cars and some other cars. You could have another track that departs the yard and travels on the backside of the long bench back towards the L bend and gets buried into a tunnel under upper town whereby the train could travel and be hidden.
If you follow me, the plan would basically have track around the perimeter of the benchwork and a loop at one end and a yard at the other. Using Elmer’s method, you could find the best locations for the industries along the route and possibly find a way to connect the track for continuous running.
This is just one option that immediately comes to mind.
Sorry for the lack of a CAD program to illustrate my thoughts, words will have to do.
Thanks for the great advice. That is what I was needing. I am tinkering with a few thoughts and I will post pictures. I know the biggest thing I will need help on is the switching yard/ Interchange. I will probably just wait on that part and get the main line and upper town in the mountain over on the loop built. I am going to stick with coaling. This is giving me a big jump start in the right direction. Thanks guys![:D]
