To be honest I’m shamefaced to show my idea as I know I can be doing some mistakes, but I tried to read and learn how should be. I’m based in the SWITCHMAN’S NIGHTMARE BECOMES A PROTOTYPE DREAM and extended to my room space. My challange was to depend on the turnouts I already have, same with structures(this limitation was to have the possibility to try everything and no wasting my money, if not I start buying I know I don’t stop he).
It’s HO scale 100 code most with Atlas flex track, and 4 four (in the yard) #4 Atlas turnout. Two left, and two right. Then two double slip, and the others are Atlas #6 Turnouts.
Of course any help and opinion/recommendation is received and listened. I’m here to learn
How do you intend to operate the layout? Without a purpose for moving the cars around, movement for the sake of movement will become pretty boring pretty fast.
Also do you ever intend to incorporate this layout into another? If so before you go ahead and build it you might want to plan out the expansion to see how (or if) it fits in.
Seems a bit too track heavy to me. The Switchman’s neighmare is a very tight switching layout in it’s own right. Adding an engine terminal pushes it over the top for my taste.
How about doing this as two separate layout - one engine terminal, and one industry area with a small auxiliary yard?
The terminal could be on it’s own shelf somewhere else, or on it’s own separate shelf e.g. 16" below the switching shelf.
Then linking the two layouts/scenes conceptually by transferring an engine from the engine terminal to the industry area by driving the engine onto a small cassette (e.g. a Peco loco lift) on one layout, then moving the cassette by hand to the switching shelf, and driving the engine onto the switching shelf.
As for a switching shelf - the thing I don’t like about the Switchman’s nightmare and things like Timesavers and Inglenooks is that they tend to make switching leads extremely short.
Various tricks can be used to extend the length of switching leads, even on smallish shelf layouts.
Here is e.g. a small 8x2 foot H0 scale track plan I derived from Byron Henderson’s N scale 18" x 6 foot switching layout San Jose Switcher. - it still is too compressed, ideally it should have been about 30" x 11 feet in H0 scale to replicate the openness of Byron’s plan, but some things have to give when you try to shoehorn in an H0 scale layout in a small space:
The cars shown as 40’ cars - i.e transition era cars, shorter than most modern cars. Engine shown is a short switcher. Note that in one foot of track you have room for two cars. To hold an engine and two such cars you need minimum 18-20" of switching lead (depending on the size of your engine) of swit
Hi Bob, my idea is to have a small yard, where I can move 3 or 4 box/hopper cars. Giving them an order trough a random selection. The idea is NOT to incorporate it into another layout, but maybe if other friends creates they own modules they can be put together. I don’t think this can happen, but it’s a remote option.
Seems a bit too track heavy to me. The Switchman’s neighmare is a very tight switching layout in it’s own right. Adding an engine terminal pushes it over the top for my taste.
How about doing this as two separate layout - one engine terminal, and one industry area with a small auxiliary yard?
The terminal could be on it’s own shelf somewhere else, or on it’s own separate shelf e.g. 16" below the switching shelf.
Then linking the two layouts/scenes conceptually by transferring an engine from the engine terminal to the industry area by driving the engine onto a small cassette (e.g. a Peco loco lift) on one layout, then moving the cassette by hand to the switching shelf, and driving the engine onto the switching shelf.
As for a switching shelf - the thing I don’t like about the Switchman’s nightmare and things like Timesavers and Inglenooks is that they tend to make switching leads extremely short.
Various tricks can be used to extend the length of switching leads, even on smallish shelf layouts.
Here is e.g. a small 8x2 foot H0 scale track plan I derived from Byron Henderson’s N scale 18" x 6 foot switching layout San Jose Switcher. - it still is too compressed, ideally it should have been about 30" x 11 feet in H0 scale to replicate the openness of Byron’s plan, but some things have to give when you try to shoehorn in an H0 scale layout in a small space:
The cars shown as 40’ cars - i.e transition era cars, shorter than most modern cars. Engine shown is a short switcher. Note that in one foot of track you have room for two cars. To hold an engi
the issue isw not if it sounds crazy or not, but lack of information.
“Recieving a train?”; where did the train came from (might be virtual), where does that train arrive and where are it’s engines? How long are those trains?
It is very hard to imagine without you giving more information.
BTW a constructed switchman’s nightmare will never turn into a realistic operating layout. Unless as Byron Henderson did for Model Railroader lots of stuff is changed. A way longer passing siding and adding (longer) leads.
Hi Paulus Jas, the idea of the “incoming” train is by the track give access to the yard lead, and to the locomotive service. The train it wont come, I’ll put as I already arrived.
Regarding realistic layout, it’s hard me to know how they work as I don’t know too much and things I tried to read are confusing as I don’t know many terms or operations. Maybe there is a link where it explain in a very basic way?
I had another look at your plan, and see tracks seemingly extremely close together (you want minimum 2" track center to track center for parallel straight tracks), very sharp curves, some of them S-curves that will derail pretty much any car you try to push through them, and very short leads, which will create a world of frustrations trying to move 4-5 cars in and four-five vars out, one car at a time.
I think you are asking for frustrations here. But by all means - feel free to try it.
If you can make it work, kudos to you.
If not, you still will have learned something - and that’s always worth doing too.
I didn’t cut any turnout so the space between tracks it’s ok(tested). I will give a try to this layout, but how do I know if it’s operational? which tests can I make?
Paul, thanks for the clarification. What I note in the first layout, is that the yard lead needs an extra space beside the 8 feet?
Also, in my layout, the straight track next to the circle would be the main line. So there is no arrival track especific, but I can use the main to take the cars with the switcher, and the locomotive goes to the service section. What do you think about this?
What I would suggest is that if your track software will let you run trains, try running trains on your layout to get a feel of how it works or does not work. Then change the tracks around to improve your layout.
XtrkCad will allow you to “run” trains on connected track in a track plan. XtrkCad is an open source project that is a free download. It has extensive track (and structure) libraries that are continually updated by volunteers. The downside is a fairly steep learning curve compared to Atlas RTS. XtrkCad is pretty difficult to get without doing the tutorials once.
I have not used double slip switches in a design. Nor do I use the train running feature - although I know both train running and double slip switches exist within the program. So I can’t tell you much about how to do it. Best place for help is the XtrkCad Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XTrkCad/).
My use of layout drawing programs is limited to fit checks and taking measurements of things like spur lengths. Even on my small layouts, the plan seldom stays intact between final version in software and reality on the layout. So my measurements don’t always mean a whole lot.
Most of my assessment of a plan is done mentally from a plan - I know I want a spur to hold x number of cars. Is it long enough to do so? Do my intended structures fit along the spur? I then mentally move a train over the layout to simulate operations. Is the runaround track long enough? Is the tail track to a switchback or switchback spur long enough for engine plus desired number of cars? Would there normally be something blocking the tail track? Is my switching lead for spurs or yard tracks long enough?
Since I’m talking a single operator layout, I don’t worry about fouling the main during switching operations. If I should ever have more than one operator, they can each switch distinctly different areas, and then arrange with each other to get to a different area. I’m into laid back, short line operations.
I guess I could benefit a little from “train running” on a layout plan, but I’d rather be building physically than playing in virtual space.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
…modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it’s always 1900…
