I’m looking into building a layout in our sparebedroom and was wanting a few tips. The room is about 10x12 feet. i was wanting to build a layout that would run along the wall but not a destination type but a loop.
I was looking into a mining style or logging set somewhere between the 20’s and the 50’s. What railroads would be good? Any tips on what the layout should look like?
Please help!
The question is way to broad. There are millions of answers.
Read some books, look at some pictures and magazines, and see what interests you.
Mountians, tunnels, plains, trees ??? Soon you will see things that you want to include. You have nice space, a good time slot and the idea of a loop. Look at the pics posted here. Soon things will begin to look good to you. Then you can narrow down and we can be of more help
I was looking to set it in a relatively flat area with a few mountains. Some small towns scattered about. A bridge or two. One tunnel at least.
A couple more things to think about; Color scheme, era, equipment you want. Myself I really like Southern Pacific, but with that also came Union Pacific Cotton belt and some Rio Grande. It’s all up to you I say pick something you like for your own reasons and go with that. If you want to be prototypical thats gonna take alot of research. I kinda just do what I want with the roadnames I’ve chosen. Good luck!
How will you enter the room? Some use a duck under and others build a showoff style bridge. What will be the two main focal points of the railroad (why it exists.) Mine is to service the logging opperation, the mining operation and to care for the through trains that use the track to get through. That allows me to run trains that don’t exactly fit the logging branch line. When I decided on those two ideas, I looked through old MRR mags and found cool pics I could adapt. Then I started to draw track plans that allowed the RR to work. Do you want a nice big yard to work?
Keep us posted, this is one of the fun parts.
Someone will soon suggest the book by Armstrong, about planning for realistic opperations. That is a good book.
The layout would be along three of the four walls allowing me to enter with ease. I was planning on sidings or maybe a small yard but I wasn’t sure.
What are some pretty easy to model mining or logging railroads out there?
Asking, “Which railroad should I model?” is kind of like asking, “Which woman should I marry?” Especially when asking a bunch of folks who don’t know any of your lady friends.
Let’s re-phrase the question as, “How should I pick a prototype - and how closely should I follow it?” That question is one you’ll ultimately have to answer for yourself, but at least we can offer directions to the needed guideposts.
The “best” prototype, in descending order:
As for how closely you have to follow it, again that will be your decision. Some modelers insist that the model must be an absolutely dot-on representation of the prototype, down to the placing of each individual tie and ballast stone. (Yes, I exaggerated - but not as much as you might think!) Others are happy with a reasonably accurate-looking scene, the kind that makes a visitor say, “That looks just like Smallville.” Still others treat the prototype as a buffet. (Take a turntable from here, a platform arrangement from there, two spoonfuls of generic turnouts…) I’m a member of that crowd.
Contrary to popular belief, it is actually more difficult to design a totally freelance pike than it is to follow a prototype, even a mixture of prototypes followed at a distance. Me 'at’s off to those who have done it well.
The one thing you will have to do is research, whether of the personal-eyeball variety, on the internet or at the library. There is no magic pill that will load all you need to know into your memo
even your choice of time period , 20’s to 50’s , gives way too much variation in what is available to model .
given your time period the railroad you pick could be just making enough money to keep the engines rolling during the depression , be extremely busy during WWII , or be starting to feel the effects of plane travel on passenger traffic , but still be very busy with freight from the post war boom
do you like steam ? or diesels ? or both ?
what scale are you thinking of modeling in , N for small models but fairly long trains and big scenery , HO for shorter trains but more detail , O for very short trains but high detail . (these are just the most popular scales , there are more!)
When in doubt about which name to choose. Invent one.
Try this site for some ideas
http://layoutparty.disisus.com/index.php?board=3.0
I should stay away from this because tomikawatt has done stole my thunder. I will say, however, that the Sneaky Falls and Eastern would make a good prototype. They were a 2.5 mile log hauler running between Port Smythereens and Greasy Gulch Canyon Flats Hill. They possessed a lone 2-8-0 of uncertain parentage. All you have to do is locate a 2-8-0 of uncertain parentage and you will, at least, have solved your motive power problems.
Glad to have been of some assistance. Can I now help you decide which woman to marry?
The Maine Central had a large part of thier frieght traffic being logging and paper mill business, making it a good possibility for what you have in mind.
But, I’m only saying that because I think that everyone should at least have an interchange with the MEC, [:D]even if it is geographically impossible…[:D] LOL
I went with the south western part of the country because desert is fairly easy to model…
The roads I run include Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Western Pacific, Rio Grande and Santa Fe. My favorite eras are also the 20s through the 50s.
Tracklayer
That’s like asking which vehicle should I buy? That doesn’t even divide cars, trucks, vans, SUV’s, etc., nor brands. In the time frame you have selected, steam power would be most prevalent, until the early 50’s. Steam was, for all intents and purposes, gone by 1960.
When you ask “What are some pretty easy to model mining or logging railroads out there?”, I get the idea you are thinking what railroads have suitable models factory painted for them. I am also thinking which railroads have good reference books with lots of pictures. Then you could see the prototypes for the models in operation, then build a layout to represent the photos you have.
My chosen prototype went under in the late 20’s - early 30’s, and not much historical info exists. I model it in 1957 as though Southern Railway had taken it over and kept it in business. To that end, some of the historical buildings still stand, and some right-of-way is still intact (without track), and the rest is, well, history.
Brad
[#welcome] shmittyj. Here are some other helpful links and as others have indicated, read, read and read some more.
First:
http://www.nmra.org/. Half way down the page is a link to starting a layout and what all should be considered. This will help answer a lot of the basic questions. The NMRA web site has a lot of good information.
Second:
http://ldsig.org/. This is the Layout Design Special interest group. Look at the primer link on the left of that page. Again, a lot of good information on the design part.
Third:
Once you have an idea, track planning s/w will help you. There are a few for free such as Atlas RTS (Right Track Software) @ http://www.atlasrr.com/ and XtrkCad @ http://www.sillub.com/ (be sure to read about the free registration part). I’m not sure if XtrkCad is still being offered for download. There were some problerms with the site a month or so ago.
Fourth:
With 10’ x 12’ you may elect to start with a 4 by 8. These layouts are common to start with. Some who’ve done more than a few layouts may not agree with a 4 x 8, but it is a valid choice. You can get some ideas on what can be done with a 4 x 8 other than just round and round running @ http://home.earthlink.net/~mrsvc/id28.html
Fifth:
Once you have a design in mind, post it here on the forum and the members will help you fine tune it and/or answer specific questions.
And last, definitely get Realistic Track Planning.
Mining and logging were typically smaller “Mom and Pop” operations. You wouldn’t see Rio Grande, UP or Maine Central engines up in the hills and valleys hauling 3-car trains up and down those impossibly steep slopes. So, you have the opportunity to actually model two railroads - one up in the mountains doing the grunt work, and another more recognizeable “main line” railroad running around the room in the valley.
I model the 1960’s, so I have to stretch my imagination to let myself run any steam at all, but you might want to take Jeff’s advice and make up your own short-line railroad name. Decide which part of the world you want to model, and then select a “name brand” railroad appropriate to that place.
For a really off-beat location, how about the mountains of Peru?
Any RR you want.
Several RRs served coal mines in southern (and central) Illinois, Illinois Central, Burlington Route (my choice of RR), Chicago and Eastern Illinois among others. While not completely flat, its close and offers quite a bit of operating possibilities.
Rick
If you’re interested in coal mining…try any number of the Anthracite roads that ran through northeastern, PA in the first half the 20th Century. Most of these roads also had a heavy trade in concrete, agricultural products (mainly dairy), and toward the 1950s, bridge traffic. I model the Reading and Delaware and Hudson in the early 70s.
The region is dotted with small towns, mountains, tunnels, rivers and creeks, and bridges large and small.
Try these Historical Societies:
Anthracite Roads Historical Society: http://arhs.railfan.net/
Delwaware & Hudson: http://www.bridge-line.org/
Erie/Lackawanna/Erie Lackawanna: http://www.erielackhs.org/
Lehigh Valley: http://www.lvrrhs.org/
Reading: http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Nick
Narrow gauge? I’m not very knowledgable about the line, but the East Broad Top may be what your looking for. The best part is it is well documented and preserved, so you can go visit it today and it will be much like it was back in the 1920s though 50s. Given the rural nature of the line, things changed slowly, so you could keep the era wider. Just cahnge a few automobiles, locomotives, and rollingstock and your layout can cover 1920 and 1945.