Scale HO
Era Present
Minimum Mainline Radius 28"
Layout height 5 feet
Shelf style with area for removable staging to the East and South on the West end, The eight foot length running West to East, and the width of two feet being North - South
I've drawn up many ideas but can not settle on a design and start laying track. I came upon this forum last week and noticed this layout design section, so I am asking you guys for help/advice.
I've read Track Planning for Realistic Operation, and also everything else I could find on designing a layout for operation. But I have not asked others for their input, so here it goes.
I'm modeling the BNSF, loosely in 1996 to current. I don't want to simply run trains around on the track, I want operation. I have areas that could hold staging tracks adjacent to the main layout, or I could just use a big building to house a couple of staging areas on the main layout. The maximum amount of operators on this layout that I can foresee is two. 90% of the time I will be operating it by myself though.
One plan was to have a yard taking up most of the area and have the mainline run from one staging area through the main layout and ending at the other staging area. But then I realized that I wouldn't want to always setup the temporary stagings area's just to switch some cars, or play with my trains Plus I think that the permanent area of my layout is enough for me at the moment. Time wise, money wise, and interest.
One of the other ideas was heavy industrial trackage, with two staging tracks near the back of the layout for a maximum train length of five 50' cars and one GP38 for one track and space for a 4 car train on the other track. I was thinking tight turns into some buildings, with some handlaid trackage. My previous layout was N with code 40 handlaid turnouts, and no I'm not lying when I say that it was relaxing. Well the building part, fine tuning them so that all of my rolling stock ran through them perfectly was the complete opposite. Well back to the topic. I would have a train come out of staging, switch cars, exchange the loaded cars for empties, maybe wait for a passenger train to come by. Assemble the train and leave back to staging.
I keep coming back to the industrial plan, but I would really like a yard somewhere. Or maybe an interchange track. I just can't decide.
Mainline curves are going to be a minimum of 28", with other trackage going to 18", or through experimentation with a car that will serve that industry and possible an idle car so as to not derail the car because of limited coupler swing.
Also I am not going to be changing scales, I love detailing engines and rolling stock, but in N scale it was not fun. Also those 2 bay hoppers from Athearn really caught my eye. So I will be trying to incorporate an industry that can use them. Most uncoupling will be done by hand, if their is a straight section of track then I will use a magnet.
Well that is almost all that I can think of. All comments welcome
Also I was looking at another members layout, and his staging area. My only real con with that is my layout height, which is 5'. Now I have this idea to use a cheap 4' level I bought at Walmart as the main support for the staging drop leaf area. Do any of you guys think that this will be sufficient to support the track with no warping of the tracks? I would only be supporting it at the very ends, so nothing in the middle. But I think that the metal the level is made of, coupled with the low weight it will support, will be able to hold up well. What do you guys think?
If I am going to have staging I would like it to be easily removable. I have been like this for 2 months now, throwing around ideas. All the benchwork was built in a day. I thought that was going to be the hard part. When I was 16 I would draw plans all day, but now its like I keep coming back to six central ideas. Oh well, I'll get it eventually.
Era Present
Minimum Mainline Radius 28"
Layout height 5 feet
Shelf style with area for removable staging to the East and South on the West end, The eight foot length running West to East, and the width of two feet being North - South
I've drawn up many ideas but can not settle on a design and start laying track. I came upon this forum last week and noticed this layout design section, so I am asking you guys for help/advice.
I've read Track Planning for Realistic Operation, and also everything else I could find on designing a layout for operation. But I have not asked others for their input, so here it goes.
I'm modeling the BNSF, loosely in 1996 to current. I don't want to simply run trains around on the track, I want operation. I have areas that could hold staging tracks adjacent to the main layout, or I could just use a big building to house a couple of staging areas on the main layout. The maximum amount of operators on this layout that I can foresee is two. 90% of the time I will be operating it by myself though.
One plan was to have a yard taking up most of the area and have the mainline run from one staging area through the main layout and ending at the other staging area. But then I realized that I wouldn't want to always setup the temporary stagings area's just to switch some cars, or play with my trains Plus I think that the permanent area of my layout is enough for me at the moment. Time wise, money wise, and interest.
One of the other ideas was heavy industrial trackage, with two staging tracks near the back of the layout for a maximum train length of five 50' cars and one GP38 for one track and space for a 4 car train on the other track. I was thinking tight turns into some buildings, with some handlaid trackage. My previous layout was N with code 40 handlaid turnouts, and no I'm not lying when I say that it was relaxing. Well the building part, fine tuning them so that all of my rolling stock ran through them perfectly was the complete opposite. Well back to the topic. I would have a train come out of staging, switch cars, exchange the loaded cars for empties, maybe wait for a passenger train to come by. Assemble the train and leave back to staging.
I keep coming back to the industrial plan, but I would really like a yard somewhere. Or maybe an interchange track. I just can't decide.
Mainline curves are going to be a minimum of 28", with other trackage going to 18", or through experimentation with a car that will serve that industry and possible an idle car so as to not derail the car because of limited coupler swing.
Also I am not going to be changing scales, I love detailing engines and rolling stock, but in N scale it was not fun. Also those 2 bay hoppers from Athearn really caught my eye. So I will be trying to incorporate an industry that can use them. Most uncoupling will be done by hand, if their is a straight section of track then I will use a magnet.
Well that is almost all that I can think of. All comments welcome
Also I was looking at another members layout, and his staging area. My only real con with that is my layout height, which is 5'. Now I have this idea to use a cheap 4' level I bought at Walmart as the main support for the staging drop leaf area. Do any of you guys think that this will be sufficient to support the track with no warping of the tracks? I would only be supporting it at the very ends, so nothing in the middle. But I think that the metal the level is made of, coupled with the low weight it will support, will be able to hold up well. What do you guys think?
If I am going to have staging I would like it to be easily removable. I have been like this for 2 months now, throwing around ideas. All the benchwork was built in a day. I thought that was going to be the hard part. When I was 16 I would draw plans all day, but now its like I keep coming back to six central ideas. Oh well, I'll get it eventually.
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