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I'm building a new railroad from the ground up. My first model railroad since I was a child. I already have three locos (2-8-4 Berkshire, SD9, and GP7) that are all set with DCC. A set of Heavyweight passenger cars round up the first train. The Heavyweight cars need as least a 24" radius.
I had a 4' x 8' layout as a child so I know I want something bigger. Question is how much bigger? I was thinking about 5' x 10" or 6' x 10' just to allow a 24"+ radius around the outer ring.
My question is has anyone had a similar debate over these two sized and if so what did you choose and why? Would I gain that much going with the larger 6' x 10' over the 5' x 10'?
My basement isn't overly large, but with the 6' x 10' I would still have about 2' to walk around all sides of the layout.
I'm just torn, and suggestions from veteran modelers would be helpful.
it really depends on the room. my table gives me enough room for some shelves. and with the layout you want with the 24" radius you cant even built a 4 foot wide layout. go with the 6x10. it should give you enough space to make that curve as well as the straight piece you want to add in there. i think you'll have about 6 inches on either side for clearence away from the edges of the table if my calculations are correct (24 x 2 + 9 / 12 = 4.75 = 4ft 9in which then 6ft - 4.9ft = 1.1ft / 2 = 6.5) sorry, 6 and a half inches . this is correct math, isnt it?but anyway, what is the length of the straight piece? 9 inches? if it isnt, then take outthe 9 in the math and put in the length of the piece and do this math over. it should come out to how much space you'll have on either side of the table left which is important
Everything becomes much easier if you can get to all the areas of the layout by foot not by crawling under something. Eliminate all the crawling under as possible. The whole process of building and running will become much more enjoyable. I have to spots on my layout that I have to crawl under only on occasion for derailments all other areas I can reach with no problem. That’s what I mean.
So the minimum width you can use is 5 ft it will also leave you aisle space of 30" not great but acceptable
My question is has anyone had a similar debate over these two sized and if so what did you choose and why? Would I gain that much going with the larger 6' x 10' over the 5' x 10'?
I'l second the around the wall concept compared to the big table top. Even if you can reach it from all four sides, a 6x10 will need a popup somewhere for you to reach the middle. You could run a 30" shelf around the basement and terminate both ends with a 5x5 square. That would give you room for 28" curves and not take up the whole basement. The scenic possibilities and long mainline runs are much better with an around the room shelf layout.
I've drawn up a quick example of my basement to give a little better understanding of what I'm working with. I was planning on using the area directly to the left of the stairs (10'4" wide) for the layout, but I got the okay from the wife to use the other end of the "L". So I now have much more width to walk around the layout.
I was really considering going with something shelf mounted or around the outside of the room. Basically taking up the one corner. The problem there is the basement walls are not finished yet. They are currently just the concrete blocks. Plans are to eventually finish the basement and put up studs and drywall. Thus, I cannot connect anything to the walls currently. I would have to go with free standing just up against the wall.
This won't be the first house we live in. It's a nice starter house. If we move in 5 years I want to take my layout with me. Being able to break down the layout at some time is also a requirement.
Free-Mo has a bunch of standards to regulate what kind of track, ballast color, facade color, you name it they got it. Now you don't have to follow it exactly, but it will give you a rough idea where to start. The best part is it is easy to move when time comes. Also it would be easier to store in the basement. When you get to your next house, its simple to bring with you.
I am considering doing a modular layout more and more every day. I don't have the space for much, and I know for certain I will be moving, just a matter of time.
I'm so torn now. I did a lot of searching for a 4'x8' layout that I was happen with knowing that I would then lengthen it. Now the can of worms has been opened and I'm all over the place with ideas on which route to go. Initial layout planning has to be the hardest part of starting up a new layout.
I was going to beak the 6' x '12 into 4 sections should it come time to move the layout. Also I mentioned 24" curves, but the bigger the better.
Thanks for the link. Interesting site. I was also just looking at the January 2009 issue of Model Railroader magazine. They have an article on builing a sectional layout.
A free standing around the room layout using the frre-mo concepts will be easier to build and easier to break down and transport to a new house. The really nice thing is that the dimensions of a new room are not so critical since you can arrange the sections to fit almost any room.
I built mine similiar to a modular layout.
Mine is 16' long but in 2 8' sections. And it's only 2 feet from the wall. We currently rent our home and we do not plan on buying this house so I know I am moving into a larger basement so thats why I built mine like this. I can just take both sections right out the door and don't have to worry about unscrewing a bunch of benchwork.
Right now it will make a good switching layout, but in the future when I add on to it, it will make a good all around the basement layout.
So you could build on the 16' wall and go around the corner to the 10' wall for now. Only disadvantage is you won't have continues running.
I have added more supports since then but you get the general idea. You dont have to mount anything on the wall.
I'm a strong believer in the the shelf layout concept around the perimeter walls similar to the above photo. I initially went with the 24" width shelf as shown above, but decided to cut down to 18 inches wide using 81' birch bifold doors sections from Home Depot for my second attempt. I went narrower since I am more concerned in modeling the foreground railroad right away as opposed to tons of background scenery. The price for one set of 81" birch doors was about 34.00. That gave me 13.5 feet of benchwork, not including brackets. While this may be pricey, I found it easier than milling benchwork since I'm buried in snow. My layout is cantilevered off finished side walls using HD shelf supports to eliminate the legs. The second phase will be 24" wide along the walls, once again using Home Depot flat Birch door panels. I have included a photo of my initial shelf layout. Check out Lance Mindheims "Voodoo & Palmettoes Layout at:
You guys sure do make a strong case for a shelf layout. Looking at my basement it does seem like it could workout quite well.
The main reason I was staying away from a shelf style layout is that the walls arn't finished to then mount the layout too, but after seeing your pictures it helps me better understand how I can make a shelf layout and still be modular.
Hotwinger and 68 Camaro, thanks for your help. Either of you have more pics of your benchwork?
Hotwinger, 68 Camaro, and anyone else who might have worked on a shelf layout; how high is your shelf from the floor to the top of where you lay the track?
Mine is 40 inches. I have a few spots that are difficult to reach on the 4x4 blobs at the end and a slightly lower layout height helps. 48 inches seems to be a common height since it gives a good view of the trains while still being able to see the panorama of the layout.
I believe mine was 49 inches. I wanted to look at the layout nearly eyeview from the side as opposed to looking down on it. Since the width was only 24 inches, it was easy to reach rolling stock next to the warehouseing. I had placed a canal between the sets of tracks in the foreground and needed a stepstool for that task since I am only about 5'7". I think the perimeter style that Hotwinger is building is the way to go. If it is perimeter style or shelf perimeter attached to the side walls, either way you will have room to setup a work area. Here is an additional photo of the old shelf perimeter layout. I have narrowed this width from 24" i to 18" wide because I wanted less to complete. The far wall area will remain 24" wide. I also have gone to metal brackets instead of cantilevered wood.