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Buzz

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I have been in, out, in, out, out, in, more out than in. As I was let go on the 2nd, been looking at things to keep my mind going and things to keep me busy. I have thought about tearing out the back room, it used to be my work space and play space, one side had my work laptop, dual monitors, small work bench for planes, quads and the FUN RC stuff. Other side had my fun computer. I have been clearing away the junk, cleaning up all the tools, pieces and parts, organizing all the little pieces into tackle trays. So, I will be filling up plastic tubs and clearing out everything. Pull out the carpet, pad, do some drywall repairs, float the walls for new texture, window sills, new wood floor, base. Not sure if I am going to tear out the closet wall, where the closet doors go, maybe make it a cased opening or just drywall it?

Room is 11' 6" x 10'. I am going to use the 30"x72" closet as well. This is N scale with 15" radius. I did a similar design with 11", 12", 13" radius. I would like to stay with 15". I tried 18" but just took up way to much room. I ran out of pieces with the demo version. Still trying to decide between anyrail and Scarm? After a couple hours of each today, Anyrail seems to be a bit easier to use, have not tried any thing other than dropping track.

I have 20-25 code 80 Atlas flex track, dozen left and right #6 Custom line turnouts, 10 plus packs of joiners, 8 bridge kits, 4 or 5 buildings, few "OLD" locos and rolling stock, some cork roadbed, 18 cars with LED head lights, (6) signals, 12 each, red, green, yellow micro LED, large plastic tub of scenery supplies, ground foam, ballast, rock molds, trees, pieces and parts, MRC Prodigy Advance, wired hand held throttle. Was new 30 years ago. Bet it has been used less than 2 hours. More I know I have forgotten about.

I am not much for operations, I just like to watch the trains(s) run around and listen to the clickity clack as it goes across a crossing. I think I could have a bit of things to do with the 3 spots for a bit of switching here and there. There is no one any where near me so, the 3 of is will build it together, Me, Myself and I. Way back on my last layout. I enjoyed building a scene, I did the Walthers Center gas and supply. I had a 18" square I built on the bench, add tons of little bits, cars, trucks, people, tanks, boxes, fences, just the stuff that collects around a business like that. It looked really good for a hack. To bad the cat and what I guess was a grizzly bear, polar bear, grey whale got into a fight on my layout and trashed a lot of it. Tore up track, buildings, plaster, yeah, a mess.

I think this is rough draft #5 today. I can push a bit here and there but that is about the max I can go. I am toying with using the room for a train only room, if so, I think it will be an around the room HO shelf layout.

Thanks for any input you might have on how to improve this rough idea. I know I will make another 100,000 changes before I start. As this is N scale I was going to use 1x2 lumber, just dont see the need for 1x4 or ripping a 4x8 sheet down to 4 inch wide strips. Between the foam being so much lighter than the old screen, plaster scenery base.

Thanks.

Buzz.
 

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Hi Buzz, welcome to the forum.

I like your track plan, looks like you're off to a good start. A nice, circuitous route for watching trains run. 15" radius should be more than adequate to run anything you desire. I think you have plenty of room to allow for some more sidings and small yard in your town area. All in all, just an overall nice concept. I can't really offer any pointers for right now, other than just keep working on what you've got going there.

Once again, I like it! 👌🙂
 
I don't see many toppings on that pizza layout? Bet the dough is a might bit hard to chew too.

I an debating weather to buy the lic for anyrail? I was going to start a new design, using the area I have, build just the switching area, industries and such, copy it into the full layout. I think I will have to just get the LIC and be done with it.

I spent the morning working with XtrackCAD. Couple hours and had to close the program. Had a head ache. It seems like you can do a lot with it, just getting over the learning curve is the issue. I will watch a few video and see how it goes.

If I could take over the whole room for trains, I would have an around the room shelf style, maybe two levels. As I need to fit in my other hobbies, using 2/3's of the room is about it. I even added more to it. It started with 30 inches down the wall into the closet, then I added a little at the top for a "C" sort of shape. Then I added again to have it come into the center of the room. That was with 12" radius. Then I changed to 15" radius and it grew a lot more. To think, It started with Westcotts Nantahala & Smokey Mountain Gorge #29 from 101 track plans. I opened it up a bit, 3'x6'. Then I figured I would just take over the closet, then I was going to have the 3x6 along the wall, the closet would be a town and industrial area. Well if I am taking up this much room, a tad bit more won't hurt. From a humble 2 foot by 4 foot, grew into 6x13x8 in no time.

One thing I do want to run is propane tank cars. I want the Central gas and supply with the Interstate gas and oil. I figure those would be good to have in my little industry area. Plus I like tank cars.

Still not sure if I will have a lower deck for hidden staging? Could always add it later? I have been reading up on the DC++, DC++EX, Arduino turnout control. I have 20-25 of the servos all ready in the drawer. I bought a 50 pack a couple years ago, less than a buck a servo to the door.


Buzz.
 
I think with N scale you could use less track and modify the curves and angles to be more prototypical. Tracks that perfectly align with the front, back and sides of a rectangle sometimes break the illusion of realism. Try to make something more flowing and organic, with track angles offset from the platform it's on. Be careful on the grades - it isn't just about the grade, it's about the transitions. You really need vertical as well as horizontal easements to make a grade work smoothly. Ask me how I know. Actually, easements and also subtle track tilt (can't remember the proper term) on curves, really helps the brain believe it's real.
 
My post seems to have disappeared?

I have really been studing track plans from 101 track plans. I was only looking at the main lines, now I have really looked at the other parts, branch lines, yards, sidings, how the tracks are laid out to service a business or 2. I tried to draw them in anyrail, but they always came out bigger than they appear in the book.

One question I have after really studding the tack plans, is radius. Most of the plans in the book use Very sharp, sharp, conventional, broad. In N scale sharp is 9 inch, conventional is 12 inch. I was trying for the middle ground, 15 inch radius as if I could use 18, I might just go HO? Would I loose a lot if I did go with 12 inch radius compared to 15 inch? Just seems I can get more action if use 12 inch.

The space I have is 1/2 a small bedroom 10 1/2' x 10 1/2' bedroom plus the closet. On the bottom is 6 feet, then 13 feet, then 8 feet, I can go into the room 6 feet. So it looks sort of like a upside down block G. If I go with 12 inch radius, I could modify one plane, #62. In N scale it is 7'x7'. I could stretch the one side to to 13', then stretch the isle out 1 more foot. That should still give 2 1/2'-3' isle space.

Is a 12 inch radius a make or break issue? I know go as large as you have room for.

I have even thought about around the room, I would need a lift out but not sure I could get the planning department to OK the take over of thew whole room for trains. I was looking at the very simple Wildcat Central from MRR Track Plans. I think watching the trains roll by on this one would get old. It is more about operation than just watching them roll by.


Thanks Buzz.
 

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I once helped a gentleman repair an N layout that he built with his adult kids. It was a huge table, almost 7' across. To access the trackwork, I had to build a scaffolding of supports and wood pieces and crawl on top of them. In the process, one scratchbuilt building was crushed. Nobody ever thought about maintenance when they built it. Since then, I've never built anything that extended inwards more than an arms length from the side. 12" radius is fine for 4 axle locos, not so great for 6. If you have to have big real estate, put a lift out in the middle.
 
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The one looks like it has a real reach problem, but in N scale, it is not that bad. But I was thinking 36" is the limit this old man can reach without a anti grav lift.

I did see one in "101 More track plans", a narrow shelf. I would rearrange it so it is a single level shelf. I could extend it to fill up the extra space I have in the room. I have been looking at the operational parts more after your suggestions.

I know I am trying to fit 25 pounds of fertilizer in a 5 pound bag.

Thanks Buzz.
 

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#62 is an up and over folded dogbone. That packs a lot of mainline track for continuous running in a relatively small space. It does suffer from the maintenance problems I mentioned. Catlin and Raquette are really hard to reach, I would just delete Catlin for the lift out. Also the tunnel tracks under Ft. Edward would be really difficult to service. I would say make Ft. Edward removable, but that's not feasible with tracks running over it.
 
It sounds like I have a ton of space, on the top I have 8 feet, long wall is 13 feet, then a short narrow 6 feet but 30 inch wide. Just enough for a turn around with 14", 14.5". Might be batter to make it a yard or industry area?

If I extended the Ft Edward/Tupper Lakes end down , I could pull the main track and branch track down too, use a curved backdrop so the reach would be 36" for N scale?

Thank you for seeing what I am over looking, or thinking not about. Helps so I dont build myself into a corner and to bring reality back in.

Thanks.

Buzz.
 
A yard is a classic use of a turn-around section. If about Ft Ed, you intend to make it hug the wall more, I'm in agreement. The up-and-over is a dicey one. In reality, to make the grades look even half believable, you need a considerable offset between the curve centers. It can be done, especially in N.

The meaning of reach varies according to the task - in my case it was soldering feeders. I doubt I would have been able to do that 36 inches away. That was a repair to track that was fed through turnout points only. A lot of it didn't work at all, he told me it hadn't seen a train in years. Before that, it was fine so you never know what's going to happen.

I've seen building bases that were actually strong supports for service scaffolding benches. You just pull off the buildings and throw on the bench and you can sit/lean on it and get to the back.
 
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In N scale, it is 7 feet by 7 feet. If I put the curve around lake lumber in the corner, then extend the leg of the layout to the right, for the full length of the wall, 13 feet, that adds 5 feet, it would be in the closet, that still leaves me with 4 feet of open closet. If I pulled the curve around the lake, to about where the lake is, move a bit here and there, it would be a lot closer to the edge. Plus it would give the branch line a lot more track to climb if I move the cross over down too.

I will be building old school bench work, most will be cantilevered off the wall. Should be strong enough to support this grumpy old man. I do like your idea of building in hard points. Places to put a support to lean/lay on to do work on the layout.



Thanks.

Buzz.
 
Buzz said:
I did see one in "101 More track plans", a narrow shelf. I would rearrange it so it is a single level shelf. I could extend it to fill up the extra space I have in the room. I have been looking at the operational parts more after your suggestions.
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That Ottumwa Central is a much more operations layout than I understood you wanted. Of the things you have posted, in my opinion, #62 is the best railfan type layout. trains don't just go in a circle and they move in and out through the scenery. I don't see the fort edward & tupper lake you are talking about.
 
You are correct about the ottumwa central being more about ops. Yet, if you pulled it away from the wall a bit, let the loop at the south end, the one around the diesel service buildings, go back up along the wall, it would make a full pass around the layout before going to the lower level. I think that would give it a lot more rail fanning to it. Might not even make the lower level, well until I had the upper one running and I could use it to store more trains.

on plan #62 is 7 feet by 7 feet in N scale. As it appears, the bottom return loop, bottom right leg of the "c", that is the section I am talking about, I could pull it out from 7 feet on that side to 13 feet. That would use the whole wall and into the closet area.

This is an UGLY paint drawing of the room. The room 10 1.5 feet x 10.5 feet with a 2.5 feet x 6 foot closet. I need to leave 1/2 the room for other things. So I have 7 to 8 feet of the room.

Trying to cram as much as I can into the space I have. I have drawn a couple more with pencil and paper to see what I could come up with.


Thanks.

Buzz.
 

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Buzz, I am not seeing your replies here. I did get them via email so maybe you are hitting the wrong button or the forum software is broken?
 
I just click in the window at the bottom that says "write reply's here"?

I have been busy working on the room, getting junk moved out and ready to go to either donations, friends or the dump. Made a bit of progess. Trying to rearrange the bench for best usage of space. Moved all the computers, laptops out of the way. Have ordered a few pieces. I have a new Atlas GP40 in SP colors, DCC/sound and a couple box cars. I did dig out my stored HO stuff. Found my MRC Prodigy Advance. I had a small storage box with my N scale stuff. I have 15 pieces of Atlas code 80 flex track, 9 code #6 left, 9 code 80 #6 right hand Atlas turnouts, couple boxes of rail joiners, Aethern DC power pack.

Reading up on Arduino DCC, DCC++, DCC++EX, Arduino turnout controls. I have a bunch of the 9g servos for my planes on hand all ready. I do need to order spools of wire. I think I will power most of it with an old 750 watt PC power supply. It will power everything with ease. Plus I will get the 3.3v for the LED's, 5v for the servos, 12v for the trains.

As it will be a while for me to get the room ready for a big layout, I am going to build a small 3'x5' layout out of dollar store foam board.

I keep coming back to #62. But those two corners buried in the back are going to be a head ache to do. As they are to far to reach. I will be building it at a very low height too. As I will be sitting most of the time, bench work will be around 36"-38" off the ground, the reach is still beyond what would be "easy"

I have spent some time working on the one I designed in the first post. I have tried to design a yard for one area. But it seems I use up way more room than what I see in other plans. I have tried to copy a design, even when I use what they claim, mine comes out about 30% larger? I had an idea for a town in one spot, furniture manufacturer/furniture store, hardware store-lumber yard to use the wood made in the lumber mill on another part of the layout. But the turnouts, track took up more room than I had?

I have 25"x55" area for a yard, when I use anyrail, Atlas track planning software, the yard takes up a lot more area than I have? I have an area 28"x40"x20" "L" shaped, but when I try to put a town, few industries, the track area is to large to fit.

I will keep trying. I have enough turnouts, I can use the real thing and see if I can fit them in the space I have. I do need a few pieces of sectional track as all I have is flex track.

Buzz.
 
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