Constucting my 1st walk around layout.


Will landers

Guilty bystander!
Ok this is what im working with 13 x 13 space. want to run 3 linenes with sideings what would u guys recomend for table width and track spacing to run the most possible track i can . To start this thread off
 
I honestly would try and run a around wall style layout, atleast 2 feet width, maybe even adding a peninsula to put a big industry on or something of that nature. this will give you the longest possible mainline run and have a ability to switch at industries and to make a yard...

There is quite a bit of layouts that others have done or made designs of, if you use the search button you will be able to find a few. this forum has a big database for finding info from the search function

Track spacing depends on a few factors of what scale you plan to run, you havent mentioned. It also depends on what rolling stock you plan to run, freight, passenger cars, what would you like to run, its up to you? When you figure that out you can plan track spacing
 
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13' X 13' will give ya somewhat of a bit of running room. A peninsula may only be able to support a stub end yard vs. a loop. Remember, ya need some room to walk around it.Figuring on 2' depth of around the wall benchwork and give yourself about 30" of isle way, that leaves ya with about 4' outside edge for the loop. You could cheat a little and make the benchwork along the wall only about 12" adjacent to the head of the loop. That would get ya a few more inches to play with. Of course, the length of the loop will be limited. You will have to either make the throat of the loop a crossover or an overpass with the length of the loop, i.e. 48" radii loop an incline. The incline would end up at about 3% grade in the steepest part give or take a few tenths of a %. Remember, ya need easement to get into and out of the hardest part of the grade.
 
What scale are you doing? That does affect how much track you can lay down and how wide your shelves are.
 
Ho with 50 locos and 200 plus rolling stock i know i cant fit them all but need the most track in that space
 
Thats a lot in a small space. Could add a staging yard, and rotate out locos and cars and have them as trains comin in from of points off the layout
 
Want to acconidate my fleet the best i can only structurers is oil refinery witch is big 2 grain silos a warehouse and a large manufacturing plant
 
Its a small space but square footage is more than most have at home plus it has french doors on the room so entry space is no problem if there to old to crawl under the bench work plenty of open area to stand there and look from outside lol
 
wow... that is alot of locos and rolling stock..

My suggestion now is a 5x5 helix in one corner of the room, so you can get a second level or even a triple deck...

Have the lower level your staging where you could park alot of your fleet. using the helix climb up to the second level where you could have your yard area and a few industries then climb up to the top level of layout and you can add more industries or whatever you want to have on your layout...

If i was to have 50 locos and 200 rolling stock, i would not settle for a single deck with that layout size... Maybe if you had a basement to work with then yes i would settle for a single deck.. If you plan to only have a single deck and want to include as much of your roster as possible it will look like a parking lot imop...

Can you do a helix??? do you have kids or grandkids? if you cut out the center of your helix so you or your kids could stand in the middle of it and watch the trains go up or down they would think its pretty cool, so you dont get that feeling of where did my trains go???
 
Was thinking of doing a seperate 2nd level this room also has a empty closet think of using it as well if for nothing than a parking lot to store and stage locos and stock
 
50 locos??? Are you running everything on DCC? I thought I had a good sized layout that was crowded... (12x33 w/ 14 loco's and 120 cars)
 
Lol can you knock down a wall and go to another room, sounds like you could use it with all the equipment you have.

Have you looked at any layouts, what layouts do you like?
 
Waiting on grown kids to leave the nest so i can knock the wall down and no dcc all analog and thats what wall mounted display cases are for
 
My suggestion now is a 5x5 helix in one corner of the room, so you can get a second level or even a triple deck...?

I'd second that... or you could have an independent second level. Your trains may not connect BUT! You'd be able to run more trains on a higher deck.
 
I dont want any wasted space my current layout thats comeing down now has a ton and its smaller thats why its coming down and im moveing out of that room and lineing this new room up with a bigger one behind it so wrecking ball is ready and in place lol
 
Wife thinks i have lost my mind now and said no to wall coming down but what she dont realize is i got a daughter on her way out and a 10 lbs sledge hammer and a few vacation days in my back pocket i asked one time she said no. so its not gona be a issue while she is at work lmao
 



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