Could use some help with my room layout

[stang_crazy]

Well the original room i was going to put my layout in, is gonna be tore apart and closed off for a while.

So i decided to move to a different room. Ive attached a pic of what the room looks like. Sides A, B & D are all concrete wall. The grey area is still open but i dont want to go into that as thats gonna be shelf area and i have some pipes ect back in there ill wanna get to. So ill either build a lift out section to get back in there or ill just go under the table makes no difference to me.

Also the door way i could build a lift out to but if i can get away from that id rather keep it open.

I would like to have a loop from B to C or from C to D at least. Then A and what ever side might be left would be for a yard ect. So any ideas on how to go about this. Id like to have a 22" radius for the loops if possable also would like an inside & outside track that way if i wanna let a few trains loop i can. so if im correct the inside loops would need to be 18-20" radius if there running side by side.

So any ideas on this. Or even if ya have other ideas on how i could laythis out other then what i mentioned thats fine by me. Since i dont have my original room i can do the track plan i wanted to do.

My question is how to layout the bench work. I like to have something on all 4 sides A,B,C & D.


thanks in advance Mike

 

[UP2CSX]

I'd have a 4x4 section just after the door swing area on wall A. I'd then build a two foot wide shelf to run around walls B and C and bring the shelf up to the point on wall D where you can build another 4x4 section without interfering with the door swing. This is called a folded dogbone and the 4x4 sections on each end let you have 22" radius curves so you can have a continuous loop. You gain very little in the way of operation by bringing the layout across the door and increase your headaches considerably. With a room as small as you have, the folded dogbone gives you plenty of space for scenery and operations while not taking up most of the room.

 

[DaWolf85]

That is a good idea, UP2CSX, and that sounds like a good layout to me. But perhaps adding a few wider spots for industries would be good.

 

[SpaceMouse]

Personally, I would figure on running a maximum of 30" along all walls and have a peninsula somewhere along the way. If you want continuous running figure two bulbs. You could also have a peninsula into the grey area without affecting wall traffic.

But I wouldn't go much further without developing a plan. The plan will for the most part, have a large part in dictating the shape of the layout.

You start by developing a vision. What do you want on the layout? If that is unclear, figure it out. Once you have an era and location, you might want to do some research.

When you find out how the prototype did things, you might find that you need more space in the middle of the layout or you might need more at the end. For instance if you need a large industry at the end of the layout, but the middle was barren, You might extend the end of the layout in a huge 5 foot wide peninsula, that only allows 6" of track along the far wall when you consider isle space.

 

[vato loco]

Here's one I designed for someone, you'll have to make it wider and longer?

 

[stang_crazy]

space to answer a few things, the area would be more modern, industries such as factories like steel factory, scrap metal, wich would use gondolas and flat cars possable some box cars. maybe a corn/ethenol plant (something like that) that would incorperate coal cars on the layout.

would love to do something with automobiles. but dont see being able to run 80' cars no matter how i do things.

thats just a few ideas i have. so my main think is to figure out how everything would be layed out.

 

[SpaceMouse]

Steel mills are huge even in HO scale, The one in Butler, PA is 3 miles long and has 30 side by side tracks. To model a reasonable one would take at least a 4 x 8 layout. See 102Track Plans for a ready made 4 x 8 steel mill that can be added to a bigger layout. That steel mill would necessitate following the second scenario, a big peninsula at the end of the layout that squished the center into a narrow run.

Your ideas of what you want are still pretty vague. The railroad you want to model will dictate the era and area you are modeling. The era and location will dictate which industries are in that time and place. Your abilities to scratch build or the available models will dictate how the tracks must be set up. Once you determine all that, you can figure how your going to get the tracks to those buildings and the shape of the layout you need to make it happen.

And along the way you have to constantly compromise.