Design Help


Ajroland, from what i've seen you can expect GOLD from Jos!!! I"ve got a slightly larger space space (132"x128"). I'm planning to model SC from Columbia to the Ports at Charleston... so we are dealing with similiar geography. Slightly mountainous in the upstate with Clay and Rock, transitioning to Sand Piedmont regions then Low country withing about 45 miles of the coast! Maybe we should share ideas.

I feel your frustration with the layout design. I'm new to the hobby and while i'm making progress... i still have alot to learn. My planning is temporarily on hold due to a Major deadline at work thats killing me. But I'm planning N scale and present day as well, and also have a Window to work around. My door opens inward as do a pair of closet doors... so actually our spaces are very similiar!

What "industrys" do you have in mind for inclusion??
 
Industries

As far as industires. I am going to use a branch line worked by NS as an example for the industry types. I will not have room to model all of them, I'll try to do as many as I can fit into the layout without it looking cramped. Some of the industries are a wood chip mill they get lumber and ship wood chips. Grain Elevator they get loads of grain and ship grain as well. Kaolin mine there is lots of Kaolin mines in my area. The brach line also has a furniture factory that gets loads of lumber. I'm sure I can fit the grain elevator, furniture factory, the Kaolin mine and Wood Chip mill are kinda big. Maybe, I could have small scaled down version of these industries. Anyway, what kind of industries are you going to model?
 
Max Grade

I've been tinkering with 3rd planit on my layout as well as doing some hand sketches. I am trying to figure out where to put the staging. I'm thinking a lower level. This leads me to the question of maximum grade. By my figures it would take about a 4% grade to go around the room and get down around 12 inches of clearance for the staging area. I would think that 4% is about the limit, not sure. I do feel that staging is an absolute must on this layout. The other way to get down I suppose is a helix in a tight circle I would guess with about a 17" radius (n scale). This might be tougher to build than going all the way around the room. Anyway, as someone already quoted. Design is hard work.
 
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I've been tinkering with 3rd planit on my layout as well as doing some hand sketches. I am trying to figure out where to put the staging. I'm thinking a lower level. This leads me to the question of maximum grade. By my figures it would take about a 4% grade to go around the room and get down around 12 inches of clearance for the staging area. I would think that 4% is about the limit, not sure. I do feel that staging is an absolute must on this layout. The other way to get down I suppose is a helix in a tight circle I would guess with about a 17" radius (n scale). This might be tougher to build than going all the way around the room. Anyway, as someone already quoted. Design is hard work.

Despite what others will tell you, I feel that anything above a 2% grade is severely limiting.

You can do a combination of around the room and helix to get your grade. Use your minimum radius and make something like a 26" by 48" loop or 28" x 96" loop.
 
Grade

I laid out some track on a test board at 4% and I would agree that it does seem too steep. I could see having problems with long trains on this grade. I'll try to limit myself to 2% and an oblong helix and see what I can come up with.
 
ajroland:Are you still interrested in a new plan for your mrr room?
What Chip said:
anything above a 2% grade is severely limiting.
aspecialy for long-heavy trains!!!

Jos
 
yes very interested

Yes, I am hoping someone can come up with a new plan. I've not come up with anything that works. I really hope some of you can help. I continue to tinker with plans. I really hope someone can design a plan that works and maybe get me over the hump so to speak.
 
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Hi,

I've come up with this solution for staging. I'd rather not design a layout around it if is unacceptable. A passenger station can be worked into the area in a number of ways.

nancy01.gif
 
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Solution Works

I'd say I could live with that. We could make it look like a standard freight yard with a depot. Maybe make a nice scene out of it. I could widen the shelf if need be. I don't want it to be too wide though. I'd like to keep around 12 to 14 inches deep. But, yes we could live with it the way you've got it. Good idea. If we need to make it wider we can. We do want the passenger station or a depot to be on that shelf also. In fact, having the staging there would be easy to get to and might make for a better looking scene.
 
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OK ajroland am still working on it may be this afternoon I can show you a rough scetch.
With "rough" I mean not the exact measurements of the tracks or number of turnouts etc etc So something to start to discus with: like more or less turnouts or another industry on another place?? till: now I don't like it this way...may be we should this or that change to another place...you know
If the plan/design is not ( almost) 100% I t will follow you for years till you realy don't like it and you "discovered" that you did not like it and may be you loose your interrest in this beautiful hobby. By designing a good plan your are on the right way!!Not straight, but with many difficult curves in it(LOL)

Jos

edit12.12 hour pm: Here is the rough scetch, hope you can read my handwriting... The right, second drawing, is the part of the layout at the top on the midle/right side. Here starts the yard etc....
 
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Hi Nancy,

Here's a rough draft. There's a lot of room for modification. You have lots of action--yard work, passenger, industrial, and scenic railfanning. The passenger station is a stub, like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. The radius in the turns is 15-18". Mainline turnouts are Peco large. Industry and yards are Peco medium. The table edges are not drawn in. But would follow along a few inched from the track as needed.

Some of the details do not come through in this reduced picture. A LARGER IMAGE can be viewed here.

nancy03.gif
 
rough draft

WOW Chip that looks great!!:eek: That's a design from a totaly different"angle"
Here I can see the big advantage of an computer design program!! And you know how to handle it( comparing it with mine computer skills...)
For the HO people: here you can see the great possiblities of N scale ;long yards and long main tracks on/ in a small room!!:rolleyes:
Like your rough draft!!

Jos
 
Very good

Both plans are better than anything I've come up with so far. I like both plans, I see things in both of them that I like. In the computer drawn image is this a 3rd planit file and if so is there some way I could download it to my program? For you guys to come up with these plans that quickly tells me that I'm dealing with talented people. I like the industry stub in the bottom left corner, I might would want to connect to the main so that I could have run throughs in this area. IN the sketched plan how many turns on the helix and at what grade are they? On the computer design, do you think a stub yard is as good as a run through yard? I don't know, I'm just wondering if having to shove the cars in the yard would become a problem? Have any of you had these type yards on your layouts? Again, I really appreciate both of you taking your time to help me out, these plans have given me some new ideas to consider for sure. Oh and I hate to break the news but, I'm a man not a woman. I picked the nick name Nancy Hanks because that was the name of the last passenger train to run on the Central of GA RR. When Southern took over the Central they cut the Nancy Hanks off. Anyway, If you don't mind I'm going to tinker just a little with these ideas you given me. Thanks again.
 
Jeepers, Chip and Jos! You guys came up with some good ones in a hurry. I'm impressed.
Mr. Nancy:D , you should be able to zero-in on something with these.
 
If you don't mind I'm going to tinker just a little with these ideas you given me.

If you didn't alter it and make it yours, it wouldn't be any good. They would be Jos's plan and my plan. They would work for us, but would fall short of your ideal. Work up your version and post it for reveiw.

Alas, I did this plan in XtrkCAD. I don' know if 3rd PlanIt can import it or not. If you think you can I'd be happy to email it to you.
 
Sorry, I just tried to open an Xtrxcad in my 3dPlanit and it wouldn't regonize it. Cadrail is the only one that I saw that it would inport. Maybe you will have better luck.
 



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