Nick, don't be in a hurry to design your layout. I worked on my design daily for about 4 months before being happy with a starting point. Since the construction began, there have been several major reworks and modifications to each of these with it getting better all the time. Heck, I have +1000 feet of track down and now thinking about working in a new town location within the existing design. One thing that will help you on ideas is to visit and study web sites of other layout designs. NMRA has a very good list of links to home layouts of all descriptions and sizes. http://www.cwrr.com/nmra/Layout-HO1.html Take an idea from one and then another and see if you can make it fit your layout. Sometimes all you have to do is shorten track or add a curve, or ...
Some like to have all the "i's" dotted before starting on a layout, but there is another approach that is just as successful. Work out a basic design that in general will do what you want for the train routes,scenery/grades, and industry you have in mind. Then get started on the construction with the mainlines. Install major turnouts where needed and where you are certain you will have a siding/spur. Areas that are still under consideration can be added later. (It is very easy to add turnouts if you have a Dremel.) As you go along new ideas will come and a better view of how things fit will be more apparent. Try to always think ahead and give everything careful thought. Remember that sometimes the vision in our minds and the design on paper will make it fit, but doesn't always match up to the actual "look" we expected on the layout.
Suggestion for structure locations: The one thing I quickly learning near the beginning was to assemble my building kits first, place them in the general location on the benchwork and then designed the action around them. Several of my industries were done by using templates first and although everything fit, didn't always look right and I had to redo the design.
EDIT: Since this was after you posted about doing it in modules, I would design the overall layout in a general way to maintain continuity, but then concentrate and in detail on the modules you can build now.
Some like to have all the "i's" dotted before starting on a layout, but there is another approach that is just as successful. Work out a basic design that in general will do what you want for the train routes,scenery/grades, and industry you have in mind. Then get started on the construction with the mainlines. Install major turnouts where needed and where you are certain you will have a siding/spur. Areas that are still under consideration can be added later. (It is very easy to add turnouts if you have a Dremel.) As you go along new ideas will come and a better view of how things fit will be more apparent. Try to always think ahead and give everything careful thought. Remember that sometimes the vision in our minds and the design on paper will make it fit, but doesn't always match up to the actual "look" we expected on the layout.
Suggestion for structure locations: The one thing I quickly learning near the beginning was to assemble my building kits first, place them in the general location on the benchwork and then designed the action around them. Several of my industries were done by using templates first and although everything fit, didn't always look right and I had to redo the design.
EDIT: Since this was after you posted about doing it in modules, I would design the overall layout in a general way to maintain continuity, but then concentrate and in detail on the modules you can build now.
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