Extending layout, need advice/design possibilities


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psychobeagle12

Member
Ok, so my current layout looks like this:

View attachment 35258

Now I am planning to extend this with an L-shaped leg but I don't know if I want to make it another four foot width leg. I am thinking about something like this:

View attachment 35259

but am not sure yet what I want to build. I have access to all sides regardless of how wide I make the extension so four foot would not be the end of the world but I would prefer to not make it four feet wide. Does anyone have any suggestions to improve this space and what to do with it? It is greatly appreciated thanks!
 
Congrats on the expansion! Lots of people follow the benchwork edge in terms of the mainline-avoiding doing that can unlock a lot of creativity, if you've got the time. I assume you're in HO, judging by your drawing.

Are you trying to model a particular area, period, or prototype? The answer to this question could drive different options. What radius curves are you looking to use? How about some sort of double track 'twisted waterwings' sort of trackplan? that way, you could include some bridges, or possibly an interesting interlocking?
 
How far completed do you have the current layout? Do you have ballast and scenery done?

Looking at that addition, you might have to re-locate those yard tracks, so you can be able to connect the extension tracks to the main line.

It looks like you have enough room to elevate the tracks in the extension, so you can have a crossover bridge, or even a mountain.
 
I am modeling PRR in the transition era. I have mostly short diesels, two F units, a GP9, and a handful of others. I have one K4 but don't plan to run it much even though it performs well on 22". I was hoping for 22" on the new area. I want to add some kind of industry out there as well, somewhere to drop cars off from the yard that I already have? Bridges and elevation would be nice as well, though I was thinking less bridge and more raised ridgeline and more mountain scenery. I have a mountain in the existing layout in the lower right hand corner that my double main passes through. I was actually considering coal or maybe a locomotive repair shop, maybe both? I can extend the table out about eight feet at the very most and that is pushing it. And yeah it's HO scale sorry I forgot to say that! Im not exactly sure what you mean by "twisted waterwings", maybe an example if you could? I'm just looking to add some operational interest to this layout since running and the small yard have gotten old since I went DCC. Oh yeah, I was hoping to turn this area into a reversing loop as well.
 
OK if you want a reverse loop in that area, you might not have to move your yard tracks in the current area. Just connect those extension tracks to the very right side there.

What you could do, is have a rail shop/loco shop, turntable, in the middle of the current layout. If you have room.

Then in the new area, have a coal mine with 2 or 3 coal mine tracks. Walthers just released another version of the New River Mining structure, which would be perfect for that area.

If you can stretch that new area out a little more, you can add a couple of more industries. Like a lumber mill, freight house, etc.
 
I don't have room really for a turntable in the current layout because it is mostly a farm/hunting scene, taken up by forest and fields. The siding on the lower side is actually for farm livestock if I ever get that section finished that is. Could anyone give me an idea of some possible track layout for that area? I was over it and over it in my head and can't figure out how to make it work! I'm just not sure how to even start designing for that area. I can figure out more of what I want if someone could give me a "push" in the right direction? :D
 
OK I just whipped this up for ya....

I made the new section 8 ft., that would give you more room.

You could elevate that outer track, the inside track will access the two industries.

Just place your auto reverser and gap the rails after the switch, where it connects at the V.

Beagle12.jpg
 
By a 'twisted waterwings' layout, I meant modifying the 'Waterwings' plan in one of the Atlas HO trackplanning books. I think its the HO-10021 or HO-10022 type of plans on the Atlasrr.com website.

Are you willing to make changes to your existing trackplan, or are you just looking to 'add on?'
 
I am willing to modify the current track where it will not interfere with existing scenery but I don't want to tear up any of my scenic work. I like the looks of what you have there! What are the radii and it would be a five foot wide section? I don't know that I would go for the double main on the outside though, I think I want to make a single loop there, though two may give me space to hold trains. That is sort of what I was considering but couldn't find an efficient way to do it. Thank you for the ideas!
 
It's more like 4.5 ft wide there. The outside is 24" and inside is 22".
If you have access to all sides, you should still have plenty of room to reach all areas.

I would keep the two tracks, so that you can work the industries with a switcher, build the train with loads/empties on the inside track. At the same time, while you have a mainline freight running on the outside track.

You have DCC might as well run as many trains as you can. Plus being able to run two different trains in the opposite direction is really cool.

You could also bring that outside track around, and connect it to the current outside track. So you have the opportunity to take either the reverse loop, or continue onto the mainline.
 
That was actually part of my plan as well, attaching the new section to the outside on the existing layout to avoid the necessity to reverse the train every time. I'm not sure though because the train would most likely come in after the crossover so i wouldn't be able to drop the cars off at the yard without running around the entire layout anyways. I will see that is an excellent start I will be assembling benchwork soon, hopefully next week and I will let you know how it goes! :D
 
Ok, so I took your idea and modified it a bit to 6 feet so that I wouldn't have to try to move my washing machine :D

View attachment 35298

I couldn't work out a way to send trains straight through to the main or to allow reversing in the OPPOSITE direction (i assume that would take a second loop...) without exceeding my space or curves. I am also not sure of the industry either at this point... if I do the coal mine is it important to have a mountain from the coal to come from?? Lol stupid question i know but i'm not sure :D I am most likely going to make the curve partially inside a mountain that comes open from the back. I still have to work that out and will let you know when I do!!!
 
psychobeagle12 said:
but am not sure yet what I want to build..... Does anyone have any suggestions to improve this space and what to do with it?
Click to expand...
I would definitely go with a main line extension. I would make it like a lazy figure 8 bringing the curve coming around from the bottom right toward the top left around across the front of the extension, then turning around to the right back around under itself to connect to the upper front main.

However since you don't want to destruct scenery which the new grades would involve.....AND using a crossing on this small of a layout might make too much traffic especially with a double track... SOOoo I would break off from the top straight going to the right and swing that around toward the top keeping it on the front edge. Loop it around to the right and back down the far right edge back to the existing main. Not as long or as interesting of a main but way more interesting than a race track oval.

My secondary choice would be an alternate route single track mainline in the figure-8 configuration mentioned above using a crossing. Since it would be only single track, the crossing would not be a traffic congestion issue. Such a design would provide one the ability to see both sides of the train without grades and without a reversing loop.
 
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psychobeagle12 said:
I am also not sure of the industry either at this point... if I do the coal mine is it important to have a mountain from the coal to come from??
Click to expand...
No most coal out here in the west is from basically open pit mines. From my perspective, small coal mines only work on older era themed layouts. Is that what you have. I didn't see you specify that anywhere. Coal mines in the modern era are massive mines with bathtub gondolas in unit trains. The days of 10 or so 34' and 40' hoppers getting switched into a single shaft mine are long gone.

I would think perhaps a gravel pit, quarry, junk yard, small chemical plant, or crude oil loading station. Once again if it is an older era layout, I've always found a fuel dealer to be an interesting industry.

Figure8layout.jpg
 
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My layout is in the 40s-50s somewhere in the neigborhood of southwestern pa into west virginia area. mostly deep mines around here so thats why I was thinking in the mountain right there to have a nice slope entrance to the mine, maybe even put in some narrow gauge track? We have mostly open pit mining here now too but back then I think our mining was pretty much exclusively deep mining and in WV if I'm not mistaken their big mountains make open pit mining sort of... impractical. Also, I like the idea of the crossover but I couldn't find a way to make it work for some reason (i'm not great with drawing track plans) without severely modifying the plan. I will take a second look and try to make the modification but as you said the increased traffic may make it hard to switch the mine area. It seems I still have some thinking to do...
 
Your revision looks good. But can you extend that inside loop track to the mine, so you don't foul the outside loop track?

You could just shorten that mine track lead a little. And connect the inside loop track to the mine lead track.
 
This is another option you could look at. This is the addition that I put on my 4X8 layout and a couple of pictures of the quarry operation I put in.
 
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