First Layout Plan(Center of Project)

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J

John26

Newbies
layout1p1.png


This is my first layout, of a small section which I hope to start in about 3 months when I have every thing down pat, over two to three years, I hope to make it just exactly the same as my hometown, someday...

I like some opinions on it. To hard for first project? Etc..
 
More roads than rail, I suppose if you love buildings and aren't too interested in trains this might be an OK plan.

It's realistic if nothing else. Let's see if you can build it.
 


MilesWestern said:
More roads than rail, I suppose if you love buildings and aren't too interested in trains this might be an OK plan.

It's realistic if nothing else. Let's see if you can build it.
Click to expand...

Which is why I said center, actually now it's more to the left, but anyways this is just the town. There will be a second town also. But, the model over time will become a railroad, what I was planning was a town to the east that gets resources from that town which I posted, switching operations in both towns, plus depots in both.
 
John, you are doing well. However, just a caution...another one of those pesky things to consider...except this one is a monster that sleeps under your bed. If you can't reach a portion of the layout because buildings, trees, power poles, hills, or just a lot of terrain, are between you and what you need to fix (and you will need to fix stuff on your layout), it will be an endless source of frustration. Access and maintenance are two givens in the list of givens and druthers. You have to have a way to reach stuff. If you tracks are all within easy reach, you can have lots of stuff behind it that you won't need to touch.

I don't know if this means anything for your vision, but just keep that in mind...access and maintenance are huge for keeping the fun in a layout over months.
 
What resources? Ice cream, hair clippings, and books? :D (joke) How about adding some industries where the park is like coal is mined in the east town shipped to this town maybe a power plant or small small steel mill that then sends steel to east town. Now this is quite complicated and requires a great deal of modeling skills to create a steel mill but you get the idea (railroads need a purpose)
 
Well the train doesn't stop here, it keep going, but I believe it carries grain. Which will be loaded at a area right before hitting town A(Above), then will be transported to town B. Still though, I may make a steel mill or something similar to that.

Also for the reaching. I will be able to reach this part of my layout 3 ways, two shorts ways, and one long reach.
 
What will the radii be of your curves? We know that your drawing is not to scale, but we also know that at some point you have to deal with specifics. You should really create a scale drawing using graph paper and draw in the radii to scale. See how things fall.
 


Yes there is programs one of the most popular is XtrkCad but for me any ways it is very complicated. Theres a million and one others personally I think the simplest and easiest is atlas' free software. For more of the expirenced modlers it doesn't have all the features and it only has atlas products but thats what i use. http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm imo its easier to just draw it and scan it. Im assuming you just didn't include sidings in drawing? Kind of hard to have a switching layout w/o switches.:D :D :D
 
Joh, those plastic pellet covered hoppers are 55 to 60 feet long so take that into account when you're planning your curve radius. They are the size of a small passenger car so you should be planning 22" radius curves minimum to prevent constant derailments.
 
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