HO oddball layout construction


Lack barry

Lack barry

Member
I welcome all input, constructive criticism, ideas, questions, etc.


I'm calling this oddball because the room is odd. It was added on to the exterior of an old house. There are 2 exterior walls, 3 doors, 4 windows and a common breaker box for 4 apartments that has to have access. The room is 13' x 14'. There is a 4” x 6” pole sort of in the middle of the room to help support the roof/ceiling. Nothing is plum and nothing is square. Eventually I plan on having an around the wall portion added on to the 10' x 7' x 8' x 6' layout pictured. I guess that makes it a trapezoid sorta?
Here are some photos;
PICT0009.jpgFrom the center of the room looking into the kitchen. The following pics are panning around the room counter clockwise. PICT0012.jpgPICT0013.jpgPICT0014.jpgMore to come
 
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Oddball part 2

Continuing around the room;
PICT0015.jpg 2nd of 2 walled off windowsPICT0016.jpg the rug is covering 2 windowsPICT0017.jpgdoorPICT0018.jpgdoor

More to follow
 
PICT0021.jpgto the left of the door the bottom shelf will be part of the layoutPICT0023.jpgPICT0024.jpgwall panel and back to the kitchen door.
PICT0025.jpg Thank goodness this bunch of photos is done. As boring as it must be to look at them just imagine how boring it was taking and posting them.
As you can see (hopefully) an "around the room" layout is quite the project. If I ever get it done I should be a master liftout builder? On to the layout.
 
Please excuse the clutter, it is a construction zone and also 3 peoples junk is stored here.PICT0026.jpgThe kitchen door is just to the right of the previous pic.PICT0027.jpgPICT0028.jpgPICT0029.jpg I used wafer board for 1 reason, it was the only thing that would fit into my Nissan Sentra. I live in the middle of someplace near nowhere. Menards is 18 miles away and they don't rip plywood for customers. Home Depot does but is 50 miles away. Wafer board is the only product that comes in 2' x 8' I hate this stuff, bad to work with, but hey...cheap! More to come.......
 
More odd stuff

Continuing on.PICT0030.jpgHere is a trap door for accessing the back of the layout and storage shelves as well.PICT0032.jpgPICT0033.jpgLED light rope for under layout workPICT0034.jpg I'll probably install it better after my wiring is done. On more photo to come.......
 
PICT0035.jpgThis last shot is the area by the support pole that I will probably set up as operations HQ, turnout, lighting, etc controls. I have run a power buss around the perimeter that I will drop track power off about every 3 feet. ( I am obsessive that way) The track plan is quite fluid as the layout will be expanding for a good while. I will run DC until I can save up for RailPro so I will probably only have 2 blocks. One being the 1 or 2 main line runarounds and one for a yard in the middle.
The wires are sloppy now, that makes them easier to connect the drops. Once I have all the wires I want connected I can tighten up all of them.
I welcome all input, constructive criticism, ideas, questions, etc.
 
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I think the best thing you could do is use a track design probram, put in the available area dimensions including the obstacles
Where there must be access and begin making benchwork and coming up with a plan you would like to build up.
 
Thanks Lynn, if I may call you that? I am using Kato Unitrack is there a program for that? This section of the layout will probably be fluid for a spell so I can see what works for me. Unitrack is good for that because you can put it together and take it apart easily. Thanks again.
 
Lynn is fine. I've never used Unitrack before so can't say for sure what program would work. I used section track many years ago and now use flex track and peco insul frog switches. I have always done my track planning using xtracad, its not as grafficly friendly as many other programs out there but its a basicly what you see is what you get and it also allows running the trains on the design and printing the track which is real handy as well the program gives you a running inventory. I've also found it quite handy when I put in my running inventory of structures so I can move them around at will.
 
I just checked out your layout thread...........WOW!!!!!!! I don't think I have enough time in my life to ever be that good. I'll have fun trying tho.... Thanks again for your input.
 
Thanks Larry for the compliment on my layout. It is ongoing. I'm sure you have plenty of time to do what you need, has nothing to do with being good but more to how adventurous you want to be. This is not my first layout but will definately be my last.
 
Larry,

That is going to be an interesting build and should be fun to follow. I agree 100% with Lynn, get a track plan design program to play with. Lynn has mentioned one and I'll throw another one in for you to look at:

SCARM

It's free and is easy to use, all drop and drag pretty much, and covers virtually every type of track made.

On a side note, and with the "layout of the room you have to use" I too would give serious thought to Flex Track. Like Lynn (and many others) I would think about Peco Flex with Insulfrog turnouts.
 
I've did some reading of the Scarm program and was quite interested in it and may even one day transfer my track plan into it but right now although I have a amount of curiousity to want to learn it I just don't have time. Tony are there tutorials for learning the scarm program?
 
Thanks again folks. I downloaded SCARM program and will play around with it. I have lots of Unitrack including 12 turnouts so I will use that in the main layout area. I will probably will use flex for the four corners of the room and probably for the longest wall run opposite of the trapezoid. That section is planed to be a "seedy" side of the tracks area. Biker bar, pool hall, dives and women of ill repute type area. (Hey, I live with 2 old biker babes and that will be their area :D) It will be 16" x around 6' with 2 main lines running thru. Maybe the back track will be something like this;
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Micro-Engineering-HO-Double-Track-City-Viaduct-Kit-p/mec-75-512.htm
 
Try Anyrail, they have a trial version that lets you use a max of 50 pieces. You can use sections of flex to replace curved pieces and some creative juggling to work out a pretty complicated plan but keeping it under the 50 piece limit. Just break the layout down into sections and save them.

How high is your layout?
 
Lynnb said:
I've did some reading of the Scarm program and was quite interested in it and may even one day transfer my track plan into it but right now although I have a amount of curiousity to want to learn it I just don't have time. Tony are there tutorials for learning the scarm program?
Click to expand...

Lynn,

SCARM is pretty self explanatory and is virtually just a Drop and Drag type program - very easy to use for base plans. There is a reasonable "Help" site that guides you through the majority of things though and if you can't find your answer there, Mixy is usually pretty good at responding to emails for help.

In short though, once you decide on the type of track you want to use, say Peco Code 83, all you do is drag and drop the piece of track you want to use onto your "plan". Each piece of track has little triangles at each end. To join track, you move the track end to the end of another piece of track - when the triangles turn green/red, you let the new piece of track go and it is in place. Flex Track can be a little tricky but it wont take you long to figure it out. Essentially it works the same as sectional track except when you "join" it to another piece of track you can move the cursor to move the flex into shape. Once you have the shape, right click and it is in place.

If you download it, then I would imagine you would have 90% of it worked out just by playing with it within a 1/4 hour.
 
Tony it certainly sounds straight forward enough. To be able to mostly figure it out in under an hour is amazing.Took me much longer to figure out and get proficient at extrackcad.
 
I downloaded xtrack and spent a good half hour just trying to figure out how to change the size of the area in which to work. I never did find any manufacturer tracks an basically gave up on it. SCARM is 100 times easier and user friendly.
 
Tony the program actually comes with the real good tutorials. I believe it was Layout you were looking for.
 
Looks like you're off to a good start. Glad to see you spending some time in the planning stages. It is an odd shape for a layout, but I also see a lot of possibilities not being limited by four walls. You have a lot of walls, but also have plenty of additional room for towns and industries. What king of a layout are you planning. I personally really enjoy switching and with the area you have, I see a number of things churning in my mind.

Nice going.............................Chet
 
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