One of the guys at The AMRA club has been building an N scale layout for some months in about the same size as this one. I know it's not double main but he has worked in a helix at one end with 2 levels (I think) coming off it. I'll take some pics and measurements, just for interest sake.
Toot'n,
I did give a helix some thought when I looked at the area I had BUT building this using a new bench work method was "scary enough" without adding more "terror" to the mix
With only 2" between the rails I think you might end up with some side swiping issues with the larger locos and cars. Might want to take it slow at first until you figure out exactly which ones can fit by the others.
Horseman,
This is a problem that I have encountered with my track as well. Is there a "formula" of some type that allows you to work out the room needed between parallel tracks to ensure clearance between passing trains?
I know a lot of that depends on the radius of the curve and length of rolling stock and how many cars are being run but there must be some sort of guide line at least.
You're a better man than I, Wombat. My layout has a few dozen Atlas turnouts, and two Pecos that I bought because Atlas didn't have the high-radius curved turnouts I needed. Suffice it to say I'll never buy another Atlas turnout... But I'm not ripping the thing up to replace 'em all anytime soon either... Just replace them through 'attrition' (or more likely, when I rip it all down and start over)
I'm not sure about being a better man than you, I think my ripping up the Atlas stuff was more a case of my loosing patience with Atlas than anything else. With that being said though, I have found Peco track (in fact
almost every other track manufacturer) far superior in terms of realism and (more importantly) quality. It did cost me a little to do what I did, but I have absolutely NO regrets for doing it.
Seriously another N scale layout? Happy wife happy life.
Lynn,
To be direct with my answers ... "maybe" and yep. The title of this thread is "just for fun ... for now" and that is how this whole thing needs to be viewed, not as another layout for Wombat.
Generally Speaking:
With that being said, is there a chance that I will build another N Scale Layout ... sure there is
BUT only a 50/50 bet that it will happen.
IF a second N Scale is built, it wont be built until next year and most definitely wont be built until a new home is found for my/my wife's HO layout as any new layout will replace that HO layout.
Okay so, what we need to do is take a deep breathe, take a step backwards and look at this as nothing more than a "would like to do" thing rather than an "it is going to happen" build. As I said, there are a lot of things in play here,
1. For this to happen I need to either relocate the HO Layout or sell it off.
2. My wife comes up with great "on the spur of the moment" ideas but, has a bad tendency to change her mind when those ideas become or look like becoming a reality.
3. Would I prefer an N Scale Layout to a HO layout indoors - absolutely so yes, I would like this to happen. However, as Lynn said, a "Happy wife is a happy life" so if she says no to this when the time comes, then it is no.
Now despite all said above, there is that 50% chance of the HO layout being replaced with an N Scale Layout at some point. As such, I would like to be prepared in terms of a track plan for that possibility and that is why I started this thread, based on a 50/50 chance that this might happen.