layout design and construction help


My advice would be to go with shelf, not table. Reaching the middle of your table will be really hard. I personallt started with a table to only discover that the center is really hard to use for train and that yard are best fitted for long thin shelf
 
Well I can't do anything permanent and the space I have is only 5x9. It's just a corner of the room in our downstairs.
 
Timo1094 said:
Well I can't do anything permanent and the space I have is only 5x9. It's just a corner of the room in our downstairs.
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What do you mean by "a corner of the room in our downstairs"? Your reach from the edge of the table towards the open room is about 24-30" at a normal layout height. You cannot reach across 5 feet of layout.

This is one of the reasons for why it is important to provide a good description (and preferably a drawing, with distances indicated) of the room.

Smile,
Stein
 
I know I can't reach 5 feet across, I'm still trying to figure that out. As for the area, It's a 6x9 area with walls on two sides.
 
Why not build the layout into NMRA free-mo modules ? you could stack them easily for storage and go to some expo or clubs with them.
 
Well to solve the problem I was thinking of just cutting a hole big enough that I can fit in the middle so that If I needed to do anything on the back half of the layout I could.
 
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Here's a new design I made, Considering the space I have to work with.
 
can you make a rough sketch of the room? with dimensions, as Steinjr requested?
 
Suggestion:

1) Draw the _entire_ room, show where doors and windows and other objects are.

2) Explain why you have to go exactly six feet straight out from that corner and exactly five feet down from the left end of the top wall.
 
steinjr said:
Suggestion:

1) Draw the _entire_ room, show where doors and windows and other objects are.

2) Explain why you have to go exactly six feet straight out from that corner and exactly five feet down from the left end of the top wall.
Click to expand...

The most recent room picture does not answer these 2 questions, and it now appears as though you have a lot more room.

Please explain, either in words or a picture which shows your initially stated obstructions.
 
I don't think what and where the obstructions are in the room is really an issue. He has the use of one corner. 9' along one wall, 5' along a second wall, and due to some obstruction, it appears he won't have access to 3' of the 9' length on the other side of the layout. That means, he will need to have at least two removable access panels on the layout. He will only have access to the layout on two sides. Along the 5' length of one end, and 6' of the 9' length of one side.
With the requirement of one line that could operate in a loop, a shelf layout is pretty much ruled out.
 
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Jim 68cuda said:
I don't think what and where the obstructions are in the room is really an issue. He has the use of one corner. 9' along one wall, 5' along a second wall, and due to some obstruction, it appears he won't have access to 3' of the 9' length on the other side of the layout. That means, he will need to have at least two removable access panels on the layout. He will only have access to the layout on two sides. Along the 5' length of one end, and 6' of the 9' length of one side.
With the requirement of one line that could operate in a loop, a shelf layout is pretty much ruled out.
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You are making a few unstated assumptions there, Jim.

For one thing, you seemingly assume that the layout will be operated from somewhere below in the lower left hand corner of the layout, and that access to tracks in the interior will be infrequent, by way of removable access panels.

Another way of using the same space would be e.g to make a biggish (like 6 feet x 30") operator pit in the center of the layout, and operate it from within the layout. With a lift out, lift-up, swing gate or duckunder to get into the pit.

Or making an U-shaped layout with a removable plank across the entrance for continuous running in a loop.

Or substitute pendulum running instead of loop running for continuous run in display mode.

Or going from H0 scale to N scale, so it would be possible to do a turnback curve with a not too sharp radius in 30" of depth.

Or maybe it would be possible to do something around that corner jutting out into the room, 3 feet to the left of the lower right hand corner, so one could have a dogbone shaped layout walk-in-layout.

And quite possibly other things. But to understand which limits are absolute and which might be negotiable, it would be helpful if Timo took take part in the discussion, instead of just answering questions perfunctory.


smile,
Stein
 
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Sorry I'm not much of a use here, but Jim is mostly right, I'd have access to 9' feet on one side but there's a couch against the wall that I can't move. I like the Idea of a U shaped layout and I might draw up a plan for that. Changing to N scale is not what I want because then I wouldn't have anything to do with my HO scale engines.
 
Where is the couch? Maybe you can provide your usable space in the room drawing...like show us your maximum foot print, or your workable area is in that room? i dont know...
 
Timo1094 said:
Sorry I'm not much of a use here, but Jim is mostly right, I'd have access to 9' feet on one side but there's a couch against the wall that I can't move. I like the Idea of a U shaped layout and I might draw up a plan for that. Changing to N scale is not what I want because then I wouldn't have anything to do with my HO scale engines.
Click to expand...

ahhh, then it might be a good idea to draw the floor plan with all the furniture that are present in the rom, and maybe put a shade of grey over the space you are allowed to use

EDIT: lol we replied the same thing at the same moment :D
 
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