I've been lurking here for a few weeks now and this is my first post. My dad was big into model railroad when I was a kid, but took his last layout down when I was 10 years old. Now about twenty-five years later I have the bug. I have all of my dad’s old locos and rolling stock. Although in need of some upgrades it’s all in pretty good shape. I’ve been trying to learn what I can and this site has been great. Attached are a 2 PDF's of my first layout design attempt. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Is a two level with trellises taking the track up to the next level. I hope to start laying bench work in the next few weeks but need a solid track plan first. Thanks for any advice that you guys can give.
My First Layout Design
- Thread starter Sako_75
- Start date
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SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
This is a good first attempt. I'd suggest before you go further though to read my Beginner's Guide clickable from my signature.
You don't show your walls, so I don't know if you have a reach problem. Figure about the most you can go is 30".
Now for the layout itself. First of all, this layout does not appear to have any purpose. A well-designed layout will represent a section of a railroad and even if a loop is closed, still goes from point A to point B. The purpose of a real railroad is to make money typically by moving goods and passengers. A model railroad will do the same, even if all we do is watch it go through scenery.
That said, your design is a little lopsided. Your roundhouse grossly overpowers your yard and your yard over-powers the rest of your layout. Other than park your trains and run laps, there's very little to do.
Even if your layout was the size of a warehouse, without things to do, you will get tired of watching your train run laps. You need to add some kind of operations either freight or passengers or you will outgrow your layout long before you finish it. I suggest reading Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong.
Because your levels are so close in height, changing elevation does not gain you much. You might have just as well run one level. On the other hand, if your track ran down a level to hidden staging, that would significantly increase your operational ability by virtually extending your layout.
See my article: What is Staging and Why do I need it?
Finally, a small point in all this, but having to reach over a trestle on the edge of a layout to something lower is a pain in the butt. I made that mistake on my first layout.
You don't show your walls, so I don't know if you have a reach problem. Figure about the most you can go is 30".
Now for the layout itself. First of all, this layout does not appear to have any purpose. A well-designed layout will represent a section of a railroad and even if a loop is closed, still goes from point A to point B. The purpose of a real railroad is to make money typically by moving goods and passengers. A model railroad will do the same, even if all we do is watch it go through scenery.
That said, your design is a little lopsided. Your roundhouse grossly overpowers your yard and your yard over-powers the rest of your layout. Other than park your trains and run laps, there's very little to do.
Even if your layout was the size of a warehouse, without things to do, you will get tired of watching your train run laps. You need to add some kind of operations either freight or passengers or you will outgrow your layout long before you finish it. I suggest reading Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong.
Because your levels are so close in height, changing elevation does not gain you much. You might have just as well run one level. On the other hand, if your track ran down a level to hidden staging, that would significantly increase your operational ability by virtually extending your layout.
See my article: What is Staging and Why do I need it?
Finally, a small point in all this, but having to reach over a trestle on the edge of a layout to something lower is a pain in the butt. I made that mistake on my first layout.
Attached are plans with a few mods.
The layout is 14.5' x 11' placed at one end of an 18'x 32' room the 14.5' side of the layout will be placed 18" from and centered on the 18' wall of the room. I will have room to walk around the entire layout. Level 2 will provide hidden staging on level one and provide a visual break from the one level approach. I will have some indusrty on the western upper level and a passanger station on the western lower level. On the eastern end I will have a turn table, a yard, and some limited industry.
The layout is 14.5' x 11' placed at one end of an 18'x 32' room the 14.5' side of the layout will be placed 18" from and centered on the 18' wall of the room. I will have room to walk around the entire layout. Level 2 will provide hidden staging on level one and provide a visual break from the one level approach. I will have some indusrty on the western upper level and a passanger station on the western lower level. On the eastern end I will have a turn table, a yard, and some limited industry.
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