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I'm planning to build a new layout(HO scale) in my extra room i just kicked someone out of. Room is 15' x 15', with french doors lining one wall and a fireplace on another. I'm planning on a 15'x2' layout with 4'x4' ends for turnarounds. I guess sortof like a semi-dogbone. I'm debating on weather to have the loops go under the layout for hidden staging and more top area. I have a 12 car coal train and 12 car grain train I would like to keep hidden off layout for random passes along with through freights. Plan on a fictional shortline with KCS, BNSF, and UP trains passing through. I'm very new to model RR, my last layout was 4x10 in my spare room, so i'm just adding a few feet. I'm also using mostly EZ-track. I was thinking of an L shaped layout, but this room will be shared with the gf's child, so I made a compromise. Any ideas will be greatly appriciated. I should have a basic track plan up later, but figured i'd get the ball rolling.
Forgot to mention. Planning on using either 22" or 24" curves. Being that I work for kcs I also have the KCS 1-2-3 with a few business cars i'd like to be able to run. Working for the railroad makes me want to have a huge yard like i see daily, but i know it's a model and i need to have room for scenery and structures.
Forgot to mention. Planning on using either 22" or 24" curves. Being that I work for kcs I also have the KCS 1-2-3 with a few business cars i'd like to be able to run. Working for the railroad makes me want to have a huge yard like i see daily, but i know it's a model and i need to have room for scenery and structures.
Well the bigger the curve radia you can fit the better you will be. You wont be able to do much about the fireplace return loop so I would say that 22" is your only choice for now unless you want to make the benchwork bigger for the return loops. Does the fireplace actually get used?
It doesn't get used for now, but gf( you know how they are) wants to use it this xmas, so she's wanting me to try to stick with the 4x4 turnarounds. I could go 24" curves with a little 6" add on to the 4'. I' got the loop layed out on the floor and it doesn't leave much room. Now i'm for sure thinking about under-layout storage/staging.
The space you have available is almost identical to my layout. Six inches added on to the four foot blobs will not give you enough room for 24" curves, since the edges of the roadbed will be less than two inches from the edge of the layout. I can guarantee you your train will go flying off into space at the exact point it's two inches from the edge of the layout. Having the larger curves also means the track in the front of the layout will be running very close to the edge as well, increasing your danger and decreasing your scenicing possibilities. Unless you can bring out the blobs by about ten inches and the center section another foot, I would stick with 22" curves. Even if you can increase the size of the blobs, you've now introduced another problem - reach. The average reach is 33". Since you layout is against the wall, you won't be able to reach the back parts of the blobs without knocking things over. Your GF may actually be right on this one.
You probably don't want to hear about weird engineering when you're just starting out, but how about this: build a couple of hinged flaps in the front of the layout and have the loops extend onto them. So you'd be able to take up more space in the room when you're operating, and let other occupants (hmmm) have more floor space when you aren't in railroad mode. When not in use, the flaps could hang down vertically, or even be folded under the main part of the layout. As weird engineering goes, it's not too difficult.
The floor space isn't much of an issue. Planning on building about 48" off the floor(possibly higher, might put and old entertainment center under it to hold a tv). My biggest issue is staging, either under the layout or on the lower left level with the layout.
I'd rather have it hidden, but i'm having problems with getting it low enough to work on while having a managable grade.
I'm halfway trying to figure out how i could have the layout split into two layouts. One being just a loop for class one freights to run on and the second being a shortline using 18" curves. Making the shortline a little higher up then the class I main. hmmmm time to start doing some pencil pushing and board cutting.
There's also the old "out and back" plan where the train would leave the yard by the fireplace, travel out to a loop and head back on a second level to a destination.
A smaller loop would allow for a shortline at the end.
I had an N scale layout like that where I had no room for two loops.
Just got to thinking about a helix. Thinking about adding 4' to left side for a yard. Working on pic. thinking of putting a yard on top of an old entertainment center under the left side and using top for a yard. to kill two birds with one stone, have the tv for the children(me included) and having a little more room for a yard.
Was thinking, small yard to left about tv/entertainment center, track splitting off and going up to the right side to maybe an industry or two. Hiding a helix with the track going up and still allowing a loop. The red would be the main with 22" curves. Everything else would be 18" for a fictional shortline using gp's. Bottom left would be a small yard with possible small interchange track.
Stay with the dogbone. A layout on wheels is a real pain. They either roll when you don't want them too or won't roll when you do want them to. You also end up breaking a wire splice about every other time you have to move it and it takes an hour to track down why some of the streetlights don't work. After about six months, all the white glue gets brittle and you knock over about six trees every time you have to move it. Don't ask me why I know so much about this.
Decided on a 4 x 14 dogbone style(left a little room for curtains on the window). Going to try and work a small yard in like i tried to draw above. Got it all put together, wood wise, just got called to work, so i'll mess with track tomorrow.
Got it together, wood wise. Looks a little bigger then it did on paper. Debating on going with a 4x8 w/2'x6' staging/fiddle yard. Got to thinking i need something more moveable and also 4'x14' is a lot for a first layout. I'll have to see how it goes. I want something very detailed and 4'x8' with a unsceniced fiddle yard might be more my style. Could alway add a 4'x4' loop on other side of staging later.
Don't get seduced by the 4x8 concept. Your dogbone won't be much harder to scenic than a 4x8 and it will look a lot better. It's better to bite bullet now and have a layout that will keep you occupied for a while than go for the quick solution.
Having the larger curves also means the track in the front of the layout will be running very close to the edge as well, increasing your danger and decreasing your scenicing possibilities. Unless you can bring out the blobs by about ten inches and the center section another foot, I would stick with 22" curves. Even if you can increase the size of the blobs, you've now introduced another problem - reach. The average reach is 33". Since you layout is against the wall, you won't be able to reach the back parts of the blobs without knocking things over. Your GF may actually be right on this one. 
