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After observing the space I have, I see that N scale is the way to go for me. The added fact that you can run 25-30 car trains in N makes me even more thrilled. Atlas, Kato, and Athearn all have great N scale locos. Atlas, Intermountain, Kato, Accurail, and Dluxe Innovations all have great freight cars to use. The NS Pochahontas District seems like it would offer all the things I want in a layout. Some N scale space I might be able to get are 20x30, 11x22, and 20x12. Are those suited for the layout I wish to build? If you have any helpful hints on my first large layout, please do not hesitate to tell me.
-quakers1
Any of those space would allow quite an empire in N scale. Just remember that your maximum reach is about 30" so you're going to need to make removeable sections (Pop-ups) every 30" in from each side of the layout. That's a lot of pop-ups in a 20X30 space. Now, if you make it 30" wide and run it around each wall, you could have two 30' long sections and a 20' long section, assuming you want to leave one side open for access by door. Change those measurements around depending on what wall the door is on. You could potentially have 80 feet of running space and no need of pop-ups. That would give you almost two scale miles of mainline running per track, something you can't get in big, square or rectangular layouts without a lot of extra work.
Thanks Jim. Looks like my proposed space combonations would fill the bill for N scale. But 20x30 sounds like it would house a HUGE N scale layout. Oh yeah Jim, I have built a 4x8 before, and decided N scale would be better for me.
-quakers1
I'm planning for my next layout right now. Is Kalmbach's book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" a good guide to help me design my layout? I plan on stocking up on How-To books from Kalmbach. I have a few already but I need a few more. I need some on track planning, benchwork, advanced structure modeling, and DCC. I have one that covers the basics of DCC but I need to go advanced.
-quakers1
Just a suggestion that I've heard on the board here. Make sure you do your planning. But don't overplan it, because you'll never get to building it!
Tha Kalmbach book you mention would be an excellent introduction (or refresher) for track planning. This should help you come up both a realistic and operational layout plan. I think you should also check out their books on benchwork, scenery, and trackside detail. Those are things you are likely to be working on first. As long as you understand basic DCC and wiring, you don't need anything more advanced right now. As far as building structures, there are books on that also but I don't quite know what advanced techniques are. This falls more into the realm of kitbashing and detailing. There are books available on that too but I'd try it in bite size chunks first rather than trying to learn it all at once.
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