BayHighRY
Active Member
Hi all,
New member coming in looking for feedback. I'm considering starting my first model railroad this year. I've spent the last few months researching different aspects of starting a railroad - benchwork, foam core build up, trackwork (best tracks, mainly leaning towards Flextrack for On30 scale), soldering, electrical wiring issues, track power vs battery power, budgeting, scenery, modular vs whole track plans, etc and have a decent sense of the pacing of the whole process. I've got some limited space to work with but an okay budget to get started and want to make sure I make good decisions about the design and creation of my indoor railroad as possible (happy mistakes are inevitable and the learning curve will be steep but that's part of the fun!). I'm looking to fit as much as I can into a 7x4 space using the layout design below and am looking for feedback on the design and any suggestions for starting a railroad - I'm aware this is much more ambitious than a simple flat loop but I figured I'd swing for the fences if I'm already putting up the effort and money for it. The track plan is below:
The track plan features a loop that crosses over itself to maximize the runtime of a train around the area with a step grade of 4% in some spots around the layout.
The main viewing area would be front on, with just enough space for a roundhouse and turntable as well as some side tracks. The station in front of the roundhouse will likely be a flat platform with a water tank on the end before the tunnel. Trees and foliage will disguise the back town area and switching tracks higher up the grade. The highest mountain and grade after the water tank will transition the tunnel to the back portion of the layout, a hidden scene of the tall bridge crossing over the lower loop, something akin to the Georgetown loop. The tricky part here is remembering that despite the HO track size, the engines are On30 size and require larger clearances, hence the 5 inch gap between track and bottom of the trestle (this might need further wiggling in the actual construction). A shack and lakeside will accompany this scenery.
The other side of the railroad reveals a double trestle over a river as the lower and higher loop equalizes for a moment before heading different levels. This would be more heavily covered with trees and brush to create breaks in each scene.
The lower track coming up will be a point of concern in the planning, making sure that 5 inch height is maintained without bumping the top level too much, seen next for the switching that sits above:
Probably the few places where some switching operations is available with this track space, with buildings and potentially a small town in the hillside or a log mill might go here. It's not much, but I think I can make the most of it.
The bigger attraction down the hillside would be the roundhouse area, with just enough room for a 3 engine portal and some sidings. The sizing here has to be pretty tight, so this would be another concern to make it all fit.
That's the plan at this moment, would like to hear any member's feedback on their experience starting out, I'm willing to take things slow and incorporate ideas into the planning or just see what you think. Thank you and glad to be here!
New member coming in looking for feedback. I'm considering starting my first model railroad this year. I've spent the last few months researching different aspects of starting a railroad - benchwork, foam core build up, trackwork (best tracks, mainly leaning towards Flextrack for On30 scale), soldering, electrical wiring issues, track power vs battery power, budgeting, scenery, modular vs whole track plans, etc and have a decent sense of the pacing of the whole process. I've got some limited space to work with but an okay budget to get started and want to make sure I make good decisions about the design and creation of my indoor railroad as possible (happy mistakes are inevitable and the learning curve will be steep but that's part of the fun!). I'm looking to fit as much as I can into a 7x4 space using the layout design below and am looking for feedback on the design and any suggestions for starting a railroad - I'm aware this is much more ambitious than a simple flat loop but I figured I'd swing for the fences if I'm already putting up the effort and money for it. The track plan is below:
The track plan features a loop that crosses over itself to maximize the runtime of a train around the area with a step grade of 4% in some spots around the layout.
The main viewing area would be front on, with just enough space for a roundhouse and turntable as well as some side tracks. The station in front of the roundhouse will likely be a flat platform with a water tank on the end before the tunnel. Trees and foliage will disguise the back town area and switching tracks higher up the grade. The highest mountain and grade after the water tank will transition the tunnel to the back portion of the layout, a hidden scene of the tall bridge crossing over the lower loop, something akin to the Georgetown loop. The tricky part here is remembering that despite the HO track size, the engines are On30 size and require larger clearances, hence the 5 inch gap between track and bottom of the trestle (this might need further wiggling in the actual construction). A shack and lakeside will accompany this scenery.
The other side of the railroad reveals a double trestle over a river as the lower and higher loop equalizes for a moment before heading different levels. This would be more heavily covered with trees and brush to create breaks in each scene.
The lower track coming up will be a point of concern in the planning, making sure that 5 inch height is maintained without bumping the top level too much, seen next for the switching that sits above:
Probably the few places where some switching operations is available with this track space, with buildings and potentially a small town in the hillside or a log mill might go here. It's not much, but I think I can make the most of it.
The bigger attraction down the hillside would be the roundhouse area, with just enough room for a 3 engine portal and some sidings. The sizing here has to be pretty tight, so this would be another concern to make it all fit.
That's the plan at this moment, would like to hear any member's feedback on their experience starting out, I'm willing to take things slow and incorporate ideas into the planning or just see what you think. Thank you and glad to be here!