kjchronister
Member
With a move to a new home coming and space for a layout (finally! after a 5-year hiatus), I'm well into planning.
Attached is a diagram showing the space and the main trackage (mainline and staging). The layout is fundamentally a folded dogbone with the connecting tracks running parallel giving the appearance of a two-track mainline. The dogbone "loops" are my "destinations"... One a small city/town scene out in the open, the other a hidden staging yard representing another town/city "off scene".
HO Scale, Grid is 12" squares. Min radius 28", Min turnout #6
I'm showing two variants here: One is pure walk-in, one has duckunder/liftbridge requirement to reach the "rear" area.
Some notes on the thinking/issues behind it:
1) I'm very much into mainline operation, much less so into 'switching'... I enjoy running trains from place to place, stopping at depots and/or setting out cars. Yard operations/extensive switching... not so much. Related to that, I prefer to balance scenery against sheer track volume: I enjoy having fairly extensive runs of "just mainline" running through scenery rather than heavily urban scenes, multiple-pass-throughs in a scene, etc.
2) I lean toward passenger trains and run larger locos and 85' cars, so 28" minimum radius is a must.
3) Design-wise, the space must accommodate a fold-out couch for occasional guests, and the closet and bathroom cannot be blocked (including a duck-under).
4) There is a 4x4' closet built around the sump pump in the corner. Tracks can pass through it, but it cannot be removed.
5) Anywhere that notes "industry/customer" is intended to have a spur. But for sake of clarity, I didn't show them.
6) Red lines suggest the edges of the benchwork
7) What I don't like: narrow 24" aisle at lower-right side.
8) There won't be much of a "grade" on this layout, but rather I will mount most of the track well above the benchwork "base" and create visual interest with a "ragged front" fascia style and scenery both ascending up from and dropping down below the main track level.
Your time, questions, comments etc. are much appreciated!
Attached is a diagram showing the space and the main trackage (mainline and staging). The layout is fundamentally a folded dogbone with the connecting tracks running parallel giving the appearance of a two-track mainline. The dogbone "loops" are my "destinations"... One a small city/town scene out in the open, the other a hidden staging yard representing another town/city "off scene".
HO Scale, Grid is 12" squares. Min radius 28", Min turnout #6
I'm showing two variants here: One is pure walk-in, one has duckunder/liftbridge requirement to reach the "rear" area.
Some notes on the thinking/issues behind it:
1) I'm very much into mainline operation, much less so into 'switching'... I enjoy running trains from place to place, stopping at depots and/or setting out cars. Yard operations/extensive switching... not so much. Related to that, I prefer to balance scenery against sheer track volume: I enjoy having fairly extensive runs of "just mainline" running through scenery rather than heavily urban scenes, multiple-pass-throughs in a scene, etc.
2) I lean toward passenger trains and run larger locos and 85' cars, so 28" minimum radius is a must.
3) Design-wise, the space must accommodate a fold-out couch for occasional guests, and the closet and bathroom cannot be blocked (including a duck-under).
4) There is a 4x4' closet built around the sump pump in the corner. Tracks can pass through it, but it cannot be removed.
5) Anywhere that notes "industry/customer" is intended to have a spur. But for sake of clarity, I didn't show them.
6) Red lines suggest the edges of the benchwork
7) What I don't like: narrow 24" aisle at lower-right side.
8) There won't be much of a "grade" on this layout, but rather I will mount most of the track well above the benchwork "base" and create visual interest with a "ragged front" fascia style and scenery both ascending up from and dropping down below the main track level.
Your time, questions, comments etc. are much appreciated!