Shelf layout input wanted


Pdxglide

Pdxglide

New Member
Hey everyone Im new to the forum and was wanting to get some input on building a shelf layout. I'm currently living in an apartment and want to start working on something I was think something along the measurements of 2x8ish not really sure yet what to do just wanted to see if has any good threads they could point me towards to read or give me there two cents. I've built a couple small shelf layouts before with help but now at the stage where I want to build a more realistic prototypical design instead of something like the timesaver which is the last one I did. Any suggestions on the track plan or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

Patrick ( austin TX )
 
Patrick,

Welcome to the Forums first of all. All of your questions can and will be answered here :)

One question to start out with though, what scale are you wanting to build in? Knowing that will give us a much better idea of what can be suggested.
 
Yes as Tony said welcome to the forum. Basicly you will need to decide scale and what you like. 2x8 in N scale would be a half an empire although 2x8 in HO could also be a nice scenic stretch. Don't mind me I'm not a prototype layout builder but more of a modeller of what makes me feel good.:)
 
go to this site and have a look. lance is pretty good at coming up with shelf layouts that are somewhat prototypical and functional. in 2x8 you have enough room to do something decent in ho scale. anywhere from 1 bigger industry to 4 compressed industries, depending on what you want to run.

http://www.lancemindheim.com/blog.htm
 
I agree with all above. I also found Lance Mindheim books very helpful. I have all five for reference. Once again welcome to the forum. It's an excellent one.
Wayne
 
wright2626 said:
go to this site and have a look. lance is pretty good at coming up with shelf layouts that are somewhat prototypical and functional. in 2x8 you have enough room to do something decent in ho scale. anywhere from 1 bigger industry to 4 compressed industries, depending on what you want to run.

http://www.lancemindheim.com/blog.htm
Click to expand...
Some very good information in lances blog especially the why layouts fail wright up.
 
wombat457 said:
Patrick,

Welcome to the Forums first of all. All of your questions can and will be answered here :)

One question to start out with though, what scale are you wanting to build in? Knowing that will give us a much better idea of what can be suggested.
Click to expand...


Sorry i I forgot to add that I've always modeled in HO scale
 
Patrick
If you're living in an apartment would recommend you build 2-2' x 4' modules. Do a Google search & you'll find plenty of info on how to make them. And you should be able to find some info on this forum & other MR forums. That way it's not permanent & you can take them to local module club shows. Only problem w/ module clubs though it's required to have 2-3 mainline tacks. unless it's a Freemo club then you only need one mainline.
 
+1 on the Lance Mindheim books. I am currently designing a 12 foot shelf layout based on his concepts. His books give you great info on shelf layouts and how to get the most out of them.
 
I would consider putting a 1 inch high rail around your shelf, reinforce it to the wall, and make it into an indoor sandbox. There are some makers of sand that advertise and certify their sand to be 100% safe indoors. You can even get it colored green. Then just place your layout right on the sand. If you use sectional track such as KATO you will be able to modify it anytime you like and with easy. Even your wiring is easy because you can just push it down and into the sand.

I myself am working on an On30 indoor layout, that will be utilizing sand. It has taken me a while to track down a good supplier. But it gives you a 100% natural look. It is really easy to make it look good too. Go with sand and sectional track and you will have tons of freedom to alter your layout and what not without any real hassle.
 
http://lancemindheim.com check this site out. It's the blog Lynn is talking about. He's got some great info on there and in his books. Lance covers everything from operations to weathering to cars. You can get a lot into a small space. Since the layout will be small, there's a ton of details you can cram in to really make it come alive.
 
Another excellent resource for shelf layouts is http://www.carendt.com/ That site has micro layouts, like 1x3 feet. Think small and the space you have will seem large. (The site loads slowly, have patience )
I built a switching layout similar to the one mentioned in previous posts. It fit on a hollow-core door 12x80 inches, Atlas #6 code 83 super switches, and had a run-around long enough for an 85 ft coach. You can do quite a lot in the space of a door.

When I had more room, I transplanted all the track to the current layout under construction.
 
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