xtrcad layout design

[wright2626]

did a real crappy job, but wanted to see what you guys thought of the layout plan. the only problem is i do not know how to post it on here. apparently it is the wrong format. anyone know how to change it?

thanks for the help. i figured it out, finally.

 

[lmackattack]

try and "save as" a diffrent file type.

or

open the file in a program on your computer(such as "MS paint") and click "save as" then chouse a diffrent file type.

hard to explain over the internet.. good luck

Trent

 

[brickbuilder711]

did a real crappy job, but wanted to see what you guys thought of the layout plan. the only problem is i do not know how to post it on here. apparently it is the wrong format. anyone know how to change it?

Open the .bmp on Irfanview and hit "SAVE AS" and save it as a .jpg file.

 

[steinjr]

Three easy ways (under the assumption that you are running XtrkCad on a box under Microsoft Windows):

Alternative 1:
a) File | export to bitmap, make sure "print borders" is checked
b) Open bmp file using e.g. Microsoft Paint, save as jpg
c) Upload

Alternative 2:
a) Grab screen image (printscreen key or alt+printscreen)
b) Paste into e.g. Microsoft paint, crop, save as jpg
c) Upload

Alternative 3:
a) File | export to bitmap, make sure "print borders" is checked
b) Open with e.g. Microsoft fax and image viewer (which does a nice job of scaling the image to fit a single screen)
c) Grab screen image, turn into jpg as in point 2 above
d) Upload

Smile,
Stein

 

[wright2626]

layout

think i figured it out. not sure, so tell me what you think. i have a door opening in on the right lower corner, and on the bottom left is a closet that gets accessed quite a bit.

 

[steinjr]

Maybe we should start with the basics:

1) Scale looks like H0 - is that correct?

2) What type of place and what era are you trying to model ?


A couple of immediate reactions:
a) Aisles seems too narrow, benchwork too deep (for having an E-shaped layout in part of a 9x9 foot room).

b) tracks in the upper right hand corner is at max reach - not optimal for switching.

c) All buildings are in the middle or front of layout, taking up quite a bit of layout space and hindering access.

The valuable space along the walls is apparently not used for flats - flats and semiflats along walls are great for making big buildings (which looks like they need rail service), without using up a lot of layout surface.

If what you want is a switching layout (where you will need quite a bit of access to couple & uncouple cars), try for narrower benchwork, more aisle space and more background buildings.

And try some different bench configurations than the E too. Here is e.g. a quick F shaped concept sketch:

Lance Mindheim has out a pretty good book on designing shelf switching layouts. You can find it e.g on Amazon by searching for Lance Mindheim. Might be worth reading.

Anyways - good luck with your design!

Smile,
Stein

 

[wright2626]

yes, it is ho scale. if i didnt have so much ho scale stuff, id probably do n scale. ive read some of Lance's stuff, and some of John Armstrongs stuff. thought of doing several things, but this is the one ive liked the most. kind of want to keep it simple. we are in a rent house, and might be looking to move next summer. most of my engines are either csx or icg, so thinking midwest. they are mostly gp-30, 38's and 40's. ive got a lot of covered hoppers and boxcars. thinking 70-80 time area(modern).

 

[steinjr]

yes, it is ho scale. if i didnt have so much ho scale stuff, id probably do n scale. ive read some of Lance's stuff, and some of John Armstrongs stuff. thought of doing several things, but this is the one ive liked the most. kind of want to keep it simple. we are in a rent house, and might be looking to move next summer. most of my engines are either csx or icg, so thinking midwest. they are mostly gp-30, 38's and 40's. ive got a lot of covered hoppers and boxcars. thinking 70-80 time area(modern).

Well, if what you want to build is a temporary layout, why not make it far simpler, so you have a chance of getting something finished in the year you have before you move, and small enough that it will fit into most rooms in a new house ?

This is a variant of the example track plan used by Lance Mindheim in his book on designing shelf switching layouts:

Pretty simple track plan, but room for interchange, some yard sorting and serving a handful of industries.

Can be built in two or three sections (corner, right wing, left wing). Should be fairly easy to transport and set up in a new location.

Just mirror it, take off a foot of the longest side, and add a foot to the shortest side. Or something.

Anyways - the two core points I am trying to make are:
- Background buildings/flats are in general a good idea for industries
- Better to vary bench depth than to squeeze aisles too much

But your layout have to follow your vision of the place you want to create.

Smile,
Stein

 

[cajon]

think i figured it out. not sure, so tell me what you think. i have a door opening in on the right lower corner, and on the bottom left is a closet that gets accessed quite a bit.

Made a couple of changes to you plan to make things flow better hopefully. LOL

 

[Beachbum]

Wright, I don't understand the spur track layout in the upper right hand corner unless the XTC drawing is meant to be a proof of concept or something.

Stein presented a very nice shelf design there - runaround with facing spurs for some ops interest, interchange track, and some yard tracks for arrival, departure and off-spot cars. You could even put a water feature running where those 2 cars are sitting at X= 10 ft and Y = 7 ft. Or maybe a highway underpass or overpass? And you could easily incorporate it into a larger layout later.

Well, just my thoughts.

 

[Motley]

Looks like you still have reach issues in the upper left and upper right corners that Stein pointed out.

 

[wright2626]

ill look at the layout stein drew up. sometimes i just think bigger than i really have to work with. the upper right of my plan was intended to be a yard of some sort, i just couldnt get the angles to work with the xtracad. the reach isnt that bad, but the more i think of it, and look at it, i think 18 inch shelves would be better. think that is part of what i keep running into is trying to fill that much space.

 

[Beachbum]

ill look at the layout stein drew up. sometimes i just think bigger than i really have to work with. the upper right of my plan was intended to be a yard of some sort, i just couldnt get the angles to work with the xtracad. the reach isnt that bad, but the more i think of it, and look at it, i think 18 inch shelves would be better. think that is part of what i keep running into is trying to fill that much space.

Ah. I understand, thanks. The urge to fill space is strong in many of us.

I'd strongly consider a sectional layout that you could easily take apart and transport if you do move. I had a large Homasote on L-girder layout that did not survive my last move and it was painful to see it go into the trash. After that I swore I'd only do modules / sections from then on. OTOH, sometimes trashing everything and starting fresh is a good thing...