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    First attempt at an HO layout

    Hi cengel, My initial feedback is to give you an idea for a somewhat different layout: Operationally, you could have several options: run point-to-point (from Anna to Bellevue/Carrollton/Denver), out-and-back (Anna to the Bellevue/Carrolton "bulge" and back), or round-and-round (using the...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Right, I knew that once upon a time. I gotta re-read some of my books.... Thanks. Yeah, it does depend on how you sell it, and it looks like you've done a good job of creating a win-win with your Mrs. Stein. Way to go. And now I know who to get ideas from when I have the opportunity to...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Hi and thanks for the continuing comments. The pool table is 4x8 feet, and it will probably go on Craiglist. Either that or I'll put some wheels on the train table legs and we can roll it out of the way to play pool. :p I just realized something that's misleading about the elevations. Long...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Here's a rough diagram of the game room. Moving the toy/game storage is non-negotiable. Moving the couch and TV is non-negotiable. Not shown is the pool table situated under the train table. Your move. :D Best, Thomas
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Yes, I've thought about it, although with a lot of unhappiness. (See more below.) 1) The layout is in the game room, which is about 20' square. Regrettably, I must share the space with the wife and kids, so an around-the-walls style isn't feasible. (But I can dream....) 2) The trackwork...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Here are a few more modifications. Major changes: - I eliminated the dodgy/tricky crossover where the reverse loop crossed the mainline. (The reverse loop is now contained entirely inside the mainline loop.) - Got rid of a few S curves, mostly in the industry spurs/turnouts on the upper-left...
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    KUdos to all members

    This... ...and this. I realize it's hard to decipher someone's layout, and I did expect to get a whole lot more views than replies. I think I got my expectations out of whack seeing some of the multi-page threads discussing some of the finer points of design. Sorry to anyone who was...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Yep, everything that's green will be hidden. Thanks for the tip on reverse loops...I'll see if I can hunt down the thread you mention. I'm guessing it's an issue of having to reverse the DCC signals in the loop, and (critically) the locomotive/system detecting when it enters the reverse loop so...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    Thanks Cj. And aye, there's the rub. This is my first "real" layout, but I am planning for a lot of trial-and-error and walk-before-you-run practice. I've always been a pretty good learner, and while my first few runs of track might look like a stretch of rail after being beat on for a decade...
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    H & W RR -- second try

    The "H&W Spaghetti Bowl" has evolved quite a bit. The new track plan keeps much of the spirit of the old, but is significantly reworked. The operations plan is to switch the sidings in the "city" in the upper-left quadrant, running trains up to and down from the marshaling yard (which will...
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    The H&W spaghetti bowl

    Thanks everyone for the comments, I really appreciate them. CJ - In the zip file I have images of each layer -- I didn't want to "pollute" the original post with them all, but I guess people don't want to download a zip file...which is understandable. OCN, that's an idea that I've known about...
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    KUdos to all members

    My initial stab at a track plan has 250 views and ... one person provided feedback. And really, I wasn't looking for much. It would take only a few minutes to give it a quick look and reply with "you'll never be able to build that because...", or "I think you'll have trouble with this...
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    The H&W spaghetti bowl

    Good point about track support. The scenery above the staging will need some serious support too. I may have to shift the staging to fit in vertical supports -- or even eliminate a track of staging. As for the backdrop, its location and the location of the trackwork that goes through it is not...
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    The H&W spaghetti bowl

    Thanks DAZ. Here are a couple of images that will help you sort through the mess, if you can't get the zip downloaded. The first image is the mainline and lower-level reverse loop; the second is the mid-level reverse loop and mountain division. I've left off the staging; you can see in the...
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    The H&W spaghetti bowl

    It's fitting we're having spaghetti for dinner tonight.... Hi everyone, I am a longtime armchair modeler (going on 30 years now), with a little experience in laying real track and running real trains. About to turn all that reading and planning into something real. I'm getting older, and the...




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