Starting my first Layout.

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shurley02

New Member
Hello All....

I am excited to start my first real, semi-permanent HO scale model train layout. I have been gifted quite a bit of stock and engines and made a 4x8 table with the old track. I am in IT by trade, so my immediate interest was in building my own DCC setup with opensource products and building the track management system with JMRI. So, I built a 4x8 table and a two-line main with some spurs using a DCC-EX controller, built some switch drivers, some lighting control and learned a lot. I quickly discovered that 18" radius won't cut it for 6x6 wheel larger engines. So, I tore it down and I am building a larger layout with 22" and 24" radius minimums. I the table is almost built, and I am futzing around with the layout in RailModeller Pro with the minimal space I have in my home office. My goal with this forum is to lean on your experience and get some feedback on how I should build the layout. The quarter round in the upper left is in a corner so that I can get to the other side of the layout, and the right side has a foot and a half distance away from the wall. The green tracks are grades to 3" and the red is the top of the grade at 3". It should be about a 2% grade. I am afraid I am doing too much in the yard, and that the curves that are parallel are too close at 2". Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Looks like a nice space and cool track plan!
Yeah on the curves I think most would agree with two and a quarter spacing.
The yard may be a bit crowded but that all depends on how much rolling stock you want on the layout. A friend once pointed out that I didn’t need everything on the tracks at one time, turns out he was right.
Since you’re looking for suggestions, if I had one thing to change it would be to add one more track somehow to allow sorting in the yard without fouling the junction.
There’s a wealth of knowledge here so we should be able to answer any questions you may have.
Cheers!

Oh, love that view out the window!
 
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Hi shurley02 Welcome on board.

I do not comment on track plans. What works for one could be alien to someone else.

I do say make it operable for one operator as one operator is there most of the time. Not to over complicate trackwork as things do go wrong and if difficult to correct can cause a person to 'walk away' dissatisfied.
Be able to access all trackwork. Trains love to derail in the most difficult of places.

Many will say 'Have fun'. They are correct. Keep it fun. It is not a job or a race. Go at your own pace. Keep going.
Remember it is a hobby. Treat it as one. Treat it as one and it will repay a thousandfold.
 


Welcome to the group Shurley.

Looks like a very clean comfortable space to work in! I like the cut-out in the back on the right. most people when they build don't allow for access for Murphy. We all know he loves to come visit layouts! Cant add anything to the track plan itself, I'm the worst at it.

Great bunch of members here, so any questions just ask.
 
Rico said:
Looks like a nice space and cool track plan!
Yeah on the curves I think most would agree with two and a quarter spacing.
The yard may be a bit crowded but that all depends on how much rolling stock you want on the layout. A friend once pointed out that I didn’t need everything on the tracks at one time, turns out he was right.
Since you’re looking for suggestions, if I had one thing to change it would be to add one more track somehow to allow sorting in the yard without fouling the junction.
There’s a wealth of knowledge here so we should be able to answer any questions you may have.
Cheers!

Oh, love that view out the window!
Click to expand...
I'm going to work on the yard a bit. I'll look for some videos on yard management and see if I can't work that a bit better and add sorting track, great suggestion, thank you. I do have a pullman set that I can use to test the curve spacing. Since those are pretty long, it should give me a good indication of proper spacing. I'll probably build out shelving on the wall for display and stock storage. My initial thought was to get everything out that I can, but it's getting over crowded and there is less room for scenes and buildings. I would like to get some animation in the yard so I need to open it a bit, I think I am over zealous on the yard!

PS. The view out the front windows is easy on the eyes. The view out the back is spectacular. I'm 20 miles from Glacier National Park, so on some portion of the layout grade, I want model a snowshed that I see in Marias Pass.
 
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NorthBrit said:
Hi shurley02 Welcome on board.

I do not comment on track plans. What works for one could be alien to someone else.

I do say make it operable for one operator as one operator is there most of the time. Not to over complicate trackwork as things do go wrong and if difficult to correct can cause a person to 'walk away' dissatisfied.
Be able to access all trackwork. Trains love to derail in the most difficult of places.

Many will say 'Have fun'. They are correct. Keep it fun. It is not a job or a race. Go at your own pace. Keep going.
Remember it is a hobby. Treat it as one. Treat it as one and it will repay a thousandfold.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the warm welcome. I do tend to overthink things a bit, it's an occupational hazard in my line of work. I wanted to be sure there was access everything, I think I have designed enough room, time and experience will tell :). I have so much to learn about signaling, rules, CV management, it's a hobby that looks shallow on the surface, but runs deep when you really dive in!
 
migalyto said:
Welcome to the group Shurley.

Looks like a very clean comfortable space to work in! I like the cut-out in the back on the right. most people when they build don't allow for access for Murphy. We all know he loves to come visit layouts! Cant add anything to the track plan itself, I'm the worst at it.

Great bunch of members here, so any questions just ask.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I wanted to give it some clean lines as I spend a lot of time in here. It almost feels art-deco with the curves. The cut-out in the back was actually my wife's suggestion, I was just going to keep it off the wall but that took away real estate, and she suggested a cut-out in the middle, which wouldn't have worked, but compromised with the corner and I think it came out really well. Some of the design is ideas are from watching Mr. Benchwork on YouTube. I needed more room for my chair to slide in and out, and the curved edges helped immensely. I am hoping to get the track laid down during the summer and work on the scenes during the winter.
 
shurley02 said:
Thank you! I wanted to give it some clean lines as I spend a lot of time in here. It almost feels art-deco with the curves. The cut-out in the back was actually my wife's suggestion, I was just going to keep it off the wall but that took away real estate, and she suggested a cut-out in the middle, which wouldn't have worked, but compromised with the corner and I think it came out really well. Some of the design is ideas are from watching Mr. Benchwork on YouTube. I needed more room for my chair to slide in and out, and the curved edges helped immensely. I am hoping to get the track laid down during the summer and work on the scenes during the winter.
Click to expand...
Another thought just occurred while downstairs working on my layout. Maybe you have thought of this as well.

You could also use that space in the back corner by mounting some kind of scenery (trees, houses, farm scene) on foam, or thin plywood. When you need access it could serve as a lift-out when needed.

As we all know space is a premium on our layouts. Could even be some non-rail served industry.
 


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