N Scale Unitrack Plan for Review Please

I am getting back into my N Scale stuff after over a year of no layout. I model in N and O Scale. In my new home (moved in a year ago) I have constructed and am still working on a roughly 17.5’ x 18’ O Gauge layout (it is fully operational now, all track work complete and some scenery started).

I have a lot of N Scale equipment I want to start using as well! The O stuff is great in it’s detail, operation, and sounds! But the N will offer me the longer trains, more scenery in a given area, etc… I want the best of both worlds!

With all of that said, I am going to build an around the room (mainly shelf) N Scale layout at about a 63” track height. This will put it about 18” above the perimeter of the O Gauge Layout (where I have plenty of access openings in the O layout to access the N Scale layout to operate it).

Some Points I am looking to accomplish with the N Scale layout are:
- I do like to watch a train just run, so continuous running is a must
- I do not want to deal too much with grades, so I am leaving all level
- I do want to be able to do some switching, yard work, etc
- I want to model a town area
- I want plenty of industrial sidings.
- I will be running DCC on the Layout

I am attaching some shots of the layout I have designed for review and critiquing. The track work is mainly going to be Kato Unitrack after reading many good things about it with some Atlas Code 80 Flex (where there is nothing to meet the curve in Unitrack) and #4’s for one siding and yard area. I have many Atlas C80 pieces from my last layout (including many turnouts) that I will use to try to keep initial costs down. These may one day be replaced with Unitrack. All Kato Turnouts will be #6 and Crossovers. In the pictures of the layout design the Atlas sections are in blue, all other is Kato.

In all pictures the Grid is 1’ x 1’ . I designed the layout using RR Track Software.

1st Picture is the entire Layout. I made a copy of the staging area and just pasted it in the center area to show it. The staging area will utilize Atlas C80 #6 turnouts.

2nd Picture is the lower right area of the layout where one of the rturn loops is. In this area, I plan on putting the town and some industrial areas at the sidings. Also, this is the area that the staging tracks feed into the layout. I am figuring that I can either back trains back into the staging area or on the other side of the layout is a reversing area and I will be able to just turn the trains to go head-in to the staging area. All sidings are serviced by a branch line that connects to the main just after the staging connects (via Double Crossover) in the lower left area.

3rd picture is the upper right area of the layout. In this shot, there are more industrial sidings, the Arrival/Departure track for the yard (entered into via the double cross over), and the ends of the stub ended yard. There is another branch line that services the sidings at the top and right side of this shot. This branch line is also entered into via a double crossover. To the left of the cross over is a passing siding/storage track area.

The 4th picture is the upper left area of the layout. Here is the yard ladder, yard lead, an engine service/storage area, and the passing siding at the top entered into with another double crossover (trailed by a spur). The track curves around here to proceed to the other return loop (will be in next picture). The double crossover by the stub end spur and bridge on the left will provide me with a reversing area. I plan on insulating all of the connections at the bottom of this turn out for the reverse area and will use a Digitrax Reverse controller.

The 5th picture is the other return loop. This loop will be insulated and powered through a Digitrax reversing controller. In this area, I plan on concealing track in the back of the layout in a tunnel and doing a mountain/residential scene eventually.

I welcome all input and recommendations on this design.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

Very nice! I can't wait to study it when I get home, (6 hours from now)

 

Hi, Jeff,

I'll repost here what I posted over on the Atlas Forum:

- - -

Jeff, it looks great to me.

The one thing that I'll suggest - are you using easements? From looking at your track plan, I think the answer is no?

This is easy to do, by using the Kato Unitrack 28" and 19" curved sections. It makes a big plus to the appearance and obviously easy to do with the Kato Unitrack. Easements also significantly reduce derailment issues due to long cars and long locos with body-mount couplers (i.e. autoracks, big modern diesels) etc.

My 2 cents worth. Keep us posted!

 

John,

Thanks for the reply. I have used either 19” or 28” radius easements going into all curves with the exception of the very top left area of the layout. I am not sure why I did not there (I think it was because I was planning on blocking the view to this curve), but that can be fixed easily with some 19” radius easements leading into one 15” radius 30 degree curve used up there.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

What is meant by using "easements"? I know what an easement is in the real estate world, but not quite understanding the meaning here.

 

FiveFlat, a good question.

See the following:

http://www.trackplanning.com/easements.htm

An because the layout above is being done in Kato Unitrack, while we can't lay 'perfect' easements as we could with flextrack, we can do a pretty decent job by using the following Kato Unitrack sections as various easement-like segments, of decreasing radius, to approach and exit the final curve radius.

In fact, that is exactly what Jeff (jpohl) stated above that he did.

Because the Kato Unitrack comes in both 15 degree and 45 degree curved sections, on a typical N scale layout we may make use frequent use of any of the Kato Unitrack radius curves available in 15 degree segments, which for example here is a partial list:

28"
19"
13.75"
12.375"
11"

or sometimes even the 15" radius 30 degree section may be useful. Of course, you can use any combination of any curved section that you want, these are just suggestions.

Using any of these in proper descending sequence, entering and leaving curves, makes a N scale train in our model railroad curves look a *lot* better.

 

Lots to like here.

How about a direct run into/out of staging from the far RHS? You could run a turnout off the far RHS of the right loop directly into your staging area. Arrivals and departures without having to go through a reversing loop if you choose.

Your branch lines look like they are set up for passing sidings as well. Do you plan on running two trains in opposite directions? Seems like it would be easy to do.

You didn't mention anything about elevation changes. Will you be elevating the tracks along the walls at all? I think it would look good and create a little more sense of distance or separation.

 

Thanks for the replies thus far. I have looked at possibly adding some grades to the line, but I would be sacrificing some of the operational items (reverse loop, industrial spurs, etc) that I want in the layout. Same thing goes for re-arranging the track so it is not parallel to the edge. I do agree all of these things are nice to do. As far as being even with the edge, it is still not a completely straight track since I have different depths on the layout requiring track to curve at several points). Maybe my brain is too tired from real work related things to come up with a different way of doing it. If anyone has RR Track Software and wants to play with the design, you can get it at this link:

http://members.cox.net/jeffkpohl/n%20Scale%20Layout%20Pictures/N%20Scale%20Over%20O%202%20More%206s.rrt

The branch lines indeed can be used as passing sidings too, this was what I originally put them in as. Then I decded to put some spurs off of them to provide industries and some branchline operations while a train is running on the main.

As for the suggestion of an additional return into the staging area off of the lower right return loop, it is a great one, and I would love to do it but… That corner in the bottom right that is not shaded green is actually outside of the house, that is actually a wall. To run a #6 on that side as I have done for the staging yard on the other side of the loop would require too tight of a radius to clear the corner. For this reason, I will have to resort to reversing the train or backing it back into staging. I am OK with this.
Thanks,
Jeff