... over crowding your layout? I have a 2' x 4' plan and I like it, but I have to keep fighting the urge to add to it or just make it bigger. I am limiting myself to a 2'x4' right now for time and room purposes. See, my layout doesn't seem that interesting (Look at post #4 thumbnail # 2 in this thread : http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=128153) at times to me, but I like it due to simplicity. Or, should I just go all in switching layout on a 2'x4'? I am considering taking out the passing siding as it does not seem useful. Or is it because I looking at a plan and not the physical layout? When you planned your first layout, did you ever have the urge to max it out? How did you curb it? Any suggestions for me? Thanks!
Well I originally wanted a spaghetti bowl on my 36x80 hcd. I tried cramming sooo much stuff in there that it was going to look a little ridiculous. but after figuring out what all I wanted on my layout, and also figuring in the cost of +/- $15 per turnout, that got me to rethink the whole thing. I dont think I have any passing sidings and I only have 2 or 3 industry sidings and thats it. There is a chance I may regret that decision but right now I really care more about building and improving my modeling skills than having a bowl of spaghetti. Ultimately it comes down to what you want and what makes you happy. That also keeps you from burning out and not enjoying this hobby.
Drop, I know that feeling of regretting it later. That is what I am trying to avoid, but I know I have to learn along the way as everyone else has. I am also taking that point of view of honing my skills and enjoying the hobby. I think I am initially going to mock up my industries and eventually scratch build them. I figure the best thing to do is to eliminate the yard and put two more industries in that area and have the interchange going to a yard I can add later on. That should be easy to add on to the current layout. Four industries and continuous running of the initial layout should be enough. Thanks!
Adding on for a future yard is a great idea, its one of the things Im doing as well, cuz around the time when your sitting there going hmm, this needs something new, build the yard!
I made a micro layout (20"x30" roundy round) with Tomix mini-curve track last year, and my main regret was trying to pack in more track. I wanted to have enough stations and sidings to swap 2 (or even 3) trains, but this cut down the length I could run - a 2-8-0 pulling either a 55' coach or a pair of 2 axle boxcars and a brake van. If I had gone for a single train layout I could have extended the length with a second coach or 2-3 more boxcars. Still short, but a length that would have more realistically run on the prototype. 2x4 is really hard to be original in especially if you want continous running. The second set of sidings (mystery plant/engine pen) does seem to be a bit much - could it maybe be linked to from the other side of the loop? Granted I'm hostile towards switchbacks, so take that with a grain of salt. However I do really like your simple point to point L layout, it's simple and elegant. One element you can use on a very small layout and which worked well on mine is height - not a full track over track climb, but rather making one part of the layout slightly higher then the other, accented with scenary. For example you could raise the rear buildings and track by 1" after they where connected to the back of the loop. Despite the very small size of my layout the height change, along with a tunnel on one side, really helped seperate the areas so that it didn't look like a yard with a loop of track around it.
Build the simplified version first. Leave room for expansion. I - might - some day add a dedicated bullet train line. I'm designing the layout and scenery accordingly.
"Plan to add" I say this a lot. Also, there seems to be no better teaching moment than spending week after week on a project only to stand back and say "I did this wrong" either way we learn and experience what we do and do not like. For me(and many others, from what I read) building each layout teaches me how to build the next one better. My new thing is building a small one foot piece of track & scenery as a start of a bigger vision. As I look through a year's worth of my layout sketches and doodling I see a trend of simplifying track plans, for example replacing a complicated yard with streets, hills, trees, backdrop paintings.
