Hey everyone. Now that we have moved and I have an upstairs unfinished to do my hobbies in, I have decided to start building the layout I want. It is going to be big enough to do running on two main lines and will incorporate Amtrak Station to Station and the ability for Freight operations to an extent. I would like everyone's feedback and suggestions. What I have designed is not set in stone. I have attached a picture of the benchwork top. Fortunately when they built my house they left a boatload of wood upstairs to use so I dont have to purchase anything to do my benchwork. Then if you'll look at the attached layout, you'll see a yard. The yard will be on the plywood while the rest of the layout is 2" up on foam core. There will be a grade to take the train from the yard into the layout and give the impression the yard is elsewhere. i will incorporate a couple of grades and a few industries that i have not decided on quite yet. Would just like to "poll the [much more experienced than I] audience" Thanks in advance!! Benchwork: Layout:
First suggestion: Draw the plan to scale. Much of it won't fit, specifically the yard. Switches take much more length than you've drawn, thus crossovers do too, and you need to leave enough length beyond the crossovers for something to fit. A 4x3 space is very short and (for a layout this size) fat for a yard. Incidentally, is that yard for freight or passenger? How long of freight and passenger trains are you expecting to run? You'll find that, on a layout this size, when you try to redesign the yard to make it functional, it'll end up taking up the whole layout. And then you'll have to decide what the real purpose of the layout is. Believe me, this is a real problem for me. I've never been able to design a layout for a space anything like this that offers what I'd consider satisfactory representation of mainline operations. Passenger stations don't have to be (and usually aren't) on single stub tracks. Most modern engine terminals don't have a roundhouse. What is the function of the reversing sections? What are the expected train routings?
Thanks for the input! I realize the yard is kind of small. And I certainly have plenty of room to expand it much larger if need be. I'm trying to come up with a reasonable size to have mainline operations. I like seeing trains run. I do not get a whole lot of enjoyment out of trying to uncouple cars and drop them off in places usually because my clumsy hands end up derailing something. The reversing loops were just simply to allow the train to turn itself around so its not just going in one big loop. I'm open to suggestions for changes and new layouts. I thought about just doing something about a foot wide and very long to have a large mainline with a yard on one side and an operations type "town" on the other. I have about a 650 sqft unfinished upstairs to work with. eventually it'll get finished (framing is almost done), insulated, electrical, hvac, drywall, and carpet. But for now its just a big attic area. so space is not an issue.
The only suggestions I have for this space are highly biased and based on my own layout. Start the yard lead at "top" and run it down with yard throat or "high switch" at least 5 feet from the end of the tracks at the "bottom". It would be hard to put a double ended passenger terminal in this space. I would have one station siding with possibly a stub or two off of it to store trains / cars. You could "in theory also divide the freight yard area which is 3 feet deep with a separate lead to a stub end passenger terminal. Backing a 5 car passenger train through a series of turnouts is "iffy" at best. You may find yourself re-railing it. The 3 foot depth is an issue unless you have access around it. That is quite a stretch depending on how tall you are. I'm 5'8" and that is pushing it for me. Hope this helps
Hello! I echo the earlier sentiments, especially the "draw to scale" one. It's amazing how much space turnouts, crossovers & curves can take up, even if you do use curved turnouts, trimming & such. There are free programs like XtrkCAD, or very good programs like AnyRail or 3rdPlanIt, all of which will help "keep you honest" in the design phase. Other issues include reach & use of space. With 3' deep benchwork, you'll have a 50" reach to the back of the corners: a stretch no matter your orangutan arms (if you have them), or even for Elastagirl. And if you do have all-around access, then there's probably a better round-the-walls type layout you could be looking at, which will allow for broader curves (important for the longer passenger cars) and shallower benchwork. If you sketched out the actual space you have to work with, including any obstructions / doorways / etc., we can probably help a bit better. You've come to the right place! Have fuN!
Ask and you shall receive!! I sketched and measured the walls available. I have a window on the right that can't be blocked, but i could certainly hug the wall from the window around to the left side and could have large islands coming out from the walls at the ends that can be reached from 3 sides. That would allow me a long double mainline with some passings i guess, and then i could have a large yard at one end, and some operations at the other?
The picture is a bit fuzzy, so I just wanted to make sure of the space you sketched out: Sir, congratulations on your new, healthy baby train room! Lots you can do, here, mainly driven by your interests. The following sketches use 1' squares. 5' wide peninsulas (with a backdrop, mountains or skyscrapers as scenic dividers down the middle) give plenty o' room for 24"+ curves and scenery: good for those long passenger trains. Or, a more modest version: And if you'd like to keep everything on the "inside" (not having to walk around the peninsula / doublesided backdrop), then here's 2' benchwork all the way around, with a peninsula in the middle for mainline or for industry: Most of these can be made with sectional benchwork, so you can build & run pieces at a time. Or, heck, go for the double / tripple decker! Have fun!
With the second and third pictures, how would u suggest laying the track? Because of the slope of the roof, I won't be able to do a double Decker.
