I've begun construction on my new layout, an N Scale interpretation of a freelanced CSX subdivision somewhere in the Appalachian mountains. Unlike my previous attempts at building a model railroad, I was determined to make The Coal Creek Sub into a finished layout, which also required an element seemingly missing from my previous failed attempts. And that was a little thing called PLANNING. This time around I planned everything out to the last detail, from benchwork, to wiring, not to mention the most important aspect of all. A decent track plan that was completed before a single piece of wood was cut. Previously I would always be changing things as I went along, designing on the go with ultimately disasterous results. So I set out with the Anyrail program and after many hours and cups of coffee later, I have come up with this: The layout is designed to be built in sections. I don't envision living in our current home forever, and a move when it comes will make it easy to relocate the sections. Should my available space decrease in the future from this 10 x 21 foot design, I should be able to find space for at least the first section of the layout. And that is where the story really begins. Currently I am working on the first chunk of the Coal Creek Sub, a 4 x 8 section inspired by Model Railroader's "Virginian" project layout from 2012. I really liked David Popp's design, so I thought, why not adapt it and build an N scale version of an HO layout? The track plan was designed to use Kato Unitrack, however there will be a substantial amount of Atlas track incorporated as well, mainly in yard areas and in places where the limited Kato geometry didn't allow for a track element I wanted to include, such as crossovers in the double track mainline or in places where too many small fitter pieces were required. I'll be taking some progress photos today and posting them later.
In my initial post I didn't include the most recent version of the Coal Creek Sub track plan. I tweaked a couple of things, mainly including an interchange with the NS at Turtle Creek Jct. at the right side of the layout. Originally I was planning to include a large industry there, perhaps a paper mill, but I decided to make it an interchange instead. That track at the lower right might eventually lead to a removable staging yard. I'll see how that develops as construction progresses.
Here are a few pics of the layout as it stands thus far. Nothing fancy. Two 4 x 4 sections bolted together to make a four by eight. Topped with 1/4 inch plywood and an initial layer of 1 inch foam. I plan to use Woodland Scenics 2% inclines to elevate the Elkhorn Branch. Hopefully I will get around to doing that in the next couple of weeks.
I like the interchange idea , allows for more motive power from a second or third road and of course more rolling stock for those road/s . Doing an interchange allowed me to get lumber products to the main and with the main line , it allowed thru frt and pax trains of UP,GN,NP, ... 1940's era and some visiting SP&S, and maybe CP , MilW road as well , which allowed me to run steam and diesel . Ain't this hobby grand ? Looks like you have a great start and tons of things to do !!! Paul
I realize you did not ask for any criticism of the track plan but two things stand out. First your got a duck under at the lower left of the plan and you list your age as 56. In the coming years that duck under will be a constant source of problems for you physically. That is why most Ntrak clubs have gone to "walk thru" modules or have gone linear with no need or room to enter 'into' the layout. I would recommend opening up the layout into a 'U' shape with the ability to walk around the entire layout.
Comments and criticism are always welcome. Yes indeed, there will be two duckunders on the layout. Having anticipated this, I have built the benchwork so that the bottom of the frame is 51" from the floor. It will be possible to access the workbench and the yard area by either stooping under, or sitting in an office chair and comfortably rolling underneath. I'm 5'10" so these dimensions are perfect for me. Seated in the chair I can glide under the layout with ease, my head clearing the benchwork with inches to spare. I will also be able to comfortably work under the layout seated in the rolling chair when it comes time to put in the wiring. Believe me, I have put a lot of thought into this and I tried out a couple of sets of legs to make sure getting into the middle of the layout wouldn't be problematic. I think I've acheived the perfect balance (for me at least) of layout height and easy access. I probably could have designed a layout without any duckunders, but I like what I've come up with.
Looks like a fun plan with a lot of operating potential. Are you anticipating sessions with guests? If so, I would strongly recommend that you widen the main aisle considerably. As drawn you only have about 18-20 between the yard tracks on one side and the '4x8' sections on the other. This is way too narrow for people to pass, and will even seem cramped when you're alone. Can you move the 4x8 sections further down into the area marked 6 & 7? -Gary
Yes, the aisle between the yard and the rest of the layout is 22". It was originally supposed to be 24" but I added another two inches to the yard side to make it 14" wide. I know this is considered quite narrow and I wish it was at least 3 feet wide but I find that I can comfortably move around after having tested out the access. That part of the basement is only 10 feet wide and I needed at least two feet for access along the bottom. So other than reducing the 4 x 8 sections to a three foot width, the footprint is the way it is and can't really be altered. I wanted to basically take an HO plan and build it in N scale, having mountainous areas that dominate the trains and really give the feel of Appalachia which would not be possible with a more linear around the walls design. I agonized over these choices for several months and felt that for the effect I was trying to achieve I had to live with certain limitations. It's certainly not ideal, but given the fact that formal operating sessions with multiple operators is not really a goal, I think I can work with the layout as is, especially seeing as I am more of a builder than an operator.
I really like the fact that you have a lot of loaders on that branch line! It should be fun to switch those! I've got a duckunder that's 52-1/2" high and a whopping 48" across but it was neccesary in order to keep my left-hand-is-south & right-hand-is-north orientation. I've got a helix on either side of the duckunder, which explains some of it's depth. You've got to do what you gotta do!! I've used a few sets of the woodland scenics inclines and a couple of them were not cut properly, in that the heights of certain sections didn't match up with the piece ahead and after them. Just check everything first on a flat surface to make sure they all mate up well. You might want to put in a crossover/engine escape track somewhere in Rogers Yard, as there's no provision for it. Will be following with interest, Trevor D.
I initially thought about some kind of a runaround track in Rogers Yard, but seeing as the five yard tracks will be only about 3 feet in length, including a crossover would really make two of the tracks almost useless. An N scale coal hopper is approximately 3 3/4 inches in length measured coupler to coupler. So each track has a capacity of 9 cars give or take. There wouldn't be enough room for one loco to run around a 20-30 car train anyway. I envision using Eastridge Yard as a form of visible staging. A train leaving the yard and coming through Prestonville can always take the switch at Rogersville Jct. and take the train up through Piney Gap where the motive power can be cut from the train and run back down through Elkhorn Jct. and come up behind the train and push the cars into Rogers Yard that way. Okay, not ideal or not anything you would see in actual railroading, but even in N scale you can't have everything. It will work for the simple and semi-formal operating that I plan on doing.
Completed a bit of benchwork over the weekend while I wait for more track supplies to arrive at the front door. Again, nothing fancy, just simple grids made from 1 x 3 pine, still waiting for the 1/4 inch plywood and 1 inch foam. Also started putting up some backdrop.
Maybe I'm not reading your drawing correctly, but it appears that you have 3' of clearance 'below' the 4x8s (area 6 & 7). If you moved the 4x8s down about 6" you would split the difference on aisle space and gain valuable space in the middle. But I admit that I don't know what else is going on in the lower area, so maybe that doesn't work for some reason. Your drawing does show a track spacing of 22", but if you include 2" of scenery on either side you're down to 18", and if you have any control panel material on the fascias, you'll be *really* glad to have the extra space. I don't mean to hound you about this, just food for thought before it's too late. I won't bring it up again. Nice job on the benchwork! -Gary
Thanks for your input! I think the track plan would be a lot clearer if I had drawn in all the walls which surround the area. Yes, along the bottom there is three feet of space between the layout edge and the wall, but at some points there are a couple of obstructions which take away from that space. There is a floor-to-ceiling bulkhead that covers a support column which sticks out excactly 12" into that three foot aisle along with two large closet doors that swing out as well which my wife is in and out of constantly. I had originally built an 8 foot wide layout in that space which I disassembled in favour of this one because of these annoying nuisances, so effectively the layout could be no wider than seven feet. I'll post another track plan with the walls drawn into it soon which will clearly show what I mean.
I've made some more progress on the benchwork over the weekend. I've completed the 21 foot long section that will eventually be Eastridge Yard. Having a precise track plan and knowing ahead of time where each and every track will go makes it much easier to build the benchwork with confidence knowing everything will fit. My goal is to finish every single stick of benchwork before I seriously get into any actual modeling. I want all the mess and sawdust out of the way. This is the part of the hobby that I just can't wait to finish. At times it seems as if you're standing still and not making any progress, but slowly it's all coming together. I've included a few photos showing how things stand as of now. You'll notice that there are parts of a backdrop in some of the pics. This was already in place on my previous layout, but I will be taking it down because it takes away about three inches of real estate from the new 14 inch wide yard area. What I will be doing is cutting the backdrop sections in half horizontally, making them only 12 inches high and including a valance over the benchwork with some lighting built into it. I will simply attach the masonite backdrop directly to the wall instead of on a space-wasting grid of 1 x 2's. My lovely and talented wife will be working on making some curtains to cover up the horde of model railroad magazines underneath, as well as for the table sections so that all the bins, tools, totes can be hidden from view. She went to some wholesale textile place and came back with this humungous bolt of black material with which she will work her magic. If I have some time during the week I will start stringing some bus wires through the benchwork in preperation for my least favorite task to come... wiring. Geez, when am I gonna get to the fun part already...?
You might be asking, "what's going on with the layout?" Or not. Either way, the simple answer is not much. No progress to report whatsoever. With some gorgeous not-a-cloud-in-the-sky spring weather upon us, I have been taken away from the basement and compelled to spend my free time outside doing all the things that need doing. Yard work, cleaning out the garage, deck staining and a seeminly endless list of other routine chores have reduced my layout time to zero. I think I tried sneaking downstairs for a couple of minutes last weekend, risking the wrath of my better half but when I imagined the words that would be directed at me upon discovery, I shot back upstairs faster than one of our cats when they hear the sound of a can opener. Ahh spring... NOT a good time to be a model railroader...
Progress on the layout has been slow of late, with multiple house and yard projects making demands on my time, however it's not all work and no play. I completed another 4 x 4 foot section of benchwork, and have started test fitting the 2% Woodland Scenics inclines for the Elkhorn Branch. It's difficult to really get on a roll when you have to make do with a half hour here and a half hour there. Here are some pictures of the latest goings on.
I know how you feel about the whole 'when am I going to get to the fun part'. For that matter, I'm sure most everyone here knows how that feels lol! Right now I'm stuck in that phase right along with ya (nothing says fun like wiring up your frogs...) Still, even with spring being here, it looks like you're making some good progress. Keep it up!
