Well Alan watching the progress of your railroad has moved me to get off my butt and get going. This may be a bit premature, but I have just started on the last expansion of the Logan Valley. It is in the extreme early stages right now. Track plan - NONE, but I have a good idea of what I want to do. I really don't trust track plan drawings. I have tried to use them in the past and from experience, I have found out that they are more of a suggestion, than a plan. What I like to do is actually place my track, turnouts and major structures about where I want them and use this as a starting point. This way it is easier to adjust the track plan when you have the structures in place and you have the demensions. It's easier to move a spur or track than lopping off 4 scale feet of a building. The first picture is looking down a 13 foot long slab of plywood. Along the wall at the right I will use some of Walthers backdrop buildings which will provide some industries for switching that don't eat up a lot of real estate. Where the piece of track is laying on the right side is the track that will service these industries. The next four tracks will be a yard. The last two tracks next to the package of latex gloves with the 8 on them will be the two tracks servicing the passenger station, which will be about where the pack of gloves is. The black box towards the left next to the flextrack is about where the main street for the town will be. This way the main street buildings will be closer for viewing, and be great for interior detailing. There is plenty of room for buildings on both sides. In the distance, you'll see a drill. That will be where a turntable will be set, In the second picture, it's easier to see. To the extreme left is a tunnel portal which comes up from hidden staging and then the two tracks with the passenger cars are the entrance to the town and yard. Behind the tracks, you can see where the base for the roundhouse and and where the turntable will be. Right where the road bed ends and the track will be on plywood will be a turnout to serve a couple of industries at the front of the layout. In the last picture is probably what looks like a mess. The entry to the yard comes in from the lower left across the double crossover and then there is a double slip switch. Thtough the double slip switch to the right will go into a three way into the yard. Coming off fron the left is placed a right hand #4 whuch will be the approach to the turntable. The track closest to the wall will be serving the indistries tha ill be the Walthers background buildings, with the turnout to the left being a team track. I ues I could have ried to draw a track plan, but I can't even draw a decent stick man. For me, doing it this way is a bit closer to reality. Like I said, tis plan is an the early stages. I put an order in today for the last few items needed to get the construction started. Being that I will probably only be able to work on it during the weekends, it could be a long process. Thanks to the posts on this site, it has given me the inspitation to get er done !
Sounds like an interesting build - looking forward to following it and taking notes. I was wondering, in your first photo looking down the 13 ft. plywood - how wide is that? Is it an easy or hard reach into it from the edge?
Where the first picture was taken the width is 41 inches wide. This area was vacant and a catchall for over 10 years and a lot of thought has gone into it. The height is 48 inches high. Standing on the ground you have about a three foot reach, but I made a stool years ago just for the purpose of track cleaning and other work. With the stool it is no problem. When it comes to uncoupling, I am a fanatic about keeping my Kadee couplers in top shape so this shouldn't be a problem either. Turnouts closer to the edge will have manual throws and the ones toward the rear will be controlled by either switch machines or choke cables, which I find to be more reliable. At my age I find that I don't seem to like going under a layout as I was years ago.
Gotcha - I made the mistake of utilizing ALL the space I had in my trainroom (lengthwise), never thinking about the long reach inside to the center of the table. So I find it hard to reach and I have to crawl to get to the far side. What can I say but it has been a learning experience! The stool sounds great, I was curious about your means to reach. I've never considered choke cables for controlling switches, that sounds like a great idea.
Dave, Jerry, don't mean to be a naysayer by any means, but good plans, mixed with ability to adapt, usually end up with a solid layout. I have actively built four, incl two of my own and the PSMRE layout at the Washington State History Museum, and in each case using cadrail and/or plan-it, the layouts have gone in exactly per plan. The only changes were to track locations where industry or other diversions dictated. But, all that said, it's still model railroading and everyone has pleasure to do it their own way. Michael
It's looking real good. I agree on the track planning. I like to see how my structures will fit into the track work before committing to anything. Keep the pics coming.
I'm cheap ! I do have a number of turnouts that area electrically controlled, but installing a choke cable is fast and easy and cuts down on a lot of wireing. No connections electrical connections to worry about either.
Yesterday I received some Caboose Industries ground throws. I didn't have enough on hand. Hopefully my backgtound buildings will be in next week. I'll need these so I can get the measurements correct for laying the track at the rear of the layout. I don't want to have 6 or 7 scale feet ftom a freight car to a loading dock. I figure the best was is to start from the rear of the layout and work to the front edge. In that order with the buildings is (hopefully) the last two turnouts I'll need. Guess work should be startrd on assembling the turntable so their final position can be set also. Once these are in place, track laying will hopefully progress.
I wish. My order hasn't arrived yet with some items that are necessary to get things going. All I can do is wait.
I have been busy working on my own layout and just caught up with this thread. Your track planning method very closely resembles mine! I have never been able to convincingly draw a plan which works right off as things always get moved around for buildings etc. to fit, so now I start off by doing it on the boards! I will be watching your progress with interest, as I am in the early stages on mine, but mostly doing things which do not show any particular progress (like wiring up turnout switches, track feeds, etc.) I have done some test running at each stage, so that if anything is amiss, it is the last thing you did, instead of trying to find the culprit out of masses of wires, etc!
I find that laying out the track right where you want it, and placing any structures where they hopefully will end up to be a bit easier than trying to duplicate a printed track plan. Going back quite a few years ago, while on vacation visiting a good friend, who had a track plan done with a cad program. Things were close, but not quite exact. We were hand laying track at the time, and this made things a lot easier than using "store bought" track and turnouts. Being that this is not an option for me now, laying out the yard and town right on the board is without a doubt the best option. Now if my order would arrive, I could move ahead. I found out that I had even run out of paint to get the turnouts and track painted. Looks like I did get this posted a little early. Like you, a lot of work will have to be done without showing any real physical progress.
Yesterday a package arrived with the last wo turnouts needed and what I need for weathering the track. The backdrop buildings also arrived so I can take what measurements are needed to get the weathered track laid. Hooorah.
Ah, the waiting for supplies is frustrating, but now you can make progress! Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SII using Tapatalk 2