Basic help with layout design (long!)

Scott,

Have you given any thought to the many layout books available? When I had a basement to use, I looked at several of the layout books done by Armstrong, Rice, et.al. and combined and modified to make my layout 'do' what I had envisioned it to do. Are you going to model a prototype or freelance? What era, scale? You mentioned a few things you do/don't want, any other contingencies for your layout?

Jeff Hensley Sugar Creek RR Greenfield,IN

You might want to look at something like 3rdPlanit:

's a free trial offer. There's a very active Yahoo newsgroup and the program author is a frequent visitor/contributor to it. Many of the guys have designs you can download and look at and if you fool around with your own design (or one of theirs) you can actually run trains in 3D and see how it "feels" as well as discover the gotchas you don't find until you've built them. There's also a web site maintained by a user which stores many pre-made things like buildings, bridges, rolling stock (which works in 3D) and other folks' layouts. The program's well supported and you can easily save what you pay for it in mistakes/aggravation avoided on the real layout.

Jim

-- Jim Sherman xROADKILL snipped-for-privacy@zYAHOOa.COM < remove lower case letters, then use what's left AS lower case

The hurrider I goes the behinder I gets; which makes sense because the older I gets the more behind I gets. And I is gettin an old behind!

Jim, actually I did this diagram in 3rdPlanit and then converted to a .jpg to post on the net. However, I didn't realize that their yahoo group, etc. was so popular - I may definitely take a look at that and see if anyone there has ideas.

Thanks for the >You might want to look at something like 3rdPlanit:

Jeff,

thanks for the response! First off, I'm going to model the ATSF railroad around early 1950s. I'm a huge Route 66 fan, and modeling the ATSF will allow me to include a few of my favorite Route 66 cities on the way (along with the neon and poodle skirts era of early 50's)

The only other real restrictions I have are the space available. I received a reply in my personal email that suggested running the layout around the entire basement. It definitely eliminates my biggest space constraint (having enough space to turn train around) However, don't think my wife is going to bite on this, we have other things going down there besides just the trains.

Please let me know if you come up with any ideas!

Thanks, Scott

Hi Scott,

Probably the toughest part of building a railway, real or model is the negotiation of trackage rights! I'm probably luckier than most in that my wife goes way beyond being merely tolerant or even supportive. I have a plan that not only takes care of the railroads requirements but actually compliments and enhances the other "subterranean" uses. The trick is to get creative with the space and throw out traditional thinking.

My first question to you is - just what else do you have going on down in your basement? also - what scale are you modelling in?

Lynn

Your rough draft shows a loop on one end and a dead end at the other. Are you thinking of running point to point or also allow for continuous running? Point to point can get very boring fast if you are not a dedicated operator etc?

Scott wrote in message news:...

Lynn, thanks for taking the time to reply!

Right now, my wife wants to leave space free for some hobby stuff of her own (mostly glass cutting, she makes stained glass projects). Also, I'm limited on the whole left hand side of the basement because its not actually a wall, its where the crawl space is, and I do not want to cover it up with anything that makes it difficult to get in to there (we store a ton of stuff in there and need to be able to get in and out easily)

Last and not least, modelling in HO scale.

Thanks! Scott

Perhaps a hidden train loop could circle the part of the room that you don't want to have visible trains in.

e.g. Part of the room to have in-built bookshelves - you could make this your benchwork, and put the train 'sunk' in to the top. It could 'pop' out occasionally between shelves if you want, but would not be a visual problem for your spouse, but still provide you a big loop. Access could be just with simple hinged 'top' doors or the like.

hth sdg

I didn't look at your pictures, but the way I handled the sump, sewer, and water shutoff was to build a box frame around it all (about 2 feet deep by 4' wide) with a removable panel in front. The bottom of this panel tucks in behind the layout by about 1/2". In front of this I plan a 1/8" styrene backdrop that can also be easily removed.

On the corner side of the box I angled back 45 degrees. This give me access to come around the corner, angle off slightly into hidden trackage inside the box, and still bend the unhidden track around to the front of the box. On the non-corner side of the box I angled back about 30 degrees to the wall. I'm able to bend a 38 inch radius curve and still get clearance around the front of the box, while on the other side it's just a slight meander.

My box doesn't cover the full extent of the sump, but the layout takes care of that. And make that section in front of the sump removable also, in case of plumbing changes.

Jay Modeling the North Shore & North Western C&NW/CNS&M in 1940-1955 Due to spam, all e-mails except those from selected addresses will be refused. Thanks for your understanding.

The latest MR (August?) has a bit on how to build a duckunder-killing bridge. Two hinges and some coiled phone line. I think I might try that. It's just what I needed to get around my "stuck in the yard" problem.

Jay Modeling the North Shore & North Western C&NW/CNS&M in 1940-1955 Due to spam, all e-mails except those from selected addresses will be refused. Thanks for your understanding.

Download Beta 9.0 Blue Hawaii. The smap filters are MUCH better. Love, Rath

Have a foot or so of track before the bridge hooked into a switch that's closed by the bridge being in place. Lift out the bridge, the foot of track on either side of the bridge goes dead. Simple.

Jay Modeling the North Shore & North Western C&NW/CNS&M in 1940-1955 Due to spam, all e-mails except those from selected addresses will be refused. Thanks for your understanding.

Hi Scott,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I am in the mist of closing on a new home. I have been coming to my apartment after work and immediately going over to the new place to do work there. I have had little free time to do anything else. I have also boxed up my model rr stuff. If you can forgive me and allow me a couple of weeks to get moved and settled into my new place, I will write back and give you several references that I have used.

Thanks,

Jeff Hensley

Jeff - thanks for stopping back in! Good luck with the new home, should get pretty decent interest rates now.

I appreciate any help you can offer when you have the time, if not then hope all goes well for you.

Thanks, Scott