Basic Railroad Design Questions

Well, I am 6'3" tall and my layout ranges from 40-48" high. Remember, you have to be able to reach the corners of the "E".

You do not mention scale in your comments. For N Scale I would say a minimum of 19" for modern equipment. My layout is set in 1900, thus 50' Overland Passengers and 40' freight consists. So my minimum radius is set at 11.5". For Switches I will be trying for #6 on the mainline with Atlas Snap (#4) in the yard..

For HO, at our club we are using 30" minimum radius as we will be having the

80' Passenger cars. Also, the turnouts will be #8 on the mainline and #6 in the yard/staging areas.

Hope this helps.

(YS&N) is a

industries in

railroad, with

peninsula

building it at

(closer to

I think most model RRs are built too low. For you and your guests to really appreciate the scenery and the trains in operation, something just a little below eye level is best. With your E configuration and viewing aisles, all track and scenery is visible from an edge, so lowering the layout for operability (so you can see into the interior of the layout) doesn't sound like a major concern. So, will you be sitting (chair? stool?) or standing? You might want to set your track a few (6-8?) inches below that eye level.

-- Bill McC.

One thing to consider is to not have all of the curves at 22" radius. Only use that when you have to, otherwise open the radius to what fits nicely. The cars will handle the curves and turnouts without any problems although the cars may look a bit odd on such a short radius. Needless to say, coupling on such short radius curves can be fun! I'd not use sectional track for any reason as that stuff tends to have electrical connection problems between the sections a lot more than flex track does. Personally, I handlay track and don't have any of those problems as all sections of rail have their own power feed. As to height, I tend to prefer layouts that are at the higher level as you get to see the layout better. This also means that you need to do a better level of detail and "planting" of the buildings, etc. as you can see everything a lot better than when the layout is at the lower level. Another thing to consider is to set the layout up so that you have the nice high level when sitting down on a rollaround stool like those library steps or so forth. This will allow for easy access to the back parts of the layout yet also be able to see the layout in the nicer level.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!

Forgot to mention, HO scale

You haven't got a layout - according to a previous post you have benchwork and a short amount of roadbed only. You ned to make more of an effort to keep your story consistent. And 48" is too low for a tall person - unless of course you're accustomed to doing your best work bent over.

On Thu, 13 May 2004 13:31:05 UTC, "Tom Luton" wrote: 2000

Our modules have the base of the roadbed at 50". Even the vertically challenged have no problem with this height. It gives a nice view of the railroad.

I am a bit surprised (and happy) at the responses to layout height. I recently raised my main table to 40"+ and am greatly pleased with the result.

The downside is the reach across four feet of plywood. For shelves 18" deep, the reach will not be an issue.

The extension will be 55" off the floor. Several folks have told me it is much too high for kids to enjoy. I may act like a kid but realize I'm not getting any younger. And I'm building this thing for me! ...Bill

My layout is 24" deep (The central penninsula is 36" wide) and ranges from

40-48" high. I find that a good height when sitting on a bar stool. It is also good when standing, you can still reach the corners.

Tom Luton wrote:

Have you seen "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong? It is very good on layout design issues, aisle widths, getting the most layout from the least space. Layout height is a compromise. For viewing, it's nice to have the track up close to eye level, so that the railroad is viewed from an "on-the-ground" perspective rather than a birds-eye view. For working on the railroad, kitchen countertop height (37") is nice. Checking the gage on turnouts, soldering feeders to the track, ballasting, etc, can be harder on a layout up at eye level. Also it is very important to be able to reach all the way across the layout. Was it me, I'd go for something a few inches higher than a kitchen countertop. Have you considered giving each industry its own spur? Just to make the switching more interesting. RTR HO rolling stock (even 80 foot passenger cars) will go around an 18" curve without derailing. However the layout will look better with the broadest curves you can afford. For an industrial area, plant siding, the prototype would use some very tight curves indeed. I was in the old industrial area of Albany couple of summers ago and you would not believe how sharp some of the curves getting into plants and around street corners are. You should consider the use of flex track. It goes down easily and you have fewer joints (always a source of derailments and electrical opens) than with snap track. It is no harder to use and it gives easements into curves which is hard to do with snap track.

David Starr

For 22" radius curves, consider #5 turnouts if they are available in the track components that you plan to use. The "closure rail" radius is the sharpest part of the turnout (see

#6 turnout has a closure rail radius of 43", while a #5 has a radius of

26". The sharpest curve in a #5 turnout will still be broader than your minimum radius, yet take up less space than a #6.

Ever tried sitting on a chair? or a bar stool?

Folks, Whilst layouts up near eye level are great to look at, you have to consider what happens if you have to reach across to grab a derailed car or whatever. Shirt sleeves will snag closer vehicles or locos, scenery will be knocked over. Easy access to all parts of the layout is essential without having to stand on a couple of beer cans. Regards, Bill.

Not if you run your railroad "al fresco". Of course, you have to get dressed for open houses unless all your guests are like minded. ;-) ..Bill

But then you might get splinters in the dangley bits if you're not careful. And it might be too bloody cold as well! Regards, Bill.

How would Mark Newton know about the design of model railways, after he still has not given any details of his layout or reasons for his incorrect answer. Why doesn't he answer the design questions posed, for example layout height, above 48" might mean 80". 48" is OK and so is waist height. Layout height depends on wether you operate siting or standing. My preference is chest height. I stand up to operate. Standing up chest height is also suitable for siting down on a tall stool. Another question asked is minimum radius. What is Mark's minimum radius, we don't know. This is top secret. My recommendation for minimum radius is it depends on what you want to run. Always make the minimum radius the largest possible for maximum interchange. A good guide is the NMRA RP 11

-- Mark Newton supports the NMRA, does he comply with the good advice in the RP?

Terry Flynn

For HO scale track standards go to

includes details of HO wagon weight and locomotive tractive effort estimates

See below questions:

I have mine built at 44 inches [I am 5"11"], which I think is comfortable.

If you plan to use passenger cars, go to 19" curves if possible. I built with a 19" lead into 11" curves, and the passenger cars overhang enough to look strange. The No.6 turnouts should be fine. harrym

...snip..

42"-48" should be OK - will accommodate both standing- and sitting-on-bar-stool operation. Will also accommdate a staging yard underneath the layout at 36 or higher", which will give you enough hand room. I'm 5ft 11", I find my shelf layouit's height of 46" just right for me. Not that I designed it that way - it just happened, as I built up some of those steel shelves first and mounted the layout on top.

If HO, and 40-50ft cars and GPs, you could go to 18", but I would use

24" and up if the space allow for it. You don't have a reversing loop, so you needn't worry about the space it would take up. #4 turnouts will work but will be a bit tight. Use #6 if possible - you can get #5 at a higher price, which may be worth it if you have a yard of three or more tracks, but won't make enough of a difference on a single track spur IMO.

BTW, siding length should allow for 2-3 inches of slack space when occupied by a typical train or cut of cars. Makes switching easier.

You're welcome.