New layout - Mulit layer round the room

[nicolasgreenin]

Hi All,

We are moving house and the new room has given me the idea to create a new layout. This will eventually replace the current layout but for a year or so.

I would like the new layout to be a combination between conventional and open base boards giving m,e the flexibility to have more rolling features.

The space available is 2.7 x 3 m and I would like the layout to be operated from the middle accessed by crawling under rather than any bridge of lifting baseboard.

It will be based in the south of England in the 50/60s steam

This is the room the



This is the beginnings of the layout but I seem to have got writers block...

The top section is a fiddle yard with storage and may or may not be hidden

Edited April 9, 2018 by nicolasgreenin

[The Johnster]

Well, it'll work.  The points with arrows on the ends are presumably to lead into yards, sidings, or loco depot.  If this is the case, my main worry is that you cannot easily access these sidings, or the storage yard, from the inner circle of track.  I am making the assumption that you are going to have an up and down line with the trains running on the left hand track in the direction they are facing, which is normal UK practice.

 

Replacement of the diamond crossings accessing these sidings from the outer circle with single or double slips will get around the problem and save the necessity for the facing and trailing crossovers on the right hand side.  Facing crossovers of this sort are rare on real railways in your period, late steam, and are still not exactly common except where there is 2 way running.

[DCB]

It is a bit Thomas the Tank engine, sidings and loops for an engine and 3 wagons.  I would forget set track with its very tight curves and use flexi track and streamline points aiming for 3ft radius.

 

Leading on from your drawing I would suggest one side is fiddle yard,  a Tunnel one end as scenic break and a road bridge the other. Stations are good and a siding or two to shunt is good but siding point work and viaducts don't really mix so I have put the siding points in the fiddle yard with the buffer stops above the valley.  With this two trains can circulate the layout while a third shunts.

 

The station has one visible crossover and one in the FY so passenger train locos can run round to reverse direction and freights shunt. Likewise the siding connections are off scene

 

You want levels so I included a dropped board for a valley with a Viaduct.

 

Just a doodle but it ought to work, intended to inspire rather than be slavishly followed, but I could have hours of fun with it, just watching trains go by

Edited March 16, 2018 by DavidCBroad

[nicolasgreenin]

Hi thanks for your comments I have been thinking and I think I would like to plan s simplified version of Guildford station, MPD and shed’s on one side and with the chalk clif at the end and then the other side a branch line station Wonershand Bramley or Cranleigh then loop back across a former mentioned viaduct. This would also be set in the current time but an idealistic era where Beeching hadn’t made any cuts and Steam was still part of the standard service along side desel and electric. That said I would like a few Q U and N class in the sheds

[DCB]

Hi thanks for your comments I have been thinking and I think I would like to plan s simplified version of Guildford station, MPD and shed’s on one side and with the chalk clif at the end and then the other side a branch line station Wonershand Bramley or Cranleigh then loop back across a former mentioned viaduct. This would also be set in the current time but an idealistic era where Beeching hadn’t made any cuts and Steam was still part of the standard service along side desel and electric. That said I would like a few Q U and N class in the sheds

As Guildford shed is well known for its unusual arrangement of roundhouse and straight shed off a turntable it will be a real challenge to simplify it enough to model in the space you have. Its also about the most awkwardly arranged loco shed I know of.

You might manage a simplified Guildford station but that in itself is a big item. I think you are looking at a bigger room or smaller gauge.  

[nicolasgreenin]

Hi David,

 

Well it was a good idea while it lasted....

 

Back to the drawing board

[nicolasgreenin]

I have been planning a through station but even with 3m to play with it I am struggling to fit it in with reasonable length platforms

 

I have come up with 2 ideas 1 with medium points and the other with short

 

 

 

Please comment I would like to use medium especially on the main lines but I think they are too long.. 

Edited March 19, 2018 by nicolasgreenin

[Joseph_Pestell]

You simply won't manage a mainline station in a 3M length, because you have to allow for the curves at each end plus pointwork. Result: platforms 2ft long - if you are lucky.

 

You need to apply a visual "trick" with only one end of the station visible (as in David' suggestion although there are  other ways to do it.)

[DCB]

To get reasonable platform length you really need to start the station pointwork on the curves rather than on the straight

 

See doodle

 

Edit, using Set Track I find using 2nd radius on the outside and 3rd or 4th on the inside after a set of points leading to a curve where tracks fan out is a good way to save a few inches of space.  This is shown in my doodle.   I saw up set track to make special length straights to make dodges like this work as they are not available off the shelf. Its much easier now set track is Nickel Silver. 

Edited March 20, 2018 by DavidCBroad

[Harlequin]

I'm sure it's possible to tweak things to have decent length platforms (say, 5 coaches) within your room size, even while using medium radius points. (BTW: If the room is actually 4.5m long then it might be worth thinking about why you want to only use 3m of it because the extra length would be really useful!)

 

As David says, you can start some of the pointwork on the curves and you don't have to do it literally 90 degrees around the corner. Use the curves to throw some lines out "centripetally", as it were, just outside the station. Use the Peco curved points to pull passing loops and sidings in from the main tracks. (The curved points are also great for forming crossovers on the curves.)

 

You could align the station somewhat diagonally to squeeze a bit more length and perhaps even combine that with curved platforms, which always look great, for yet more length.

 

Have the curves at one end of the station generous for a nice sweeping entry or exit and at the other end hide or obscure the tracks and use a tighter radius to get a bit more room.

 

And don't forget to leave enough width for platforms and the station buildings behind, even if they are low-relief.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Harlequin

[nicolasgreenin]

(BTW: If the room is actually 4.5m long then it might be worth thinking about why you want to only use 3m of it because the extra length would be really useful!)

 

 

I would love to use the whole room but it is my study and I work from home so I will need enough room to have a desk and storage but I am thinking of some how incorporating a corner desk in the bottom RH side of the room with the layout.  

[Harlequin]

A trick that others have used (e.g. Iain Rice) is to mount the layout at about chest height. That gives you room below for desks and other furniture and puts your eyeline at a more realistic angle to view the layout - as if you were standing on a nearby hillside rather than flying a helicopter!.

 

Obviously that has Pros and Cons but it's something to think about...

Edited March 20, 2018 by Harlequin

[imt]

Another wheeze is using one shelf of a bookcase for some through lines - you could have a 4 line fiddle yard hidden away like that - obviously as you have to cut "tunnels" into the bookcase its best if its an Ikea "Billy" or similar.  A friend of mine has 2 tall double "Billy's" side by side - gives him about 60" by 10.5" of 4 track fiddle yard (longest sidings are loco+4 carriages if I remember right).  Glass door light oak - looks quite good, stores the stock under cover and gives 5 shelves of books/ledgers/boxfiles etc.  You need to set the layout height to meet the shelves of course!

Edited March 20, 2018 by imt

[mdvle]

I would love to use the whole room but it is my study and I work from home so I will need enough room to have a desk and storage but I am thinking of some how incorporating a corner desk in the bottom RH side of the room with the layout.  

 

I think there is the danger that you are having the layout design the room where in my opinion the home office should be designing the room.

 

On the assumption you are working 6 to 8 hours a day I would think the first priority should be to make sure the work environment is comfortable and then fit any layout around that.  I would hate for someone to try and fit their ideal layout into the room and then they come to hate the layout because it makes their workday miserable.

 

In may well be once you decide on your ideal work environment that you compromise on the type of layout you have, or perhaps as suggested make the layout high enough so that it goes overtop of your work environment.

[imt]

I think there is the danger that you are having the layout design the room where in my opinion the home office should be designing the room.

 

......................

 

In may well be once you decide on your ideal work environment that you compromise on the type of layout you have, or perhaps as suggested make the layout high enough so that it goes overtop of your work environment.

 

I think that is what I was trying to suggest in a roundabout way.  I am trying to get in touch with my friend as I am sure he has or could take some photos - sadly I don't have any to hand..  The railway runs round the room - one side dedicated to a station the other side to his office (computer, printer, filing cabinet).  Most of the track is on shelves and only double track wide.  There is the usual drawbridge over the door. Corners are a bit of a problem, but units and chests seem to sit under it all OK. If I remember aright its a waist height and he only has 2 drawer filing cabinets that fit under.  The line is only filled out/scenic-ed at one side, the rest is threaded through and over the other furniture - including a work bench. He even runs a few trains while thinking (at least that's what he says!).

[Philou]

Hi Nicolas,

 

I think imt has probably got it right - an office inside a layout.  Tsk I can't see much 'work' work getting done - it isn't going to end well  .

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[nicolasgreenin]

A trick that others have used (e.g. Iain Rice) is to mount the layout at about chest height. That gives you room below for desks and other furniture and puts your eyeline at a more realistic angle to view the layout - as if you were standing on a nearby hillside rather than flying a helicopter!.

 

Obviously that has Pros and Cons but it's something to think about...

 

Hi Harlequin, I have been seriously thinking of rising the baseboards I have had a bad back the past few weeks and it is a nightmare working so low but then again this is a layout for my kids and they are only small at the moment so I would like to keep it at there eye line and also they (right or wrong) like to man handle the rolling stock so it needs to be there height.

[nicolasgreenin]

I think there is the danger that you are having the layout design the room where in my opinion the home office should be designing the room.

 

On the assumption you are working 6 to 8 hours a day I would think the first priority should be to make sure the work environment is comfortable and then fit any layout around that.  I would hate for someone to try and fit their ideal layout into the room and then they come to hate the layout because it makes their workday miserable.

 

In may well be once you decide on your ideal work environment that you compromise on the type of layout you have, or perhaps as suggested make the layout high enough so that it goes overtop of your work environment.

 

I agree I am quite happy to give up a 3m square. I don't need much space to work my all my work is on the computer so as long as I have space for 2 monitors and a laptop I am happy.

[nicolasgreenin]

Hi Nicolas,

 

I think imt has probably got it right - an office inside a layout.  Tsk I can't see much 'work' work getting done - it isn't going to end well  .

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

Hi no the office will not be inside the layout you are right I would not get any work done....

[nicolasgreenin]

This is a rough room layout which shows my current desk which is small but works well.

 

The baseboards are 3000x800mm on the sides and 1100x900 mm at the ends this give a 1200x1100 mm operating space

 

[NittenDormer]

Somewhere (Model Rail?) had a track plan based on York with the platforms curving. One way to fully utilise the space.

[B McG]

nicolasgreenin.xtc

This is a rough room layout which shows my current desk which is small but works well.

 

The baseboards are 3000x800mm on the sides and 1100x900 mm at the ends this give a 1200x1100 mm operating space

 

Offiice.JPG

Here's something I knocked up just to give an idea what could be placed in your layout area.  It's essentially a double track with a passing loop, a small engine shed twin line with a spare siding, plus a small goods yard and a parcels bay.  The scenic break is the orange thick lines and you should be able to have 4 fiddle yard lines per running line.  Hope that helps, I've also attached the xtrackcad file if you wish to modify it.

Regards

Bryant

[nicolasgreenin]

Thanks Bryant, I still cant get over how much effort other forum members put in to help. I will have to download a copy of xtrackCAD it looks good.

 

This is great I have been thinking of having the following elements and this is a great start

 

• Large curved station
• Double track
• TMD or marshalling yard
• Single track good line on a different level 

I originally wanted a fiddle yard but I think as long as there is some storage on the layout this would not be needed we don't have lots of rolling stock so I think we could keep this on the layout with out the need for a fiddle yard

 

 

[Zomboid]

Stock collections have a habit of growing. I think I now have more stock than track, suspect I'm not alone in that...

[nicolasgreenin]

I have tried XTrackCAD and I need to work out how it works so I have switched back to SCARM I am having issues getting my mainlines parallel on a curve. 

 

I am undecided which track to make the goods line I think it will be the top right siding and I would like it drop under the station please let me know your thoughts.