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Layout Ideas

gromitdog

Entry posted by gromitdog

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I have been a member of RMWeb for about a year now since taking early retirement after working as an aircraft engineer in Airline maintenance for 30 years. My father has been interested in trains and then model railways and has built a couple and changed each one a few times and he is still enjoying finishing and tinkering with his current layout today. About 5 years ago I bought a set of baseboards from a guy's father who was planning to build a layout but unfortunately he wasn't able to get past making the baseboards. So I would like to plan and build one layout without too many changes to the original plan if that is possible as I want time to enjoy the building and running of it.

 

As you can see from the pictures below, the baseboards are about 36-39 inches high and about 26 inches wide with a cut out / lift up hatch for easy access which can be moved to suit the final plan.

 

Before I start I need to modify how the boards join together to improve the final running of the layout, 3 of the boards are 6 feet long and I want to make them all the same length of 4 foot long. Also I want to turn over some of the boards to enable me to create some height and depth to the layout.

 

I want to do a 00 Southern Region themed layout set somewhere fictitious and set between 1930 - Nationalisation of the big four companies. Over the past 5-8 years I have been storing away some stock and bits and pieces to spread the cost.

 

I would like to include some of the following:-

 

DCC operated

 

Junction Station with or without Branch Line / Main Line split where passenger trains are made up or split or go straight through as express trains.

 

Small goods yard for making up and splitting goods trains.

 

Want to have more countryside than buildings.

 

Not to overcrowd the layout with track, maybe have some nice large easy curves possibly carrying through the station.

 

4-8 storage tracks 2-4 in each direction or if anyone has a better idea for storage of complete made up sets please fee free to make a suggestion. I have thought of having this on a lower level.

 

I have looked at a few station plans with junctions and pleasing curves like Horsted Keynes, Halwell, BRM Blog featured Pencarne Junction, Rowland Castle and many others. If anyone has any others to consider that may be suitable to modification to suit the layout size please feel free to comment. We have looked at so many layouts and ideas we feel we now have layout planning overload. If anyone can recommend a Track Planning Program for Windows that may help.

 

As you can see this is as far as I have got as I am currently doing some contract work in the UK so I am open to any ideas or suggestions with the planning of an interesting layout which will give me hours of enjoyment.

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Joseph_Pestell
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So far as I can make out, your overall dimensions are 12' x 8'. In 00 that is quite limiting in terms of the wide curves etc that you want and you certainly won't fit in a major junction like Horsted Keynes. But there are some stations  that could be reasonably represented in that space. That includes some (e.g. Eridge, Oxted, Arundel) that operated as junction stations but with the junction itself at another location.

 

Another limiting factor is that lifting flap. With hinges arranged like that, you can not have any scenery on that board or the one next to it and you would probably not want the hidden sidings going across it either.

 

The Southern is rather varied with each Division having kept much of the character of its pre-group company. Does the collection of stock (and buildings?) that you have so far show a bias to one of the Divisions. Electrification?

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gromitdog

So far as I can make out, your overall dimensions are 12' x 8'. In 00 that is quite limiting in terms of the wide curves etc that you want and you certainly won't fit in a major junction like Horsted Keynes. But there are some stations  that could be reasonably represented in that space. That includes some (e.g. Eridge, Oxted, Arundel) that operated as junction stations but with the junction itself at another location.

 

Another limiting factor is that lifting flap. With hinges arranged like that, you can not have any scenery on that board or the one next to it and you would probably not want the hidden sidings going across it either.

 

The Southern is rather varied with each Division having kept much of the character of its pre-group company. Does the collection of stock (and buildings?) that you have so far show a bias to one of the Divisions. Electrification?

Thank you for your  ideas for my  planning my 8x12 model railway i will take look at Eridge, Oxted and Arundel track plans, For the curves I was hoping to go for around

4 min - 6 ft o/d

 

Nothing I have purchased so far has a bias towards the Electrification regions so I can do most areas of the SR region

 

Regarding the hatch. I was hopping that with the hings on the top would enable me to get a good close fit when the rails are laid I know the hinges will restrict where I can lay the track but i was hoping i could hide the hints under some scenery 

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gromitdog

Wishing you all a Happy modelling  Christmas and New Year,

I have been looking at Track Planning software over the past few weeks and have tried to down load TRAX  planning software but can't seem to work out how it works or if it downloaded propery can anyone suggest if there are any other's that would suit a apple mac.  I am not brilliant with complicated down loads so would just like a one simple to use and that you can print off the track plan which would enable me to proceed with planning and building of my layout for 2016

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