Old Priory

Interesting plan Will and a great space in the attic.  It is always nice to see a new layout emerging and watching it grow.

 

Have you got a paid up version of SCARM, or running the free version?  I found it perfect for planning my layout which was done before it became a limited free version.

 

Here is a link to a useful Topics on using SCARM.

On pg 10 there is help on creating transition curves

 

I agree with the comments from others, your curves did look too tight and the addition of triangle in the corners will help.  With 4 tracks, you inner curve should not be tighter than 2nd radius.  Be careful on rolling stock overhand on curves and clashes with the adjacent curves.

 

I know it is a very early days plan, but try to add in sweeping curves on the straight sides, it will look much better and more lifelike.  The other useful trick is to keep the track level constant but to raise and lower the baseboard (ground level) to help create cutting and embankments.  That way you can easily add over and under rail structures like bridges etc.  This will help to setting the scene and crate the illusion that the railway was constructed through the landscape.

 

With your 4 tracks, which lines are Up and Down and which would be the Slows and Fasts?  This may help with point arrangements.

 

Are you planning a storage road fiddle yard in the tunnel section?

 

One fundamental tip, do not get overly complicated, unless you have a lot of free time to plan and build!! 

 

I think this layout will end up having a lovely feel of watching trains go by?

18 hours ago, Jaggzuk said:

Interesting plan Will and a great space in the attic.  It is always nice to see a new layout emerging and watching it grow.

 

Have you got a paid up version of SCARM, or running the free version?  I found it perfect for planning my layout which was done before it became a limited free version.

 

Here is a link to a useful Topics on using SCARM.

On pg 10 there is help on creating transition curves

 

I agree with the comments from others, your curves did look too tight and the addition of triangle in the corners will help.  With 4 tracks, you inner curve should not be tighter than 2nd radius.  Be careful on rolling stock overhand on curves and clashes with the adjacent curves.

 

I know it is a very early days plan, but try to add in sweeping curves on the straight sides, it will look much better and more lifelike.  The other useful trick is to keep the track level constant but to raise and lower the baseboard (ground level) to help create cutting and embankments.  That way you can easily add over and under rail structures like bridges etc.  This will help to setting the scene and crate the illusion that the railway was constructed through the landscape.

 

With your 4 tracks, which lines are Up and Down and which would be the Slows and Fasts?  This may help with point arrangements.

 

Are you planning a storage road fiddle yard in the tunnel section?

 

One fundamental tip, do not get overly complicated, unless you have a lot of free time to plan and build!! 

 

I think this layout will end up having a lovely feel of watching trains go by?

 

Hi,

 

I use the free version, so I build the plan 50 items at a time, save it and then do the next section. I then photoshop all the files together to make one image of the full plan. Thanks for the link, I will check it out!

 

Yes, I'm glad someone pointed the curves out and hopefully they will be ok. I have four MK4 coaches (recently purchased on ebay) to test the clearances when I start track laying.

 

No plans for a fiddle yard in the tunnel, but I will park the trains in there when not using the layout. At this time, I only have one train. I can't see myself buying loads of rolling stock before we move house in the future, so I have decided to fore-go a fiddle yard and use sidings and the station to store stock if I suddenly start getting a large collection.

 

The green lines are the fast lines, blue the slow, red is the depot and yellow are station sidings/loops (I don't know the technical phrase...!)

 

I can't really play around with the height of the baseboards as they are a "shelf" above the access to the storage in the eves of the roof and I only have about 10" before the pitch of the roof. As a bungalow, the footprint of the loft is large, but the height in low. In the dead centre of the loft, I can just stand up straight although I can't have too long hair! As the house is our first ever purchase, we won't be here forever (although longer than we thought due to this pandemic now!) so I wanted a layout that was reasonably simple to build i.e straight flat baseboards and simple to remove when we move in a few years time and as its my first time building a layout, I didn't want to make it overly difficult for myself. I'm going to make mistakes and bad decisions, but I see it as training for when I build the layout I want in a house I will be in for many years to come. This is a learning stop-gap if you will...

 

My next step, other than fine-tuning the layout design, is to get the loft wired and lit and start building the baseboards. I have a two week holiday coming up, as we cant go anywhere I might just start with some baseboard construction!

 

 

Sounds like a great plan! As you say keep it simple and get it built, can’t fault that approach.  Plus as a simple layout to learn techniques on is really a good idea.

 

It is amazing how rolling stock builds up ;-)  So with the baseboard construction, I would keep in mind the ability to expand the tunnel track section width wise in the future, if only by adding an extra outer line on each of the Slow lines.  You may want to add extra entry and exit point ladders in the tunnel area so that you can create the illusion of a train going somewhere and another one passing it “off scene”.

 

If time and cost is an issue you could reduce one side of the layout down to 2 tracks coming out of one of the tunnels.  This way you have less track to buy and lay, you increase your scenic width without widening your boards and you could have less tight curves round one/two corners.  By doing this you also add an extra bit of operation complexity by having to stop a slow train while a fast train passes by.

 

 

One way to reduce the used item count in the free version of SCARM is to use as much flexi track as you can rather than lots of short straight sections.  Once you have your alignment, simply delete all the short straight section and replace with one length of flexi track.

 

Have you considered how to control the layout yet, Analogue or DCC.  I know you have said you do not have much rolling stock (yet), but with a layout this size and the ability to run more than one train on each track loop, DCC would be the way to go.  In reality the wiring is so much simpler, yes you need power droppers everywhere, but not section switches or isolation breaks.

 

As a side note, you do not need to “Quote full” posts back, as the Blog comments are pretty much in context so easy to follow.

 

Paul

Edited June 16, 2020 by Jaggzuk

Hi Paul,

 

I like your idea, I never thought of having two tracks on one side and four the other. It captures the look of a busy mainline outside the depot, but also creates a countryside scene well.

 

I do use the flexitrack trick in SCARM as much as possible to help, I was having to use three files, but got it down to two which is easier to photoshop into one file!

 

The layout will definitely be digital, although I haven't got a controller yet! I tried bidding on a digitrax set that came up on ebay a few weeks ago, but didn't win it. I may just buy the Hornby cheap small controller until another digitrax becomes up. Digital is the way forwards I feel and as a bit of a computer nerd, I like the idea of progressing up to automation (like McKinley railway) but not as large or complicated!

 

Tom

Hi Tom, if you fancy computer control there are ways to introduce dcc at a much lower cost if you have the ability to dabble in electronics

We run with NCE Power Cab and the USB link to JMRI so that we can use multiple Tablets and Smartphones.  This allows 2 boys and myself to each have a sepeate controller.  All points are manual using Peco point switches, I still like to be the Signalman as well as drive trains.

Edited June 17, 2020 by Jaggzuk

Im good with computers and ok will electronics. Ive had a look at JMRI and looks interesting. I have a couple of PCs knocking around somewhere, so might jump in