AndyMac7

Wow thanks for all of the feedback folks, it's very much appreciated. My personal challenge here is trying to wrestle the part of my brain that wants everything in a finite amount of room! I guess one of the big takeaways is that a continuous run is possible (many thanks to @DavidCBroad for the great track plan) but it'll involve trade-offs and won't look realistic which taking a step back and re-evaluating is really a big goal. @Harlequin that's pretty much spot on, the layout will be in a garage which is roughly 19ft x 20ft. The majority is filled with usual garage stuff like chairs, garden tools, kids toys and so on but I can build against two of the walls. You're diagram pretty much nails it with the 18ft section being along the 19ft long wall but sitting a few inches off the wall to allow me to get in to a window which is part way along. I could definitely make the boards thinner and shove them up against the wall but my initial feeling was that a 3ft width would give more options for setting out the layout. The fillet to ease the corner looks great and I'd not considered that. Many many thanks to everyone again. Cheers, Andy

Thanks Philip, There would be enough room (if I breath in) to get around the back of the layout. I'll have a look at the nudge thread, thanks. Cheers, Andy

Sorry Keith can't believe I didn't include that it was OO.

Yes OO, can't believe i forgot to put that, sorry! It would be a single track in the continuous run loop rather than a double but at 37in it sounds like it's maybe not going to be doable at all. I'm not adverse to hinges but I'm more than happy with an end to end layout rather if continuous run is going to provide too many complication or compromised. Great points on the boards as well, thank you I appreciate the advice. Thanks, Andy

Hello all, hope everyone is doing as well as we all can be at the moment. About this time last year I started to design my first ever layout and I posted a thread here and received some excellent feedback. I've made some good progress and learned a ton of lessons about track laying and wiring but at the time the layout was designed to be put up and taken down each time it was being worked on. I've now managed to negotiate a more permanent installation with the wife. The layout will be an L shape with the main length being 18ft x 3ft and the L portion 8ft x 2ft (possible 3ft if I can wangle it). I've made a very very crude representation below: It's a great space and my head is bursting with ideas but the main reason I'm posting at the moment is to see if anyone thinks it's possible to make a continuous run layout in this space? I think I could fit a loop using second radius curves onto the 18ft x 3ft board with the curves being fully hidden inside a tunnel and the track on the top 18ft section hidden behind a back scene. Instinctively it feels like this would be forced and would look strange but I'm really not sure. Overall from the layout I'd like to have some kind of station, probably terminus on the right hand side, a TMD and possible some kind freight terminal but I've got some many ideas that my novice head is full! I'm going to start the woodworking this week and then track design shortly afterwards. Many thanks, Andy

I looked up a few examples of Minories and I can see how that would be very helpful.

Thanks again everyone. One thing I'm considering is adding an additional board to the right hand side at the same orientation as the last board on the left hand side. That would make this the complete bottom half of a continuous run layout with the top half to come later. I’m also considering making the curves on the left enter a tunnel with a scenic section on the top of it. Plenty of things to think about.

Ah I get it now, because the track isn’t straightening out to run horizontal along the board the curves can be gentler and it’ll flow better. I think i might take all the advice and start a blank canvas and see what comes out using that kind of approach. Cheers Andy

Hi griffgriff, The platforms could definitely be angles but I’m not sure I follow what you mean by the rear of the board? Do you mean further towards the edge so moving them upwards? Thanks Andy

I tried for ages to get equal spacing in the curves and eventually found an option in the software last night that should do it so I’m going to try that this morning to tidy it up a bit. I removed the fueling point last night when I played around with the TMD setup but in the cold light of day I don’t really like the changes. It all looks too cramped so I’m going to revert that back to the way it was but try to make the TMD slightly angled. Good point about the mixed use sidings. They aren’t really long enough for a good sized freight service to use so I’m wondering about making them a stabling point for passenger services. Another great point about the back scene as well. I was thinking about some kind of retail park rear beside platform 3 which transitions into tenement flats with a small back garden as you exit the platform. No idea how to make all of that but it was my initial thoughts. I guess it would be best to get that down on the plan initially and see how the space works out. Removing platform 3 would certainly give more space but I like the idea of a terminus platform. Looking forward to an extension of the layout that would see the track at platform 1 and 2 become part of a continuous run so they would be through platforms eventually. Cheers Andy

Ah that makes sense, thanks for cleaning that up and for the explanation on slips. I can see how they would massively save on space v's the equivalent set of several points. I've been playing around a little with the bottom portion tonight and have moved the TMD slightly. Not sure what I think yet but we'll see with fresh eyes tomorrow. I'll need to draw a line under this soon otherwise I'll keep planning and tinkering and never actually build anything.

More excellent ideas. I’ll definitely try to angle the TMD slightly to take away some of dead space and add the extra siding. JDW I’m afraid the platform 2/3 slip suggestion has gone way over the top of my head, I’m still trying to get to grips with all the correct terminology so my apologies. Do you mean something like a Y slip going into 2/3 and just before that on the platform side a cross from 2 onto the departure line? Or leave the existing X slip in place? Cheers, Andy

Thanks very much for all of the comments folks they are much appreciated. I've been playing about with the curves and consolidating some of the turnouts into slips and had come up with something close to what Harlequin was suggesting but I think yours is slightly better than my effort. The current version is attached with curves on a 28" radius, I'm going to have a play with the 36" and see how it looks but I like the consolidation of the turnouts. I might still extend the siding at the bottom of the layout beside the TMD and I'm wondering about a small siding either north of the TMD or off the off the spur into the bottom area. Thanks again. Andy

Thanks very much for the reply Phil. I'm going to play around with the curves tonight to see if I can open them out. When it comes to the diamond would you recommend removing one of the slips in? Probably the second one to allow lengthier trains to enter via the first. Thanks, Andy

I’ve been playing around with how to make the diamond area seen a little more natural and flow slightly better but I’m not having much luck. I’ll take to google maps and start looking at some real world locations for inspiration. I like the idea of something that’s been removed though. Maybe a derelict passenger or mail platform that’s been lost over the years or an old factory. Im loving the endless possibilities that modelling brings. Andy

Many thanks for the very helpful replies and for the warm welcome. I can't believe that I forgot to say it was OO gauge and modern image (with the exception of visits by Edward, Thomas & James). JDW you've touched on every point I wasn't very sure about so I've made some alterations this morning and come up with the attached. I've extended the platforms and smoothed out a lot of the curves as well as adding a run around into the sidings at the bottom right and taking the excellent idea of a fuel point near the TMD. I'm not too worried about run arounds in the station, I've got enough left over wood to make a small fiddle yard on the right hand side where I can do any required track switching. I'm a lot happier with the new results so thank you so much for the comments. Thanks, Andy

Hi all, Following a visit to model rail Scotland this year my son and I are in the middle of planning our first ever layout. We’re lucky enough to have a good size double garage joined to the house that only stores garden equipment for most of the year and it’ll be the home for our layout. So far I’ve built four 4ft x 2ft boards and we’re now looking at what to put on them. We’d like to run passenger and freight services with a TMD and some sidings in the mix. I’m tilting towards realism and my wee one towards the play aspects. One thing I don't want to do is fill every spare inch with track. I'm been playing around with various ideas in AnyRail and come up with a 14ft long L shaped layout that I think might work. We do have enough room to eventually make this into a continuous run but we'll start with this kind of size while I convince the wife to let us build bigger. Given that we're complete novices at this I wondered if anyone had any feedback on the attached track plan? I'm wondering if the running lines are maybe too far apart and the transfer between them in the middle of the layout unrealistic. Any opinions would be gratefully received. Thanks, Andy