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Layout and Gauge Advice


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Good morning all, I've been a snooper on the forum for a while but now need a little advice. I had a layout when I was younger that was very basic (2 loops running intercity 125s) and I've been planning to start a new layout for some time. The issue I am having is deciding on board size and gauge. I dont have a great deal of room so I would be looking at a layout that could be stored when not in use and have narrowed it down to either a 4x6ft or a 3x6ft. I know that the 3x6 would be too narrow for OO/HO but not sure if 4x6 would also be too tight. I prefer HO/OO but over the years of moving and storing the intercity's they've been more or less destroyed so I would be starting almost from scratch apart from a few Athearn locos I have. 

 

Im looking at creating an industrial shunt yard layout and I was wondering if you had any advise as to weather I should look at N Gauge and have more detail or if I would have enough room using HO on a 4x6 base board. 

 

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I assume that you want a layout with a full loop. With 00 gauge using set-track second radius curves (most people will advise against using first radius) it is just possible in 6ft by 3ft but the tracks along the middle of the 6ft side will be very close to the edge. 38" wide would  a lot better and of course 48" wide would give you scope for sidings on the outside of the curve.

 

Having said that, it will be difficult to make it look realistic in those sort of sizes, but it depends on how realistic you want it to be. N gauge will give you a much greater choice in the type of layout, but, if you haven't already done so, go and look at some N gauge stuff in a shop, or better still look at a few N gauge layouts. In my opinion N gauge is too small, but many modellers will disagree.

 

Good luck with the project whatever you decide.

 

Robert

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A 4x6 or even a 3x6 board is a sizeable and awkward lump to have to take down and put away, especially as one side is covered with delicate and fragile models, and if you can be persuaded away from the continuous loop format to an end to end or L shaped made up of 2x4 boards that come down in sections they will be easier, and safer, to handle and easier to store.  Some might even be capable of being 'out' semi-permanently and hinged to fold against a wall.  Obviously the ideal solution is a permanent erection (stop that at the back), but this is not available to you and you must compromise.

 

Real railways are linear in nature, and a continuous circuit type of layout must be very large before they look anything like realistic and not like train sets; an end to end can look plausible enough to get away with it in a much smaller area.  

 

The N v 00 decision is one for yourself.  00 is more detailed and performs better, but the gap is closing, and N has rather crude track and couplings but obviously a lot more can be got into a given space.  N tends to be a little more expensive and the fact that you can get more stock in the space means that you will spend more money anyway.  This may be counterproductive on a layout that has to be taken down frequently if time is spent laying out all the stock on the layout before an operating session and has to be allowed for to put it all away at the end before the boards are taken down, something that can dampen your enthusiasm and turn into work.

 

A continuous circuit tailchaser layout can be made using the 2x4 section board format; you set it out around the walls of a room rather than on a double bed size board in the middle and operate from the middle rather than the side.  This sort of scheme usually incorporates a removable section at the door(s) often disguised as a bridge, and some sort of internal locking, usually a bolt, is required to secure the door from the inside if it opens inwards to the layout room!

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I am very open to an end to end layout, the plan is to build a shunting yard so a continual loop wouldn't be absolutely necessary. I had planned to have 2 boards (2 3x3 or 2 4x3) for easier storage and split this so most, if not all the buildings are on one board and the other board is predominantly track and can be stored upright. 

 

I do prefer OO to N, more detail better running quality and I have a liking for Athearn but the worry was that the board would look to crowded and cluttered and not in an intentional way. 

 

The hope is that this will only need to be stored occasionally. 

Edited by DarthPaul
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If you want to shunt then OO is the better choice for you, if you are looking for longer trains running through the landscape then N is the better way to go. That said, some of the choice also has to come down to the area / prototype you want to model (assuming there is one) as choice of models is more limited in N than OO. 

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I very strongly suggest that you look at the 'Sheep Chronicles' series of layout featured in Layout Topics on this very site; inspirational 00 RTR modelling with simple but interesting to operate track plans and a very uncrowded, even bleak, ambience.  May not be exactly what you are after, but it will provide inspiration and illustrate what is possible to achieve.

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Hi Paul,

 

I suggest you think outside the box... (Er, outside the squarish boards, anyway;))

 

Divide the timber into three 2ft by 4ft boards. This makes a very familiar format for layouts that has been used many times before. It is usually divided up into an 8ft scenic section and a 4ft fiddle yard but you could make any arrangement you like.

 

The total 12ft length is perfect for a shunting layout and the boards are easier to handle and to store away than 3ft wide boards.

Edited by Harlequin
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If you are going to have an end to end shunting layout, then the Inglenook pattern of layout is a good idea- lots of ‘play’ value, plenty of chance for good detail in the scenic while keeping overall space usage and cost down.

 

Whats more, manufacturers the world over are paying slightly more attention to smaller industrial-type locos which suit layouts like this down to the ground 

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If you are going to have an end to end shunting layout, then the Inglenook pattern of layout is a good idea- lots of ‘play’ value, plenty of chance for good detail in the scenic while keeping overall space usage and cost down.

 

Whats more, manufacturers the world over are paying slightly more attention to smaller industrial-type locos which suit layouts like this down to the ground 

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I agree with everything so far.

You need to ask yourself what you actually want:

 

Drive trains around?

Drive locos up & down?

Shunt wagons?

Build a scenic landscape involving a railway?

 

All 4 are very valid options, but lack of space means that most of us have to choose just 1 or 2 of these.

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