Layout planning - choosing a concept for the available space

[Ian XC]

Hi all

 

I'm looking for some thoughts on narrowing down the choices I face in starting a new layout - the first one I've had since being about 15. I'm intending to model in 00.

 

I've attached the space I have available, it runs along the top of some book cases and the top of some chests of drawers. I'm assuming I can have a baseboard a little larger than that by cantilevering out using a structure made up of the cross section in the bottom left to fit over the furniture, I'm guessing the top surface could go out by about a third?

 

In terms of the actual content most of the ideas I've had are some kind of alternate reality:

 

Hull - Hessle, to include some portion of Paragon station, potentially Botanic Gardens, the Selby Street area and Hessle foreshore. I'm thinking it'd be a case of 5 car trains being maximum, but even then I'm not sure whether I really have enough space.

Selby, based on the diversion never having been built and the ECML running through today, maybe also including a stabling location for local trains. I'm not sure how to make the 2 diverging routes at either end (Doncaster/Leeds at the west and Hull/York at the east), clearly the drawers end could have these lines separating and passing through a scenic break into a fiddle yard over the drawers area, but how to make the other end work I just can't think.

York - Beverley, based on the line never having closed, or having reopened. Potentially modelling the platform 2 area of York station and some of the intermediates. I'm a bit concerned there wouldn't be much operating interest on this.

 

I'm very much open to other ideas or amendments but I think you'll probably get an idea of the kind of thing I'm looking for.

 

Thoughts and observations gratefully received!

 

thanks

Ian

[DCB]

You probably have enough length, 12490 mm after the 3rd radius approach curve for a 4 road 3 coach plus loco or 4 car DMU traverser over the drawers, and 3000 mm for a station after the 3rd radius curve to the traverser if the curve starts against the wall.  You could get more FY with points approach at the expense of the station length. You probably have enough width for a 3 platform station a la Minories, 50 mm per track, 100 mm per island platform 50 mm for single platform, but that's about it.   

My spare bedroom was about 3800 X 3000 and had a layout all round the room, 300 mm wide dropping to 100 mm in places. two levels in places but it was 1500 mm above ground level so the entry across the door was both a removable section and an easy duck under,  It meant the cabinets under the layout were still available and also my workbench.  It worked well even though the track was at my chin level, especially as the trains ran at eye level.

Edited November 12, 2020 by DavidCBroad

[ITG]

Your space is similar to that which I use. I too am a returner after a loooong gap.

 

my railway room has freestanding bookcases and cupboards below the track. The boards are 600mm wide all round the room, but with a diagonal board across the doorway access area. One thing to consider is the height you want the boards to be at, which may be a different height to the cupboards below. My board is at 1150mm. I faced the problem that my cupboards were not all the same height in the first place, and all really too low. So I bought laser cut baseboards, with legs which I only mounted along the front edge, board sizes being worked out to allow access for opening cupboard doors without fouling these legs. The rear edge of the boards were mounted on wall battens, and I used adjustable kitchen unit (short) legs to give support in mid-board areas, which stand on top of the cupboard units. 
 

The above gives a very stable board, and I still have space to access if I needed to get under the board. Tricky but doable for many purposes. If all else fails, one advantage of having cupboards and cases intermittently spaced around the room, is that if I really had an under board access need, I can shuffle the cupboards out or sideways.

[RobinofLoxley]

Ian, have you downloaded any track planning software? You can get the demo version of anyrail, which will allow you to make a layout with up to 50 track pieces, which will enable you to play around.

 

One question, where your proposed baseboards meet at a right angle, is there any scope to 'round' the corner at all? Since track will have to turn there, you will get some extra flexibility if you have a rounded corner there

[Ian XC]

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

 

The bookcases and the drawers are almost exactly the same height so no worries from that perspective.

 

What I perhaps didn't get across very well is that the measurements I've shown are the furniture, I figure I can increase the depths into the room (down and left) by perhaps as much as 50%(?)

 

I've not had a go with that software so that will be next!

 

Thanks again

[Chimer]

Another query - are you hoping/planning/intending to jump the gap(s) between boards on top of the L shape top and right and one on top of the roll-top bath (?) bottom left?  And if so, how big is the bath, and how does it line up relative to the other bits?

 

If I've set this up accurately, the relative dimensions looks a bit different to your sketch?  The heavy lines are the furniture, the lighter lines an extra 50%.  The measurements on the edges are in metres, the green grid is 25 cm squares .......  And it's flipped 'cos it was easier to do that way as 0:0 is bottom left ......

 

 

Cheers, Chris

[Flying Pig]

11 hours ago, Ian XC said:

What I perhaps didn't get across very well is that the measurements I've shown are the furniture, I figure I can increase the depths into the room (down and left) by perhaps as much as 50%(?)

 

I don't think that makes a lot of difference to what @DavidCBroad posted in terms of the kind of layout you can build, as length is really the limiting factor, though obviously you may be able to fit in more sidings or platforms, or more extensive scenery.

[DCB]

@Chimers drawing does flesh out the available space, eve if it was upside down.

So based on his hard work I started thinking sort of the other way round and thought why not put station t'other end on't.  T'ull stations round t'bend any road round 'int it?.

Enjoy,  Not done using Anyrail but I reckon its worth considering as a concept  Probably looking at 5 X 57ft coaches 4 X Mk3.  Turntable is sort of pre 68 or maybe it could have survived for steam specials like Scarborough?

[Ian XC]

@Chimer the 'bath' at the bottom left of my diagram is what I was describing as the cross section of the baseboard supporting frame. I'm anticipating being able to make a series of those to sit on top of the bookcase, with the wider side being the cantilevered out baseboard. Thanks for the drawing - yes my sketch wasn't exactly to scale was it!

 

@Flying Pig what I meant was more, that would change the dynamics of that corner, and also that I'm not really sure how far I can cantilever out while avoiding supporting legs in front of the furniture!

 

@DavidCBroad thanks for the concept drawings, I rather like them. Yes Hull does indeed have a very distinct curve on platforms 6 and 7 outside the trainshed. The others are shorter and straight so trimming the other 2 back could get this over quite nicely. I guess a 4 car Azuma might sit quite nicely round the bend in the platform and look quite prototypical for the location.

 

Time to have another play with Anyrail I think!

 

thanks

 

[Chimer]

55 minutes ago, Ian XC said:

@Chimer the 'bath' at the bottom left of my diagram is what I was describing as the cross section of the baseboard supporting frame. I'm anticipating being able to make a series of those to sit on top of the bookcase, with the wider side being the cantilevered out baseboard. Thanks for the drawing - yes my sketch wasn't exactly to scale was it!

 

Not exactly to scale, but closer to reality than my interpretation of the bath! 

[Ian XC]

Is there a tutorial or anything for Anyrail? I've come up against exactly bthe problem I had the last time I tried to use one of these programmes, I can never get anything to line up and lie where I want it to be!

[ITG]

8 hours ago, Ian XC said:

Is there a tutorial or anything for Anyrail? I've come up against exactly bthe problem I had the last time I tried to use one of these programmes, I can never get anything to line up and lie where I want it to be!

Try entering Anyrail into Youtube. You’ll find several options.

[DCB]

On 21/11/2020 at 23:12, Ian XC said:

Is there a tutorial or anything for Anyrail? I've come up against exactly bthe problem I had the last time I tried to use one of these programmes, I can never get anything to line up and lie where I want it to be!

It takes practice and if you have separate modules of rails and points assembled into blocks and try to align the two and make them link then its a bit like trying to push a shoelace through a straw.  It works best with set track. Even then the whole track can easily be skewed on the baseboard or slide off completely.  I often use Anyrail point formations, do a screenshot and draw in the straights etc using Faststone image viewer, though I expect Paint would do the same.

[ITG]

4 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

It takes practice and if you have separate modules of rails and points assembled into blocks and try to align the two and make them link then its a bit like trying to push a shoelace through a straw.  It works best with set track. Even then the whole track can easily be skewed on the baseboard or slide off completely.  I often use Anyrail point formations, do a screenshot and draw in the straights etc using Faststone image viewer, though I expect Paint would do the same.

That’s not my experience of Anyrail. Maybe it depends on settings, but my pieces of track, or track combinations, snap together with a visual indicator of when properly connected. I agree practice helps, and it’s not always easy to align the angles of tracks to baseboard edge. 
Should add that I don’t consider myself an expert, just someone who has learnt From the YouTube videos and discovery through experimentation.

Edited November 23, 2020 by ITG