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I am very new to model railways and have tried to come up with a layout in Anyrail. This is 00 gauge.

I would like advice as to whether this layout is workable. The room has a door at bottom right (opens in) and also top left (opens out)

giving some access.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

railway.JPG

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Other people will have better ideas but maybe consider

  • there's no way for trains to move between the two loops
  • maybe swap the 4-road engine shed for more offshoots from the turntable - that could free up some space in the middle of the layout

What are your aims for the layout? Does the rolling stock fit correctly?

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Your platforms seem quite short. How many coaches will you run? Consider moving the turntable and loco shed left, bringing the coal/station yard toward the bottom a little and then you can extend the platforms to the right. But otherwise, quite a nice project to learn on. Are you using DC or DCC?

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That looks pretty reasonable to me for a set-track roundy-roundy.  As maq says, you need links between the inner and outer circuits, I suggest two trailing crossovers (i.e. using left-hand points), one at either end of the station.  That also allows you to run round and reverse trains in the station, giving extra operational interest

 

The storage loops look a tad short, maybe.  The ones on the left could be lengthened at the top end by using a curved left instead of a straight left on the inner circuit, and a left instead of a right on the outer, both immediately inside the tunnel mouth.

 

It also looks as though you are using first and second radius curves on the main lines?  First radius is a bit tight for some modern stock, so if you can move up to second and third radius it's well worth doing (and looks better).

 

Good luck!

 

 

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Crossovers to go either end of station at top of layout. In my mind but not on drawing. Thanks for reminder. Not expecting to have much stock. I like your suggestion simmo009. Done quick rough update using suggestions. Layout is really to confirm concept and radii to be made as large as possible on construction. I appreciate access problems and expect to be able to reach most from floor and perhaps removeable hills.

railway 2.JPG

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43 minutes ago, David Carpenter said:

Crossovers to go either end of station at top of layout. In my mind but not on drawing. Thanks for reminder. Not expecting to have much stock. I like your suggestion simmo009. Done quick rough update using suggestions. Layout is really to confirm concept and radii to be made as large as possible on construction. I appreciate access problems and expect to be able to reach most from floor and perhaps removeable hills.

railway 2.JPG

 

Naively when a beginner, I had similar reverse curve 2 point crossovers to yours and they were a nightmare as I regularly got derailments when couplings became entangled. IMO you need longer radius points than you've used. The same is true on the narrow radius curves and points on your mainlines on the left side passing tracks. Rapid change of direction thru all those curved sections have high probability of being troublesome.

 

Outside of sidings, wherever possible go for the longest radius points you can use.

 

I find your engine shed setup impractical and nothing like I've ever seen.

 

My suggestion before going any further is to do a lot more research. Look at some real life track configuration situations, the ordnance survey maps for your era are a good place to start.

https://maps.nls.uk/index.html

 

For example this is for Weston-super-Mare (1938) where all the relevant features are identified. Chose a good model for your plans even if you have no intention of modelling a prototype.

1449079834_W-s-MStationOS251938.jpg.8ca261920f937a77e75b673d0ab19139.jpg

 

'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland' (with additions)
https://maps.nls.uk/index.html

Less is better, resist the temptation to cram too much in. If your plan scale is feet (major grid) then 11' x 6' is a reasonable amount of room and IMO with less track and gentler curves you'll end up with a much more satisfying end result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by BWsTrains
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Assuming that the loops are intended to be for train storage, you'll need to make them long enough to hold your longest train. The one on the right looks far too small to hold anything, and on the left you'd be lucky to get a loco + 2 passenger carriages in.

 

My experience of set track crossovers was that they were fine operationally. The tight radius made long vehicles look a bit silly passing through them, but I didn't have derailments or anything like that. Your results might be different.

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Unless your arms are over 4 ft long you're going to have trouble reaching some of it. I'd suggest looking at an "around the walls" arrangement with your operating space in the middle. This will give you a longer run of main line, longer storage loops and gentler curves, although sacrificing some scenery space. However you could compensate with mainly low relief town scenery in the top corners. There would still be room for the door to open if you cut off the corner, or you could add a removable bridge section.

 

A lot of typical C.J. Freezer designs would fit a room that size or even smaller, noting that most of his layouts were designed for 1960s geometry pointwork however the principals are still applicable. This is a single track garden shed layout but it shows how the removable section would work.

 

Capture%20Garden%20Shed.PNG

 

Cheers

David

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I don't know if you could rehang any doors so they open out?

 

That platform at the top is blocking a lot of surface from being used.

 

Anything above 80cm depth of board is testing for access if you have to work on something. At a stretch of course you can reach further but not for long, so access from the centre is almost mandatory. Sorry to say but I think a total rethink may be needed. Make a list of things you want in your layout, things that you would like but maybe won't be possible and start from there.

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Hi David,

 

You don't have to have an engine shed - or tunnels, or a level crossing, or a bridge over water...!

 

You only need a turntable if you are running steam engines and even then it doesn't have to exist in the model, where it takes up a lot of space. You can turn locos "off-stage" if you need to.

 

You don't even have to have double-track. Single track would give you more room to fit things in and you wouldn't have the problem of keeping the tracks far enough apart to avoid collisions in the tight radii of the end curves.

 

You don't have to cover your storage areas - In fact, it's arguably better that you don't because you have so little storage that you'll need access to change the trains so that they don't become boring. (And there's always the problem of locos needing a poke when they won't move.)

 

The recipe for a good model railway in that space is something like this:

  • Baseboards around the walls, space in the middle.
  • No baseboard wider than about 762mm so you can reach everything comfortably.
  • Simple lifting section across the main entry door.
  • An "on stage" area where you have your scenery and you try not to use your hands to do railway operations.
  • An "off stage" area where you store trains while they are not acting on the stage and where you are can pick them up and move them around.

Within that framework, the world's your oyster!

 

Edited by Harlequin
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Thank you ALL for your most welcome comments that goes to show why I asked for them. I think a day of reflection is due with perhaps the first thing being the centre access. The bottom right door could be made to hang outwards, the top left one already does. I think the idea on longer radius curves is something I should take onboard. When the layout is settled I still have to decide whether DC or DCC.

Wish me luck. Dave

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Before wishing you luck, can I point out that both the crossovers you've added should be the same way round - the one at the left hand end is correct, the one on the right should be reversed.  Quite apart from "real railway" rules about facing and trailing points, which can be ignored but usually better if not, doing it like that means a train stopped in either platform can reverse direction and cross to the correct running line immediately. 

 

Good luck!

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Do you have some dimensions for the room and do you know what you want to do?

 

Are you wanting to create or model or just run trains?

 

do you have a preference to what you want to see, do you want to see locos or is it watching them pass by with a train?

 

what do you want to run? Are you wanting big express locos or are you thinking more about tank engines?

 

there is no wrong answer to these questions but it does help people give the best advice.

 

Welcome to the forum, you will find a lot of people here are very helpful and love to help people design the railway they want ^_^

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My room is 11- 6 x 6 - 0 with 2 doors which can both be opening out. 00 gauge. I would like some continuous running. Not keen on terminus station or large express locos.

Keen on GWR. I like modelling. I do not intend to run trains all the time so a simply layout appeals. Would like goods yard, small through station, engine shed/s etc with room for a small village. Now thinking that main layout of 10 x 6 with 2 foot fiddle yard at one end.

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7 hours ago, David Carpenter said:

My room is 11- 6 x 6 - 0 with 2 doors which can both be opening out. 00 gauge. I would like some continuous running. Not keen on terminus station or large express locos.

Keen on GWR. I like modelling. I do not intend to run trains all the time so a simply layout appeals. Would like goods yard, small through station, engine shed/s etc with room for a small village. Now thinking that main layout of 10 x 6 with 2 foot fiddle yard at one end.

 

I'd suggest having the fiddle yard/staging on one long side of the room and the station on the other side, with a low relief village against the wall and goods yard closer to the baseboard edge where you have access. Plenty of prototype examples of GWR single track secondary main lines or major branch lines you could draw on for inspiration. Short trains would not be a problem, in fact would be quite realistic. In addition to typical local trains (e.g. a B set) you could legitimately have a train of a Mogul or Small Prairie hauling 2-3 main line coaches - just say they are through coaches from London that have been detached at the junction.

 

A through station is unlikely to have an engine shed as locos would be stabled either at the junction or the terminus. That's space you can use for another industry to allow more shunting. However water columns at the end of the platforms would not be unrealistic so locos can take water en route.

 

Cheers

David

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Keeping the basic plan you could add a few sidings do away with the very short pretty much useless loop at the right hand end, lengthen the other outer loop,   Shift the loco depot a bit, make one platform into an island.  Needs a bit of flexi and ideally some streamline points to reduce the width.

Still stuck with a longish goods and passenger on the outside and much shorter trains on the inside but you could run some GWR ish trains. I like the canal.  Plenty of full size stations have rivers flowing under them or next to them, amazingly few models do...

Screenshot (385).png

Edited by DavidCBroad
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Knew it was on here somewhere. This is the sort of arrangement I'm talking about: 

 

It's a junction which may or may not suit your interests but shows how the arrangement I described above can work in the space you have.

 

Cheers

David

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The original plan shown is just all a bit crowded, yet without the operational benefits of being able to store enough trains of any length. 

 

Single track, perhaps with junctions into hidden sidings along one of the longer walls, would offer more options. As would not having a station.

 

Another option (although OP was not keen on a terminus) is terminus to hidden sidings with a "rat run" option for continuous running of trains. 11' x 6' would give plenty of space for this. A well-known example by Maurice Deane (who was often credited with the original idea) was IIRC 7' x 5' and CJF had one in his plans books for about the same dimension.

 

Another approach, and so well done, is Guide Dog Bridge which has a thread on here. Diesel era but the plan could easily be modified to include that turntable.

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It is possible to fit a twin track line with reasonable train lengths into a tight space however you will find that you need to do a bit of compromising.

 

I have attached an image of my plan for Eastburn which fits a twin track Anglo Scottish Mainline onto 8’ by 8’9”. There is still plenty of operating potential as there is a goods yard and refuge sidings allowing for plenty of on scene action.

 

In order to fit the fiddle yard in I have had to leave a large amount of space as off scene and rather than a full station I was only able to fit the ends of the platforms in as the suggestion of a other station.

 

Trains are limited to about 5/6 coaches + loco so while I can represent the main expresses I have enough room to represent the more frequent goings on.

 

Id suggest you try and make your curves wider which will help with running and look better too. You should be able to get some of your pointwork onto the curve which will help give it a more natural flowing looking aswell.

 

Given your space you should be able to do something similar however it’s going to take a bit of jiggery pokery and u might have to compromise on some bits.

9240A01C-783F-4397-B588-62F300A49621.png

Edited by Aire Head
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1 hour ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Another approach, and so well done, is Guide Dog Bridge which has a thread on here. Diesel era but the plan could easily be modified to include that turntable.

 

One of my favourites and linked below.  

 

 

Here's a plan I posted recently for a space very similar to the OP's but a somewhat different requirement.  Again it's not bucolic GWR but it shows the effect that can be gained in if flexible track is used - the curves at the end are 30" plus.  If you reduced this to a single track route it would be quite spacious.

 

JN4.png.a0ce72bc5fb3ed845f58868214aab47f.png

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Thank you all for the effort you are putting in to advise me. I am slowly taking it all in and changing my requirements. I will post a revised layout as soon as I can for further comment. I am looking at it now like buying a house. List all the things you want - then compromise!

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Don't get seduced by sweeping flowing curves, with your width restrictions you'll struggle to get even 2ft radius at the right hand end..  Then again 2ft don't  look too bad if you are careful.  I would suggest an operating hole in the middle with a hinged lifting section to get in and out. No one else will think the following is a good idea but I would put the station platform on the lift out section,, ours works brilliantly lift get out reset in 15 seconds.   Otherwise you waste a lot of potentially scenic space with a lift section, and full size trains seldom pause more than briefly at small wayside stations.

Your site is a bit too oddly shaped for most CJ Freeze 60 plans books unless you stick and extra 3 feet in the middle of an 8 X 4 plan.

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