DomDulley Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 After experimenting with several layouts on a 8'x4' baseboard in my loft I finally decided to build a continuous run around the walls. The benchwork is pretty much complete now and I am ready to start laying track. As a total newbie I am hoping for some advice on the current iteration of my track plan. Period of operation is pretty loose; late steam/green diesel predominantly, but I have several BR blue locos which I don't want to look too out of place when they come visiting. I've gone for a through terminus with a goods yard and loco servicing facilities. One problem is that the back of the layout in the middle is difficult to reach due to the 4' depth of the central board. Any observations and suggestions will be welcomed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackBlack Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Nice track plan there. I reckon you should use flex track and medium radius points for its realism. With flex-track you will gain better sweeping curves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 25, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would suggest putting the whole station on a curve. This would allow you to move your scenic breaks out as the transition curves onto the loop straights would be smoother. The goods facilities are far smaller than you would expect to find at a station of the size that you have shown. In the space that you have you don't have room for these so you might be best off saying that the main freight facility is off scene and using the area that you do have for a specialist freight flow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 A very nice track plan, but I agree with Kris - might be worth just experimenting ( as you have the space ), by creating a smoother curve on the left and moving the whole station towards the left on the curve. The scenic break could be maintained by having say a 1/3 of the station platforms hidden under a townscene? You could also run any length of trains then without fear they won't fit in the station !! This would also free up some space to the right and you could push the whole yard back slightly so you can reach over the board. Good luck with the loft, luckily I had a velux for good ventilation when mine was up there, I also allowed some decent expansion gaps in the rails cos it did get hot in the summer. Looking forward to seeing progress..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks for the feedback chaps, some good food for thought there After much mulling and experimenting I have decided that the area to the left which was not going to be scenic would make a nice country scene eventually. (Phase 2!) I really like the idea of the platforms disappearing under a town scene so I have added this, with the station on a slight angle rather than a curve. Behind the station is some elevated track which curves gently through the town scene and over the station tracks where they disappear under the town. Also I have reduced the size of the station so that it's a through station with two full platforms and a single bay. Hopefully this will make the (slightly extended) goods yard more prototypical, as I am very keen on keeping this. Loco facilities are pretty much unchanged. I've also extended the plan to show the whole layout. I'll post some photos tomorrow - need bed now! Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Good luck with the loft, luckily I had a velux for good ventilation when mine was up there, I also allowed some decent expansion gaps in the rails cos it did get hot in the summer. Looking forward to seeing progress..... Yes, although converted (with 2 velux) and insulated the problem with the loft is that it is freezing at the moment, and sweltering in the summer. How large were the gaps you left between the rails? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Looks good from your layout plans...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Plan looks really good now - I do like the illusion of platforms disappearing under a town scene etc, as you always think the platforms are longer than they actually are. As far as gaps, I left a 1mm gap about every 3 foot ( sorry 1 metre ! ), seemed to do the trick. Also watch out for any card kits, the dampness in the air / cold can cause diffculties - I tried to use as much plastic / wood as possible, and made sure it was all covered up with a plastic sheet when not in use. Look forward to your progress Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taytrain Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 nice plan, look forward to seeing it progress into a working layout Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gra Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yes, although converted (with 2 velux) and insulated the problem with the loft is that it is freezing at the moment, and sweltering in the summer. How large were the gaps you left between the rails? Your thread has just grabbed my attention because we have so much in common; modelling the same period and in the loft. I have two velux windows as well. I am almost at the same stage as you, that is, starting on track plans. At the moment I am trying to get my head around xtrakcad. Just how do you join the turnouts on two sets of points together? I was interested in your comments above on temperature. Have you actually insulated under the roof tile/slates? I have and my loft is easy to heat in winter and remains cool in summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Your thread has just grabbed my attention because we have so much in common; modelling the same period and in the loft. I have two velux windows as well. I am almost at the same stage as you, that is, starting on track plans. At the moment I am trying to get my head around xtrakcad. Just how do you join the turnouts on two sets of points together? I was interested in your comments above on temperature. Have you actually insulated under the roof tile/slates? I have and my loft is easy to heat in winter and remains cool in summer. I tried xtrakcad briefly before deciding that life was too short to figure it out! After trying a couple of other flavours of track planning software I settled on AnyRail, which is really simple to use. The problem with the trial version is that it's limited to 50 pieces of track, and after working around this for a while by splitting my plans into several parts I finally gave in and stumped up the £35 for a license. The loft was already converted when we moved in but I suspect from the temperature range up there that it's not insulated very well. I can't face ripping all the boards down to investigate though. I'm going to live with it for a year and hope that nothing too horrible happens. Are you going to post a track plan and some pics of your layout? I'd be very interested to see them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Assuming you have the loop running around the outside - if those are 12" squares, you are looking at a 4 foot reach as you have pointed out - NOT A GOOD IDEA! - think about having the goods yard on one of the other legs or perhaps a folded figure 8 with the station at high level and the good yard at low level below it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Dom - in XTrkCad - place your first turnout, and position it with [return] - then, somewhere nearby.left click and the same type of turnout will appear - hold down the [shift/caps/UP arrow] key and right click your mouse - the selected end of the turnout will change each time you click - move the selected end to the diverging track on your new turnout, and attatch it to the diverging track on your already placed turnout by hitting return Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Assuming you have the loop running around the outside - if those are 12" squares, you are looking at a 4 foot reach as you have pointed out - NOT A GOOD IDEA! - think about having the goods yard on one of the other legs or perhaps a folded figure 8 with the station at high level and the good yard at low level below it. Yes, they are 12" squares. I must admit that access to the centre section at the back is a growing concern at the moment. The centre 8'x4' board is recycled from an earlier layout, and is actually two 8'x2' boards topped with Sundaela. I'm now considering splitting the front one (with the loco and goods yards) into two, to allow 2'x2' access in the centre. Not sure how I will fit the goods yard in if I do this though. I'll have a fiddle when I get home and post something up this evening. I don't really follow what you mean about the folding figure 8 or having the goods yard on one of the other legs. Could you elaborate a little please? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gra Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yes I know what you mean re xtrakcad but I want to stick with it for now. Thanks shortliner, will try what you suggest. My track plans are all in my head at the moment but will put them on here once I have mastered xtrakcad........ so don't hold your breath! My idea for a through station is amazingly similar to yours with part of mine hidden under a road bridge/town. My engine shed etc would beto the right of the platforms which gives me a bigger area at the front for goods. My base boards at this point are 3ft. wide. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Here's the latest revision. I have reduced the depth in the centre to 3 feet which I think will be manageable. Happy with the goods yard but I'm not sure how prototypical the loco facilities are now. Also is the diesel refuelling point in a realistic position, and large enough? I'm not looking foward to cutting a 8'x2' table in half lengthwise! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwinewt Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 One thing I notice is no way of your outer loop getting back into the fiddle yard without stopping and backing up... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Here's a couple of pics of the loft as track laying begins. I'm missing a number of express points which is going to be pricey, so I'm planning on using standard points for now to see how everything fits together and get a feel for how it will look. The plan for tomorrow morning is to chop the front 8'x2' board (with the horrible noisy Hornby turntable on it) in half lengthwise. Fear not, I have a cunning plan to accomplish this with a minimum of swearing. Centre boards looking towards top right corner of track plan. Site of fiddle yard, bottom right of track plan. Bottom left corner of track plan. Non-scenic. This will be the elevated town scene, top left of track plan. The white board will eventually be replaced and will have a country scene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 29, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 29, 2011 Good to see that you have decided to make the board narrower, it will make things much easier. I would loose the diesel refuelling point but keep the siding as it is to act as extra siding space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 29, 2011 Author Share Posted January 29, 2011 The deed is done, and with minimal swearing. It's been a very productive day. As well as completing the changes to the benchwork I have laid most of the remaining track and put down a few structures to see how they look. I've even run a few trains! This will be the entrance to the hidden platforms under the town scene. I was hoping to be able to fit eight coaches in the station. I only have seven at the moment and these fit fine. If I take the engine under the town scene eight or even nine coaches will be possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartman Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 looking good so far, is that an eflite blade 400 i can see in the background Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi Dom and welcome to the forum. That's some progress you've made to go from bare boards to running trains in a week and I think you have now optimised the design. Well done. Are you planning to put any underlay under the track to cut down on noise ?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Chinahand. I am planning on using 3mm cork under all the track, although this does seem to defeat the object of all the Sundaela on the station boards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomDulley Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 looking good so far, is that an eflite blade 400 i can see in the background Well spotted. I bought it last year and got to the point of hovering it before I flew it into the ground It's repaired but I haven't had the courage to fly it again yet! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartman Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Well spotted. I bought it last year and got to the point of hovering it before I flew it into the ground It's repaired but I haven't had the courage to fly it again yet! yeah mine has crashed many times mastered the hover now and doing basic circuits, but planes are much easier, and trains are even better least your in the warm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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