Layout design help

[Peter Crawford]

That's true, I guess.

[Peter Crawford]

If you don't mind compromising on a fiddle yard, you could have two curved points creating a passing loop/station on one side and a goods yard with a couple of sidings to shunt into on the other. If you wanted to be even more ambitious, you could build a one-road shed near the sidings, from the [Metcalfe or Ratio] kits. between the two, you could have a static 2-track mainline on an embankment, visually separating the yard and station, whilst offering a space (with working signals perhaps) to display some choice stock, as part of a mainline train. To make things even better, place a tunnel portal on either side of the static mainline. You could build the village slowly climbing uphill to the mainline.

[brenn]

If you don't mind compromising on a fiddle yard, you could have two curved points creating a passing loop/station on one side and a goods yard with a couple of sidings to shunt into on the other. If you wanted to be even more ambitious, you could build a one-road shed near the sidings, from the [Metcalfe or Ratio] kits. between the two, you could have a static 2-track mainline on an embankment, visually separating the yard and station, whilst offering a space (with working signals perhaps) to display some choice stock, as part of a mainline train. To make things even better, place a tunnel portal on either side of the static mainline. You could build the village slowly climbing uphill to the mainline.

Yes i was thinking if an upper layer was possible although it'll may well be a squeeze.........curved points seems the way to go and use points on the straight to use the middle of the board. I wont be using any form of operator well so i'm going to try make a return  loop or may be a Heljan turntable. 

 

Thanks to all who have put up layout designs and advice.....most useful food for thought and appreciated. Can 4th Radius be used?.......and if so how best to connect it to 3rd radius track?

 

BW

 

M & D

[Peter Crawford]

4th Rad might be possible. Just mirror your uses of 2nd/3rd/4th on either side.

[imt]

Yes i was thinking if an upper layer was possible although it'll may well be a squeeze.........curved points seems the way to go and use points on the straight to use the middle of the board. I wont be using any form of operator well so i'm going to try make a return  loop or may be a Heljan turntable. 

 

Thanks to all who have put up layout designs and advice.....most useful food for thought and appreciated. Can 4th Radius be used?.......and if so how best to connect it to 3rd radius track?

 

BW

 

M & D

 

1. an upper layer of scenery is a good idea - you will NOT be able to have an upper layer of track (unless it is completely separate because the gradients would be too much for locos to pull up.

 

2. curved points would be good.  Remember in Settrack (as per Hornby, Bachmann, Peco) ALL points are second radius.  Peco Streamline is different and to different standard, as are many others.  Mixing Settrack and other things requires care.  Because they are smaller size and radius and have insulating plastic pieces Settrack points can cause problems with electrical pick-up for locos.

 

3. you can use 4th radius with any other radius - either continuously so you can have three curved lines one inside the other, or in combinations - half a circle of (say) 4th radius in visible areas and the other half in 2nd radius "off-scene".  This is usual practice for railway modellers - though they probably curve their own flexitrack to the exact radii they want.

 

Please have fun.  If you use the easier to set up - but more toy like - Settrack you may have a few running problems.  On the whole your youngster won't notice and things will be whizzing about anyway!

[DCB]

When I was seven my parents gave me a 6X4 board and a box of second hand Hornby Dublo track and I had many happy hours arranging and re arranging the tracks. 

40 odd years later I ook a box of Triang stock and track on holiday for my son and made a variety of temporary layouts in holiday lets from Cornwall to Inverness

I think on balance you should not try to make the 6X4 a scenic permanent layout but just play with it and see what you can squeeze in and when you get tired of it re arrange it.

 

When the time comes design a permanent layout and build baseboards to suit.  L girders are good, that way under track scenery and multi levels are a doddle.

If the baseboard is new wood there is a very god chance it will warp. Every one I have ever built with new wood has warped, which is why I use reclaimed wood....

[Peter Crawford]

There's a starter layout in 00 gauge featured a couple of months ago in RM, by the name of Ottilie's Layout... I think?

[Peter Crawford]

I'd be happy to do a bit of design work, but can you please answer the following questions?

 

What era do you plan to model?

 

What region do you plan to model?

 

Will you have many large locos/long coaches?

 

Would you compromise on scenic space or operational interest?

 

Would you compromise on longer trains or more shunting?

 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the least important, mark out the importance of the following:

 

 

Shunting     Through Goods        Branchline Pick-up Goods       Mainline Passenger       Branchline/Commuter Passenger

 

Then a couple more questions:

 

Spirals, Helices and Gradients?

 

YES      NO

 

MAINLINE ATMOSPHERE       SIDINGS/LOCO DEPOT

 

STATION      MORE IMPORTANT/BUSIER LINE

 

SETRACK (NO SLIPS ETC., EASIER TO BUILD)       STREAMLINE (MORE VARIETY, REQUIRES CUTTING TRACK)

 

COST             TIME

 

TRAINS         REALISM

 

 

With this, I should be able to make a start on a design

[Wag]

Recently been in similar position. You need a continuous loop whilst also having some interest in terms of running and modelling. Dependent on storage can you fit a raised section on the track for a station this can be lifted off for storage if need be, you may need spare fish plates to keep connections tight when reassembling. You can run a double loop, with the inner loop going running through a tunnel entrance underneath the station which could also be expanded with a siding to hold trains out of sight. The outer loop will have tough gradients but using second radius (even 1st radius often - not steam) locos will manage the climb to a station where you can have points and platform for 3' out of 6' side. (don't use curved points or put points on a climb or descent due to derailment). The loops can be linked by points on the opposite side of raised station and can also lead into goods yard or industrial setting with shunting opportunities. AnyRail or Scarm has free apps for limited number of pieces which allows you to experiment.

 

Your layout may not be prototypical but will be fun.

 

The PECO Setrack Planbook Fourth edition is useful lots of smaller plans, plan 7 and 10 fit 6'x4' and would be easy to assemble. Plan 18 and 20 look interesting layouts

a few inches larger than 6x4 - Plan 20 6'3'' and 4'1'' for example. The book cost me £2,50 recently worth the investment.

[Peter Crawford]

Setrack Planbook is great, but Freetrackplans can give you the Hornby version for free.

[brenn]

I'd be happy to do a bit of design work, but can you please answer the following questions?

 

What era do you plan to model?  BR blue 1077-1983

 

What region do you plan to model? London

 

Will you have many large locos/long coaches? APT-E...5 but flexible

 

Would you compromise on scenic space or operational interest? Yes

 

Would you compromise on longer trains or more shunting? Yes

 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the least important, mark out the importance of the following:

 

 

Shunting 7     Through Goods 5       Branchline Pick-up Goods   3    Mainline Passenger 8       Branchline/Commuter Passenger 9

 

Then a couple more questions:

 

Spirals, Helices and Gradients?

 

YES      if possible

 

MAINLINE ATMOSPHERE no       SIDINGS/LOCO DEPOT Yes

 

STATION      MORE IMPORTANT/BUSIER LINE

 

SETRACK (NO SLIPS ETC., EASIER TO BUILD)       STREAMLINE (MORE VARIETY, REQUIRES CUTTING TRACK) Streamline....i have a selection of tillig slips too but mainly code 100 peco but would consider code 75 slips or 83 to join the tracks 

 

COST             TIME both not an issue

 

TRAINS first         REALISM second

 

 

With this, I should be able to make a start on a design

 

Sorry Peter for the late reply life get in the way some time:)..please see above answers

 

thanks for your offer

 

BW

 

Mike and Dara

[Peter Crawford]

No problems Mike. I will get cracking today, hopefully.

[jon_1066]

I had a play around.  I think you are firmly in toy train set here.  I also think a 6 by 4 board will be heavy (it needs to be portable I understand).  This combined with the small size would preclude any thought of gradients and multiple levels.  With that in mind here is a suggestion.

 

 

 

It allows a 3 carriage loco hauled train or four car DMU/EMU/HST that would have to reside on the running lines.  Three sections on the roundy-roundy allows you to swap trains between the lines.  Your son can blast around the outer loop whilst you shunt about on the inner.  It has an inglenook shunting layout on a goods served industry, a TMD and carriage sidings.  Industrial buildings and a polystyrene hill and road bridge provide a scenic break between the two sides without great additional weight.  The buildings could be removable to aid storage, ditto the trees.  They could be inserted into the polystyrene to reduce the height of the final board when stored.  The points are a combination of set track and stream line.  You will need set track spacing for the curves anyway.  The station is an island platform with the rest having to be imagined off scene.

[Peter Crawford]

What I propose is a spiral layout with two decks and helices linking up. You therefore have a fiddle yard leading onto a gradient (PowerBase etc. might help) with a passing loop/halt on the climb to a terminus. The terminus would benefit from a 3/4ft long platform (might be able to stretch it, I will double check this) and a goods yard. Please see enclosed photos of the track plans: The passing loop(s) points are setrack but the station would use streamline. Anything you want for the FY.

 

I suggest 2nd Radius curves if you can accept them. In 1077 trains didn't exist... 

 

So, now to the tour of my plan:

 

We start at the top, with your terminus station.

 

 

You will find 3 platforms, with another siding to access the kickback siding. The two could arguably be freight. The bottom of the plan is characterised by the loco depot and long siding (you could wire up a few isolating sections on the long siding or use it as a carriage siding.

 

 

Followed by a couple of spirals. Please note that this deck descends anti-clockwise.

 

 

On the next deck down, you will find a loco shed with an additional storage road and a double slip, linking on to two tracks close to each other. On the long loop, you will find a loco release siding for station to station shuttles. The long siding could be for anything- an industry of choice, P-way etc. This siding is perfect for this as you will find that quite a bit of space has been left there for a sprawling complex. This loop should be enough for the longest of trains, managing a 2+5 HST (Just)

 

As many loops as wanted

 

 

The fiddle yard features no less than six medium length sidings, 2 long ones and 2 short ones. In total, 10 trains can be stored in the Fiddle Yard, plus a loco in the release siding, up to 5 in the middle MPD, one train on the passing loop, one on the platforms and up to 3/4 in the station/MPD (some trains, some locos). This allows a minimum of 20 locos of which 7/8 are trains on the layout at any one time- who could want more?

 

There is, however, a catch: The gradient layout will require lots of time/money to build and could make it a bit heavier to move, not to mention more fragile. I am not really trying to market this type of plan, but show the extremities of what's possible. Just have fun!

 

 

 

 

[Peter Crawford]

Here's the list of needed objects:

 

Peco_OO_100 Item Icon Description amount SL-100 Flex-Peco_OO_100:SL-100
undefined 3 (1.72m (+10%)) SL-102 Flex-Peco_OO_100:SL-102
undefined 1 (0.79m (+10%)) ST-204 -Peco_OO_100:ST-204
undefined 5 ST-201 -Peco_OO_100:ST-201
undefined 11 ST-200 -Peco_OO_100:ST-200
undefined 13 ST-202 -Peco_OO_100:ST-202
undefined 8 ST-203 -Peco_OO_100:ST-203
undefined 6 ST-226 R2 -Peco_OO_100:ST-226
undefined 20 ST-225 R2 -Peco_OO_100:ST-225
undefined 3 ST-227 R2 -Peco_OO_100:ST-227
undefined 1 ST-230 R3 -Peco_OO_100:ST-230
undefined 1 ST-238 -Peco_OO_100:ST-238
undefined 4 SL-84 -Peco_OO_100:SL-84
undefined 1 ST-241 undefined -Peco_OO_100:ST-241
undefined 12 ST-240 undefined -Peco_OO_100:ST-240
undefined 5 SL-90 undefined -Peco_OO_100:SL-90
undefined 1 Hornby_OO Item Icon Description amount R601 STRAIGHT-Hornby_OO:R601
335.0mm 6 R600 STRAIGHT-Hornby_OO:R600
167.5mm 1 R607 CURVE-Hornby_OO:R607
45°/438.0mm 5 R606 CURVE-Hornby_OO:R606
22°/438.0mm 4 R643 CURVE-Hornby_OO:R643
11°/438.0mm 3 R608 CURVE-Hornby_OO:R608
22°/505.0mm 1 R8072 SWITCH-Hornby_OO:R8072
22°/438.0mm 167 1 R8073 SWITCH-Hornby_OO:R8073
22°/438.0mm 167 2 R8074 SWITCH-Hornby_OO:R8074
33°/444.0mm 33°/438.0mm 2 R8075 SWITCH-Hornby_OO:R8075
33°/444.0mm 33°/438.0mm

Sorry, just cut and pasted the list from the website.

[Harlequin]

What I propose is a spiral layout with two decks and helices linking up. You therefore have a fiddle yard leading onto a gradient (PowerBase etc. might help) with a passing loop/halt on the climb to a terminus. The terminus would benefit from a 3/4ft long platform (might be able to stretch it, I will double check this) and a goods yard. Please see enclosed photos of the track plans: The passing loop(s) points are setrack but the station would use streamline. Anything you want for the FY.

 

I suggest 2nd Radius curves if you can accept them. In 1077 trains didn't exist... 

 

So, now to the tour of my plan:

 

We start at the top, with your terminus station.

 

Brenn 1.png

 

You will find 3 platforms, with another siding to access the kickback siding. The two could arguably be freight. The bottom of the plan is characterised by the loco depot and long siding (you could wire up a few isolating sections on the long siding or use it as a carriage siding.

 

 

Followed by a couple of spirals. Please note that this deck descends anti-clockwise.

 

Brenn 2.png

 

On the next deck down, you will find a loco shed with an additional storage road and a double slip, linking on to two tracks close to each other. On the long loop, you will find a loco release siding for station to station shuttles. The long siding could be for anything- an industry of choice, P-way etc. This siding is perfect for this as you will find that quite a bit of space has been left there for a sprawling complex. This loop should be enough for the longest of trains, managing a 2+5 HST (Just)

 

As many loops as wanted

 

Brenn 3.png

 

The fiddle yard features no less than six medium length sidings, 2 long ones and 2 short ones. In total, 10 trains can be stored in the Fiddle Yard, plus a loco in the release siding, up to 5 in the middle MPD, one train on the passing loop, one on the platforms and up to 3/4 in the station/MPD (some trains, some locos). This allows a minimum of 20 locos of which 7/8 are trains on the layout at any one time- who could want more?

 

There is, however, a catch: The gradient layout will require lots of time/money to build and could make it a bit heavier to move, not to mention more fragile. I am not really trying to market this type of plan, but show the extremities of what's possible. Just have fun!

 

All the OP wanted was something that would fit on a single 6 by 4 board with enough features to grab the attention of his 9 year old son...

 

This is wildly impractical, I'm afraid. Sorry.

[DCB]

What I propose is a spiral layout with two decks and helices linking up. You therefore have a fiddle yard leading onto a gradient (PowerBase etc. might help) with a passing loop/halt on the climb to a terminus. The terminus would benefit from a 3/4ft long platform (might be able to stretch it, I will double check this) and a goods yard. Please see enclosed photos of the track plans: The passing loop(s) points are setrack but the station would use streamline. Anything you want for the FY.

 

I suggest 2nd Radius curves if you can accept them. In 1077 trains didn't exist... 

 

So, now to the tour of my plan:

 

We start at the top, with your terminus station.

 

 

 

You will find 3 platforms, with another siding to access the kickback siding. The two could arguably be freight. The bottom of the plan is characterised by the loco depot and long siding (you could wire up a few isolating sections on the long siding or use it as a carriage siding.

 

 

Followed by a couple of spirals. Please note that this deck descends anti-clockwise.

 

 

 

On the next deck down, you will find a loco shed with an additional storage road and a double slip, linking on to two tracks close to each other. On the long loop, you will find a loco release siding for station to station shuttles. The long siding could be for anything- an industry of choice, P-way etc. This siding is perfect for this as you will find that quite a bit of space has been left there for a sprawling complex. This loop should be enough for the longest of trains, managing a 2+5 HST (Just)

 

As many loops as wanted

 

 

The fiddle yard features no less than six medium length sidings, 2 long ones and 2 short ones. In total, 10 trains can be stored in the Fiddle Yard, plus a loco in the release siding, up to 5 in the middle MPD, one train on the passing loop, one on the platforms and up to 3/4 in the station/MPD (some trains, some locos). This allows a minimum of 20 locos of which 7/8 are trains on the layout at any one time- who could want more?

 

There is, however, a catch: The gradient layout will require lots of time/money to build and could make it a bit heavier to move, not to mention more fragile. I am not really trying to market this type of plan, but show the extremities of what's possible. Just have fun!

 

I like it.. Can't make the middle level work as the spiral track coming down does not seem to have been allowed for but top and bottom could be good, maybe needs passing loop half way up spiral or maybe at the bottom.

 

Top is hopeless as no decent run round but easily bodgable

  See my sketches.

Edited June 19, 2018 by DavidCBroad

[Peter Crawford]

Indeed, some improvement is needed, the middle level has several spirals omitted, so it should work. It's probably not the best starter design, just a high-density plan.