New start

[GWR-fan]

Some months ago as part of a "tree change",  I left the city and moved to the south coast of New South Wales.  At my previous home I had a very complicated "G" scale outdoor railway utilising stainless steel track and points (43 in total) and LGB locomotives and rolling stock.  After years of outdoor modelling I decided to down size to British "OO" and utilise any available space in my new home and get in out of the weather.  With permission granted by SWMBO I was "given" a whole room to use as my railway room.  The room is 5.5m in length and 4.5m in width.  While the space seems perfect it has a couple of drawbacks in that  I would be sharing it with the cat litter tray plus both the "narrow" walls have centred double entry sliding doors with one leading from a hallway and the other the main entry/exit to the side verandah.  Both sliding doors would be in constant use thus limiting my potential usage of the space available.

 

My options as to what layout could be built are compromised.  I had considered a continuous run around the room,  however the need to regularly breach the track at each entry/exit door would hamper any long term enjoyment of the layout.  I had thought of two independent layouts either side of the room or perhaps a dogbone continuous run layout on one side and a BLT on the other.  The dogbone layout would allow my preferred continuous running while the BLT would satisfy any desire for shunting or "real" train operations.  Then again I could build a larger layout away from the wall (allowing about 60cm access to the "blind" side of the layout) and have the layout encroach into the room thus allowing perhaps a 5m X 2.4m "U" shaped area.  Curves would be minimum R4 with double track operation.   It seems that I have several options.  For comfort the room is equipped with a split system aircon.

 

Prior to commencing the build I need to complete a list of tasks for SWMBO with just one remaining task to complete when the house has finished being painted.  Apart from securing timber to build the baseboards,  I have all the flex track and Peco points and operating hardware I could ever need.  As an after thought I could build the BLT as a digital railway and keep the continuous run layout as my preferred analogue.  I used both digital and analogue on my large outdoor railway and while there were obvious advantages to digital operation with using multiple locomotives,  it seemed that I always reverted back to analogue as my preferred choice.  Another thing I realised with my outdoor railway was that the majority of my remotely controlled points were rarely used as I would set a route and just let trains run.  It seems the more complicated one makes their layout plan the less utilised is its potential possibilities.  Thus apart from a fiddleyard on my future "OO" layout,  the trackplan around the station area will be relatively simple.   I have numerous resin RTR buildings covering Bachmann's Highley Station,  Hornby's Dent Station and Hornby's (?) Goathland Station,  so my preferred trackplan would be similar to one of these locations.  Perhaps a BLT could be built to utilise some of the RTR buildings not used on the main layout.

[DavidB-AU]

Could you possibly do a sketch of the room?

 

Is there an option of a removable or lifting section across one or both of the doorways? Does "constant use" include when the layout is actually in operation?

[GWR-fan]

1 hour ago, DavidB-AU said:

Could you possibly do a sketch of the room?

 

Is there an option of a removable or lifting section across one or both of the doorways? Does "constant use" include when the layout is actually in operation?

 

David,

            included is a sketch of the room.  Overall size is 5.6m X 4.5m.  One wall has  160cm double sliding internal doors which recess into the wall cavity.  At the exit of the room to the side verandah is a triple glass doorway with a central sliding door portion.  In one corner is a 90cm X 60cm section which intrudes into the room area.

 

A single removeable section could possibly be placed across the external exit end of the room but as the room is in regular use to access the side verandah/backyard,  it would need to be a simple easily removeable section to link the sides of the room.  I would be hesitant to include a removeable section across the hallway entrance into the room.

 

When entering the room from the hallway,  ideally,  the left side of the room would allow a wider layout thus limiting its footprint extent into the centre of the room.  A layout up to 2.4m wide could be possible and still not exceed the centre of the room and thus not inflame any potential issues with SWMBO, although it would need to reduce to 2.0m wide at the other end so as not to impede the exit through the sliding glass doos to the outside.

 

Thus I could have a "U" shaped layout (permanently opened at the hallway end to access the operating well) on the left side of the room (when viewed from the hallway) and a 60cm full lenght 5.6m branchline shunting layout or perhaps the fiddleyard on the opposite wall.  I could then link the two layouts with a removeable section across the glass sliding doors should a train wish to visit the other layout.  Obviously, if the fiddleyard was on the opposite wall then the removeable section would be used more regularly.

 

Edit:  as an afterthought,  if the right side of the room was used as the fiddleyard then a turntable and multi-stall engine shed and return loop around the engine shed  could be located at the hallway end of the room where the wall section is 125cm wide.  This would make it simpler for trains on the outer loop of a dual track layout to re-enter the main layout after leaving it without the need to lift a loco and turn it around.  Unsure as yet how a train on the inner loop (opposite running direction) would access the "fiddleyard" and return to the inner loop in correct orientation without some opposite line running using a crossover or back to back points.

 

  

Edited February 23, 2023 by GWR-fan
Additional information

[DavidB-AU]

I think you have more usable space that I first thought. So long as the exterior door is free to slide, you could use the space shown by the red boxes. You would then only need a small lifting section across the actual door when the layout is in use. The measurements shown in blue would give you a better idea.

 

 

It's not impossible to get a folded dogbone or useful end to end in this space. Of course it would be easier in N! 😄

[GWR-fan]

David,

            the exterior sliding glass door is 90cm and each side panel is 80cm.   With just a 90cm removeable section then the layout could embrace the whole room as a "U" shape but the entire width (4.5m) of the room plus the full length (5.6m).   The layout would "hug" the wall and not exceed 75cm in width other than the two 180 degree curved ends at the hallway end of the room.  Thus there would be one narrow removeable section only (approximately 90cm in width) with basically four straight tracks crossing it.

 

Edit:  doing this I could have my GWR "layout" along one wall utilising my Bachmann Highley Station RTR buildings and on the other wall a choice between either my Midland Dent Station buildings or North East Goathland Station buildings.  My original idea several years ago in acquiring the buildings was a series of "diorama" stations linked with simple unscenicked trackwork between.  Thus the emphasis would have been on the station areas and not the distances between.

Edited February 23, 2023 by GWR-fan
Additional wording

[DCB]

The plan is confusing as the long side looks longer than the short one, but 17ft X 13 ft is a decent space. 

A lifting section is no problem as long as it is engineered properly. (and as long as  the temperature variations are not too extreme.)   Mine has a station building and platforms on it, and a second level crosses it on a hinged lifting flap.  To lift it, allow someone to enter or leave the room and have the tracks back aligned to allow a train to cross is under 15 seconds.  A barrier stops trains plunging into the abyss.  The limit on length is the height available between the baseboard height and the ceiling. mine gets mighty close.  A vertical lift should be possible for longer lengths couple of motorbike fork legs for alignment?  Counterbalanced with concrete blocks?  Where many people go wrong with lifting flaps is by using door hinges on the baseboard top, These are almost impossible to align and the pivot invariably flexes. I use flat hinges like Wallpapering table hinges,  mounted to the main framing slightly above track level and very solid.  Likewise the lifting end needs to land on something very solid,  The deck can flex but as long as the structure is rigid when down the tracks will align.

Edited March 3, 2023 by DCB

[GWR-fan]

Many thanks.  I will definitely look at over engineered hinges for the lifting flap/s.

[Harlequin]

I think it would be a good idea to keep the main route through the room clear but it's a big enough space that you could still use the centre of the room to give you a roundy-roundy layout, something like this:

 

 

The diagonals on the baseboards make the room comfortable to pass through and keep the doorways unblocked.

There's a nice space to use in the top right corner to sit and contemplate with views either in or out.

And then later, if you're willing to use more of the space, room for a little end-to-end layout on the right.

 

Edit: Whoops, I see the internal doors are sliding too, not hinged as I've drawn them. The basic ideas still stands, though.

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by Harlequin

[GWR-fan]

Phil,

       many thanks, much appreciated.  A future plan would be to install a lifting section across the glass sliding doors  and thus incorporate a future branchline (or terminus layout) as shown on the right with the main layout on the left.   I prefer continuous running,  but the thought of sending a train to a destination does beckon using the addon layout.  Perhaps the addon layout could be the fiddleyard thus leaving the main layout free of a complex track plan and thus more suitable for scenery.

 

Your idea allows unhindered access to the room from the hallway which no doubt would keep the boss happy.

[RobinofLoxley]

2 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

Phil,

       many thanks, much appreciated.  A future plan would be to install a lifting section across the glass sliding doors  and thus incorporate a future branchline (or terminus layout) as shown on the right with the main layout on the left.   I prefer continuous running,  but the thought of sending a train to a destination does beckon using the addon layout.  Perhaps the addon layout could be the fiddleyard thus leaving the main layout free of a complex track plan and thus more suitable for scenery.

 

Your idea allows unhindered access to the room from the hallway which no doubt would keep the boss happy.

Maybe more difficult to persuade the boss to an extension once  a layout space  has been defined.....

[GWR-fan]

8 hours ago, RobinofLoxley said:

Maybe more difficult to persuade the boss to an extension once  a layout space  has been defined.....

 

I believe a prudent strategy is to present the whole plan and advise her that it will be built in stages.  The room is "mine" (supposedly) as long as I share it with the cats.

[RobinofLoxley]

Oh well if there are cats involved....