RMweb Premium Kris Posted February 17, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 17, 2011 As far as I know XtrkCAD is free. It's not something that I use (or can use) so I have never downloaded it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted February 17, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2011 In general for a terminus the train length to the layout length is a maximum of 1/4 to 1/3 of the length thus a 10ft layout gives a train length of 2ft 6in to 3 ft. The tain length occurrs in both the fiddleyard and the station. The rest is used up by the pointwork, headshunts and the bit of mainline to the fiddle yard. If you go for Multiple units etc you can save a bit of space for running round but it will not be as interesting to operate. Regards Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Nevard Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Take yerself off to a few good model railway shows. That's the way! 10ft including fiddle yard is loads, but don't be tempted to squeeze too much in because you'll be disappointed with the result. Less is more. I know that software is a popular choice, but for creativity nothing beats a sheet of A4 out of the printer, a pencil and rubber to mess about with some ideas beforehand. And, if you already have some stock, clear the living room and lay some trains out on the carpet or dining room table as here. Go to the larder and grab some food packaging or pile of books to replicate possible buildings - you'll then get an idea realistically as to what fits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Much as I hate to disagree with Mr Nevard, I would not lay trains out on the carpet; the fluff gets in to the works and does no good at all. Go with the dining table option! How is it that his "mock-up" looks better than my layouts? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 7013 Posted February 17, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 17, 2011 Just about to start my 14'x6' loft layout, it has taken me months to plan the whole thing and to put together an equipment list and work sheet. I sadly had to dismantle a layout that I planned to exhibit, but one thing it taught me was that erecting and dismantling would have taken too long. so I have kept the layout but will work on the poratbility issues. Anyway I have a nice clear space and have my plans. To get and keep my motivation up I set myself goals and work towards them setting myself a reasonable time span. For example my first goal will be to assemble all tools and equipment in the attic, second will be to construct the 8 baseboards I need, third will be to set them on trestles and join them. That will be most of the basic construction work and will realistically take me a couple of weeks given the time available, if it takes less time that is a bonus. I will plan the track and electrics instages By setting myself a work schedule I find I can keep my motivation up by not trying to do too much in one go and checking everything as I go along. It sounds a bit of a plod but it works for me. Of course the biggest motivation is to see my dream become a reality and have a new layout to run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Bathurst Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks chris will have a go of setting it up on a table first and drawing it up on paper. Will have a look at what type of point work will be suitable for the terminus of the station, for relasing the loco. The picture of your mock up is very good, like the buildings:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi Earl B Sounds like you do know where to start then - Swansea area? Think of a layout like the place you would like to go back to if you could and model what you knew. I find you will always have more enthusiasm for a place if its somewhere you once stood. Look at my own efforts - no one in the right mind would think of New Street in the 80's as a nice place to model! Cheers Jim Couldn't agree more, Jim. Similarly, who would want to model a piece of a fairly unremarkable four track main line, with a gasworks close by and a filthy, mud covered inlet on which was a small shipyard? Just a railway kind of place! But, I and so many of my mates all stood here, more than half a century ago, and just watched trains. And I guess you too stood on Birmingham New Street in the mid 80's and probably wish you could again? To the original poster; find some old pictures of the place and time or something akin to it, which you can just muse over when the motivation waivers. Wallow in pure nostalgia, if that's what will provide the motivation. Speaking entirely personally, when my motivation waivers (and it does) then I set up some models on the railway and get the camera down to lineside level and just try and recapture an image or two of the railway as I first knew it. Works a treat! Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Bathurst Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks guys for all the advice. Its been really helpful. Been looking at a few books and seen a photo that really has inspired me to start a new layout. Now the fun bit is designing a track plan i like now. And i must remember less is more:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Richard_A Posted February 18, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 18, 2011 Have u found pictures or track plans of swansea victoria station? Im pretty sure that was a lms station and it was quite compact. I used to live in swansea and my step dad who used to work for br showed me where it was and i alwas thought it would make a good model Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thanks Jim, i have been looking for as much info as possible so i could model a certain location on the central wales line or might use a bit of artistic licence and create a fictitious station that could have been on the line. Its just the case of finding a plan i can fit into the space i got which is 10foot by 2foot which i have to get a fiddle yard or cassette of some kind in. Also Kris is XTrkCAD free to download and use? Also do you just download it and are able to use it straight off? Thanks XTrkCad is free to download and use. It used to be commercial software with a free restricted trial version but its author very generously put it into the public domain as open source software. It takes a bit of work to learn how to use it well but if you're into track planning it's worth the effort. If you've got a file with suitable rolling stock you can even operate a layout and that's quite useful for ironing out operations. There is a Yahoo Group for XtrCad http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XTrkCad/ and the files section includes the current and previous version of the software as well as parameter files for rolling stock including UK. The main software is a small .exe file of less than 2Mbytes and other files include useful how to get started tutorials. Last week we were working out some ideas for a new small layout and my colleague had tried laying it out with track templates. Converting his sketch into XtrCad revealed a couple of impossible curves and enabled us to quickly generate a workable plan which has now been laid and is being wired. It's a Piano derivative and may be putting in an appearance in bare boards state fairly soon. I've also found it useful to print out the XTkCad plan of my own layout and use it to as the basis for a detailed wiring diagram- amazing how quickly you forget where the feeds really are once they're well buried in ballast!! I think there was a layout based on Swansea Victoria in one of the magazines some years ago but I'm sure it was a lot more than 10' long with its fiddle yard. I'll try and dig it out. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Bathurst Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Hi Aint found any pics at the moment but have bought a book which will have pictures of the station in it. Swansea Victoria would be a lovely model its a station which always interests me and would have loved to seen it as a working line but unfortunately only ever seen the site as a leisure centre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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