Cpt Cheddar Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hello all I am brand new to railway modelling, I got my first kit for christmas & been relentlessly accumulating stock since. I've spent a lot of (too much??) time on the forums, and decided to stick with 00, and to ditch the Hornby set-track i've bought (eBay proved too tempting, dove in without research) and swap to Peco 75. It will be a DCC layout. I'm planning on building a non location/era specific layout and then running either late BR steam/modern era diesel as mood depends. I am building this with a willing friend, but our combined knowledge beyond basic carpentry is fairly small so consider this a cry for help! We moved house last year & inherited a single garage which had been partitioned off so the back two-thirds have been turned into a home office/spare room - it's been plasterboarded out, chipboard floor with low-spec carpet, ideal for a man-room! Measures approx 3290 mm x 2310 mm, with a door in one corner. One immediate compromise I've had to make is to share the centre of the room for storage, things that can be easily removed to access the layout. This has however determined the size of my baseboards, rather than build them to suit a track plan. I've constructed permanent boards about 1050 mm high, floor standing on a 2 x 2 softwood frame and 9mm Ply sheeting over the top. I took the decision to seal the boards with varnish, and after several tense days wait, I'm delighted to say there's no noticeable warp or bend to the plywood! Due to access considerations, I've made a lift-out section of baseboard which bridges the gap in front of the boards. I'm envisaging this staying in place 90% of the time as fortunately I'm young (& lazy) enough to accept bending under it for now. However, due to the location of the door, I've had to build it at a bit of a funny angle, meaning I've lost a few feet of baseboard. I've whipped up a quick drawing on paint to illustrate this - it is very much not to scale!!! This has been ever-present in my pocket for doodling on at work, but I'm at the stage where I don't seem to be getting much further than drawing a few loops then wondering if I can squeeze an incline on to it for interest! As I'm new to this and can't afford any major mistakes, I was hoping for some input/thoughts from those with infinitely more experience, especially seeing as I'm working to a pre-defined area with my baseboards. One thing I should mention - I am expecting to have to make some modifications to the baseboard along the lines of infilling the corners to allow for smoother/wider curves. I'm also hoping to create a permanent upper-level loop for continuous running however concerned about track length for inclines....! Any advice very gratefully received Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 You've certainly got a reasonable amount of space there for something interesting. My immediate reaction is an urban layout, with perhaps a dock curving mainly round two walls then some landscaping on the other short wall and a fiddle yard on the door side of the room. So a through station on a viaduct overlooking a dock area with a gradual slope down. I'm not sure off hand what the steepest OO slope can be but because your not installing a bridge, simply going down to a dock, there is no reason what so ever you can't have a slope down. There would also be room for a small MPD on the upper level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi, a first recommendation. Get some copper wire (stripped down house mains wire?) to make a pair of busbars which you can attach to the underside of the baseboard. I solder to small brass screws. Call one "red" and the other one "blue". Then you can solder droppers from your track to the busbars. I guess you have a DCC system and loco already, so you can test as you progress. Two bits of advice about DCC. First, don't make an electrical circle. Your lifting section makes a natural break in your busbar and you must cut though all the rails somewhere on the lifting section so that electrically your layout is a "U" shape even though physically it's an oval. Second, be careful how you wire your points, always to the toe of the point and isolate your rails after the heel of the point. Have fun. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Thanks guys I'm planning the busbars, currently thinking the easiest plan is to attach them roughly central to the baseboards in preparation for track laying, and then wherever the track finally goes i can adjust wiring to suit. Probably easier pre- rather than post-scenic work!! One thing though - is it generally deemed necessary to solder to each piece of track? Is the main reason for this to stop current dropouts over loose fishplates? Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, i imagine it probably is! Katier - liking the dock idea, a good way to make a single incline seem natural in the landscape. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Was bored today so through something visual together. NOTE this is just a quick visual representation of what I was thinking but operationally I'm sure it's flawed. red is the dock, blue the hidden area, green the station. To the left is a MPD and all curves are at least 24" radius ( I double the recommended minimum for n-gauge ). Orientation is the same as your drawing, I use Railmodeller and didn't bother being TOO exact with the bottom left corner as the baseboard shape would accomodate this plan. It's to scale although in inches not millimetres. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Katier, that is outstanding, food for thought definitely. Quick (blindingly obvious newbie) question though - what's the short red/yellow shaded area with padlock symbols on the blue area? I'm not familiar with Railmodeller so could well be something quite obvious! Taking your fiddle-yard suggestion for that area, one thought I'd had, allowing for artistic license, is a manual 'train lift' as i've seen others talk about. This would allow me to then build the continuous upper level to my current baseboards, and access without worrying about gradients..not sure if anybody's had a go at these yet though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 That's just a selected piece of track, in this case it's a length of flexi track. Doesn't 'mean' anything in terms of the design - just happened to be what was selected when I did the screen shot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Ah i see thanks. Here's a couple of photos of the baseboards as they stand today! I've set up some Hornby Set Track just to run some trains for the time being. If i can ever work out videos I've got a couple of track level vids of my Clan Macleod 72008 pulling some LNER Teak - I known this wouldn't have happened but at present it's my best combo to look at! As you can see control is currently via a Select however this is a priority for upgrade Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 21, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2011 I would go for something that looked like this You would most likely only want to show part of the platforms and have the rest under the hill. Most people would normally use the longest side for the station but reality is that most goods yards were much bigger than the station. There is not much room for the MPD but you could get some form of representation in. I would suggest that the main lines run through at the rear of the MPD and through the middle of the coach and goods yard board having the goods one side and the coach yard the other. I think that it would also be a good idea to expect to build a bit at a time, say get the main lines in first then the station area followed by the MPD with the yards coming last. This will allow you to see trains running from almost the word go yet make the building more manageable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Some good ideas from Kris in my view. You would most likely only want to show part of the platforms and have the rest under the hill. The Waverley West layout is a stunning example of this, giving the impression of a station much more than you can see. The only issue with this is I'd think you need a large urban setting/largeish station for this to be prototypical, otherwise the line would have just continued in cut or the station moved? Not saying it doesn't happen but would be curious to know examples of stations continuining into a tunnel or apparent one, my own knowledge of prototype limited. Having the fiddle yard in the open, scenic area with carriage sidings interesting idea as well, Kris - makes a virtue out of necessity unless you were going to resort to mutli-level layout. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozcyclops Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Your available space is almost the same as my space in my railway room, so I thought I would show you what I managed to fit in, without it looking too crowded. Its a 2 level layout in OO, the loop and branch around the perimeter being high level. The operating well in the center is large enough for 2 people comfortably. It does all the things I want from my model railway, I can watch 3 trains go roundy roundy if I so choose, I can move freight from the branch terminus to the yard using some interesting moves, I can shuttle a railcar or two between the branch terminus and both bays, I can shunt the yard or the loco depot (which isnt completely shown on the pic)..... and when Thomas and his friends arrive for a visit, I can put all the good stuff away and watch the kids play. Delightful. Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Ozcyclops - thanks for that that's brilliant. I'm assuming your incline is the green line running of the pink & brown up & down lines, to the right of your plan with the siding halfway up it? Would you mind telling me what gradient you have managed to squeeze in and if it continues around the bend? I've got a plan half done on XtrkCad which has an incline on my longest back straight - to avoid climbing on a bend I need a 4.8% climb which i have tested and works, but i know is a bit steep really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Hi guys This is my latest effort on XtrkCad. I'm muddling through the software - i think that my track spacings are ok but I'm only expecting to rely on this as a guide when it comes to laying actual track, it's not written in stone as far as i'm concerned. My biggest problem is the station - I've had a stab at it but lack a bit of imagination...my sharpest curve coming into it is 512 mm, hoping that is ok??? The outer track running around the top is my incline - rises to 90 mm and will eventally lead to a branch line station on a raised baseboard on the bottom of the plan. Current thinking is to have a mountain/hillside on top right corner with a cutting to allow track to run around the edge, heading to some sort of bridge/viaduct type thing on the right hand side. Height = interest in my opinion!!! Does anybody have any comments on this so far? It's very much a first effort but i don't want to get too bogged down before taking on some advice if anybody wants to give it....particularly on that station area!!! Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozcyclops Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Hi Stuart, Yes, you're right, that is the connecting line. The gradient is 1:40 which takes the height to 90mm, but I also have a smaller rise and fall where the loop line crosses the main lines on the southern end of the layout - only 10mm, but it helps get the track over. I run RTR Hornby and Bachman locos and railcars, and have no trouble getting them up the incline (which is mostly hidden, so as not to be too obvious) and of course my trains are small - a loco and 2 coaches, and a loco and half a dozen wagons are about the longest trains I run up there. Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 No idea if this works but I've tried attaching my latest XTrkCad file 'plan C' if anybody fancies showing me how it's done!! Plan C.xtc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 This is the current thinking on trackplan. I've jumped straight in with both feet throgh over-exuberance meaning that so far, the two outer loops and points are in, also the incline which leads to an upper level over the bottom half of the base board. Therefore what remains to be added is the inner loop, and the three sidings on the south side. These may have the be reduced to two owing to the size of the insert of the upper level. I'm hoping to follow this up with some photos of progress as of a week ago - have laid some extra felt since then on the upper level and begun modelling in the retaining wall on the incline. Hopefully the photos will make this clear! What are thoughts on the trackplan? I'm sort of limited now by what's already down..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Cheddar Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 It's got one fan at least! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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