tim-pelican Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi all, I'm currently thinking about my start in the hobby and my first layout, having negotiated some space in the conservatory, but I find myself... not really short of ideas, but I guess with too many possible ideas that I'm struggling to evaluate. The space I have is a maximum 5' x 2', and will need to go over the top of an existing desk (less wide), so I'm thinking that I can put something on legs with braked castors, and slide it out over the top when the desk is needed for something else. For starters, is that going to work, or am I going to need more support, bracing etc on a board 5' wide that stop the desk fitting under it? I'd like to be able to run a set of train moves that have at least a nod to realism, but at the same time I don't think a end-to-end only layout is going to be right - I'd like to option the option of just watching trains, preferably while I'm actively running one doing something else. Given that requirement, and the space I have, I think I've pretty much set myself up for N gauge, right? I hope my eyes and fingers are up to it! All that said, what can I realistically do with this space? I'm not really a railway history buff (although I'm interested to find out more about whatever it is I decide to model), so I don't have a strong attachment to any particular geography or time period. Steam and diesel are both interesting to me. I have got hold of some of the CJF track plan books, and the Peco SetTrack plan book for N gauge, but while I can visualise a bit what track I could get on the board, I'm not sure how trains would run on it. I don't currently own any track or stock, so starting from a blank slate in that respect. Sorry for frankly wide-open questions here, hoping that some of you who have been through the same though processes can set me off in a more useful direction. Cheers, Tim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10000 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 As you are a complete newcomer with no stock or equipment, I suggest you do some additional research on the web especially on small and micro railway plans to get some ideas of what can be done start here http://carendt.us/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The gauge O guild also do quite a good track plans for small spaces book. http://www.gauge0guild.com And it is available free on their website, I know its O gauge, but if you divide the lengths by three it will give you some ideas for N. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLT 0109 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Regarding the baseboard, I think you will need to use a substantial frame if the legs are at the corners of a 5' x 2' board (say 2" x 2"). I would also suggest two additional cross-members at equal distances from the ends. Any bracing across the corners could be made from triangles of ply - whether or not they stop the desk from fitting under the board would depend on how long you make the legs. If the desk is 29" high, a baseboard height of 1 metre (say 40") gives plenty of space for the bracing I am suggesting. As an alternative to 2" x 2" around the perimeter, you could use (say) a 4" width of 12mm ply - that would probably be sufficient bracing for the legs and be thick enough to screw the baseboard into. Just my ideas - hope they are some help. Harold. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-CRS Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'll speak up for N Gauge or Nn3 if you want Narrow Gauge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted October 29, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 29, 2011 If you do go for N gauge try to give yourself an extra 3 inches of width. This will allow you to use 2nd radius curves which will become important if you want to run the latest steam outline locos (some of these don't like 1st radius track which is shown a lot in the peco set track book). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Job's Modelling Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I would advice the following approach: - how much money can you spend on your modelrailway - in what scale do you want to model - what are your modelling skills - find out what you want to model ( passenger / freight ; branchline / mainline ; urban / countryside) - take a era ( British Railways in the 50's / 60's etc.) - then find an example ( there is a lot of info on the RMweb and the internet) - plan your layout ( don't forget to plan your fiddle yards) There is also a lot of informtion on the RMweb about this subject. I follow some blogs from modellers I like. Start with a simple layout the first time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim-pelican Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 If you do go for N gauge try to give yourself an extra 3 inches of width. This will allow you to use 2nd radius curves which will become important if you want to run the latest steam outline locos (some of these don't like 1st radius track which is shown a lot in the peco set track book). How bad is this, Kris? I see in the OO forums everyone screaming blue murder at the sight of a 1st-radius curve, but not quite the same reaction from the N-gaugers. Also, the info I have is 2nd-radius at 263.5mm / 10 3/8" - doesn't that just about go through 180 degrees in 600mm / 2' ? If I could stretch to, say 70cm, could I get a double-track 2nd + 3rd loop in? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Are there any model railway clubs in your area...? Not only can they provide useful advice and help, but might also have an existing project that could interest you and mean you can be involved in a large layout and are able to scale down aspirations at home to a smaller end to end layout that will better suit your space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted October 29, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 29, 2011 I have rather limited experience in N-gauge but enough to know that there are some curves which some locomotives (and other stock ) simply will not negotiate. Despite persistent attempts and looking at every other option first the CN loco and intermodal wagons on a family member's layout would not oblige and some track relaying was the only option. The size you have is fairly restricted even by N-gauge standards but can certainly be the basis of a roundy-round and possibly with the added interest of split levels. Remember we can work in three dimensions and are not confined to width and depth. I would not want a 5' span unbraced and if it cannot be supported at its mid point by legs then perhaps something like a Dexion-style cradle would help. That is what I use to get my baseboards over the 7' span of the workbench without the need for an intermediate pillar cluttering that bench. What you can do is governed by a budget but don't restrict yourself to thinking small. You can build bigger but the time taken to do so on a given budget is longer. Starting from a blank sheet I might go for a double-track main line with a station or goods yard (not both) as the focal point. In that space it might be possible to incorporate a double-loop by having something like an avoiding line just above and to the rear of the station area. That might give your trains a decent run without coming past the exact same spot every 20 seconds or so. That might also give you the chance to run slightly longer trains if you wish as they have less chance to catch their own tails. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frobisher Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 How bad is this, Kris? I see in the OO forums everyone screaming blue murder at the sight of a 1st-radius curve, but not quite the same reaction from the N-gaugers. Broadly speaking, Peco N gauge Setrack follows the same geometry as 00 Settrack (Hornby, Peco etc al). However it's 1st radius is equivalent to 00's 2nd radius so not as tight relatively speaking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
60163 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 The gauge O guild also do quite a good track plans for small spaces book. http://www.gauge0guild.com And it is available free on their website, I know its O gauge, but if you divide the lengths by three it will give you some ideas for N. It's right here: http://www.gauge0guild.com/Small_layouts_1-02.pdf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted October 30, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 30, 2011 How bad is this, Kris? I see in the OO forums everyone screaming blue murder at the sight of a 1st-radius curve, but not quite the same reaction from the N-gaugers. Also, the info I have is 2nd-radius at 263.5mm / 10 3/8" - doesn't that just about go through 180 degrees in 600mm / 2' ? If I could stretch to, say 70cm, could I get a double-track 2nd + 3rd loop in? Sorry about the slow reply Tim. It seems to be a bit of a mixed bag really. Some (and this is an important word) locos do have problems with first radius track work particularly points. I have not heard of any diesels having this issue though. I suggested the extra 3 inches to give a little leeway but with that extra space 3rd radius / double track should become possible. If you have a look at the Bachmann and Dapol websites at the service sheets these will give an indication of the minimum radius required. It should be noted that these minimums do sometime err on the side a caution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim-pelican Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks for all the hints everyone. It's looking like N gauge is the way forward, quite tempted by "era 5" and the ability to run a mix of steam and early diesels on the same layout without stretching credibility too far. (Also some shorter wheelbase wagons, and hence more shunting combinations, if I'm understanding right). I'm now playing with AnyRail and the various 4' x 2' plans from CJFs "N Gauge Track Plans" to see what's both possible and appealing to me. No doubt I will pop up in some more specific forums with other questions... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.