too BIG or not too BIG what is the question?

[Barnaby]

This is more of a saying it out loud to see if I can come to a conclusion and to think over any comments made here.

BACKGROUND

I have just finished sketching up my 0 Gauge track plan which I'm quite pleased with.

It is drawn to fit over 2 boards being 15ft in total and it is to be a goods/freight yard scene envolving plenty of shunting.

Each board is on castors and are split in half.

I have a new workshop/ hobby room 20 x 12 ft to house this in so plenty of space.

I have recently retired so I do have some spare time to devote to this.

 

THE QUESTION.?

I am now being very taken with some of the small plank style layouts I've seen particularly some of the ones showing on Carl Arendt webby http://carendt.us/

I can see some advantage in getting a finished model quicker if I was to just build up one board.

That way I would get 2 layouts and of course I could make them interconnect to extend into one layout but I suspect that wouldn't have the same feel if it had been built as one.

Obviously the 1/2 size would also only allow smaller length trains and that may be the killer for me.

To make some thing of interest to me I would need to extend a single board to 9ft and that seems somewhat pointless if I was aiming to shrink it so......

 

THE ANSWER?

As I have already obtained all the track and many of the scenic items, maybe I should push ahead lay all the track but start the scenic only on one board and complete that before continuing onto the 2nd one.

 

Maybe I have a plan now?

It's amazing what writing it down does for your mind.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Here's my probable plan.

[3 link]

Hi,

 

With the sort of space you have you could go for a roundy-roundy, ok you wouldn't be able to have much in the way of straight track, but at least you can give the trains a good run .

 

ATB, Martyn.

[Barnaby]

Thanks 3-link but no not for me, trains go from to in my model world and anyway I've got to have somewhere for my water colour painting kit and my woodworking machines/tools.

[daifly]

The plan appears to be drawn employing proprietory pointwork - i.e. straight left or right turnouts - which gives the plan a 'trainset' appearance. Improvements could perhaps be made for example, if the turnouts at bottom right were interlaced, the radii could be eased, the sidings made longer, and a better visual 'flow' would result. This would require the turnouts to be built rather than bought - which I accept may not appeal to you but will give considerable extra flexibility and improved appearance.

 

Other than that, I would say go for the big option. The wise heads of 7mm suggest that a train should run through 3 times it's own length as a minimum to give a sense of 'journey'. That's difficult to achieve in less than 10 feet plus fiddle yard.

 

BTW your plan looks as if it's 15' 3"!

 

Just my tuppenceworth.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Barnaby]

Hi Dave You don't miss much do you.

 

I have been sketching using proprietory trackwork but my intention when installing it is to cut the webbing on the points to ease them slightly, the doubleslip I'll leave as is for fear of messing it up.

I may have a little more shuffling to do when I commence the install to bring the plan back onto 15ft but If I need that little extra I can easily extend the baseboard to suit.

 

I don't want it to look too trainset like but I have made the decision to use ready made trackwork so I'm not up for interlacing as good as it would look. The area at bottom right I have been considering installing a Marcway 3-way point which would at least get me some extra siding length.

 

Thanks for you comments which I have taken on board.

 

Regards

[daifly]

A Marcway interlaced point will do the job nicely but you are probably aware that because of the soldered method of construction, it won't match the height of, say, Peco or C & L plain track where the rail is lifted above the sleepers by moulded chairs. The height difference can literally be buried as it's a siding location where sleepers will be almost hidden under the ash ballast. We all look forward to photos and updates!

 

ATB

 

Dave

[Donw]

There is a sort of law of diminishing returns on shrinking layouts when you get to the small sizes the turnouts cannot shrink any more so it is the train size that shrinks. I built a 10ft shunting layout which I exhibited train length was restricted to 1metre big enough for a small loco and six wagons. Go down to 9ft and it would shrink to five wagons. Those very small plank layouts can look stunning but can be a bit restrictive for operating. So it is really down to whether your a builder, an operator or like a bit of both. My vote would be for the bigger layout.

Don

[David Siddall]

Hi Barnaby, with similar space constraints I was looking for a way of suggesting a curved formation and my plan has evolved thus.

 

It was a question of incorporating the points slightly differently to give the 'impression of curves' without using curved turnouts. I'm attempting to build my own but the size I've chosen (A5) is similar (ish) to a Peco medium.

 

BTW... if my trains had to travel three times their length I have to punch a hole in the bedroom wall and the fiddle yard would need sky hook support (2nd floor spare bedroom modelling room ;-)

 

Look forward to watching you plans develop.

 

All the best... David

[Barnaby]

Thanks for your comments & links gents.