Layout suggestions for a garden shed

[westcountryman]

Hi,

It may seem like a bit of a cop out, but I am truly stuck for inspiration.

I have been pondering this for over a month now, & am truly at my wits end, so please try to help me out with this one.

I've scoured all of the books & websites & I'm still searching for the most interesting layout design.

I was planning on trying out the St.Stephen's Road layout, but I honestly thought that I'd have problems fitting it into the available space.

I've come back to the hobby after a rather long, family producing break ( I think that's the correct phrase!) so be gentle with me!

First of all I'd like to give you an idea of what I've put together ready for my ideal layout.

 

I have a heavy duty garden shed measuring 10 feet by 6 feet, which I have erected, insulated,ply lined, alarmed & secured. I have 240v mains power feeding three double sockets, & also two mains powered oil filled portable radiators, plus lighting. I have obtained a stack of 8' x 2' 12mm exterior ply boards, & plenty of PSE framing timber in various sizes for constructing the baseboards.

Track wise, I have a load of shiny new Peco code 100 flexitrack, 7 x Peco SL-89 large radius l/h points, 3x Peco SL-88 large radius r/h points, 1x Peco SL-87 curved l/h point & 1x Peco SL-86 curved r/h point, a Peco turntable, & 3x Gaugemaster DC inertia controllers( cheers Santa!)

 

So, taking into account the kit I've amassed, I would have thought that a 'U' shaped layout would be the most practical solution

 

My main interests are Southern & Great Western, with various items of rolling stock reflecting this.

Now comes the major downside, I am an absolute novice at wiring layouts, however, I have joined my local club, Barnstaple MRC & I'm certain that a word in the right ears may lead to plenty of assistance, subject to vast quantities of tea & bikkies being provided!

I just need a bit of help with trying to figure out the track layout, so any assistance would be really appreciated.

Thanks very much everyone in advance.

Cheers,

Rob ( westcountryman)

[Kris]

Have you looked at some of the old Cyril Freezer books from the 60's and 70's. Some of the point to point layouts in these have huge operating potential in a space similar to that which you find yourself with. You would need to look at the radius of the pointwork to see if they really work but for inspiration these might be what you are looking for.

[Silver Sidelines]

Rob, Yes CJ Freezer a great source of inspiration:

 

You might want to think about some kind of continuous run. It has a practical use for testing purposes and at times watching trains 'go by' can be very therapeutic.#

 

Regards

 

Ray

[steve22]

Ray and Kris offer some good advice. You can also consider smaller layouts in CJF's Plan Books and resize upwards and / or allow more space for scenics. I've done that with his plan SP13 in 60 Plans for Small Railways (rev'd 4th Edition). I can also just about squeeze in a third station ( a terminus) running off the inner track to the left of the platform, skirting past the cattle and vans sidings and curving round under the upper station - although in a six foot wide shed it is no longer under the station if you keep the top terminus to fairly narrow dimensions. I also managed to fit in four storage loops (under the upper level terminus, when that part is built) as Cyril Freezer suggests. As for interest I reckon you can get five trains running on this layout, if that is what you like - two circling round, a third shuttling back and forth on the short branch line between upper and lower station bay platforms and locos four and five operating the two goods yards. If a third station is fitted in you can even play around in that one, making a total of six locos in operation. Good basic layout for DCC? or focus on one or two operations each running session or do as you please. By now the layout becomes all a bit of a squeeze but it should be fun and it's another thought for you.

Steve.

[steve22]

Just to add, although you'll be aware having added insulation and ply lining (lucky you, green with envy is me...) 10' x 6' probably equates to 9' 6'' x 5' 6'' interior dimensions. Still a nice size to have.

Steve.

[kipford]

I built plan 16 from 60 plans for my son, see the pikkies below. It was modified to include a continuous run and a return loop. It measured 9'6" x 4'6" in its original form before the town scene was added to the back. The growth in size from the original 8 x 4 was two fold. CJF is extremely optimistic in his allowances and I used a minimum radius of 18" (CJF uses 13" which is no good to man nor beast). Using a high level terminus give the opportunity to indulge in shunting of carriages and wagons , whilst continuous running below. We ran it on DC but it would work briliantly on DCC.

 

 

 

Dave

[McC]

Stunning use of space Dave!

[westcountryman]

My deepest thanks to everyone who contributed.

I have thought about this project long & hard, & I feel that a Cyril Freezer influenced design will be the best way forward.

After playing about with the baseboard combinations & have finally settled on a 'U' shaped layout.

Having a couple of Cyril's books has proven to be a great influence for the final trackplan.

Now all I have to do is put it all into action! So, it's out with the tools, & off to the shed!

I've even taken the plunge & decided to go for DCC, so I've got myself a Dynamis system, so, onwards & upwards!

I'll hopefully start a topic post/blog on RMWeb, so keep your eyes peeled.

Thank you all so much for the fantastic advice, you guys are such a help.

Cheers

Rob 'Westcountryman'

[Crewlisle]

My exhibition 00 gauge layout 'Crewlisle' is 2.5M x 2.25M and is designed for entertainment. Many of you will probably have seen it at the NEC 2009, Alexandra Palace 2011 or Taunton 2011. It always provokes comments as to how much you can get in this area without looking out of place. There is always a minimum of two trains running simultaneously and sometimes as many as four.

 

It is representative of a section of the WCML in NW England on three interconnected levels with the mid level a continuous double track mainline with 25 KV OHL equipment, high level has a four platform terminus for 6 coach expresses + steam/diesel sheds + goods yard and the lower level is a reversing loop which goes right under the layout. No space is wasted on a fiddle yard but is replaced by a 14 cartridge exchange system holding complete trains on the reversing loop inside the operating well. Layout is Lenz DCC, track Peco Code 100 + 32 unmodified electro frog points fitted with Peco point motors. Decoders are Hornby, Bachmann, ZTC and 10 ESU sound decoders. At exhibitions the reliability of the track, points and my 'cheap and cheerful' decoders has never been a problem.

 

There is a track plan and more detailed description on Page 4 of this section 'Layout and Track Design' under the title 'What can I fit in here?' started 10 December 2011. My entry was on 21 December.

[Donw]

A simple rule is to choose a plan which needs a space a little smaller than you have which gives a bit of leeway. Choose one that needs a bit more space than you have and you will get problems.

Don

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Rob,

Much depends on what YOU want from your layout.

 

If it were me, I'd be inclined to choose a real location where the GW and Southern were in proximity.Either somewhere rural, on the western slopes of Dartmoor like Brentor, or for a more urban locality, Devonport Jn in Plymouth where the Southern joined GW metals.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Given where the OP lives, perhaps he should be looking close to home - Barnstaple - for inspiration. But I do like the suggestion of Plymouth area. Plenty of tunnels and cuttings to hide the sharp curves that will be needed in a smallish shed. Both Devonport SR and North Road (SR/GWR) had overall roofs which could be modelled in low relief to make a "half-station".

[rodshaw]

Rob

 

Here are a couple of rough sketches I did when I was considering a shed layout, they are a bit scribbled and may be totally impractical but they may give you some ideas. They were actually for 3mm scale in an 8x6 shed, so they should scale up reasonably.

 

They are both dumb-bell style layouts, with the dumb-bell ends in the second example overlapping one above the other.

[westcountryman]

Hi everyone,

Good grief! The assistance you guys are giving is fantastic.

Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could fit so much interest into such a limited space.

The sketches are absolutely brilliant, & will certainly form a basis for the final layout.

I love the idea of modelling a local scene, & I'll research this further.

Thanks once again for all of the inspiration, I simply cannot believe the level of help available on this site.

Cheers guys,

Rob

[B McG]

Hi everyone, Good grief! The assistance you guys are giving is fantastic. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could fit so much interest into such a limited space. The sketches are absolutely brilliant, & will certainly form a basis for the final layout. I love the idea of modelling a local scene, & I'll research this further. Thanks once again for all of the inspiration, I simply cannot believe the level of help available on this site. Cheers guys, Rob

 

Thought I would drop a late contribution in, a variation of something I'm working on. It's a double track assuming a lift out section on the right, turntable, engine shed, parcel bay, 3 semi decent sidings and a branch line for freight. The two thick orange lines mark where the lines go into a tunnel. The lower section is a fiddle yard, however part of it could be back scened you wanted the branch to be visable for a industrial themed area.