jimikelly Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Is there anyone in this forum doing track plans and I dont mean the ones you do on the PC .Im just looking for inspiration for a loft layout . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted July 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 24, 2014 Well, I'm rather guessing that you need to provide quite a few details at what your interests/requirements are before anyone can design a track plan. For starters. 1/ what scale? 2/ What space do you have to utilise? 3/ What railway - steam (pre-group, Big 4, BR steam, industrial), BR Diesel, BR Electrics, privatisation. 4/ Some indication of your interests. 5/ Rural, industrial or city location. Lots more before a track plan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Same questions as Kevin - but otherwise I love doing trackplans (using good old fashioned graph paper and a pencil) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimikelly Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Hi guys I was just testing the water with my question {1}. Im going to model in 00 .{2} I have 28ft x 12 ft . {3] around the late 1960,s to 1975 approx witch where my school days and the school was right next the the track used to watch class 5,s thunder by and then a class 17 Clayton ,boy what memories .[4] love watching long trains with loads of wagons going to and from the Craig with ore and coal .and some passenger coming and going up the Edinburgh line .[5] Industrial and a through station ..double track I dont know if I need a large fiddle yard at one side or hide them under the baseboard in a fiddle yard ,,and many thanks .Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 You also need to decide if you want a layout that has lots of operational interest or one to watch trains go by. Also you need to decide if you want something with reasonable prototype accuracy or if you are looking for something that crams in more excitement, possibly at the expense of realism. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimikelly Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 been thinking would N gauge track plans be any good ,and just expand the dimensions into oo gauge Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted July 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 24, 2014 Perhaps a scroll through this subforum might bring some ideas to mind. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/143-railways-of-scotland/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Not sure if I'm interpreting you correctly, but why not ones done on a computer? They are more likely to be accurate as to whether things fit (e.g. the point lengths will be correct) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Expanding n gauge ones can work but curves may be a bit tight as geometry can differ as can point lengths when scaled. No harm in starting with an n gauge one, scaling it up and re-drawing it to make it flow in 00 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 An alternative approach is to think of a prototype location that means something to you, scan Google etc for plans and period pictures, also aerial photos, and then see if you can artistically compress what you want into the space you have. Even a pencil and paper is ok, but you could always try planning software like AnyRail, which I think is free to try. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon G Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 An alternative approach is to think of a prototype location that means something to you, scan Google etc for plans and period pictures, also aerial photos, and then see if you can artistically compress what you want into the space you have. Even a pencil and paper is ok, but you could always try planning software like AnyRail, which I think is free to try. Another good thing about Anyrail is that you can also download lots of sample track plans for it. With a bit of playing about, you can soon either create your own or alter the sample ones to suit your needs. This is what I plan to do shortly in building a layout when I retire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 This is a good site for inspiration. This Carnforth one needs only small tweaks to adapt to you generous available area. http://www.freetrackplans.com/943-Carnforth.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimikelly Posted July 26, 2014 Author Share Posted July 26, 2014 Now were talking ,yes that,s in the line that Im looking for .justa bit OTT ,but Yes a layout thats already done <i suppose its stealing ,but but it will be only in my loft for me . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Plenty on that site to choose from and tweak as necessary. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Another thing to bear in mind is timescale: how long before something will be running? Worth considering with a plan like Carnforth, which, if working alone, will take many hours of your time to construct baseboards and then lay track, even if using rready-built track. Add to that the many ££££ needed and you may have a stumbling block? And then, if it's a loft layout, figure in temperature extremes and damp...what wil you do about both? Not to mention possible dirt, spiders, etc. Not wanting to cast a dampener, but needs thinking about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Now then Jeff, Carnforth shouldn't take more that 2-3 weeks to build. A week longer for the scenery Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I was averaging how long by adding YOUR build time to mine...and dividing by two. I got a very long time......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I was averaging how long by adding YOUR build time to mine...and dividing by two. I got a very long time......... Ha. I see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimikelly Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Really I was looking for actual track plans ----I even purchased a N scale track plan book from flee bay but I still haven't been inspired.... so I was thinking like plans you guys may have had on your old loft layout of that size ,you see I dont know if I want a continuous run round or one with a fiddle yard at the other end of the room. apart from that I would like to thank everyone for there input .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chimer Posted July 30, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2014 Most of the long-running threads in "Layout Topics" under "Layout and Workbench Content" have got a track plan shown somewhere in the story, usually somewhere near the start - some (Greenfield for example ) have got several, showing how the builder's ideas changed.over time. Some are computer drawn, some are rough pencil sketches, some are aerial photos, but for most of the best layouts they are in there somewhere.if you look hard enough - and I challenge you to work through these threads without being inspired. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 One of the best and most interesting I ever saw was called "Cranby Junction" and appeared in Railway Modeller during the 80's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 One of the best layouts I have seen for inventive use of space is Crewlisle with a decent-sized terminus, continuous run section and reversing loop. Something similar could be done in N gauge but could easily incorporate a fiddle yard or similar if required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted July 31, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2014 One of the best and most interesting I ever saw was called "Cranby Junction" and appeared in Railway Modeller during the 80's. I remember that one - a very elegant steam-age junction station, with interesting suggestions in the accompanying article as to what it would have been reduced to in the post-steam era. If I'd had the space/time/funds back in the mid-80s, I think I'd have been tempted to give it a go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Me too. One of the first I'd seen with authentic sweeping curves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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