Help with designing a new layout

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
Hi

I reviewed my last track plan and while nice and simple there was not really a point to it. I need help with track plans. Mikes small track plans were good but the website no longer works for me.

Anyway, could somebody please take the liberty of designing a 2x6 n scale layout that has 2 mainlines and shunting operations with a yard. Please keep in mind i am very limited on money for turnouts.

Many thanks

Pavariangoo
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Pavariangoo...

Can you tell us more about what kind of flavour you are looking for? What era, industries, type of trains you like to run? This will help quite a bit - and while you are thinking about it, it may help you too...

If you want interesting switching (shunting) I would suggest you move away from a yard (although that can be interesting too...). Especially if you are concerned about the cost of turnouts. You get more "bang for the buck" by using turnouts in a variety of industries rather than in a yard ladder.

If you can live without continuous running, you might think about a point-to-point type layout, with a few industries along the way. Kind of like a switching puzzle (TimeSaver for example) but it does not have to be set up as a puzzle.

Hope that helps. Post some of your ideas here and we can kick them around for a while to see if we come up with anything.

Andrew
 

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
Ok

I do like the previous trackplan and i do want to keep it alot like that so maybe somebedy has suggestions. I want any industries and i am doing steam and diesel.

I am debating whether to have a whole new trackplan but whatever it is it must run 2 train mainline.

not point to point because unless it is a micro layout they are not a novelty! (atleast for me) so keep it continuous running please.!

Many thanks

Pavariangoo
 
Is 2x6 an absolute limit? I ask because I made a design a while back in 2.5x4.5, which is nearly the same square footage (11.25 sq. ft vs 12 sq. ft) with 5 industries, and interchange, and a small yard. It was designed to be run as a game (the yard was an inglenook sidings puzzle). I can probably modify it to fit your space. it uses 11 turnouts.

What brand of track will you be using?

Here are my plans:
first the 2.5x4.5:
abc.sized.gif



and stretched out to 2x6:
acj.gif
 

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
ok thats cool screwysquirril. (sorry about the spelling !!!) .I am thinking ur second 2 are good because of the 2ft wide but i do like the first. Is there any way i could fit ladders in there?

many thanks

Pavariangoo
 

Tileguy

Member
Pava, I may be able to help you out in the track department if you arent against using used turnouts.
I'll be listing N scale trackage for sale soon and will list it here before putting it on ebay.
Now dont misunderstand, I am not giving the stuff away,It may save you some money though if I have what you need.(ive got around 50-60 turnouts,many of them while out of the packaging have never been on a layout.)
I also have curves,straights,bumpers,dbl slip,crossings in various degrees etc etc.
Interested??
Would buying all the track you need in 1 shot be something you could do?
 
Small yard

the yard is intentionally small. Its part of the game/puzzle that makes the whole thing work.

the yard tracks hold 5, 3, and 3 cars, the yard lead holds an engine and 3 cars.
you start with the yard having 8 cars in it.

Randomly pick 5 cars (I use an 8-sided Die, rolled 5 times, rerolling duplicates). That is the SPECIFIC ORDER the 5 cars must be placed in. With 8 cars made into 5 car trains, you end up with some 6720 possible combinations for your train. With 6 places to park each of the 5 cars, you end up wth 14 MILLION possibilities... you'll never play the game the same way twice. you can get even more by having a car parked at each location which must be returned to the yard.

I intentionally picked industries that could get almost any kind of car (interchange, truck transfer, chemical plant, etc) to maintain the illusion that a factory could get a tanker car one day, a boxcar the next, and a hopper the day after.

The small yard allows you to make from 18-30 switching moves to assemble a train (possibly more, but thats my average). Another series of switching moves to work the industries. Plenty of switching, easy one-man operation, and the option just watching trains run.
 

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
Ok thanks for that,


I have been told that with the new room i am going into i will be abe to have a 3x6 layout so i was thinking 2 mainlines with a ladder yard in the middle(about 3 tracks) and a yard with lead and it would be nice to put a turntable on but i dont want it to contrast to much with the laout itself,what i mean is i want the turntable to look like it fits into the scene! I want assorted industries (about 2 or maybe 3). The second mainline i do want to conect to the first but i want to be able to run 2 trains at once without changing switches.

Many many thanks

Pavariangoo
 

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
plan added!

heres a new plan but im not sure where i could put risers. I want to have a bit where it is higher.
 

Attachments

  • trackplan1.bmp
    37.6 KB · Views: 55

Im pavariangoo!

New Member
Ok

let me go into detail

The ladder yard is above the black line of track. The black line of track runs under the yard and it will look like a tunnel

Each end of the layout goes up a grade to the yard

Any questions/comments?

Many thanks

Pavariangoo
 

Attachments

  • 2 LEVELED.bmp
    51.6 KB · Views: 83

Pitchwife

Dreamer
Personally, if you want the yard at a different level than the rest of the layout I would put it underneath instead of over. That gives you the oppertunity to show off your industries better.
 
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