Moved from HO

[insinu8]

I've moved this thread:
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?p=239750&posted=1#post239750

Also, I filled out as much of the Givens & Druthers here:

Scale: HO
Gauge: Standard

Prototype: NONE

Space: See picture - http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r16/insinu8/Layout7.jpg

Top left corner cannot be moved/removed/altered
Entire right side is a closet but cannot be used or modified (sliding doors, and it’s full of junk with no other place to put it!)

Governing Rolling Stock: huh?

Relative Emphasis:

|_____V________________________________________|
Track/Operation Scenic realism
|___________________V__________________________|
Mainline Running Switching

Operation Priorities:

1. Local Freight Operations
2. Long Freight Train Operations
3. Engine Terminal Movements
4. Helper District Operations (not sure what this is?)

Typical operating Crew: 1
Eye Level (Owner) ___In. (???)

Other Info
Minimum radius: 22” because I have an Tower55 ES44DC I want to run with intermodal husky stack cars.
Normal train length: 4-10 for Intermodal, Coal, Gravel ( these three industries are a must )
Maximum grade: 3%
Track system: Atlas Code 83
DC vs DCC: DCC (Digitrax Zephyr)


I hope this helps! I'm looking for some input for this layout (or a completely new one given my space - see pic) to make it easier to access without the gopher holes but without losing too much of the track length/functionality.

Thanks and I look forward to your input.

Chris

 

[insinu8]

Oh, I just figured out that it's also possible to use the north, south and/or west walls for feeders or yards...I can build shelves on them since. The only obstruction is a window in the north wall which covers the whole wall at about 4'.

 

[lester perry]

The room appears to be 12 X12, is this correct?
Les

 

[zedob]

What about turning the dogbone section counter-clockwise and getting rid of the oval section for walk-in ability(Put a bridge in if you need the oval). The top loop of the DB could be turned the other way to fit better into the cornerwall coner. You'll have to play with it to see if it will work.

 

[insinu8]

The room appears to be 12 X12, is this correct?
Les

Les,

It's 136" left to right (minus the 36" upper left corner)
and 132" top to bottom (minus the 36" upper left corner)

Chris

 

[ocalicreek]

It's 136" left to right (minus the 36" upper left corner)
and 132" top to bottom (minus the 36" upper left corner)

Okay...to be crystal clear, these are the ROOM dimensions (not the benchwork or benchwork-as-drawn)?

How far into the room is the door...the drawing makes it seem like it juts into the room. Also I'm guessing it swings out away from the room, not into the room?

Also, are there any windows or other obstructions in the room besides the 3'x3' corner? What's the ceiling height?

Thanks in advance for being patient with us while we learn about your space, your interests and general modeling ideas/dreams. Thanks also for seeking help here at The Gauge. I hope it is truly useful and inspiring.

Galen

 

[insinu8]

I'm sorry I'm not being as clear as I could be about a lot of this. I'd take pictures of the room, but it's full of blue foam, 3/4" plywood and all kinds of other building materials so it wouldn't give a very good view.

Let me see if this helps:

The door in the south wall is a standard hinged door. It swings into the room, but I planned to remove it so I wouldn't lose the potential floor space and just leave the doorway. The doorway starts right at the corner of the south and west walls.

The west wall is 8 feet from the doorway to the jutting corner. The corner is 36" east-west and 36" north-south. The north wall starts at that point...36" further east from the west wall. There is a window which covers almost the entire length of the north wall. It is 4 feet up from the floor and goes up to within 1 foot of the ceiling.

The ceiling is 8 feet.

The entire east wall is a 3-pane slideing mirrored closet, floor to ceiling. I cannot use this space (although if it would make a big difference in what my layout could look like, I might be able to remove them and all the junk in there to take the space!) So, the closet would add an additional 2 feet to the north and south walls (if necessary).

The south wall is 100" from the southeast corner to the door frame and has no features.

Someone asked what kind of locomotives and rolling stock I have currently. Let me be frank about that. I'm not concerned about prototyping this layout. I have a mishmash of locomotives and rolling stock because I LIKE so many different things I couldn't decide so I just bought anything and everything I liked so far (that I knew about). I don't mean to offend the more serious prototyping folks with that though. It's just what I like. So, here's what I have so far:

Walthers Proto 2000 RS27
Walthers Proto 2000 0-8-0 Mogul
Bachmann GP-40
Tower 55 ES44DC
Atlas SD-24
Atlas MP-15DC

I've got these on order and am currently just waiting for them to arrive:

Athearn GP38-2
Athearn GP60M
Atlas GP-7

My rolling stock is:
6 x 40' aggregate cars
3 x husky stack well cars w/boxes
5 x bethgon coal porters

I have these buildings, etc:
Glacier Gravel Co.
New River Mining Co.
Walthers 90' Turntable w/motor
Atlas Roundhouse ( 3 stall )
2 x MI-JACK Translift Intermodal Cranes

I will be the first to admit, I didn't try to learn much about what type of locos were used in what period or for what types of hauling. I just bought the ones I liked the looks of ops:

It occurred to me that perhaps I could have a dedicated loop and siding for the intermodal stuff which I had planned to use the ES44DC for with the husky stacks. That line could use 22" radius curves. Then I could use the other deisels for the coaling and gravel with 18" radius? Would that make sense in any world, or just mine?

This is so exciting I can barely think straight! I appreciate all of the input and suggestions everyone is making. Please be patient with me as I try to soak it all in while I continue reading more about everything. I've got several books about benchwork, track design, scenery, DCC wiring and more. I've read them all but honestly, without the hands-on experience to back it up, a lot of it was greek to me.

Thanks Galen, especially, for being so kind as to offer your layout experience to help me with this.

Chris

 

[insinu8]

What about turning the dogbone section counter-clockwise and getting rid of the oval section for walk-in ability(Put a bridge in if you need the oval). The top loop of the DB could be turned the other way to fit better into the cornerwall coner. You'll have to play with it to see if it will work.

Zedob,

How difficult is it to make a walk-under bridge? I've tried several variations of the dogbone, turning it, folding it, but I always get stuck because I'm being stubborn about wanting two trains on continuous loops in addition to some swtiching. I know I may just have to suck it up and leave one loop out, but I'm still holding out hope...

Chris

 

[insinu8]

In response to NKP174 from the previous thread:

This may be brash of me, but I think of this first layout as my learning platform. I have more ambitious plans that involve multiple rooms, but that's for the future I really don't mind having a big job to tackle. My work has prepared me for the trials and tribulations of this sort of thing and a lot of head scratching, pondering and experimentation is the fun part! Even if you have to start over

Chris

 

[Triplex]

Minimum radius: 22” because I have an Tower55 ES44DC I want to run with intermodal husky stack cars.

I'd advise a little bigger radius for those.

 

[steamhead]

Hi,
An "ambitious" track plan for a learning platform. I think that scrunching underneath the layout to get to all the different openings you have is going to grow old real quickly. I would suggest something a little less complex and a lot more "user friendly".
Your approach is corrrect. I did my first layout with the same idea in mind; Learn first and then do something a little more complex. So I started with the ol' 4x8. I have now grown to a 14X17 around the room layout.

Good luck...!!!

 

[insinu8]

I'd advise a little bigger radius for those.

Is a larger radius than 22" for appearance sake? I've got a 4' x 8' oval with turnouts using 22" radius curves up already which I've been using to get my "fix" while I plot the next step...it seems to run well, but...? If it's advisible, I'll do it!

Chris

 

[insinu8]

Hi,
An "ambitious" track plan for a learning platform. I think that scrunching underneath the layout to get to all the different openings you have is going to grow old real quickly. I would suggest something a little less complex and a lot more "user friendly".
Your approach is corrrect. I did my first layout with the same idea in mind; Learn first and then do something a little more complex. So I started with the ol' 4x8. I have now grown to a 14X17 around the room layout.

Good luck...!!!

Steamhead,

The feedback so far has, indeed, convinced me to NOT use the gopher holes. I'm trying to work on something with better all-around access or at least all from one side(like an around the room layout if possible). Also, I don't have any illusions about that layout. I knew it had it's problems and there would be a lot of feedback about it. That's what I was hoping for Please keep it up.

Chris

 

[ocalicreek]

Will you need to access the window in case of fire?

Thanks for the great information about your room...now I can get something going.

Galen

Oh, also, you may think twice about losing the door...unless you've already done it and then you may want to think about rehanging it. Should the room ever become a mess you may want to close the door on it someday. Or, if you have small kids, yours or otherwise, who don't know the meaning of look and don't touch.

 

[insinu8]

Will you need to access the window in case of fire?

Thanks for the great information about your room...now I can get something going.

Galen

Oh, also, you may think twice about losing the door...unless you've already done it and then you may want to think about rehanging it. Should the room ever become a mess you may want to close the door on it someday. Or, if you have small kids, yours or otherwise, who don't know the meaning of look and don't touch.

Galen,

I appreciate your concerns for safety and cleanliness :thumb:

However, this second bedroom has no other purpose than to house my trains and all the junk in the closet now, so if there were a fire in that room, the window would not be my first choice (also since it's most likely going to be behind tracks). So, don't worry about that. Regarding the door, I live alone and so far the mess in there hasn't bothered me one bit And despite what SOME people think...there are no kids who might decide to look AND touch But that's a very valid point, in both cases. Thankfully, neither is a concern at this time.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out with this. I'm still goofing around with my software and all kinds of bizarre options, but I'm definitely just doing that until I see what kind of masterpiece you come up with

Chris

 

[ocalicreek]

Masterpiece? Gee, no pressure! It may be a couple days...but the juices are flowin so we'll see.

Galen

 

[insinu8]

Masterpiece? Gee, no pressure! It may be a couple days...but the juices are flowin so we'll see.

Galen

No! No pressure! I'm just being too damn excited, that's all, I swear!
There is no time line, so please don't let me make you feel rushed.

Chris

 

[Triplex]

Is a larger radius than 22" for appearance sake?

To a large degree. If

it seems to run well

and you're satisfied with how it looks, then you don't need to change.

 

[zedob]

Zedob,

How difficult is it to make a walk-under bridge? I've tried several variations of the dogbone, turning it, folding it, but I always get stuck because I'm being stubborn about wanting two trains on continuous loops in addition to some swtiching. I know I may just have to suck it up and leave one loop out, but I'm still holding out hope...

Chris

If the bridge doesn't have to move then it's fairly easy, if it's just an extension of the regular benchwork, i.e. duck-under. If you want have it swing out of the way, then it gets alittle bit trickier, but I have seen excellent examples of this type of bridge here on this forum. You don't seem to be concerned with a challenge, so if you are game I would suggest doing a search here first. I have to build one for my layout and my situation is a tad bit different, but I'd be more than happy to help you out.

 

[lester perry]

I have a swing up section that I will take some close up photos of to help you with ideas.
Les