ripping up and starting over

[13Mtrainer]

hello everyone,

i have try to start a 8' by 8' layout but now that i have started i have realized that i cant reach all of the stuff. i would like to complitely start over new layout new bench work. i need help with this so that it does not happen again. i would like help with a track plan that is still 8' by 8'. this time though i am cutting out a hole in the middle that is 4' by 5' with a 1' by 2' liftout ant the bottom. and the other 3 sides will be 2' wide bye 8' long and the bottom will only be 1' wide by 8' long. i would like 3 different industries and 1 yard no turn table. i would really like a coal mine, a steel mill and an industry that has all those metal boxes/creates with a crane, sorry i dont know the name off hand. i would like a mountain and a tunal if possible. if i am missing any thing like details and stuff just ask me. thanks a lot.



13Mt

 

[2slim]

13Mt
Look at the newest issue of Model Railroader Magazine, June or July can't remember which. Anyway there is a article on benchwork construction which is pretty informative and well worth reading, will probably give you plenty ideas for benchwork. I believe one of the hardest things to do is to admit the direction your heading and what you're doing is not going to work. People have a hard time believing that they are capable of getting in over their heads, but it can happen real fast. My advice to you is to start out small, like say with a module and build on from there. If you build several modules in that small area you can have an opening in the center and not have to worry about reaching over everything.

Have fun!
2slim

 

[13Mtrainer]

wow thank you that is great advice thank you so much i have my bench work plan worked out so now i will divid it up into sections to work on. now all i need is a track plan(i still need help with that as well). but thank you for the advice.

 

[CAS]

When i start to build my layout, Thinking in the size of 12'x18'. I will be starting with like 6' sections at a time. With the most interesting area of the layout first.
I was also told to start small.

Cliff

 

[13Mtrainer]

this is my track plan so far. any advice or suggestions are welcome. it is an 8' by 8' layout. the yard and engane yard is at the top. the coal mine is on the right with the 2 tracks . there is a grain elevator and tracks at the bottom and a small 1' by 2' lift out on the left. there is one mountain in the bottom right corner. and in the middle will be me and my contrals.

sorry if it is hard to pick things out.
13Mt

 

[13Mtrainer]

sorry this might take me some time to getting use to posting pics

 

[shortliner]

13Mtrainer - see if you can get hold of an article that appeared in MR awhile back, called "Conrail's Hallsville, Pa. Interchange" by Nick Palette (a freind of mine). Don't have a date, but it might be just what you need - slightly smaller than your area, bur could easily be stretched.
Shortliner(Jack)away up here in the Highlands

 

[13Mtrainer]

thanks shortliner ill try to. but in the mean time here is what i am working on i cant post pics though because they are to big. ok i was going to put a small mountain at the top with a coal mine, on the left will be industrys with a small lift out at the bottom, an incline on the right that will rap around 2 massive mountains going up to the yard on the second level. any comments are welcome.



13Mt

 

[MasonJar]

Hi 13Mt...

Here is a link to ezdays thread on posting pics to The Gauge:
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread14122-posting-pics-on-the-gauge.html

The third post is about resizing images to meet The Gauge's requirements.

If that does not work for you, email me and I'll put them up for you. Click on my user name to the left to get an email link.

Andrew

 

[13Mtrainer]

heres a track plan i had help with


track plan

 

[13Mtrainer]

any ideas?

 

[Papa Bear]

13, the basic shape of you layout looks good. Since you have several places to switch, you'll probably want to have some runaround tracks. I sketched in a couple in red on your plan.

 

[Ralph]

That's an interesting plan. I see continuous running made longer by a one loop helix and a branch line that descends under bridges. I like it but I am wondering about grade issues where some of the sidings and spurs connect with the rising and descending main line at the top of the plan. Would you be able to include some indication of track height in several places along the routeof the plan? I worry that you might find the grades too steep for some of those sidings and spurs.

 

[Ralph]

Ah!! Papabear posted before I was finished typing. His revision breaks up the connection I was referring to. I think his take on it looks real good!
Ralph

 

[MasonJar]

I like the revised plan, but I would comment that there is no way to get back into the yard(s) other than by backing in. Once you are out and running on the continuous loop, you must stop and reverse the train in.

I do not have a solution for you right now, but at first glance, it appears you might be able to run a track around from the helix under the elevated line and into the lower left yard?

Andrew

 

[13Mtrainer]

thanks everyone i have got the bench work done. and i am ready to start the track work. i have figured out the problem with the backing in. all i need to do is have a turnout after the turnout that goes to the helix and have a lift out bridge across the bottom of the open bench work and have it go up to the far inglenook with the cran.and connect it after the first turnout there.

 

[13Mtrainer]

hello again everyone i have made a change in the bench work small but will help me a lot. here is what i propose to due leave the beck work the same but add a small 2by4' section at the very top right corner. so the bench work would look like this


__________________________________________
l l
l l
l l
l l
l l
l l ---------l -----------
l l l l
l l l l
l l l l
l l l l
__________l l_____________l

so this is the is what i did i have a 4 by 4' sectioon on the lower right and a nother 4 by 4' section in the upper right 2' over. what i plan to do is take out all of the track on the right side but still keep everything else. on the left and center to the 6' mark. want i plan to do is make track go all the way around the out side and have it go across a bridge at the bottom a go to the far englenook. then have a peace of track that would rap around the inner part with a turnout that would leed to the outter track they will meet in the middle of the bridge. and have a turn out off of that that would lead to 2 huge mountains and have track going around the to mountains in the 4 by 8' split rectangle. the only thing is that i dont know what way to arrange the track to go around the 2 mountains at a 2% grade to the upper deck that is 1 1/2' above it i want the track to pop out at the bottom right corner so in other words its a big nolix. please help me.

 

[MasonJar]

Can you try to sketch you plan in MS Paint or something, even on paper (and then scan) so we can see what you are talking about? It would be much easier (at least for me ).

Andrew

 

[13Mtrainer]

yea sure ill try sorry for the crappy drawing

 

[13Mtrainer]

the red is for the nolix track that goes in and out of the huge mountians and the blue lines are for the track any questions? or suggestions?

train be.bmp (50