Large Scale Central

Layout Planning! Hmmmm...

General Discussion
#1

Some times you can plan for things!
Most of the time mother nature will prove your idea “crap”!
When I built some of my last layout ,I learned to wait for mother nature.
I waited for it to rain so I knew were to put the water letter outers (drain pipes)
I did plan for using a shovel for heavy snow ( wide right of ways) how ever …
I found something the other day that I didn’t plan for …
I was using the big leaf blower ( not my leaf blower car) and when I was blowing the mound of leaves towards a section of raise track ( It’s on a mound ) I noticed that I had created a ramp. The leaves just shot right out and over the raised section of track!
Trimming the lower branches off the Alberta Spruces also helped with leaf blowing ( again not planned)
That doesn’t happen very often!:wink:

What cool Idea just happened to you!

#2

Sean,

There is a lot more to layout planning than meets the general eye, if one is planning for outside or for indoors.

But as I like to say, those who have allergic reactions to (layout) planning have one huge advantage: they gain a lot more experience by getting the chance to do all the corrections.

#3

leaves; found that the retaining wall helps to corral the leaves as they are blown and helps dump them out into the driveway-which makes them easier to blow towards the yard.

also found if I turn the waterfall off and let the river dry, the leaves are blown outta it pretty quickly too!

#4

We got snakes

He got 'n ideer

I bought a hose

Now I nose

Where da water goes.

#5

Hans-Joerg Mueller said:

Sean,

There is a lot more to layout planning than meets the general eye, if one is planning for outside or for indoors.

But as I like to say, those who have allergic reactions to (layout) planning have one huge advantage: they gain a lot more experience by getting the chance to do all the corrections.

Hans, some of us plan for a while before we break ground. Even with all the planning things crop up. Or, crops thing up. Or up things crop. Or up crops things?

#6

When I first started my layout, 22 years ago, I thought too much inside the box. It didn’t take me long to expand that original layout. When I did it kinda just flowed through the garden in a sort of natural way. As I expanded, I turned myself into a miniature civil engineer. Being a carpenter, by trade, I already had one up on the engineers, it’s known as practical knowledge.

#7

David Maynard said:

Hans-Joerg Mueller said:

Sean,

There is a lot more to layout planning than meets the general eye, if one is planning for outside or for indoors.

But as I like to say, those who have allergic reactions to (layout) planning have one huge advantage: they gain a lot more experience by getting the chance to do all the corrections.

Hans, some of us plan for a while before we break ground. Even with all the planning things crop up. Or, crops thing up. Or up things crop. Or up crops things?

Yeah, I know. Bad boy that I am, I usually just point out - with a drawing if that’s the most convenient - how it could have been done and wait for the “why didn’t I think of that”.

#8

Dan, yes. I am a tech, so I can relate.

Hans, I understand.

#9

I guess I’m the oddball… I had no definite plans for the railroad, just a general idea of what I wanted it to do… I just started at one point, like coming out of the window and the track flow started from there…

I had ideas in my mind, but it was about a year or two, before the wife said ““I need something on paper, so I know where we’re going””…

The basic idea of the layout was in my head before we even started moving any dirt for the house…

#10

Planning a layout would not have prevented the unforeseen removal of the roof of my house by a hurricane (which do not happen in the UK we are told) .

Sad said roof of heavy Belgian tiles crashed down on my layout bending LGB track beyond repair and peeing me off mightily .

All rolling stock safely in garden shed ; the weight of the locos and stock prevented the shed from joining the London Airport landing pattern .

Mike

#11

I guess, over eight years ago, my railroad ideas were similar to those of Andy.

I wanted to maximise the space offered by my small back yard so the plan was to build as close to the boundary as most of the existing plants. bushes etc. would allow.

Working on a 1:1 railroad gave me a good idea of how railroads were built so I commenced at an easy open part, surveyed, using eyesight and just built, at ground level, the foundations for the track bed.

Some dirt needed to be removed and used to built an short, low, embankment, some extra earth brought in - just as per prototype - thus ensuring that both ends of the circuit did in fact meet at grade.

I drew up a basic plan of what I had achieved; sent it to a good, reliable large scale dealer in the UK and he sent me only slightly more track than I needed to get up and running. That was soon used on new spurs as time went by

Over time a few amendments to track work - mainly spurs and sidings - have all that has been necessary to provide extra interest in the form of switching ops.

From time to time extension ideas have passed through my mind but always common sense prevails when I realize that more track = more work.

#12

I also started the same way , I split one circle of 20’ track with a case if 5’sections on each side.
Done. That was the first loop. Ran that for a long time.
I then added a yard to one side. Ran that for a long time.
The second loop took longer. I took all the circles of track 8’ & 10’ that I had and laid them on the ground. I knew what I wanted the second loop to go over and near the other loop. I had the trestle from the other layouts.
Mean while, I was digging out the old layout area to extend the patio . I had this wheel barrel full of fill , Hmmmmm were can I dump it. I went to the new location and I’ll raise the second loop! So I placed some track were I thought it would function , I had the track going over the first loop, Hmmmmm a Tunnel ,could use some fill here. etc. So as I removed fill from one location , I dumped it were it was needed under the second loop. The second loop, I went over also ,this was near the tunnel. I didn’t want to many tunnels …then an idea a covered bridge! Did think of that originally!
Getting back to the idea of the post.
I didn’t plan for leaf removal so the piled dirt was some thing helpful that I didn’t plan/ think of !

Don’t you love it when some thing good happens(use to bad things happening)

#13

Sean, I rely a lot on Serendipity in my track planning, too :wink:

#14

John Caughey said:

We got snakes

He got 'n ideer

I bought a hose

Now I nose

Where da water goes.

Sue sews hose on Crow Joe’s nose.

Sue sews rose on Crow Joe’s clothes.

Crow’s hose goes some.

Crow’s rose grows some.

#15

Andy and Sean may have the right approach. I spent 2 years planning and just about the time I was ready to start laying track, we decided to pull up stakes and move. Had I just throw a bunch down I could have been doing more railroading.

I did lay down a simple dog bone with 4’ diameter ends which let me run some, and honestly I was working to get the yard prepared for the rail road, so I don’t feel too badly about it all. The nice thing is that I learned a ton from all the planning and it will give me that much more of an edge when we do find our new residence.

Definitely merits to both routes.

#16

I learned when it comes to building trestles less is more. All the criss cross boards make for nice detail work but they catch every manner of wind blown debri that will need to be pulled out by hand.
Also when building a 15’ long horse shoe tunnel be sure to put in 3 not 2 access hatches because you know what will happen just out of reach.

#17

Todd, maybe, but a trestle without all the appropriate detail looks “off” to me. Besides all the bracing adds support to the structure, just like its supposed to.

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/david_maynard/general/2004_0717Image0018.jpg)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/david_maynard/general/DSCF1270.jpg)

#18

David, I’m with you. If I’m going to put in a trestle, it needs to have all the bells and whistles. (excuse the pun) Having said that Todd makes a very good point that I had never considered, (shows my inexperience) I’m certain that it would act as a clogged strainer for every leaf in the yard. Perhaps giving some thought to the topography around the feature would help? Maybe have the trestle spanning the gully but large hills just behind it. This may cause the leaves to blow up and over the hill passing right over the top of the trestle. Probably good to keep in mind the normal wind direction too. The hill would have to be between the wind and trestle. Conversely you wouldn’t want to built up road beds to form a wall (wind block) in your yard and then fill the hole in the middle that all the stuff is going to want to blow though with a trestle! Good Thread. :slight_smile:

#19

For me, leaves are usually only an issue in the fall. I do have to remove junk from my trestle from time to time. I also have to remove junk from the cut, and the bowl valley that the Provost farm is in. Debris is part of being outside.

#20

Not every trestle had all the whistles…

Diagonals can be overrated by topography…

I’m guilty of laying track over my bridges and trestles. No bridge ties or even guard rails!

I hope all y’all can forgive me…

John