Bruce Chandler said:
Very interesting. My layout area is just a tad larger than yours.
Would you consider a tunnel through that workshop door? I would love to have indoor storage of my rolling stock.
Would be nice but will not happen. We will carrier them out.
Dennis, it appears as though you are considering a raised layout. This is good, our knees and backs aren’t getting any younger. Where do you envision placing the locomotives and cars on the tracks, especially those of your guests?
Another codicil of the great layout planner John Armstrong is that the mainline not pass through the scene more than once. At one point, on the right side of your drawing, it almost looks like Pennsy’s Horseshoe Curve.
Is this going to be a garden railraod, or a model railroad in the garden, or a model railroad without troubling with a garden (much)? They are three separate and different ideas. Making that decision now will help avoid a lot of heartache, later.
If I am reading the plan correctly the 8 track yard is under the porch against the house wall.
If that is right maybe you should re-think that idea, one side access will not work well for that many tracks.
Can the center walk dimensions be reduced to say 4 foot and 6 foot rather than 6 and 8?
Steve has really laid out all the main points of design for a narrow gauge line and do seriously consider his points right from the start about it being a “garden railroad” or a “model railroad in the garden”
I think your area though small has lots of possibilities. I love how the steps from the deck above will drop you right into the center of the railroad. yes great possibilities
Will enjoy following your design and build developement.
Rick
The gray outline is the foot print planned, the post for the deck I placed at 98" (all dimensions in inches). As per info provided
(http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/LayoutPlans/DennisChFootprintGRR.jpg)
PS To make sure of the actual position of the tree trunks could give the coordinates?
Here’s the first kick at the can: the stuff that fits under the deck
…(http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/LayoutPlans/DennisChPlan01GRR.jpg)
The red point upper left is the “0” reference. The main in the stations will always be Green, the sidings will be Orange, the yard and industry tracks are Purple, the Streetcar/Interurban trackage is Blue. The end point of the streetcar line has an interchange track to the rest of the layout.
More to follow. 
PS Contrary to my usual practice the tracks in the main station run parallel to the layout edge, makes switching much easier, in addition all the tracks that need to be switched are along the edge of the layout. The only exception is the interchange track to the streetcar/interurban line.
Really nice start! Just curious, what’s the radius of the track in red?
Steve Featherkile said:
Really nice start! Just curious, what’s the radius of the track in red?
48" min.radius and Aristo wide radius turnouts (the famous ones).
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Steve Featherkile said:
Really nice start! Just curious, what’s the radius of the track in red?
48" min.radius and Aristo wide radius turnouts (the famous ones).
Be nice if you could increase that the sixty inches, so the shay won’t groan so much. To do that you could steal a foot out of the central walkway for each peninsula. There would still be three feet at the entrance, plenty.
Steve Featherkile said:
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Steve Featherkile said:
Really nice start! Just curious, what’s the radius of the track in red?
48" min.radius and Aristo wide radius turnouts (the famous ones).
Be nice if you could increase that the sixty inches, so the shay won’t groan so much. To do that you could steal a foot out of the central walkway for each peninsula. There would still be three feet at the entrance, plenty.
There are several ways to get to a 60" minimum radius, but I always thought that Shays and similar critters just have to groan.
Cutting down the walkways will impede the walk-along operation. There is a rule that says: “All operators will try to assemble at the tightest spot on any layout.”
That’s it for today, I’ll finish the interurban/streetcar line tomorrow.
(http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/LayoutPlans/DennisChPlan01GRR2.jpg)
As you can see either end of the line ends in that return loop. One could run loop to loop or run turns that turn before getting to “Confusion Junction” or have a roundy-round operation with as many trains as operators and a lot of meets and whoever needs to do switching at the different stations going nuts since the train frequency is too high. The smart gut will pick the interurban/streetcar line and chuckle while everyone else is steaming.
Oh BTW the yard track right adjacent to the layout edge in the main station is the transload track from SG to NG and vice versa. All done be manual labour.
This is my suggestion.
Adding two feet to the width - as Steve suggested - would allow 60" rad curves and would also give additional room for scenery. However…
HJ its like you were inside my head, I started to type a reply last night then reading what you and Steve were writing I didn’t want to re post whats been said. I would change a few things but I think your layout is a n excellent use of the space for ops.
BTW I don’t know what kind of groans you all are talking about but sounds pretty prototypical. An engine moans, groans, screeches, and pops on a tight corner.
Much better. I would still like a way to change direction at the yard end, but that’s probably just me. Good job.
Rearranging the Service area to squeeze out the space for a turntable.
(http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/LayoutPlans/DennisChPlan01GRR_TT.jpg)
Additional action since it requires a switchback move.
Naturally the next step will be the roundhouse. Definitely not in a convenient location, but if space is as given that’s where it could go.
(http://www.rhb-grischun.ca/LayoutPlans/DennisChPlan01GRR_TT2.jpg)
A better location would be as an extension from the lower LH corner accessed from the purple drill track in the yard. However …
In the original track plans Dennis could run 2 trains continuously even in different directions. In the new plans he can only run 1 train. I thought the first track plain was interesting. Allen
ALLEN LANDIS said:
In the original track plans Dennis could run 2 trains continuously even in different directions. In the new plans he can only run 1 train. I thought the first track plain was interesting. Allen
Since he plans on doing operating sessions and plans on DCC and computer control he can run any number of trains in any direction he likes. For auto control it’s a matter of writing the code for the computer, for operating sessions it’s a matter of getting a number of dedicated model railroaders who - if possible - understand how the 1:1 does it and take it from there.
I have a number of friends who run the auto scheme and a few more friends who run proto operations on large layouts. Proto operations win hands down unless you just want to sit, relax and drink beer or whatever.
Apart from that, my suggestions are just that, suggestions. Nothing cast in stone, just taking the original plan and adapting it to what Dennis mentioned he would like to do.
BTW that original plan reminded me of the track plans that Atlas used to publish; lots of track but not quite as much operation.
I’d be more inclined to run the U Track at the left side, from the bottom yard track to provide a larger radius curve…
And leave part of the original curve as a switch lead to the bottom 3 tracks, and also the approach to the engine area…
I could not respond yesterday to any posts as my other half had eye surgery yesterday. she is doing fine now and we went to the optometrist this morning for a check. She had an two kinds of aggressive growths and only found the start of it 1 year ago. She now has two new eyes with Toric Lens and never has to worry about cataracts again.
HJ: Love your design and can see that being built, my way was going to be expensive with all the track and a major construction job. I know the 3 foot rule cannot be maintained, but the elevation is going to be low so getting into the display should not be a problem.
The trees in the upper left are staggered, total of 5, and I can work around them.
One item that may have to change, because i did not mention it at all, is the trolley line in the upper left. My vision was the mainline loop be on a trestle around the tree. My wife want to plant a lot in that area. The other trees would take some work to prevent them from being killed from covering up the base of the trees. Was thinking of the track on the right being on a slight grade to reduce the elevation on the upper portion.
If this was done with AnyRail, I do have a copy and would like to check it out closer if you don’t mind.
Dennis
Dennis,
Yes, I used AnyRail, so you got all the info including the grades and elevations above “0”. Send my a message with your email addy and I’ll send you the file.
