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Help with Layout Design - Ideas? Dream and design
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Active Member 40 posts RussR Active Member 40 posts
RussR

I can't quite decide on my layout - I need some help

I'm currently using a fold up ping pong table to run some trains on - I'd like to stick with this due to space requirements

I've got a lot of equipment to run (Athearn Challenger, Bachmann Centennial, few other smaller locos) as well as lots of passenger coaches and lots of freight cars

I've already got a NCE Powercab and a heap of flex track, as well as alot of Hornby track (of a suitable radius for my Challenger and DD40AX)

What I'm having issues with is designing a layout!

so I'll have two halves, which i'll occasionally want to put together - but i'd like to operate individually. The sizes are 123.5cm x 76cm (so when joined together will be 274cm x 76cm)

ideally i just want to play trains, and don't really know where to start - i want heaps of things to do on my layout and lots of running (so i can run multiple trains at once with DCC)

 

can someone give me some ideas? or even help with a layout design? thanks in advance!
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LKandO Prolific poster 3,839 posts
LKandO

Ping Pong Table Size Layouts

http://www.cke1st.com/m_train2.htm

http://www.atlasrr.com/Code100web/index.htm

Alan

All the details:  http://www.LKOrailroad.com        Just the highlights:  MRH blog

When I was a kid... no wait, I still do that. HO, 28x32, double deck, 1969, RailPro
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RussR Active Member 40 posts
RussR

thanks alan, I should say i

thanks alan, I should say i have HO though
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George J Frequent poster 741 posts
George J

Milwaukee Beer Line

About a year or so ago Model Railroader did a series on a layout that was made of individual sections which could be re-arranged in different configurations to suit space availability and/or owner interest. I believe it started in the January 09 issue.

IIRC the basic layout was about the size of a ping-pong table (maybe a tad bigger), but even if it is too large for your purposes, you may be able to use some of the layout's ideas on your own pike.

George

"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers, ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."

Milwaukee Road : Cascade Summit- Modeling the Milwaukee Road in the 1970s from Cle Elum WA to Snoqualmie Summit at Hyak WA.
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steinjr Regular poster 151 posts
steinjr

Start with the start

 It usually is easier to design something if you have a reasonably clear idea about what your actual goal is.

 So far you have mentioned:

  - H0 scale


  - Want to run big engines and long cars (i.e. you need wide curves - rule of the thumb is that minimum curve radius needs to about 3 times length of longest engine or rolling stock that will run through it - for 12" long engines or cars, that means a radius of 36", a diameter for a turnback curve of about 72").

 

 The two things I always suggest starting with:

 1) Describe the entire room you want to have your layout in. Not the table you think will fit. There are many ways to fit layouts into rooms - it could very well be that there are better ways to fit a layout into your room than a loop on a rectangular table.

 2) Describe what you want to be able to do on your layout.

 Layout Design Special Interest Group design primer: http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=Categoryrimer

 Smile,
 Stein

 
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