A couple of thoughts

Patfan, there are a couple of elements that bother me with your plan:

1) Run-around length on the siding appears to be very short - looks like a couple of car lengths only to me - I would look at some way to increase this like bringing the turnouts into the curves.

2) Switchbacks to sidings.  The prototype will do anything they can to avoid these.  To serve the second industry at your bottom location requires using the siding space of the first.  This is a very common design error on model railroads - there are a few on the prototype but they were if it was the only way it could be done.  You did say you were looking for realistic operation.

Regards

Tim

Try..

You have a bit of an S curve on that siding. Consider mounting the switches on the end of the curve in Shayne facing such that the diverging route is the "bottom" of the siding. Consider how I oritented the turnouts on the siding for my little tiny layout..

I do think you are on the right track by making a small layout using a scenic divider between two scenes...

Chris

A little help for your "N"

A little help for your "N" Scale Railroad.

First do you already have the 4 structures build you have shown in your plan?

If you haven't built them yet but do own the models find the foot print (the size of the Models Base) if you have them built then measure them.

Next using the same 1/2"=12" scale draw each of the models foot prints on a piece of card board and then cut them out.

now set these on the locations you have planed for them to make sure they fit. you can now move them around to see how they work (fit) at different locations.

your basic plan isn't bad you just need a couple changes such as the 2 sidings on the edge of your pike. these being so close to the edge are asking for you to knock your cars or engine to their death when you bump the table and then tip them over with no place to land but the floor. I found over the years when you build small try to keep everything inside the 3 inch zone around the edge of the layout that isn't glued down.

much appreciated

I appreciate the feedback! 

The suggestions about the sidings is excellent since I do not want tight S curves on a layout this small, and mounting opposite diverging turnouts than the ones I have starting more in the curve will work much better, not to mention make the passing siding much longer. 

As far as the structures go, the only ones that will require tight measurement will be the 2 in the small town of Dayton;  the engine shed & the mill.  Engine house measures 4 1/2" long x 2 1/2" wide.  Mill (tentative) is 7 1/8" long x 3 3/4" wide. However, this is tentative.  I see the length would pose an immediate prob with the space slated for the small staging area, but I plan on modifying structures & scratchbuilding where ever possible (I know, VERY ambitious for my first layout, but I want to take my time & make it great).

The Shaye Mountain side will be mostly open country, with a mountain engulfing the left side, continuing across the background to the right-most side.  This will give a great area for a coal mine.  It will also allow for tunnels both coming into the area & exiting.  The tunnels are there to help increase the implied size of a very small layout.  They will go up to the backdrop & end as the tracks go thru the backdrop.  From the Dayton side, there will be no tunnel at all, just a hole in the backdrop the mainline will dissappear thru.  I plan on concealing the holes with trees, structures, etc...  Tunnels will be very short, but will also help "guard" along the edges where trains run close...  don't want a death trip to the floor!

Jeremy T

Free CAD package

I cannot add to the good suggestions already made about the trackplan but if you do want a CAD package and being on a tight budget then I suggest you have a look at XtrCAD as it is a freebie from Sillub Technology and designed specifically for model railroading. The link below is for their homepage.

http://ca.geocities.com/sillub@rogers.com/sillubtech/

Regards

Ian

cadd...

thanks for the freebie cadd tip.  Funny, but within the last couple hours I found a cadd freebie on the web & downloaded it.  Now just have to get the monster tamed... 

JT

XtrakCAD

XtrakCAD is great.. its what I use.. but its being developed now as an open source app. The home page for the latest and greatest version is

http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage

There is also an associate yahoo group where people post track objects and such.

Chris

Runarounds and Spurs

The runaround is _way_ to short to be remotely useful, and it's the only one you have.

Also, follow what has been said about switchbacks. In the case of your town at the bottom, they'd locate the spurs so that the switches were beside each other with the points facing each other - or if they had no room for that, they'd rather put in a diamond (crossing) in the two spurs rather than construct a whole switchback which would be difficult and inconvenient to work.

A small runaround in your second town would be useful too, so a train can switch both those industries and the same time. Even if you kept the switchback arangement, to switch both industries, you'd end up with cars at each end of the locomotive. You want a runaround so the engine can get out on the front.

Here's a quick sketch of an

Here's a quick sketch of an arrangement that will make it much easier to use all the spurs on your layout. You'd have to check if it fits spacewise.

Another thing is to try to use industries that are big enough to be used by rail. Since you've got a backdrop planned in, take advantage of that to put building flats along the backdrop; I flopped your little industry building in the town across the tracks against the backdrop. By scratchbuilding something from a modular kit (Like DPM modular sections) you can get a fairly large warehouse/factory/mill type structure without actually taking up a lot of real estate, because it's a very thin structure against the backdrop to give the impression of a much larger one. Not sure what you have planned at Shaye Mountain, but you can do the same there, by putting the industries to the rear and using the space in behind the tracks to make them larger, and even included something on the backdrop to make the complex appear even bigger than it actually is.

My 2 cents

My only thought would be to allow for a passing siding as well on the Shaye Mountain side. This way you can "work" the sidings and allow for trains to "pass" on the main. Other than that, your plan allows for some interesting switching moves. I like the way you allowed for "future expansion" on the Dayton side. I hope it turns out well for you. Remember...Have fun!

Two sidings may be overkill

Two sidings may be overkill for a layout this small and take away valuable scenic space.

The other "side" of the layout can be worked like the protoype does when no siding is available.. switch one on the way out and the other on the way back. This way you are not building two scenes that are so close to each other in layout.

However, to that end, you might want to have the spurs seperated, not on a switchback. I don't think you need to have them cross..

it might even be more interesting to have one long spur with multiple industries. You get operational interest having to swap out one car from the back and leave other cars where they are found.

Chris

cadd...

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for the excellent input here.  It is very much appreciated!!

Here is my re-vamped design courtesy Caddrail.  I have had fun using the program, though I do not yet know how to upload the actual file in here.  I shot a quick photo of it on my D300 and photoshopped it (thats why it looks like dog food).

I have simplified the plan since I do not have very much space to work with.  A passing siding on the Shaye Mtn side is out since I want the Shaye side to be mostly mountain scenic with a rustic Coal mine hard at work.  I did however extend the passing siding in the town of Dayton & it appears to be much more servicable.  I will probably be running small trains here anyway (6 cars or so).  The small hidden spur leading to the engine house & lumber mill is there to extend the switchback to hopefully accomodate an engine & 2 cars at roughly 10 inches.

Any further thoughts / concerns?

thanks again for the great advice & help!

JT

overkill or simplicity

True, 2 sidings may be overkill but, with another runaround for his layout, he avoids having a "one way railroad". Meaning, he can only service those sidings going in 1 direction (1 at a time). With the switchback he had in his first drawing, it proves hard, even for a prototype, to service these sidings at the same time. He would have to go "out and back" to get it done.

I love this hobby!!!! Who says you can't have fun with a 4 by 8 layout?

Chris, I really like it!!! 

Chris, I really like it!!!  That is quite on with where I was thinking!!!

I like that long siding at the top because it has the feel of an interchange track - Scenic it as a larger carrier and you can intercange with it! - And even build that layout of the larger carrier later when time, money and space allow!!!

to engine house, or not to...

What would you all do?  Keep the engine house, or place another serviceable business there?  If you would keep the engine house, where would another business go nicely in your opinion?

Jeremy T

2 sidings at the coal mine

JT,

I'd look at having the coal mine track splt in two as soon as it splits off the main. That way you can have one track for empties-in and the other for loads-out.

It appears you have enough room to do that.

{Deleted comment about switchback due to failure to see it's in N scale}