Inspiraton please

[Big Mark]

Hi all, I am having real issues designing a N gauge layout, if I give you guys some info could you give me a hand.
The board size is 74" x 27" and we want to put in the following:-
1. Farm complex 6 buildings
2. some field area for farming/animals
3. a passenger station
4. Coal depot (small)
5. Brewery
6. fiddle yard (pref hidden)
7. canal (if poss)

And the layout to look very English and rural
We are both new at this and are using PECO setrack and we are having real mental block issues.
The wife also likes "odd" looking layouts rather than loops.
Hope you can help.
Cheers
Mark

 

[Will_annand]

One suggestion, you could put the farm buildings on one side of the tracks and the field on the outside corner....

Then include a couple of "cattle underpasses", like the second last picture on the following page:

http://www.muskokacomputes.com/CVR_Prototype01.htm

Or the first picture on this page:

http://www.muskokacomputes.com/CVR_Prototype04.htm

 

[tverskaya]

Maybe this helps? The plan should be self-explanatory.

I can send you the higher resolution picture if you want.

 

[Big Mark]

Thanks guys, the links and that track plan are really great!

tverskaya, if you could send through the high res that would be great, lotusmark2@aol.com
Cheers
Mark

 

[Big Mark]

hi all,
looking at the track plan above 391 and 386 are code 55?? will that work with setrack, thought setrack was code 80 (not that I have any idea what that means???)
cheers
Mark

 

[Triplex]

Code means the height of the rail in thousandths of an inch.

 

[Big Mark]

Well thanks to tverskaya, here is the final layout in the flesh. Sorry for the poor photography but I'm using the camera phone at the moment (camera is off for repair)http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Lotusmark2/layout.JPG

 

[webmaster]

Interesting design, I can't wait to see what you do with the scenery.

 

[tverskaya]

Looks superb!

Am I right that you didn't have to change very much to get the few slightly odd pieces to fit well? (the long turnouts, mainly)

 

[Big Mark]

Yeah, went together quite well, just needed to snip a few sleepers to get the long streamline turnouts to work with setrack.Think I am going to keep the farm in the area it is now and put the brewery at the far end.going to be a very fun time getting all the scenery together along with wiring the point motors, isolated turnouts etc
Thanks again for your help mate