Layout Ideas

jandr

New Member
Trainiac:

Looks good. You must be skinnier than I am....those aisles are too small for me :)

You going to put a two-sided backdrop between modules 10 and 8?

Looks like a 30" radius....that right?
 

Trainiac77

Member
Trainiac:

Looks good. You must be skinnier than I am....those aisles are too small for me :)

You going to put a two-sided backdrop between modules 10 and 8?

Looks like a 30" radius....that right?

Yeah I'm going with the double side back drop. I think I'll have at least 28" radius. On the curved module #9 I'm thinking of doing a double trestle bridge with some sort of waterfall scene. I've modeled water before with pretty good results. I'm also a little confused as to what height to make the adjustable legs. If I make it about 50" I could actually get away with a good amount of storage underneath and also maybe a low workbench @ 29"?
 

Trainiac77

Member
No Layout Again!

As it turns out I started buying materials and then we decided to put the house back up for sale. So no layout again, but that's OK for now. Oh well, maybe the next place will have a better basement.:mrgreen:
 

Sawdust

Member
Traniac I'm on & off the same track as you are. :eek: We packed up twice salvaging what we could. Not really knowing what we are going to do as of yet I gave up on the layout & all we do is build structures. I am a finish carpenter & cut my own scaled wood so I have wood projects & styrene projects going at the same time as not to get bored. I box them up,mark them & store them away for now. Ocassionaly I go as far as building a small modual to get the feel of scenery but keeping small enough to pack away. I am also putting a lot of time in planning my future layout & will definetly build sections bolted together. We are having a lot of fun doing this & I'm sure come time to build the layout most of the structures will be ready to mount. Just a few hints on the frame work. Stay with 1x4's & use plywood as OSB board will swell when wet. I use a lot of 2" & 4" foam board along with Homosote. These are light wait & easy to work with.Hang around some construction sites especially commercial roof phases & ask if they have any scrap foam board.I have gotten a lot for free.:wave:
Jim
 

CNJ999

Member
Trainiac - with regards to the width of modules 3, 4, 12 and 13, you will be very disappointed if you build them this narrow. What you'll quickly find is that they are essentially limited to having just running through-tracks on the them, as they are simply too shallow in depth to create either reasonably realistic scenery, or potention industries/switching on. Believe me, there is nothing less realistic looking in model railroading than a far too narrow shelf.

In addition, as you already appear to summize, your corners will need additional attachments to accommodate any reasonable curves. Narrowing your center island and widening your around the wall modules would be the best approach.

And as someone noted upstream, the widths of you aisles is going to make it a rather tight fit for the operator. I have two aisles that are a bit over two feet wide and find them too narrow for my average-sized body to move around in without potentionally contacting something on the layout's edge with my elbows when turning around.

CNJ999
 

Trainiac77

Member
Hopefully going forward the new house will either have a basement or extra room without obstruction, at least that's what I'll be looking for. I would really like to stick to a standard 2'x4' straight module and obviously something bigger for the curve sections. For now everything is on hold, no more money to spend until after the move. Everything is packed up and ready to go should the house sell quickly. In my neighborhood houses are moving so you never know. I guess for now I'll be an armchair model railroader. I have so many magazines and videos to go through, should keep me busy for a long while.
 
Did you look at the standards for Free-mo and how they build hte modules before you start. They have set size for legs and all that could help you with your layout even if you don't plan on doing and free-mo connections. http://wwwfree-mo.org
Dave
 

Trainiac77

Member
Railbuilder,
I just went on the site and they have some good guides. I think since this will only be my layout I would still continue using code 100 since I have so many Rivarossi steam engines that I've re-motored. I hate to get rid of them since I found them to be so reliable. I don't have any plans to go DCC either, I like all the bells and whistles. But over all I think their bench-work standards are a great place to start.
 
I was thinking they would have some iteas for benchwork like the support for the foam top and legs for you to get an idea for height. Unless you plan to attach to a free-mo layout there isn't a reason to follow the standard completely.
Dave
 
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