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1st time in 30 yrs

Started by Jacuzzi Joe, April 15, 2009, 10:02:42 PM

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Jacuzzi Joe

Hi All

These are three different first efforts and I would appreciate your comments. I think there is probably far too much track on the size of board but want a couple of locos running round while a third can be shunting. My layout will be DCC but as my knowledge is limited I know I will have missd lots of potential problems.

Joe

David

Hi Joe,

It's not so easy to 'judge' your designs with so little background on what you want, and how much room you have.
First of all, what does the room look like. Is it dark, light, under a low ceiling, or does it have large windows.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of plans with a hole in the middle, as you need to duck under in case of problems, and it's quite awkward to blend into the landscape.

Also, a fiddle yard like you've drawn needs to serve a purpose. Think of a certain industry that you might want to support, or maybe even a maintenance area for your engines. That makes it easier to create something logical. Just adding more turnouts and short sidings is usually very expensive without giving much joy.

Thirdly, think of some sort of hidden staging: a train goes into a tunnel, or just behind some buildings, and waits a bit while another one appears. It gives you much more running time, and much more interesting driving sessions.

You could try to do an imaginary session on your layout to see what it will be like. You might find that you are just repeating the same sequence of events all the time. When using the sidings, you'll find that you need to make use of the main line. That's not a good sign in general.

Technically, you won't have much problems with your design. There are no reverse loops (however they're quite easy to solve with DCC). However, when you want to run more than three trains, you'll probably want to have some computer controlled operation on the main line while you 'play' in the other areas.

And please know that it took me 15 years and three building attempts to come up with my current track plan! Give it some time, and think it over.

David.
David Hoogvorst. Founder and Owner of DRail Software. Creator of AnyRail.

Jacuzzi Joe

Thanks David

I have tried many other plans now but still have not made up my mind yet. I will take on board all your suggestions and post a couple more efforts later.