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L-shaped Garage Plan in Kato N

Started by freescopesdad, November 08, 2022, 06:20:53 PM

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freescopesdad

I will be starting on a new, more permanent layout in my garage after the holidays, although I am already working on the benchwork and the track plan (7 or 8 iterations so far). I had to do some major cleanup in my small 18x20 garage to accommodate a bench layout along 9.5' of the back wall and 8.0' of the left wall. It is all 30" deep with a removable hatch for access in the corner. Attached is a jpg of where I am so far (including potential yard space as discussed below). The small rectangle is a 2x4 post.

My question concerns placement of a storage yard for rolling stock. I have the means to extend the layout into an existing shelf area an additional 4' on the back wall as shown on the attached image. I don't want to add to any track work within the double mainline as I want wide open scenery and less city/industry. My concern is that any yard of necessity will link directly to the main line, with minimal room for long trains without impacting the main. I'm kinda new at this so not even sure if this is an issue? Any suggestions?
Ron
Owner/Operator
Chicago, Blue Island & Northern Illinois RailRoad

freescopesdad

#1
Revised plan.. well, 11th revision but who is counting...  ;D Benchwork is finished, I've installed 12" deep shelving above the left and back sides, and install some 24" LED tube fixtures on the underside. I still have to salvage track, wiring, structures and lumber from my existing layout and dispose of the rest so I can park my car inside once again.

My druthers are watching trains run, so I didn't want to clutter the layout with too much track but I do want to retain the 2 long double main lines. I especially like the long 13' run on the back wall which offers lots of scenic possibilities. I plan to add mountains and hills to the left third of the layout, passenger station/small town in the center, and industry to the right and far bottom left, but I probably won't start cutting foam for a while.

Please tell me what you think. Am I on the right (pardon the pun) track?
Owner/Operator
Chicago, Blue Island & Northern Illinois RailRoad

David

Good start, but there are three things that might make it a lot better (in my opinion at least):
- Don't lay the track parallel to the table borders. At a slight angle it looks a lot more natural.
- Flip the front and back. Right now, the most interesting action is along the wall, while you probably want to follow it from nearby. The single 'Parade' track, now near the viewer, will probably look better in the back, slightly raised.
- Try to hide the 180 degree turns, perhaps by scenery. It always looks hideous when a train goes around it.

Then again, just my opinion!
David Hoogvorst. Founder and Owner of DRail Software. Creator of AnyRail.

freescopesdad

David, as always, thanks for your comments. I finally laid track after 27 revisions although it is not yet glued down. I took your comments about track at the edge of the layout and tried to put some variety to it. A little closer to a dog bone but not extreme. My main focus is still watching trains run through scenery. The town area will be centered in the rear, employing some homemade background flats of varying thickness, a passenger station will still be on the near siding. A road will border the front edge of the layout, running in some fashion from the staging/maintenance yards on the right all the way to the industry lower left. Which is now evolving toward an oil refinery/storage facility. Again, taking things slow as I am out in my unheated garage, and when it isn't raining (almost always this year in California) it is sunny but cold. The track bus is in, and feeders are all connected to the bus, and I should have turnouts wired up to DS64s by the end of the weekend. Then clean track and test run some short trains.

Garage Layout.jpg
Owner/Operator
Chicago, Blue Island & Northern Illinois RailRoad