# Starting from scratch, life change



## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

Hello All,

I had posted a few layouts a while ago and had not really started, only bought an LGB Semaphore. Now I have an upcoming life change which will make it prudent to shrink the size of the layout. I already have a Mogul 2-6-0 so it makes sense to create a narrow gauge layout only. I know this may be personal opinion but what elements make an interesting layout to watch that is "animated?" I already have a Massoth Central station and a decoder in various cars. I have very little experience with model railroading, however I am very handy and can build anything from a kit! So my dream would be to have two electric engines: one freight and one passneger train and one "live steam" to be added sometime WAY down the road. Adding the Massoth digital booster I can incorporate a stop. Any photos of small interesting layouts would be appreciated. I only have 2D to work with so no bridges can be in layout. As this thread develops I can post information. I have AnyRail 4, but I am planning on using code 250 rail and switches from Sunset Valley Railroad. 

--Chris


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

The dark green lines are the walls of the front foyer, the thin orange lines are the railing from the staircase around the second floor overlooking the first floor below. Plan is to "suspend the layout within this space and to also go around the green circle which is the location for Christmas tree. I have a partially finished basement which is larger than this area so layout will be moved there when it is not the holidays. Scale each square is 1 foot. Previous owner of the house left me many extra baulesters so I can easily go through railing at any point.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome Chris. You might go over to the Indoor forum and look through it for ideas. I'm not much help, I'm outdoors. Good choice on track size though!


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

OOPS--sorry, I see you already mentioned narrow gauge


One of the standard arguments that's always made sense to me is to ask yourself, at the start, "what's the story?" 

What decade is it? Is this a small, narrow gauge loggin RR in the mountains? Or is it a mainline road between big cities?' 

Is it an industrial line, or a suburban commuter line, or a tourist excursion line? 

The story doens't have to be true--it can be entirely made up. 

Or you could decide to model something local. For example, a small "branch" railroad once passed through our neighborhood. it ran freight and some passenger traffic. It would have been interesting modeling that. Basing your RR on a real life prototype gives you a focus for things. But so does telling any story and sticking to it. 

The biggest mistake we made with our garden RR was not getting "the story" straight at the begining. 

Some people want as much track as possible in a small space. other people love modeling the whole show--the landscape, the structures, etc, But that would be my first suggestion--come up with a "story" you want the thing to tell.


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

This is for a temporary indoor layout, then? 

I find your sketch to be somewhat confusing. Is this some sort of wide balcony area? 

Do you have a track plan in mind for the basement? How much of the basement is available to you?


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

It is actually the front foyer area of our house. The green line to the right is where the front door is located and the green line below borders the wall as it comes up the stairs. The orange line is the railing of the second floor overlooking the entry. The green circle is where our Christmas tree is normally placed. 

I started purchasing the Aristocraft Sierra coaches and also some narrow gauge freight. I would like to incorporate a stop for passenger train and a contiuous run for freight. I am OK with doing some blocking if they have to share track. I am fullu open to building a platform to suspend the layout above the foyer and can run on and off the floor through the railing. 

From a technical standpoint I have the Aristocraft 30 degree cross and my caboose decoder is unable to keep lights on, so I want to avoid track/ switches that will break the DCC connection.

--Chris


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

Here is what I have come up with. As far as I can tell I have not created any reverse loops. Initially there will only be one stop, but can do up to 3 areas. Came upon this layout by accident as I now have a siding (yellow). Would be nice to create a stop here with some animation to load/unload, add water etc., not a whole lot of space though. Minimum curve radius is 31-1/2", trains will travel clockwise. 

--Chris


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

Just a question as I do not know what you are thinking. 

Why the long (yellow) connecting siding? With the double crossover in the lower left you do not need it. 

What I would do is use it to slightly extend the inner loop. That is get rid of the third line from the top as well as the two switches (hard to say but just think of two loops with the double crossover and the inner loop upper track along the yellow siding). Then you could use the two switches freed up to make a small two spur yard in the dip at the top of the upper loop to have a place to put cars on and off or whatever.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Given a direction of clockwise, then the yellow track only allows going from the inner to the outer loop. To go from the outer to the inner needs the crossover, or you have to back the train up through the yellow track. That's a justification for at least a single crossover in addition to the yellow track. 

Greg


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Chris.

That might be a little too much trackage for a prototypical narrow gauge line. My theory on layouts has always been "less is more" as far as tracks go. The fewer you have, the more realistic the layout will look. 


Also very few narrow gauge lines were double tracked like that. And the double crossover switch makes me think of a modern day class 1 railroad.

But these are just some suggestions. Remember, this is *your* layout, so please build it the way you like. You'll have more fun that way.


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

I want to be able to run two trains at the same time without having to do any blocking. Since initially I have just the Mogul as Greg implied the double crossover is the only way to get from outside to inside, _neatly_. The second switch wasn't initially there as the yellow area had a dead end stop, which is why I "accidentally" realized I have a siding. The three brown rectangles are where the station will be. If I can model it properly I can have two trains stop with a second platform, but that introduces blocking. More than likely will just be where freight can pass station, while passenger is stopped. Initially I can use the Massoth Central station in Automatic drive with switch and switch delay to route the Mogul to outside as it exits station and back to inside for a stop without needing the braking module. Now that I am sticking to this layout, not "real world" but allows for some easy automation.

--Chris

corrected...


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

Rich,


The dip in the upper loop is in our living room, not a good place to put cars with a new addition to the family coming.







Thanks for the idea though!


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

Chris, 

Do not be so eager to think short term about the new addition. The child will soon be crawling about, then shortly afterward walking. Then they want to do things with the adults. I know I have gone through two generations of this. 

If you put at least one siding in the dip, your child will be able to participate in the trains very early. He will be able to put his toys in a gondola and have Mom/Dad haul the car around with the train. A little later you can leave an engine there with the gondola and let him run ti around the outer loop. Just make sure any cars or engines you let him play with will not be missed if wrecked and easy to repair if played with. You will soon have a friend wanting to know when you will run trains with him. 

Sorry about the male reference. All of my English teachers (all but one female) drilled into me to use he/him as neuter and it just sounds correct to me.


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## dawktah (Dec 29, 2011)

Rich,

This whole layout is designed to be modular. I can add that later, I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I was only hoping to have the 31-1/2 radius curve be the tightest and not through any switches, #3 is a 24" radius right?

--Chris


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