Design Concept sfory our next layout.pdf

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MAGAZINE

PLAN YOUR OWN LAYOUT

•

CHOOSE A MAINLINE SCHEME

A SUPPLEMENT TO MODEL RAILROADER MAGAZINE

Workshop tips

Design concepts for

your next layout

• Preview your railroad with a 3-D model

• Choose a layout shape that works

• Ease the pain of sharp model curves

618168

Layout

schematics

This N scale table layout has a

continuous main line, but one side of

the oval is out of sight behind the

scenery, where a hidden storage

siding is also concealed.

Model

Railroader

photo

How to think of your track plan as a railroad

Most of us

start out in model railroading with one of the

most basic layout schematics, an oval or continuous loop.

That’s a great place to start, but it’s not much like a real

railroad. A railroad is a business, and outside of amuse-

ment parks and some subway lines, there’s not much

money to be made by running trains around in circles.

So among the first considerations in planning a layout is

devising an arrangement that lets your model main line look

and act more like a real railroad. That arrangement is what

we call a layout schematic. These schematics come in several

varieties, and none is, in itself, better than any other. The

value of a schematic lies in whether or not it lets your model

railroad accomplish whatever it is that you want it to do.

This brief overview can touch on only a few of the useful

layout schematics. For more detail on this and several of

the other topics in this booklet, see

Track Planning for

Realistic Operation,

by John Armstrong, published by

Kalmbach Books.

– Andy Sperandeo

Point-to-point

A railroad, some people insist, runs

trains from Point A to Point B, then

has to turn them around to head them

back to Point A. That’s reality and

that’s the way they want a model

railroad to work too. If you find

yourself agreeing with that stance,

then a point-to-point schematic may

make the most sense to you.

Using a point-to-point schematic,

trains run across your layout from one

terminal to another, passing through

such stations or towns along the way

as the layout’s size allows. When a

train reaches the end of the line, it

needs to be turned around to return

the way it came, and probably to be

switched as well. Freight trains,

especially, won’t usually carry the

same cars both ways.

The complaint that comes up with

true point-to-point layouts is that it

takes much longer to turn trains in an

end-of-the-line stub terminal than to

run the length of the main line, even

at scale speeds. If the layout repre-

sents a slow-paced branch or short

Point-to-point schematics

Point-to-point

Yard

Station – can be any number

Yard

Point-to-loop

Yard

Station

Reverse loop

with storage

track

Loop-to-loop

Storage

track

Yard

Station

Storage

track

Illustrations by Rick Johnson and Theo Cobb

line, the share of time spent in switch-

ing will be appropriate. If you aim for a

busier tempo, however, a true point-to-

point will be too slow.

One solution is to replace the stub

terminal at one or both ends with a

reverse loop for faster turning. The point-

to-loop schematic lets a train travel the

main line once in each direction before

having to be turned in the yard. With loops

at both ends, a loop-to loop schematic,

trains can run continuously, just as on an

oval. Storage tracks on the loops will

support a greater variety of trains.

Just as continuous loops are good

for open-top-traffic, loop-to-loop

schematics favor the operation of

passenger trains. The same model

consist can represent the east- and

westbound versions of the same

passenger train more convincingly than

is usually the case with freight runs.

Design concepts for your next layout • modelrailroader.com

Continuous loops

The simple

continuous loop or oval

shouldn’t be an object of scorn just

because it’s so basic. Many outstand-

ing model railroads have been built on

its foundation, and there are a lot of

ways to put it to good use.

First let’s recognize that any

schematic that lets a train run continu-

ously in the same direction fits this

definition. It doesn’t matter if the track

crosses over itself like a figure eight or

is otherwise stretched and folded. If it

supports continuous running in the

same direction, it’s a loop.

One way to overcome the loopiness

of a loop schematic is to hide part of it.

The N scale loop layout shown on the

opposite page is a good example. The

scenic ridge along the back of the

table hides the far side of the loop.

That ridge also conceals a double-

ended siding or passing track, and

both the hidden siding and the hidden

section of the main line can be used

as storage tracks.

Suppose a freight train appears

from the right end of the layout running

clockwise. To start with, let’s stop

using terms that refer to circular

motion and say this train is west-

bound. It stops, sets out a car at the

lumberyard, and picks up some others

from the interchange track. When it’s

back together it proceeds west to the

siding hidden behind the ridge.

Instead of letting that first train run,

let’s stop it in the storage track and

start an eastbound train that’s been

waiting on the hidden part of the main

line. It comes through the foreground

scene in the opposite direction.

Now our simple loop layout takes on

the linear characteristics of a railroad.

We see a train come from somewhere

off in one direction, pass by the place

we’re watching, and go away in the

Continuous schematics

Simple oval

Continuous with storage sidings

Storage

View block, high scenery or backdrop

Storage

Station C

View block

Station B

Figure 8

Twice-around

Station A

other direction. Time passes, and then a

different train goes the other way. That’s

how a loop schematic can give the

impression of real railroading.

Of course, with just one scene to run

through, this trick might get old fast.

Still, if we had room to make our layout

larger we could run trains through two

or more scenes. We might even pass

through a freight yard or big-city

passenger station. As long as we’re

expanding, let’s add more storage

tracks so we can have a greater variety

Continuous as point-to-point

of trains running over our railroad. You

can see where this is going.

A continuous loop is great for repre-

senting traffic like coal or ore in open-top

cars, because the loaded cars can always

be going one way, toward tidewater, the

steel mills, or wherever, and the empties

can always be going the other way back

to the mines. If you can run your continu-

ous main line along the walls of a base-

ment or other large space, you have the

popular and effective around-the-walls

type of layout.

Storage yard

Yard

Double-faced backdrop

separates opposite

sides of continuous loop

Station C

Station A

Station B

Combination schematics

There are many other

possible layout

schematics, and some of the most

popular combine features of the basic

continuous and point-to-point types.

Just because your main line is

continuous doesn’t mean you can’t

operate it as if it ran point-to-point.

And you can add reversing loops to a

continuous schematic. That way you

can run coal or ore trains in the

continuous pattern and passenger

trains loop-to-loop. The key is to

choose a schematic that supports the

kind of operations you want to model.

Continuous with turning loops

Turning loop

Storage yard

Turning loop

Station B

Double-faced backdrop

Yard

Station A

Station C

Design concepts for your next layout

David Barrow switches cars on his

18"-wide HO shelf switching layout,

the South Plains District. Such a

model railroad can easily extend all

the way around the walls of a room.

Tommy Holt photo

Layout

shapes

For effective and efficient use of space

Table to shelf

4x8

Many of our first

model rail-

roads get built on the common

4 x 8-foot sheet of plywood, and

especially in the smaller scales

that can allow plenty of scope

for newcomers to learn about

the hobby. Experienced model

railroaders usually want to

Open

move beyond such rectangular

tabletops,

Door, needs drop

their

both to use

leaf or duckunder

train-room space more effi-

ciently and to build larger

layouts. We’ll look at some

other ways model railroads can

be shaped and consider some of

the advantages of these configu-

rations.

– Andy Sperandeo

Pad underside of

layout at duckunder

Rolling chair can be

One of the problems with the

4 x 8 is that our effective

reach-in distance is about 27"

to 30". That means you need

8 x 10 L

access to at least the two

Wall

long sides and one end of the

Wall

layout. The other end can

usually be shoved against a

wall, but that still means the

layout table is going to take up a pretty big portion of a small train room.

A popular alternative is the shelf layout. If you split the 4 x 8 material

lengthwise you can build an 8 x 10-foot L-shaped shelf layout 24" deep along

two walls. A shelf of that width takes you out of the continuous-running

business in scales larger than N, but it does give plenty of room for an HO

scale switching or terminal railroad.

A shelf layout of that size takes up exactly the same square footage as the

4 x 8, but it leaves a bigger piece of open floorspace and gives the room a

less-crowded feel. A shelf along the wall can use a backdrop to give a

greater impression of depth to its scenes, and it’s a good format for repre-

senting something as generally long and narrow as a railroad.

Aisle

(For more on shelf layouts, see Iain Rice’s article, “Tips for shelf layout

Walk-in/

Railroad Planning.)

design,” in the 2007 edition of Model

walkaround

Around the walls

Design concepts for your next layout • modelrailroader.com

Double-faced

backdrop

Around the walls

4x8

Around the walls

Wall

8 x 10 L

Around the walls

A logical step

from the starting

point of a shelf layout is to

continue the shelf all

x 10

way

the

Wall

around the room. That gets us

Open

Wall

back to the possibility of a

continuous run and extends the

linear arrangement of our railroad

Door, needs drop

leaf or duckunder

scenes. Another advantage of this

layout shape is that you’re inside

the corner curves looking out,

which tends to camouflage the

unrealistic sharpness of model railroad curves.

You can build a model railroad around the walls of any size space, from a

small bedroom to a two-car garage or a large basement.

Aisle

Walk-in/

If the entrance to the room is through a door in one of the walls, either a

walkaround

hinged layout section or a “duckunder” passage under the layout is required.

The second illustration, from the book

Basic Model Railroad Benchwork,

Jeff Wilson, shows a good way to ease the pain of a duckunder entry.

Around the walls

Double-faced

Building the layout as high as you think practical also makes the entry easier

backdrop

Aisle

Walk-in/

Wall

and

walkaround

pays off in realistic viewing angles close to eye level. (See Tony Koester’s

article "Layout height: shoulder high to bird’s-eye,” in the 2007 edition of

Open

Pad underside of

Model Railroad Planning.)

layout at duckunder

The ideal entry for an around-the-walls layout is by stairway from another

Double-faced

level of the house, as down into a basement or up into an

can be

floor or attic.

upper

backdrop

Rolling chair

Door, needs drop

Even if the stairs are along the basement wall, determined

under

Wall

used to scoot

model railroaders

leaf or duckunder

have been tunneling their main lines through stair risers for about as long as

they’ve known about that big hole under the house. Coming down or up

inside

a railroad around the walls is about as good as it gets.

Open

Around-the-walls

with peninsula

Door, needs drop Aisle

Walk-in/

For larger

leaf or duckunder

around-

layouts

the

walkaround

the-walls shape may be com-

bined with a free-standing

peninsula. This extends the

Double-faced

railroad into what would other-

backdrop

wise be empty space in the

Wall

middle of the layout room.

When the width of the room

allows, you might think of using

two parallel peninsulas. This can

work, but it requires what master

Backdrop can

layout designer John Armstrong

continue across

called “blobs” for turnback curves

opening

at the end of each layout arm.

Pad underside of

Since blobs can be hard to scenic

layout at duckunder

Keep layout

realistically

narrow at duckunder

and hard to reach into,

he argued for

chair can be

them to a

Rolling

keeping

minimum. Instead

under

second

used to scoot

of a

peninsula, bending one back on

itself, as shown in the second

illustration, is often preferable.

Peninsulas

lay

Aisle

“Blob”

Peninsula

Stairs up

or down

Backdrop can

continue across

opening

Keep layout

narrow at duckunder

Aisle

Peninsulas

Pad underside of

layout at duckunder

Wall

4x8

Aisle

“Blob”

Peninsula

Aisle up

Stairs

or down

“Blob”

Aisle

Folded peninsula

Aisle

Wall

Aro

8 x 10

“Blob”

Stairs up

or down

Wall

Peninsulas

Rolling chair can be

used to scoot under

Aisle

Folded peninsula

Aisle

“Blob”

Peninsula

Stairs up

or down

Stairs up Aisle

or down

Walk-in/walkaround

Aisle

If your layout can’t

go around the walls of a room, you can have many of the

same benefits by using a walk-in layout shape. The roughly “G”-shaped design

in the illustration allows the same kind of ready access to all the layout’s

scenes as you’d enjoy in an around-the-walls layout. If the main line is ar-

ranged so you can follow trains along the edges of the layout, you have a

walkaround design: You can walk around with the train you’re running.

You can even get some of the effects of a shelf layout by using a double-

faced backdrop to divide the free-standing arm of the layout into two long,

narrow scenes. In larger versions, the aisles can turn back on themselves, and

Aisle

because the backdrops don’t let you see across the layout, you get the

Stairs up

impression of traveling a long distance as you follow a train.

or down

“Blob”

Aisle

Folded peninsula

Walk-in/

walkaround

Aisle

Pad

lay

Double-faced

backdrop

Wall

Design concepts for your next layout

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Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Design Concept sfory our next layout.pdf (1918 KB)
The Red Oak Layout(1).pdf (11117 KB)
The Red Oak Layout.pdf (11117 KB)
The Salt Lake Route(1).pdf (7431 KB)
The Salt Lake Route.pdf (7431 KB)

Design Concept sfory our next layout.pdf

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