First Layout - Design Feedback

[WelshTyneside]

Third post of the day. I'm about to make my first ever layout (DCC) and - after a month! and a thousand different designs - I've finally found a way to incorporate everything that I wanted into 6x4. Because of my age I've never used feet/inches so this is 183cm/120cm - the size of my baseboard. I wanted a large station with multiple platforms - Newcastle as though it was designed today, a depot area, a town scene, some sort of industrial area where freight trains/ containers could be loaded and a 'fiddle yard' where I can use my imagination and the DCC controller to stop trains as they head away from my town. The first image shows what all of this would look like - the station at the top, the depot in the middle and the freight line on the bottom left. The second image shows where the town will be, on a higher level so that the trains are still visible but I can also have my 'fiddle yard' underneath the town. The station would be accessed by stairs/lifts and I've not figured out the raised dimensions yet but I may have bus stops etc beside it.

I'm quite pleased with myself for managing to get everything onto one layout without needing to edit the size of the board/create a helix etc. That said, any general feedback would be appreciated as well as the answer to my main question. At what height above the board should my town area be? 20cm? 30cm? Help!/media/tinymce_upload/5bc5e1100f452e9d298254dfbc646488.png

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[atom3624]

Certainly not an advocat of less is more!!

 

Is that 'line to nowhere' going precisely there, or does it run through anywhere?

 

Are they all on the same level or is there an incline - see other threads on similar subjects regarding limitations of track, locos and traction?

 

Al.

[keithp1707821843]

I would like to see how this goes, its a very ambitious layout, and to fit on a 6X4 is brilliant.

Keith

[DrewTheWordsmith]

Wow, that is a very busy layout! As someone else who is going for a compact layout I feel your pain but credit to you for putting this together.

 

I'm assuming this will be 00 gauge? If I remember rightly the ratio for that is 1:76 so 20cm would be 15.2m, roughly the height of a 4/5 storey building. I imagine that would be more than enough if you want to keep everything in proportion. Personally, I would say you need to weigh up what's going to be most important to you, the aesthetics of how it looks or how easy it is operate? There are other considersations of course with all that you're going for I would say you need to strike the balance between those two. I wouldn't want to have a great track layout and then not be able to see it; you may feel differently if you're wanting a truly complete picture. I think 20cm above the baseboard for your town is probably a tad too much.

 

As for the actual layout I can't say too much as someone who's also a bit of a rookie. I think the number of points you have might cause you a headache in such a confined space but as you're going with DCC I think you're probably okay. But I'm sure more knowledgeable folks than me can be more certain on that. Just watch out for crashes! Good luck.

[37lover]

WT,

It's your layout so you need to decide on what you want but folk can offer comments and advice to help you choose.

One of the first considerations to designing layouts, especially when covering part, is "access"; what happens if a train derails, etc. Looking at the grid on your layout it looks like your town will be on a 600mm wide plateau - can you get access from all around your layout?

300mm/200mm above your tracks will probably be visually too high but conversly will allow easier access. 150mm would be more reasonable as you need to allow for any support structure. If the plateau board is 12mm thick and bracing is 30mm then you need clearance for the trains [please check but I think it's about 75/80mm] so you are now up to 12 + 30 + 80 = 120mm above the track. Have you given any idea what you do to camouflage/disguise the sudden change between the town and track levels? You may be able to have the town plateau as a "lift off" board [or two or more pieces].

As already posted - that is an ambitious first attempt, good luck and keep us involved.

[Trev52A]

I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses, but it's worth pointing out at this stage that you may have problems with trains fouling the platform edges when crossing between tracks on the points in the station area. This is due to the overhang on the ends of coaches atc. and you may have to rethink your positioning of the points or platforms to avoid this.

 

Best of luck with the project!

 

Trevor

[96RAF]

75mm is a good clear height for any loco. Here you can see how much clearance I have with 70mm Code 100 rail top to underside of bridge, probably enough to run with the panto raised.

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[atom3624]

I see mention of R605 - 1st radius curves - on the inner loop.

This will greatly limit the locomotives you can use on this line. Most (barely) accept 2nd radius and greater.

 

Al.

[AJsTrains]

It's a good design but maybe slightly too many points. Id probably only go for a corner of it covered up to allow more space to see the trains. Also those points may cause issues with derailments with some locos but it depends on what you plan on running.