TT:120 Track Plan Book

[Rallymatt]

A part of the 2024 brochure that’s gone down well is the addition of some track plans and a few are mentioning a Track Plan Book. AFAIK there isn’t one specifically available to include Hornby track pieces. I’m thinking more of those with less experience who would appreciate guidance. Layout planning is quite an important process as it can dictate how well your layout works and develops. Helps get the right track pieces and hook up electrics or create isolated sections. 
Thinking ahead, what things do prospective layout builders feel they need? Size of area is a starting point, type of layout (end to end or loops) scene, country halt, TMD, main line terminus etc. There have been countless Track Plan books over the years but tastes change or not. Planning software is ok for some others like paper and pencil and make it work 😁 . What I usually see is people not knowing quite where to start which is when a track plan book can really help to inspire. 
I know there are a number of experienced layout builders and I wonder as there isn’t anything specifically for TT:120 yet, if we can do it ourselves within the forum. Some data might be worth passing back to Hornby if they have intentions of creating a Track Plan Book. 
 

Edited April 21 by Rallymatt
Sunday fingers

[Hobby11]

My issue with many of the track plan books produced by manufacturers is they tend to place having lots of points and track above what can be operated. Look at Pod 1, the sidings on the top left are pretty much unworkable. Yes it fits the criteria of lots of track in a small space but trying to operate it would be a nightmare!

What would be better is to take some of the old CJ Freezer plans and adapt them for the Hornby TT track.

[dBerriff]

I agree and admit I skimmed straight past the Pods as old-school cram-the-track-in thinking. A simple layout with fewer sidings but including heads-shunts and passing/run-round loops is likely to give more operating enjoyment. I understand the initial inclination to show-off your stock, but designing with operation in mind (watch the trains go round; shunting puzzles; running to a timetable; - it is your layout but what do you want to do with it?).

Above all though, build something that you can use and enjoy.

[D9020 Nimbus]

I'd have thought it would be a good idea for Hornby to commission Paul Lunn to do a track plan booklet for them. He has done several for Peco Setrack and his plans are more realistic than the Triang/Hornby track plan books of the past.

[Moccasin]

Maybe in the meantime we can consolidate any layouts we develop in this thread. Either photos of layouts or track plans from AnyRail etc. 

[RB51]

Here is my TT120 layout on a 6'x3' baseboard. At the top drawn [simply] in SCARM  SCARM - The leading design software for model railroad layouts and below that using the TGG software with sensors, blocks, points etc. all annotated. Board is 6’x3’. R-

 

[david_watts1]

That looks to be the same layout I have used as 'inspiration' and have bought the trackwork for, except it's missing 2 sidings, one in the bottom centre area and 1 on the very bottom of the picture.

[RB51]

Funny you should say that @david_watts1, here is one I made earlier. Excuse plan, showing bearers and some sensor positioning. Board is 6’x3’. Similar? R-

 

 

[Rallymatt]

Old School Planning 

Main High Fell loops are 3.25m x 1.25m and Dock scene 2.55m x 0.27m with a narrow link board

Edited April 25 by RB51
Added Dimensions

[RB51]

In the spirit of Mr. Freezer. Nice. R-

[david_watts1]

22 minutes ago, RB51 said:

Funny you should say that @david_watts1, here is one I made earlier.

Yep, that's the one. I've got the track and a 6x4. I just need to build it.

[RB51]

Interesting. I made that layout up, but had to drop the sidings you mention. The lower one was very close to the board edge 😧 and I needed a bit more space in the middle for a road. My board is smaller than yours. R-

[Rallymatt]

5 minutes ago, RB51 said:

In the spirit of Mr. Freezer. Nice. R-

Many years of thumbing through his Track Plan books must have rubbed off! 
Although it’s a pretty simple plan it’s keeping me entertained and not too much track means space for scenery. I think it could work well in a predominantly industrial setting rather than the open countryside I have on main loops. Obviously Dock is industrial but that could be a depot, or factory complex or modern image with an InterModal transfer station. 

[Skelton Junction]

I took the Hornby R7277 plan as my starting point and now it fills a 10’x12’ room but essentially it’s pretty much as is but with the loops expanded to the walls and a station complex where the turntable is. Sadly, I’m without @Rallymatt’s neatness with pen and ink and don’t possess scarm or any rail so an actual plan is not possible. 
 

[Skelton Junction]

Oh, and btw, this is a picture of the OO plan and doesn’t represent TT12O track. 

[Rallymatt]

Always likes that plan, in TT I’m guessing its quite a bit stretched out? 

[Skelton Junction]

Yes. Also I’ve two branch lines running off the outer loop, one to a station halt and the other to an elevated fiddle yard (which I’ve found is impossible to show). 

[Skelton Junction]

Oh, and a 3rd loop which is on the inside and provides for running up to five trains running at once but until the 50s arrive I’ve only three. 

[moawkwrd]

These are the plans for the two layouts I'm currently building:

1. Bretton (5ft x 2.5ft) based on the OO classic Bredon by A.C. Wood and since featured in the Peco track plan book as plan 7 in a slightly different form but with a fiddleyard area instead of being fully scenic.

2. Unnamed shelf layout (6ft 2 x 9" roughly including the fiddleyard) - this is one I've been thinking about/working on alongside the above. My first idea for a TT layout was based on Vulcan Halt which I thought I could make work using one of the Scale Model Scenery's BB017 baseboard kits with a couple of the twin track baseboards as fiddleyards on either end when operating. However that quickly ran out of steam (😁) when I realised just how much scratch building would be involved and how it was more of a diorama than a layout. However I came across Ian Futers' layouts based around just 3 points, as well as those of Paul Marshall-Potter and this plan is essentially a reversed version of his Shelfie3 layout in TT making use of the 3 Peco points and flexitrack I have leftover from the original plan.

As my other layout is firmly end of steam era based, this new layout can be a home for my BR Blue Class 08, HST, upcoming Class 50 and whatever else comes.

Edited April 24 by moawkwrd

[Rallymatt]

This thread has developed differently but way better than I anticipated. Loving seeing all the track plans for. Perhaps as this builds we should do some editing and put some dimensions in to help give others an idea of space required. 
Main High Fell loops are 3.25m x 1.25m and Dock scene 2.55m x 0.27m with a narrow link board 

[RB51]

Good idea. I’ve just edited my posts to give dimensions [Mod Perk]. If anyone would like to add anything to their posts, which will have timed out from the 60 minute edit window, and they think it would be helpful, let me know, via PM, and I’ll add it in for them. R-

[david_watts1]

@Rallymatt I agree that including the area needed for a layout is great, the only issue is the units. What is 3.25mx1.25m in real money???🤔🤣

[Rallymatt]

SI units, the only ones I have ever used in my educational and professional careers. We started metrification in UK in 1800’s for good reason  PS if you describe units in CM that’s as bad as the Latin ones, stop it 😁

[Fishmanoz]

And from this side of the world, the preferred SI units would be 3250 x 1250.

[Too Tall]

If you need conversion for measurements, a search engine will bring up plenty of conversion pages 😏

Here is the track plan for Millwood using Hornby/Tillig track:

And here is one I was working on for the next layout, before I decided to change scales. This is with Peco track, but as SCARM does not yet have the peco x-overs in its library, i temporarily used the Hornby ones for the plan.

The Purple track would have been hidden incline and declines (1.9%), allowing the branch line a short airing on the upper level and access to and from the mainline.

The black is a single track base level branch line with shunting able to be done without entering the branch line itself, the blue is the upper level dual main line, and the green is the upper level part of the branch line and shared access to  the turntable.

 

Edited April 25 by Too Tall