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Layout survey

Started by Atlantic Central, April 03, 2007, 11:36:23 PM

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Atlantic Central

I have designed a number of layouts for fellow modelers and am working on another right now.

I am interested in knowing the following about anyones layout.

Who has multi decks?
How high is each deck?
How deep are your scenes?
Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room?
Do you use staging?
Is your staging hidden or visable?
Is your mainline single or double track?
Do you model a prototype or freelance?
Do you model a specific era?
Is your layout continuous or point to point?
How big (square feet) is you layout room/space?

Feel free to answer as many or as few of these questions as interest you.

Thanks

Sheldon

Seasaltchap

Quote from: atlanticcentral on April 03, 2007, 11:36:23 PM
I have designed a number of layouts for fellow modelers and am working on another right now.

Sheldon : Is this a spoof?

If it is as you say, I am surprised that you have not yet come to some conclusions for yourself on the questions you ask.

Regards
Phoenix AZ: OO enthusiast modelling GWR 1895-1939, Box Station Wiltshire; S&DJR Writhington Colliery, Nr. Radstock.

Interested in making friends on the site with similar interests.

Jonathan MacCormack

New ideas to spark other new ideas are always helpful.

Is HO the scale in question?

I double track the mainline, freelance, no specific era, I use EZ Track risers for my grades and above layout decks, helix takes in a lot of space and needs to be hidden, usually,  in a mountain, I like continuous layouts, and my sentences are long strings as you can see.

Have at it.

Jonathan

Orsonroy

I'll use my LAST layout to answer your survey. My NEW layout, still in the planning stages, will have the same properties:

Who has multi decks?  I do; three levels.

How high is each deck?  36" 48" 58" on average. The layout starts at 36" and ended at 62", corkscrewing around the walls (no helix)

How deep are your scenes? Averaged 12", but some areas were as deep as 3'. No track was more than 2' from the edge of the layout.

Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room?  Corkscrew; no helix.

Do you use staging?  Yes.

Is your staging hidden or visable?  Hidden.

Is your mainline single or double track?  Single track.

Do you model a prototype or freelance? Specific prototype, real locations.

Do you model a specific era? Yes. I started modeling 1950, but I've slid back to 1948.

Is your layout continuous or point to point? Both.

How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? The layout room was 13x32, the layout footprint was 7x25 with a 6x8 blob on one end. Since it was all shelves, the layout was only around 220 square feet.

Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, 1949

Atlantic Central

#4
Orsonroy, Jonathan,

Thank you for sharing your info. Yes it is an HO question because, at least up to now, it is the only scale I have worked in, for myself or others.

Stewart,

I have very definate conclusions of my own on these questions, especially as they apply to me personally and my own layout. But there is always more to learn. What I learn may or may not change my conclusions, but I still want to learn it.

As for for your "spoof" comment, there is a regular member of this board building a layout from a plan I prepared as we write, not to mention one member of our local group whos layout design was the brain storm of me and a third member and brought to plan by my drafting skills. That layout is now 90% operational and in scenery construction phases. And, in years past I have done other layouts for other modelers.

Sheldon

SteamGene

That would be me. 
The layout is in a 26x20 building designed as a two car garage, but without garage doors, though the framing for them is in place and hidden. 
The layout itself is 26x 17 with two penninsulas and a 4x3 spur.  The staging yard may or may not be hidden and is at 36", as is the spur and the base of the penninsulas.  Most of the layout will be at 50" with most on two or three foot deep shelving.  The yard is a bit deeper, especially the engine facility.  Each penninsula will have a two loop helix. 
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

lanny

Sheldon,

I am glad you asked these questions ... specially because, in hindsight, I wish they had been asked about 4 years ago when I built my HO layout. I did not 'research' as I should have.

It had been a long time since I had done any model RR'ing and it would have been a great help to me to have thought more seriously about all of your layout questions.

I have no plans to tear down what I did model and begin again, but I think all who are thinking about building a layout do well to seriously consider each of the points you mentioned.

It's a 'great primer' for those who are ready to take the plunge into a more permanent layout, or at least in planning for one.

Here are my answers regading my layout, to your questions, Sheldon.

Who has multi decks? (I don't)
How high is each deck? (48" above floor)
How deep are your scenes? (widest area anywhere on layout is 2 feet)
Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room? (no)
Do you use staging? (That's the last thing I will be adding)
Is your staging hidden or visable? (visible for now, eventually after scenery, hidden)
Is your mainline single or double track? (double track-Atlas flex NS code #100)
Do you model a prototype or freelance? (ICRR with a 'sprinkling' of FDDM&S on an 'imaginary', but prototypically possible, Iowa division)
Do you model a specific era? (mostly late steam and early Green Diamond)
Is your layout continuous or point to point? (continuous)
How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? (layout area 163 sq ft ... total family room is approximately 475 sq feet)

lanny
ICRR Steam & "Green Diamond" era modeler

WoundedBear

Who has multi decks? Not really.....just a hidden loop underneath a section of the layout.

How high is each deck? Upper elevation is a 6 inch climb.

How deep are your scenes? Have some scenery in back corners that may take a step stool to reach, but all the track is easily accessible from the operating area.

Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room? U-shaped layout that climbs around the walls.

Do you use staging? I haven't got that far.

Is your staging hidden or visable? If I use it, it will probably be visible.

Is your mainline single or double track? Double now, but am looking at going back to single.

Do you model a prototype or freelance? Purely freelance.......did the rivet counting thing in another hobby and got sick of it.

Do you model a specific era? I like to think I do, but my "era" may cover more years than the next fellow's "era".

Is your layout continuous or point to point? Continuous.....I find watching a slow freighter or a loaded Shay very relaxing to watch as it crawls through the valleys and up the grades.

How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? 7 foot down left wall.....10 feet across top and 9.5 feet down right side......islands at each end for continuous run. I took over the third bedroom upstairs.

I built L-girder and cookie cutter top.........tweaking the plan now........the more I read, the more I see areas to improve.

And that right there is one of the appeals of this hobby.....it never ends. When I was doing automotive replicas, I would finish one then on to the next...etc. Never did like the periods between builds.

The "dynamic" aspect of this hobby is also appealing. Cars just sit there. Trains are inter-active.

Build on

Sid


Atlantic Central

#8
Gene,

Thank you, I did not think it proper to share your personal business without your permission. I figured if you wanted to share that info you would speak up as you did.

To all,

As I have mentioned to Gene off this board, I am currently rebuilding my own layout so it will be able to be moved to our new home in a few years. This process, combined with the design of a layout for another member of our local group, has led me to some new ideas that break some long established "rules" of layout design. And the results are quite pleasing.

Again, thank you to all who share their layouts, ideas and thoughts. I will monitor this closely for ideas as it progresses. I will also follow up with a list of concepts I have developed for track planning in general.

Sheldon

Seasaltchap



Sheldon : So, are you going to share your answers to the questions, with us?

Learning is a shared experience, when one has your experience.

Regards
Phoenix AZ: OO enthusiast modelling GWR 1895-1939, Box Station Wiltshire; S&DJR Writhington Colliery, Nr. Radstock.

Interested in making friends on the site with similar interests.

Atlantic Central

OK, here are the answers to these questions as it relates to my personal layout. These choices are by no means right for everyone. I will share some more layout planning ideas soon.

Who has multi decks? - Yes I do.

How high is each deck? - This varies a lot among multi level layouts I have seen, but for me, 36” and 60” seems to work the best if you want deeper scenes, see below.

How deep are your scenes? - I have found that with multi deck layouts, scene depth and deck separation are directly related. This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised by some of what others have tried. I find that decks need to be separated by at least the depth of the smaller deck. Examples - if you decks are only 12” deep, you can get away with 12” separation, but, in the case of my layout, with a 36’ deep scene on the lower deck and a 24” deep scene on the upper deck, you need at least 24” separation for good viewing.

Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room? - I tried to avoid the helix in my first multi deck layout, but have since changed my mind. I have come to like the idea of keeping the track work, and benchwork on each deck almost level. The main reason for this is to keep the viewing positions similar. Standing is good for the 60” level, sitting for the 36” level.

Do you use staging? - Yes, and lots of it. But I prefer to decentralize it when possible.

Is your staging hidden or visible? - I used to think it should be hidden, but am becoming more and more comfortable with it being visible, like at a lower level of 24”, just below the front edge of the scenic lower level.

Is your mainline single or double track? - Mine is double track, I like the action of big railroads.

Do you model a prototype or freelance? - I freelance with connections to real prototypes, C&O, WM, B&O.

Do you model a specific era? - My layout, fall 1954

Is your layout continuous or point to point? - Continuous, to keep some proper balance of mainline running to switching activity. I like both and want the balance between them to represent the prototype.

How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? - My current layout room is 22 x40. The layout surface covers about half of that and will have a double track mainline about 8 scale miles long. When we move in a few years I will most likely have a little more space. The modular and movable nature of my new design will make it easy to expand it to fill the largr space. I will comment more on this aspect in my next post.

Sheldon

IandOFan71

Here is the breakdown of my layout:

Who has multi decks? not yet. My next expansion will be a second level above the mine branch to serve more mines.
How high is each deck? 44"
How deep are your scenes? None more than 2 feet
Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room? no
Do you use staging? yes
Is your staging hidden or visable? Visible and also used as an interchange
Is your mainline single or double track? Single track with sidings
Do you model a prototype or freelance? Prototype with some fictional elements added in. For instance I model the Athens subdivision of the Chessie System. After the mines played out in the 30's the line was all but forgotten by the C&O. I model it as if the mines were still active and the line was an important link in the system.
Do you model a specific era? Chessie System and Penn Central during the early 70's.
Is your layout continuous or point to point? It's continuous but I operate it as a point to point. Continuous run is for show and for my daughter to run her Thomas train in circles.
How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? approx 342 suare feet

SteamGene

Sheldon,
Welcome.  I knew you'd keep personal affairs personal. 
I noticed that my answer was a bit too brief for total accuracy.   The design is, in fact, a loop, but since most trains will begin and end in staging, it will appear to be point to point.
In era, it's the end of steam - actually a bit beyond the end of most steam, especially for C&O, as it is set in late summer/early fall, 1957, yet C&O still has a lot of steam.  The rationale is they use trackage rights on the VT&P a lot, and VT&P has limited diesel facilities at best.   VT&P is still steam for two reasons.  One, like N&W it is a coal hauling railroad and why buy a cow when milk's so cheap?  Second, their incorporation papers demands that only coal fired locomotives be used for power.  It took company lawyers several years to find away to amend a clause that is specifically stated as being unchangeable. 
The layout room has a work space in it which is just about the right size and the building has an outside storage area for garden/lawn things and a small covered patio. 
All in all, if you are looking for a train barn (our term for the building) or a layout,  I'd suggest contacting Sheldon.
No money was exchanged in consideration of the last sentence. 
Most town/place names are taken from family members/grandchildren.  The main town's name comes from the name of the small Shenandoah Valley city that is the setting of one of my books and several published short stories.  One river, an industrial area, and the two ends of staging are named for real places in Virginia and West Virginia.


Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

bnsfmodeler

hello yes i have a double deck layout it is 2 decks, it has some single and some double mainline trackage, it has many passing sidings, the size of the layout is 10 feet by 20 feet(one car garage). I do model a single railroad, it is BNSF the era is modern, i also have a few UP locomotives. the mainline is all connected by helixes, the minimum radius is 28'' i do use staging and yes it is hidden but for the staging to get to it i just use a grade, not a helix. the layout has 1 big yard and it also has an intermodal yard/loading area, coal mine with a coal loader, gas refinery, milk refinery, and 3 warehouses where boxcars and covered rib sided hoppers go, the layout is based on actual locations throughout Cajon Pass california and barstow etc.

hope this helps :)

regards

Paul M.

Who has multi decks?   Not me.
How high is each deck?
How deep are your scenes?  30"
Do you use a helix or work your way up/down the room?  Nope
Do you use staging?  I plan to, if my dad lets me expand my layout.
Is your staging hidden or visable? It would be visible.
Is your mainline single or double track? Single
Do you model a prototype or freelance? Yes. The T&P
Do you model a specific era? Yes, the 1950s
Is your layout continuous or point to point? Continuous
How big (square feet) is you layout room/space? 5x9 feet.

-Paul
[
www.youtube.com/texaspacific