Big city, little layout

[OldEastRR]

I can tell you you're going to have a lot of fun with this design. And don't be in a hurry to stick all the track and buildings down all at once. Put in the stuff you know you definitely want, and study the still-unused space. You may get some new ideas that work out better than your original ones. Don't be afraid to move things around or add/subtract stuff if the new result is better. The best part of building a new layout is all the experimenting before you finally get it all set in stone.
Oh, about the Downtown deco building I think you swung it to the wrong side when I said put it at a slant. My suggestion as to lose the back and LH wall, so the building was angling into the corner, and that didn't affect the waffle House at all - in fact gave it a bigger lot (if you angle the street to match the DD). And don't consider the two walls "lost" -- you could use them to make part of another building on the edge of the other side of the layout (like across the tracks from the ME station). One thing about splitting buildings on an angle like this -- you get 2 buildings!
One more idea: the turnout by the oil pump -- if you slide that to the left around the curve by one track section, that would let your main swing out closer to the edge of the layout, eliminate that S-curve, and give you more space for that building across from the DD store. The extra space should even make it possible to move the bldg over and turn it into a regular rectangle, instead of a odd-angled wall one (which are much more complicated to build).And the spur wouldn't change geometry, you just substitute a curved section where the switch was.

[robwill84]

Well, after spending some time working with the code 80 track, I decided that it just wasn't going to cut it. The Peco code 80 turnouts work great, but I just don't think I could live with the looks. So, back to the drawing board, and here is what I came up with utilizing Atlas code 55:



This plan uses a 10 inch radius on the left, and a 9 3/4 inch on the right, to accommodate the crossing. Plus I found a small stash of leftover code 55 flex from my last layout that I can reuse for this. Now, I just have to find 3 Atlas #5 turnouts, or *GASP* try my hand at handlaying...

[davefoxx]

Can I talk you into replacing the wye at the top center of your plan with a #5 right hand turnout?  That will eliminate some s-curves through that track.  If you have trouble fitting it into your track plan, remember that you can trim an inch or more off of the tail of the #5 turnouts to save space.

DFF

[Chris333]

If you build your own turnouts you can lay the track however you want, just saying you changed the plan to use C55 track, but you might not be able to find C55 track. You could use those short Peco turnouts you already have as templates. Put paper over them and run with a pencil.

[wazzou]

As drawn, the industries at the top/center of the layout will be hard to service without a long enough lead unless  you intend to use a cassette or extension of some sort.
If that is what you planned and I just missed it, forgive me.

[robert3985]

Okay, here we go again.  "Code 55" doesn't mean "Atlas".  Micro Engineering track and #6 turnouts are readily available and the new turnouts are DCC ready.  ME track's attachment protocol looks better than Atlas's (the attachment thingies are smaller), but the Atlas ties' ends are more square.  You call it, but ME #6's work just fine with Atlas 55 track and have that handy Peco-esque over-center spring under the closure points.

Just sayin'

[OldEastRR]

Don't abandon the Peco #3 turnouts! I have a whole long explanation of why you need them here and how to match them to Code 55 track over on your thread on Trainboard.
Your original concept was a small yet interesting city layout. However if you abandon the #3s and go for #5s, #6s, and #7 turnouts you're going to be forced to enlarge and open up the original layout  --- and thus change the concept completely. Not to mention losing the "feel" of a small, densely-tracked layout.
Consider what this change has cost your little layout already -- instead of six industry spurs you wind up with two. Less for more.

[Catt]

Showed the trackplan to my friend Bill,and this is what he came up with .