Conrail in New England

[Ian MacMillan]

As some of you know my Conrail Boston Line layout has been put on hold due to circumstances that have me moving to a much smaller space. Unfortunately this move has restricted my available space as to what I am going to model. While I do not know what size space I will have, it is save to say that a HCD or a 2'x16' would easily fit into what living spaces I have been looking at. While this situation will not be permanent, I want to build a layout that I can easily take to shows. I had seen a 2x10 layout in MR's 101 track plans a few years ago that had hidden curves into staging that seemed to work well

The theme is Conrail in New England, but no set locale. Id like to have main line running along with maybe some industrial switching. I guess an "urban" theme would be cool. I just suck at track planning. Dave!?!

Update:

Layout progress can now he seen here -> http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,24093.0.html

[Bendtracker1]

Ian,
Just throwing this out to you,
Have you seen the Bend Track module system?

You can make it as small or as large as you need to. It can very portable.  We built and designed it for a home layout when a friend and I sharing an apartment years ago while we were in collage.   We also took them shows, one of our setups filled a 40' x 40' area when all the members brought them.

They can built in pretty much any shape since the tracks are on both sides of one module.  The actual modules can be built to fit your needs or specific room or area.

Just a thought.
Allen...

[Ian MacMillan]

Ian,
Just throwing this out to you,
Have you seen the Bend Track module system?

You can make it as small or as large as you need to. It can very portable.  We built and designed it for a home layout when a friend and I sharing an apartment years ago while we were in collage.   We also took them shows, one of our setups filled a 40' x 40' area when all the members brought them.

They can built in pretty much any shape since the tracks are on both sides of one module.  The actual modules can be built to fit your needs or specific room or area.

Just a thought.
Allen...

Yes I have, however if I use any sort of modular "standard" it is going to be the ModuTrak.

By modular in what I'm looking for though I mean portable , not following a standard to hook up with others. This layout or modules will not be implimented into a home layout in the future.

[Bendtracker1]

Ian,

Even not planning to use it to hookup with any other modules or standards.  Just the using the idea of the flexible bench work is what I was referring to.

Several individuals have contacted me over the years and told me that they were planning to use the idea for a home layout and not as part of a larger setup with others.  They also made mention that it would make it easier to move if needed.

I was just thinking of the portability factor.  It could be broken down and moved easily and how the bench work could be built as needed to fit a specific space.  That's all.
Allen...

[sirenwerks]

Yes I have, however if I use any sort of modular "standard" it is going to be the ModuTrack.

Has Mod-U-Trak ever printed its standards? I keep wishing it will, down to the scenery specs (for reference).

[altohorn25]

Has Mod-U-Trak ever printed its standards? I keep wishing it will, down to the scenery specs (for reference).

A build manual is in the works; can't tell you when it will get done however. 

Nate

[mcjaco]

Has Mod-U-Trak ever printed its standards? I keep wishing it will, down to the scenery specs (for reference).

Blame Skibbe.  We all do. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Don't overreach and overthink your planning. I'd be very curious to see what you do with the HCD, ie, the N Scale Haiku.

Here's a starting plan for it:

/-------\
|         |
\-------/

[DKS]

Sad to see the Boston Line plan abandoned--it was one of my favorites so far. But since the Boston line had captured your interest, how about we extract a couple of scenes from the IT portion, and adapt them for a sectional layout? If it's done right, you could expand the new layout over time by adding on more sections.

[Ian MacMillan]

Don't overreach and overthink your planning. I'd be very curious to see what you do with the HCD, ie, the N Scale Haiku.

Here's a starting plan for it:

/-------\
|         |
\-------/

Oh this is going to be a very simple layout but well'detailed.... I was thinking something along these lines but about 6-8' longer


Dave, its not abandoned, just put off for the time. If we could work something into the two requirements of the first post we can do something. No matter what though, when the time comes for a new large home layout none of this will be worked into it because I don't want to work with trying to fit things around them.

[wazzou]

I like the looks of that plan quite a bit Ian.  Is the extra 6' just to stretch everything out or to create a longer mainline offstage entrance?

[wcfn100]

Oh this is going to be a very simple layout but well'detailed.... I was thinking something along these lines but about 6-8' longer

To play devil's advocate....

The only people who don't loose interest in those types of layouts are named Vollmer and Smith.  You'll be puting a lot of time and money into a layout that you will never finish and won't be reusing any part of in the layout you really want to build (except maybe the dozen trees you manage to build).  If you just want to run trains, buy some Unitrak or join a club.

There is always work that can be done towards your final goal and this is the perfect time to do them.  Draw some buildings, plan some operations, build those special pieces of equipment that you're going to want later on.  How about figuring out a way to get some Comet car produced.

If you just want to do some work, help someone out where it will be appreciated.  Don't just put it towards something that will end up in the trash.

Again, I'm not actually suggesting any of this, just looking from a different point of view.  If you think this will keep your interest, then go for it.  

I'm with D. Smith that you should be able to build something that can be incorporated later on without compromise.  In my case, I need a straight run of ~15' to do my Waterloo modules (and that's the easy part to fit somewhere).  This is space I don't have currently.  I have decided to start with a 68" module that has no compromise or compression for the prototype.  It features all the main structures I need.  I can make any compromises to either side of this module if need be and will hopefully have a loop at some point.


Jason

[DKS]

Good to know the Boston line may become a reality someday.

Meanwhile, I tossed together this draft, which I rendered it prior to your posting the Middle Division plan, so the similarities are coincidental. It's designed around two 30-inch HCDs, with a double-track main, two staging yards hidden behind a backdrop (blue line), and an industrial district for switching. I chose 30-inch doors (36 would be better) because 24-inch doors would make for awfully tight end loops. It's also designed so that another door could be inserted into the center between the two existing doors. It's not, however, designed to be incorporated into a larger layout, as that would involve quite a bit of careful planning, and might not be truly viable, unless you were OK with building something that would not be self-contained and/or be half dismantled later on, such as perhaps the station area of the original Boston line plan. It does have a lot of flaws, but I thought I'd toss it out to see where it might go (if not the virtual circular file)...
 


http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/images/ian_door1.gif

Edit: Jason raises some good points and tackles some hard realities of this kind of project.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The only people who don't loose interest in those types of layouts are named Vollmer and Smith. 

I disagree. Doug Nelson has done something awesome in a similar vein: http://prr-n-scale.blogspot.com/

You'll be puting a lot of time and money into a layout that you will never finish and won't be reusing any part of in the layout you really want to build (except maybe the dozen trees you manage to build).  If you just want to run trains, buy some Unitrak or join a club.

Again, I disagree. I did exactly what you're advocating against. I built my layout as a standalone thing, enjoyed its scope and what it was, and now that the time has come to move on, I've done just that. I'm glad I didn't compromise the vision of the past layout, or the current ones for the sake of "utility". That said, I'm also glad I can reuse a good portion of it (the 12 trees I built).

There is always work that can be done towards your final goal and this is the perfect time to do them.  Draw some buildings, plan some operations, build those special pieces of equipment that you're going to want later on.  How about figuring out a way to get some Comet car produced.

I don't think working on a smaller home project precludes any of that though. While working on my own door, I was always thinking about the future larger NCR.

If you just want to do some work, help someone out where it will be appreciated.  Don't just put it towards something that will end up in the trash.

Again, I'm not actually suggesting any of this, just looking from a different point of view.  If you think this will keep your interest, then go for it. 

Jason

Ian, I really like the idea of ripping off Doug's plan there. Do a town somewhere in the western part of the Boston line, possibly around Washington Hill so you have an excuse for helpers. I think you could have a lot of fun with that. Then, when its time comes, keep some of the parts and give it a viking burial (because you don't have Brian around to take it).

Do your thing without worrying about the future thing.

[Dave Schneider]

I am facing a similar circumstance wherein I want to make progress on the Beer Line without waiting until the perfect space comes along. I need to face reality that at the age of 45 if I don't start building it soon I will never accomplish my goals. I have decided to do this in modules that can get linked into a more complete version at some point. Here is a quick version of my plan that I did in Powerpoint. This is enough to get me going. Basically it is 2 mainline and 2 yard modules each 2 by 6 feet, and a couple of 2 by 4 foot end modules. If my space dream becomes reality I can easily reconfigure. In the mean time, I have a base onto which I can build structures, which is something I enjoy. The bases are similar to Mod-U-Trak or the Dominoes of David Barrow (hardwood plywood frames and tops, robust but no over or under built).



Best wishes, Dave