My First N-Scale Layout

[Sparky]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of building an n scale layout.  I've already made one blunder, which I'm sure will not be the last.  I had someone build me a u shaped table, which just fits in the room, so getting to certain areas will be difficult.  But enough about that.  I plan on adding either 1" or 2" inch foam,  but not sure of the type of glue to use to attach it to the board.

Any suggestions, comment would help and be appreciated.  Using Kato track.

Here's the layout plan..  thanks!

[davefoxx]

The first question is what are you modeling?  That might help us envision whether you're hitting the mark.  Otherwise, as for the plan, I think it might be a little too linear (parallel to the table edges) and have too much track.  It will be difficult to add realistic scenery between all of that track.  Sometimes less is more.

To glue foamboard to wood, I use Loctite Power Grab in a caulk tube.  Just be sure to read the tube to ensure you're getting the right adhesive when you purchase it.  The tube will clearly say that it works for foamboard.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[Sparky]

The first question is what are you modeling?  That might help us envision whether you're hitting the mark.  Otherwise, as for the plan, I think it might be a little too linear (parallel to the table edges) and have too much track.  It will be difficult to add realistic scenery between all of that track.  Sometimes less is more.

To glue foamboard to wood, I use Loctite Power Grab in a caulk tube.  Just be sure to read the tube to ensure you're getting the right adhesive when you purchase it.  The tube will clearly say that it works for foamboard.

Hope this helps,
DFF

It's  hard to answer that other than saying PRR and NS.  I've always wanted to model the town I live in,, and part of the layout does represent the trackable now, but there is only one industry that NS serves here.  In the PRR days there were more.  I started buying diesel locos, but I've always been into steam and have started buying steamers I now have 4 steamers, but starting to get turned off on the steam because not one of them runs smoothly.

[wazzou]

Assuming that yard is against a wall, I don't see that as a great idea.  I would guess you could throw turnouts remotely but cutting cars in that yard will be troublesome.

[wm3798]

Your plan violates a couple of rules of thumb that most of us have also run afoul of, and served the sentence for doing so.
First, you should be able to readily access just about everything with a reasonable reach.  A 4' wide platform does not let you do that, unless you have access to all sides of it.  I don't like having a table deeper than 36" if it's against the wall.

As has been noted above, your yard is in a terrible location, assuming it's up against a wall.  I learned a long time ago that a yard should always be easily accessed from the aisle.  Whether you are a just storing trains in it to run your circuit, or using it to sort cars in an operating session, you'll never regret having your yard easily accessible.  Just an errant bump into your benchwork can scatter your rolling stock, and you'll have a hard time setting them right in the design you've posted.

Lee

[MVW]

Vital question: Is the room larger than the area in the grid? Because if you're unable to walk all the way around the layout, this plan will likely cause you some very unhappy moments.

I'm also building what is essentially my first N scale layout. When I started it (in a different location), I kept my benchwork to the standard 30" width, with the layout designed to stand against a wall. I assumed reaching 27" or so would not be a huge problem in terms of uncoupling or re-railing cars, cleaning track, etc. I was very, very wrong. When I resumed construction in my current location, I altered the plan so my longest reach is roughly 15" or so.

I'm 6-foot-1, and that's about as far as I want to reach. And even that can be problematic if you have scenery, structures and/or trains in the way. (Layout height also plays a factor in this. My layout is relatively high, about 52" off the floor.)

What are your preferences for your layout? Operations? Railfanning? Is there a particular prototype railroad you like? Era? Those answers will go a long way in helping you determine what is the "right" layout for yourself.

Good luck, and have fun!

Jim

[wm3798]

I'll also address some problems with the track plan itself.
With a stub end yard, your natural flow of traffic will be counter clockwise.  As such, traffic moving clockwise will have hard time getting in and out of the yard.  I see one run around track in there, but it looks like there's less than 3' of track into which to bring the train, so unless you run very short trains, that's not going to be very fun.

Also, with the counterclockwise flow, the access to your branchline loop is awkward unless the train is moving in a clockwise direction.  You also should be aware that you need a special reversing circuit for that loop if you plan to use DCC.

For what it's worth, I'd flop the yard location up to the branch line area, include a longish arrival/departure track, and a wye that lets trains leave the yard and go either east or westbound on your double track main.  If you want to include a branch line, you could utilize a separate route out on the main table that rises to a higher elevation to create the illusion of distance.  Rather than have a return loop at the top, you could do a run around track so the local that switches the branch can reverse direction to come back down.

But first, reduce the table widths to 36" max, and let's see where we go from there.

Lee

[wm3798]

If you are planning to switch cars to build trains in the yard, it's also helpful to have a separate drill track that allows the switcher to work the yard without fouling the main.  This would also apply to the connection between your engine terminal and the departure track. 
There was an extensive collaborative effort to design the yard on my old layout, the results of which will hopefully be useful.

I shot these images back in 2013 just before the layout was dismantled.  It includes a major engine terminal, arrival/departure tracks, caboose tracks, shop tracks, and drill tracks for the switchers on both eastbound and westbound trains.



This view shows the main engine terminal, with a 20 odd stall roundhouse, shop building and fuel racks.  The inbound/outbound track is in the foreground (with the box on it) which you can follow around to the left, where it splits into first, the caboose track, then the A/D tracks.  The main line loops around behind the round house, and the round house has direct access to the fuel racks just in front of it.



This view is just east of the engine terminal, and shows where the A/D track empties out into the main.  Note the stub track in front, that's the drill track, where the yard switcher could run in and out to to shift cars without fouling the main.  The fuel racks/ready track were on the tracks lit by the light poles you see.

More to come...

[wm3798]

This is the junction that handled traffic in and out of the yard.  The crossover allowed westbound trains on the outer main to cross over to reach the A/D track if they were not just bypassing the yard.  Note that there is a third siding following the main.  This was useful when traffic got a little backed up, or could serve as a staging/storage track when the mains were busy.



Starting at the fascia, this image shows first the A/D track coming in from the right, the first split goes to the caboose tracks, and the A/D yard comes off the second switch.  The third switch accesses the classification tracks.  Further back you can see where engines coming off the A/D track from the west could access the turntable passing in front of the shop building and behind the cabooses.



Here we see the classification tracks fanning out into four bowls, and behind that the A/D track where trains come in to be broken down, and then are assembled and made ready to roll.  The last three tracks against the wall are the two mains and the long controlled siding.



At the west end of the yard, the bowls come back together, and everything starts to sweep around to rejoin the main.  There are 10 through tracks, with track 11 being stub end to serve a piggy back/auto rack ramp.  Again, the next two tracks are the A/D tracks, followed by the two mains, and the long siding.



The west yard throat comes together and rejoins the main, and also includes a drill track, and the eastbound access to the A/D tracks.  You can see that better in the next shot, but don't be confused by the Elkins Yard shelf that is more prominent above it...



The track in front that goes into the tunnel is the west end of the layout, and goes down a spiral to a staging yard.

So, before you get overwhelmed, all of that fit into a space of approx. 14' x 30".  The main yard area is only 24" deep.  Here's an overview of the whole shebang.


Looking west, and...


Looking East.

With a little proper planning, you can fit a whole lot of very functional railroading into a relatively small space.  The trick, as it is with 1:1 railroading, is to not waste any moves, or any track that doesn't serve a purpose.  Hopefully these images will help you organize your thoughts on how you want to run your railroad.  Once you have a useful yard that efficiently gets trains in and out, even if you're not switching cars, the rest of the layout is easy.

We'll enjoy watching your progress and answering your questions.
Lee

[wm3798]

Oh, and I should add, the thought that went into this yard over several months of discussion here on the Railwire has made it quite durable.  After I removed it from my house, it served for several years as the core of @Ed Kapuscinski 's Northern Central layout, and he just moved to another house where it is being prepped to be a part of its third layout.

That said, consider building your yard on stand-alone benchwork...  It's a lot of work to build a good yard... done right, it can be useful on your next layout, and the one after that as well!

Lee

[Sparky]

Oh, and I should add, the thought that went into this yard over several months of discussion here on the Railwire has made it quite durable.  After I removed it from my house, it served for several years as the core of @Ed Kapuscinski 's Northern Central layout, and he just moved to another house where it is being prepped to be a part of its third layout.

That said, consider building your yard on stand-alone benchwork...  It's a lot of work to build a good yard... done right, it can be useful on your next layout, and the one after that as well!

Lee

Thanks for all the tips, it's given me some things to think about.  I'll have to figure away if dissembling the benchwork and re doing it.  The branchline area would be a good yard, but that was modeled after my hometowns railroad from the steam era, it branched off the PRR main line.

I'll have to play around again and see what I can come up with..

Thanks again, especially for the pictures..

[wm3798]

Thanks for all the tips, it's given me some things to think about.  I'll have to figure away if dissembling the benchwork and re doing it.  The branchline area would be a good yard, but that was modeled after my hometowns railroad from the steam era, it branched off the PRR main line.

I'll have to play around again and see what I can come up with..

Thanks again, especially for the pictures..

An old carpenter once told me that anything that was put together by one fellow can be taken apart by another!  Take some pictures of your bench work... maybe we can give you some tips for the surgery.

Lee

[Joetrain59]

Lee,
  You have a lot of good tips. Are you available as a consultant?  I would gladly pay you a fee for your input.
  Joe D

[wm3798]

I'm flattered!  But these tips came from the collective hive mind of the Railwire, I was just the beneficiary of that wisdom, and the erstwhile carpenter that brought them to life...

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=17651.0
Here is the original discussion from all those years ago... sadly, many of the image links have evaporated, but there is still a lot of meat in the text.

If you have specific design issues, I recommend posting them up in this forum under your own layout report, and we'll kick the ball around to see if we can help you solve them.

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I can attest to the excellence of Lee's yard's design. It works great even without the engine terminal.

It became the centerpiece of my old layout and is going to live again in a third incarnation in my new place.

http://conrail1285.com/tag/ncr-windsor-st-yard-in-york-layout/