Indoor shunting layout with detailed scenery

[ThePurplePrimer]

Just a little thought from someone who runs (live steam) on an indoor line. In your original post you mentioned realistic scenery. Speaking from personal experience (dammit), I would take a moment to work out where buildings (even if half relief), platforms, coaling bays etc. might go. Being able to shunt and enjoy the scenery is double the fun - and trying to make space after laying track can be an "interesting" activity. :

Thanks for the comment

I have a scribble of where the scenery will go - it won't all be buildings as such. I think I have it more or less worked out.

When I have the track plan settled I will overlay the scenery ( as scribbles ) so you can all see what I have in mind

 

[ThePurplePrimer]

I think that your plan is pretty sound and Inglenook is a great fun way to go. Just one thing concerns me, you have a Kick Back Siding. How have you planned to use this? Without a run-round it could be problematical. Either ditch it or extend the middle siding so that you can join it via another Point to the left of the 3 dead ends may be an answer. But if the siding that leads to the Kick Back is not long enough for a loco and a Wagon, then you may need to look at Chain Shunting Wagons in. Loads of fun, I had an Exhibition layout whee this was part of the Operation. Always caused a stir at Shows.
JonD

Well spotted

I was playing with this in my mind last night and realised the same thing - ooops

Not yet decided on how I want to resolve it

 

[playmofire]

The difference between 22" and 24" means that the boards wont go through the loft hatch flat which I might need to be able to do later on ( I know I could tilt them but would prefer not to "

Well, you can't argue with the logic of that.

 

[dunnyrail]

Re BB width, you can just fit 2 Tracks into 12inches, 3 should be OK for 22. With perhaps an inch or two for some scenic Thin Flats. If the track were to go across the boards at a Slight Angle, there may be room for some Scenics at each end. More food for thought.
JonD

 

[playmofire]

This topic is getting more and more interesting to me as for my own planned layout I have been thinking of scenic, thin flats in what I suppose might be called a "naive" style.  See attached photo (click on it for a larger version).

 

[KandNWLR]

This topic is getting more and more interesting to me as for my own planned layout I have been thinking of scenic, thin flats in what I suppose might be called a "naive" style. See attached photo (click on it for a larger version).

Excellent. You could even manage a row of house in the same faux naif style (where´s the umlaut (two dots over the "i") on the keyboard when you need it ....). I´m pretty sure that it might even exist as backing or even wall paper. But I think that your hills and trees are very attractive too.

P.S. Dón´t know whether there is space, but have you ever thought of a second loop on a higher level to add another height level from the beach to ground level to the .... next! With the scenic flats behind!! : ??? If you look at the K&NWLR you may understand where these garbled thoughts come from. :-\

 

[playmofire]

[quote author=KandNWLR link=topic=299493.msg325327#msg325327 date=1409081744]
Excellent. You could even manage a row of house in the same faux naif style (where´s the umlaut (two dots over the "i&quot on the keyboard when you need it ....). I´m pretty sure that it might even exist as backing or even wall paper. But I think that your hills and trees are very attractive too.

P.S. Dón´t know whether there is space, but have you ever thought of a second loop on a higher level to add another height level from the beach to ground level to the .... next!  With the scenic flats behind!!  : ???  If you look at the K&NWLR you may understand where these garbled thoughts come from.  :-
[/quote]

It`s a different layout each year - this was the 2012 one, the Seaport & Beachtown Coastal Railway and you`re looking at the Beachtown side (with real sand on the beach).  Below is a photo of the Seaport side with a row of houses in front of the hills.  I`m looking into converting these into either half depth versions or "flats" of just the facade.

 

[Graham ASH]

Hi,

I have an internal layout, which Im in the process of building. It is housed in my shed, which is 18x9ft and I run it down each side of the shed. The boards are modular and between 24 and 26" in width and about 6ft long (they just fit into my car).

Its a Logging layout, I have a part built Sawmill at one end, (which covers up a 4 lane fiddle yard, and a log loading area at the other end.

I use Peco code 200 track, and I also use the large 2ft points in accessable places, using homemade points based on LGB R1 points in tighter spaces.

I use Bachmann locos, the largest I have is a 3 Truck Shay, at 30" its quite long. I also have a 2-6-6-2, a Heisler and a Climax plus a couple of Galloping Geese.. All my locos are DCC and all have sound.

The only scenics on the layout will be Logging huts and trees, many of which will be 24" or more, tall.

Ive spent much time with a ruler, working out what I need space wise to be able to operate, but it works well for me

I use Lenz as my DCC system, which I find great operation wise.

Your layout sounds great, I would spend some time measuring up rolling stock and locos. I found that I could actually operate 15 log skeletal trucks on my layout and need 3 locos on there at anyone time to be able to move them about sufficiently to be able to produce life like movement.

My objective is to end up with a layout that I can operate without any problems, loading logs at one end and dumping them into a log pond at the other, 34ft of boards will enable me to do that.

I wish you well

Graham

 

[playmofire]

It's a different layout each year - this was the 2012 one, the Seaport & Beachtown Coastal Railway and you're looking at the Beachtown side (with real sand on the beach). Below is a photo of the Seaport side with a row of houses in front of the hills. I'm looking into converting these into either half depth versions or "flats" of just the facade.

 

[playmofire]

Hi,

I have an internal layout, which Im in the process of building. It is housed in my shed, which is 18x9ft and I run it down each side of the shed. The boards are modular and between 24 and 26" in width and about 6ft long (they just fit into my car).



Graham

That's interesting as I've been planning a similar approach in my garage. There were already old kitchen units down one side of the double garage when we moved here and a change of kitchen now means that there is another row of kitchen units down the middle. Each lot is about 21' long. The plan is that once all the stuff that is to go into them has been put in them and the old wall units from the kitchen have been fitted to the garage walls, a modular layout will be made running down each side with a couple of "drop-in" sections to go between the two lots of units to allow "round-and-round" running. Each module will be 4' long maximum and 2' wide, again maximum.

 

[KandNWLR]

Glad to hear that ever more people are "coming in from the cold" and trying out the great indoors

 

[playmofire]

Glad to hear that ever more people are "coming in from the cold" and trying out the great indoors

The garage can be pretty cold in winter!

 

[stevedenver]

late to the party as usual, but I think you may find this youtube to show a lovely, detailed layout which compares favorably to any scale in terms of high detail and prototype feel (not that I know anything about Sachsen rail lines as a prototype)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzZhGpWVj4k

fwiw, I am finding that superb attention to vegetation and natural surrounds, ballast, etc seems to have more impact on me than a cluster of lovely structures and inattention to the above.

 

[Madman]

Thanks for posting Steve. Whomever did the landscaping certainly has a good eye for it.

 

[stevedenver]

i might say to the OP, G scale has pros and cons. It takes a great deal of space, and, there are far fewer accessories and offerings in general than HO and O scale, and, N too. I am both a G and N scale guy. My close eyesight has only recently changed, making some aspects of n now require a loop or lighted magnifier. While I do scratch build occasionally, I find it not only time consuming (albeit enjoyable) but more expensive than buying ready made or kits, after all the bits, decals, paints and the like are obtained.

otoh, the detail in g scale is something that can be easily appreciated, with or without eyeglasses. And, in G with super detailing, in a way, less is more, in that a few well placed, well detailed structures and figures and a few bits of nicely painted rolling stock can be hugely fascinating. The sheer 'presence' of the larger size is, imho, unique.

I would say, too, that if I were starting from scratch, for a indoor shunting layout, I would not likely chose G over O, or even HO. Not only due to diminishing accessories offered, but also, in terms of operations and 'longer runs', and mostly the amazing tech now offered, lights, sound, etc. .

 

[dunnyrail]

My Big Shed has two Stations and a Small Fiddle Yard in it. I can and do run on just this in Bad Weather Summer or Winter. I have a Special Timetable for this and move a load of the Stock to the Low Level Fiddle Yard to enable this. One Exit Line from the Shed being long enough for a Pig Nose Railcar and a 4w Van also doubles up as a Fiddle Yard (Magdesprung) thus giving me 4 Locations to run Trains from and to.





Above two pictures are my Harzegerode with 3 Goods Sidings, a Bay and 2 Main Platforms. The Bay has a Goods Shed.





Above two Pictures show my Alexisbad, 3 Platform Roads, 3 Goods sidings and the entry to both Fiddle Roads and Harzegerode. The lower picture bottom Left is where the Magdesprung fiddle is.


Finally above the small Fiddle Yard. This acts as Alexisbad Carriags Sidings in normal circumstances, but for indoor Running, the Front Road has 2 Pig Nose Railcars one with a Trailer. The Rear Road has the Mixed hauled by a Corpet with a Bogie Coach and up to 3 Wagons.

With this setup I can have a very satisfying 90 or so minutes Timetable Session. There are Wagons to be dropped and attached at Harzegerode and Alexisbad. Plus the first Railcar from the Fiddle Yard and the first from Magdesprung have Tail Vans, these are worked back at the end of the session.
JonD