Designing and Planning my Next N Scale Model Railroad Layout, a Compact Model Railroad Plan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- This video is the first in a series discussing my planning process for designing the track plan for a small, 36" x 80", N-Scale layout. (Correrction: in the video I talk about making a 30" x 80" layout. Later I decided to make it larger into a 36" x 80" layout in order to get it big enough to include everything I wanted.)
The series is aimed at a beginner model railroader, but there are a lot of hints for those with more experience. In this session, I will discuss how I used the Atlas Track Planning software (free) to plan the layout.
I have finished much of my previous layout, the Scenic Ridge RR built with a kit from Woodland Scenics.
Here is an outline of my video series on the Scenic Ridge (subject to change as I go along)
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1. Introduction to Layout and Base Construction • Scenic Ridge #1 Intro...
2. Track Laying and Wiring • Scenic Ridge #2 Track ...
3. Switches (Turnouts) and Switch (Turnout) Motors • Scenic Ridge #3 Swi...
--Capacitive Discharge Switch Machine Power Supply • Making a Capacitive Di...
4. Outer Walls and Fascia Boards • Scenic Ridge #4 Outer ...
--Strong, Lightweight Table • Strong, Light Weight, ...
5. Bridges and Tunnels • Scenic Ridge #5 Bridge...
6. Mountain and Terrain Supports, Plaster Cloth, and Rocks • Scenic Ridge #6 Mounta...
7. Roads and Buildings • Scenic Ridge #7 Roads ...
8.Scenic Ridge #8 Final Scenery, Ballast, Tunnel Portals, Landscape, and Rocks • Scenic Ridge #8 Final ...
Looks like a fun little layout, good for train watching and doing some switching. I would suggest to put in some tracks that lead off layout that you can add a train cassette for storing trains on, or possible expansion latter to a shelf layout or other door layout.
Actually, I did in a version I put on a train blog
modelrailwaylayoutsplans.com/atlas-track-plans/.
In the latest plan, I have added some cities in southern Colorado: the fictional line is now called Conejos Valley Railroad, and runs from Conejos (fictional suburb of Alamosa), up the Conejos River (real), to Platoro (real), with a side branch to Romeo (real). There is a short spur at the bottom right with the new plan that runs to Alamosa (real town) interchanging with the D&RGW. The spur now serves also as a fiddle track.
Dean. I had the same criteria, but operations won out. Now I have a 16"x72" switching layout and I'm enjoying it.
Was wondering if this very interesting Layout can be done in HO scale? What is the radius for each of the loops outside curves?
I don't see why not. Just double all the dimensions and use HO flex track. Radii are 16 inch and 12 5/8 inch in the N scale.
wouldn't it be good to have included a section of sidings where an Inglenook puzzle can be run?
By limiting the sizes of the three sidings to the right (maybe with removable bumpers) you have it.
It looks cool Dean. I'm looking forward to watching you build this new layout.
Hi Dean, it seems very well thought out!
I hope you don’t mind if at sometime in the future I try adapting it to HO scale.
Thank you for sharing.
Go for it, letme know how it turns out.
Just the type of layout I was trying to come up with. Glad to sub and look forward to following along.
Thanks for joining the channel!
I’m just starting out with this hobby and I find your videos very helpful, thank you for taking the time to make them. Im thinking of doing my first n scale layout with the scenic ridge layout.
The Scenic Ridge kit is a good introduction to construction techniques for building a small n-scale layout. I recommend it or a beginner. Good luck!
Sooy for typos ..should have had glasses onlove you girl ❤🩵♾️💍
Thanks for your layout design idea. I'm starting smaller (25"x50"). I want a layout that is more portable (will fit on my kitchen peninsula counter). I have collection of N locomotives & freight/passengers I acuired in the 1980's. It will be a short line during the mid 1950's steam-diesel era (my childhood years).
Very nice. Thanks for sharing. I’m looking for some inspiration myself.
That was fun to watch. I recently rescued my dad‘s N scale railroad from his basement which he bought back in the 70s, I guess. I started designing a track layout on a 1.20m x 0.60m baseplate with similar requirements in my mind, and came up with a similar layout. Great „confirmation“/sanity check for me being new to model railroading 👍 Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the video. Love the layout...I wanna see where your at now and how it turned out.... ?
i've used 2 of the variations of small track plans you presented. for my 2x5 N scale, I used the one you settled on here :) nice video!
Very nice desing and themes like i used to have ..i lobve it thankyou bubbie boo sky 💙
I am at the start of doing something similar. One big difference is I am not using grades. In N scale I use Kato track. I enjoy watching your progress.
H Dean. I started with the Scenic Ridge Layout as well. I've been trying to figure out how to do an "add on" of similar size. My current problem is that the scenic ridge layout is really limited to 2 axle engines (and rolling stock). I also found that the grades on the Scenic Ridge as larger than I'd like. That 4% makes it tough for a single locomotive to pull many cars and I even have one small steam engine that can't make it up the 4% grade on its own, it just starts slipping.
So, if you are able to decrease your grade on the main line I think you'll find that you'll like it more.
Not sure which way you intend to run but it looks like you'll be running counterclockwise (that lets you back into the industries and mine to drop cars). Assuming that, you may want to put a Run Around track (engine only) out in Shanty Town so a train can come in, leave a load and use the run around track to get back around the dropped load.
Personally, I'm also a fan of double crossovers. If you can fit one in the lower left, replacing the current single crossover that'd give you the option to run a large figure 8. You may also want to think about additional stubs off the mine tracks. That gives you a bit of flexibility in dropping & picking up cars although you'd need to think through the specifics of the number of cars and what you want to do there. And, "Big City". You have 2 yellow tracks there, if you have the room to add a 3rd, you may be able to use it for an Inglenook puzzle which would up your overall switching fun.
Have fun, looking forward to watching the build on video.
Oh and you mentioned Flex Track which I think is a good move (although I'm also a big Kato fan, mostly due to their turnouts). For laying Flex Track I HIGHLY recommend getting Traksettas in the curvatures you want as well as the straight ones. Really good track curvatures makes a gigantic difference in how layouts run, especially tighter ones.
I've got lots of video clips in the two Scenic Ridge series where a diesel loco is pulling several (6 or so) cars up the grade. Four percent is probably the greatest grade that is usable, but it's doable. Unfortunately, for my design it can't be decreased. My thoughts on switching the yard in Big City was to use the stub into Shanty town to keep it off the main. Thanks for your thoughts.
Nice, but how about a scenic divider instead of or along the river? Just high enough so you can't see both sides of the loop at once.
Yes that would work, but you would have to move or remove the river and decrease the yard lengths. I mostly planned this as an "operation" layout with lots of switches and industries.
Good job! Just subscribed!
Thanks for the sub!
Great ideas
Hello! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!