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Ocalicreek's Garage Layout Planning Thread
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05-23-2009, 01:45 PM
I was talking more about using this table plan, but putting say a 2x8 roll around table in front of the garage door, maybe a yard or staging ?
I got my first train when I was three,
put a hundred thousand miles on my knees. 
06-02-2009, 06:01 PM
I've hit upon a concept that might just resonate well enough to guide the rest of the planning...we'll see. Basically it's urban West Virginia. Yes, there is such a thing, and no, I've never seen it modeled well. The really good urban layouts seem to be based in the NE somewhere or SoCal, and the really nice Appalachian or southern layouts don't really feature mountainous urban scenery. I think this has much to do with the fact that there were few photographers who ventured back into the hills to photograph such places as Elmore and Mullins along the VGN.
WV has very little flat land or straight track, and many cities are built in river valleys, often extending up the mountainsides. These places were considered the 'big city' by many folk who lived back in the hollows. Before the interstate the railroad was the best way to get to town and back. Big roads like the N&W, C&O, VGN, etc. were the interstates of the day, with branchlines extending off to the small communities. I may model such a city, tucked into a small, tight valley cut by a swift mountain river. Phase 1 would be predominantly main line through the nicer end of town where the main passenger station is located then through a transition area from high income victorians to low income housing. This would run the full 19' length of the garage with a turn at each end extending 4' from the wall. Switching would be minimal - crossovers for the passenger station along a section of double track, narrowing to single track where the gorge gets tight through a small tunnel and over a steel trestle. An REA building or LCL freighthouse would sit near the passenger station, along with a spur to a major industry, like a long-established furniture factory or something similar, something that would have been there since the town began to boom early in the century. Phase 1 would include a return track extending out into the room creating a large O with duckunder section. This would be minimal trackage; a few long double ended sidings to stage trains. Eventually Phase 2 would replace this staging with a large yard and full engine facilities and perhaps a few more industries. One scene you won't see is the typical downtown main street cliche. It is certainly modelgenic, but it's one reason I've never seen a mountainous layout work well...the same old DPM & Magnusen models buildings lined up behind a station isn't the look I'm after. It can be done really well but I think I'll go a slightly different tack to achieve a more unique look. Phase 1 would allow me to get trains up and running quickly, then devote most of my time to creating structures and finishing the small hobby shop of unbuilt rolling stock kits stashed away for a rainy day. Trackwork may cost less as turnouts are fewer without a major yard. Lumber cost will be high up front, but it's still cheaper than a nice brass engine so I won't complain. If by the time Phase 1 is well underway and even close to completion (a few years from now) we have decided that cars really have no place in the garage and we were foolish to think otherwise, then Phase 2 could even be expanded to include a turnaround loop or branch line, but that's eons away. Whaddya think? Anybody come up with any plans or other ideas? Come on, don't be shy. Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
06-02-2009, 08:47 PM
How open are you to the idea of 18" radius? I know you've said that you have some equipment that needs larger radius but perhaps you can put that on a display shelf inside for the time being. If not 18", how about 22"? 26" radius sucks up a lot of space. Also, you can't quite come all the way down to the wall on the south side of the drawing because of the garage door right? How far out does the garage door stick into the room? Forgive me if you have already answered this somewhere else... at the top of the graphic, you have 8'3" marked but then you've got a little bit mo' over the top of the freezer???? Does the lid of the freezer open up or out? ..and if up, is that still going to work having part of the layout above it? Also, will this be DC or DCC and have you ever seen the Jerome and Southwestern & are you open to reverse loops? Yes, you guessed it... I'm workin' on some ideas.
06-02-2009, 08:59 PM
Sounds like a very interesting concept, Galen. I looked up those towns but there is not much information on the net. Would you do this from memory then ?
Loren
I got my first train when I was three,
put a hundred thousand miles on my knees.
06-02-2009, 10:28 PM
Allrighty then... I know the car is not a Corolla but it's close enough and fits the dimensions of a 2010 Corolla exactly. On the following graphic, the three circles are meant to give you an idea of the size of an 18" radius, a 22" radius, and a 26" radius. The orange areas are two places beyond a reach of 2'4"... unreachable layout space. I like the shape that you have come up with so far, and to me, the unreachable space is acceptable. I've got some ideas but for now, I'm awaiting feedback...
06-03-2009, 01:09 PM
Quote:How open are you to the idea of 18" radius? I know you've said that you have some equipment that needs larger radius but perhaps you can put that on a display shelf inside for the time being. If not 18", how about 22"? 26" radius sucks up a lot of space. Not very open to 18" radius, but 22 may work. The equipment in question has been packed away far too long and is aching to get out and run, so putting it on a display is a hard thing to do...but may be the course I have to take. We'll see. I'm going to work really hard to make it possible to run 4-8-4's and 4-8-2's. I don't own any articulateds, but being a VGN & N&W fan they are on the wish list (along with the VGN's BA class 2-8-4's...aka Berkshires). Quote:Also, you can't quite come all the way down to the wall on the south side of the drawing because of the garage door right? How far out does the garage door stick into the room? The garage door track sticks out, I believe, 4". I've been working off a 19' distance from the corner of the room opposite the garage door in order to account for the discrepancy of a few inches. Quote:Forgive me if you have already answered this somewhere else... at the top of the graphic, you have 8'3" marked but then you've got a little bit mo' over the top of the freezer???? Does the lid of the freezer open up or out? ..and if up, is that still going to work having part of the layout above it? From the corner out toward the water heater is 10' 3". The freezer is tight up against the WH and measures 24". It opens on the top with hinges on the back side so if I pull it away from the wall a few inches, I could probably get a narrow (6-8") shelf across the wall at about 48" high. I'll get a few more precise measurements asap. Quote:Also, will this be DC or DCC and have you ever seen the Jerome and Southwestern & are you open to reverse loops? Yes, you guessed it... I'm workin' on some ideas. Thanks for the ideas...gotta run but I'll look a the drawings more closely in a bit. I've seen the J&SW but I need to jog my memory on that one. That's Furlow, right? Also, DCC. Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
06-03-2009, 01:47 PM
Quote:Sounds like a very interesting concept, Galen. I looked up those towns but there is not much information on the net. Would you do this from memory then? I have found some contemporary photos of areas that really haven't changed all that much (or appear that way) and also the Library of Congress HABR & HAER collections. Also memory, yes, will factor in. I can't help but be influenced by other modeler's work, but I try not to model based on other modeler's models. I am not a rivet counter, but I like rivets, and so I look to the prototype for inspiration as much as possible. Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
06-03-2009, 01:55 PM
Quote:Allrighty then... I know the car is not a Corolla but it's close enough and fits the dimensions of a 2010 Corolla exactly. On the following graphic, the three circles are meant to give you an idea of the size of an 18" radius, a 22" radius, and a 26" radius. The orange areas are two places beyond a reach of 2'4"... unreachable layout space. I like the shape that you have come up with so far, and to me, the unreachable space is acceptable. I've got some ideas but for now, I'm awaiting feedback... Excellent!  The unreachable space is not a big issue for me either, as I may need footstools to reach upper scenicked areas during construction and operation. What software are you using for developing the plan?I will post a couple concept sketches I had worked up based around this general shape. Also, I have decided to keep my work desk in addition to the work bench. The dimensions are 32" deep by 42" wide, with seating on the left (not centered) and drawers on the right. The surface height is probably 30", lower than the workbench surface at 36". There's a segment of a plan by Don Mitchell that has captivated my interest and may just fit on one of the lobes. Also, this general shape may look familiar to some of you...bonus points to those who figure out what other layout the shape resembles...here's a hint: it's now dismantled  hock: Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
06-03-2009, 03:21 PM
Are you allright with reverse loops? I'm using AutoCAD. Check out this rough plan I came up with based on the Jerome and Southwestern. I designed it for narrow gauge and while MY plan is a rectangular 9'x4', it could work for your same space if we were to stretch it out and narrow it down in the middle. Also note that it's a single mainline, folded dogbone, with a reverse loop on each end. I dunno... if anything, maybe it will spark some ideas...
06-03-2009, 05:24 PM
TN....This drawing you posted is something I'm liking for the peninsula section of my layout which I hope to start building sometime this year....(if the days slow down a bit....). Can you give me some idea as to the dimensions and radii that are used here..?? I'd sure appreciate it...
(Sorry Galen...didn't mean to hijack... :oops: )
Gus (LC&P).
06-03-2009, 06:30 PM
No problem, Gus. If anything it gets me thinking.
Okay, Trainnut! I see where you're going. The Loop with return to a yard, whether the loop is an actual loop with single reverse or in this case, double reverse loops, is a very versatile plan. In fact, it's what I based Nazgul's layout on. Lemme chew on this a bit. Got the computer set up at home again...moved it from one room to the next and had to get a phone line splitter in the meantime...ugh I hate web withdrawals. Anyway, was over at Nomad's place this afternoon to give him a sketch for an idea for the problem area on his layout and he suggested a plan that had come to mind from the old gauge...so between your suggestions and his, I've got some thinking to do! Thanks guys for your input!  Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
06-03-2009, 07:51 PM
TrainNut Wrote:How open are you to the idea of 18" radius? I know you've said that you have some equipment that needs larger radius but perhaps you can put that on a display shelf inside for the time being. If not 18", how about 22"? 26" radius sucks up a lot of space. I'm not much help as far as trackplanning goes, but I feel that while setting a minimum radius is important, it's also important to use the maximum that you can accommodate wherever possible. If you can, leave the sharper curves for industrial tracks and sidings - on the mainline, your "minimum" should be broader, as it will be the one that limits your mainline operational possibilities. Wayne |
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