top 3 things you would change about your layout

[BR60103]

1) I would like it to be lower -- by maybe 6" to 12" -- so it doesn't come right up to my underarm. The height was determined by IKEA shelving that supports it.
2) a bit less complicated control system. I'm not sure if anyone who's come over to run it has really understood it.
3) better segmentation. One station is 16' long and I carefully crafted L-girders to that length. The Homasote boards don't exactly match the joints in the L-girders.

[Chuck]

Let' see...
1) Put the back drops in FIRST, before laying track. (At the time, I had a good reason for not doing it first...).
2) Put down a layer of foam board instead of using just plywood (did this on phase II).
3) Add jumper wires to the points on my switches BEFORE installation. (Of course, I discovered the jumper wires to the points from a friend of mine after I had the turnouts installed).

Other than that, I am happy with what I have done so far.

Chuck

[shaygetz]

1. A 4 foot full extension slide instead of the current 3'...my housing has changed, allowing me more room to pull out the layout. Currently the last 8" is still within the case, making operating the back siding and spurs difficult. This would require the adding of counterbalances of some sort to the rear of the layout to keep it from tipping.



2. The addition of loops of O, G and N scale track for testing purposes as the current trend for me seems to be repair/restore/test.

3. A slide out work table on top, currently I work under the upper layout, on top of the case.

[videobruce]

Less track/less switches/more scenery

Then why bother with a model RR at all. Just build your scenery and sit there and watch it not do anything.

[Ralph]

That reminds me of a Model Railroader magazine April Fools gag several years ago that featured "NoTrak" modules that modeled abandoned rail lines that are now bike paths.

Actually I think the point that was being made was some of us tended to overload our layouts with track and complicated switching; the proverbial "spaghetti bowl"...perhaps more complex than most prototype areas. There has been a movemment toward simplifying track plans and leaving more room for scenery. Not a bad thing, just a particular style of modeling that still features plenty of car movement.

[nachoman]

That reminds me of a Model Railroader magazine April Fools gag several years ago that featured "NoTrak" modules that modeled abandoned rail lines that are now bike paths.

Actually I think the point that was being made was some of us tended to overload our layouts with track and complicated switching; the proverbial "spaghetti bowl"...perhaps more complex than most prototype areas. There has been a movemment toward simplifying track plans and leaving more room for scenery. Not a bad thing, just a particular style of modeling that still features plenty of car movement.

I remember seeing an article about a layout that was ALL track and no scenery. The guy only cared about operations, and his industries were simply sticky notes with words on them.

[videobruce]

1. Better grade of plywood; something other than pine,
2. Better grade of 'primer' to seal the plywood,
3. To be determined.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

1.) DEFINITELY MAKE IT BIGGER. 4x8 is barely enough. Even if the layout were nearly exactly the same, i'd be happy with a 5x9 size so that there is more room around the edges. An addition would also be nice.

2.) A TRACK PLAN DESIGNED FOR MY TRAINS. The layout track plan i have now is derived from the Callahan Central from a Model Railroader book. Its functional, but not designed to handle my heavy electrics (GG1s, E33s, E44s) and 85' EMU commuter cars. The layout is just fine from the perspective of freight switching with small road switchers, but thats just a small part of what I want to model.

3.) PLAN THE SCENERY BETTER. Space is at a premium on 4x8, but the scenery and structures could perhaps be set up in a way to make more sense and allow the world to "flow" better around it. I probably made the big mistake of replacing the "American Hardware Supply" building with "Magic Pan Bakery", which is a shorter building and doesn't function as a view block as well as the former building did. There are also areas I think that the roads are too confined. I spent to much time worrying about trains and may have neglected a realistic roadway system.