10-16-2014, 03:58 AM
i don't know what you are interested in model train operations. In my opinon both track plans have way too many tracks and switches. Perhaps you could settle first to a yard, small yard with short trains with just an engine or two and a growing number of cars to serve the Town and its industry. When finished with that you will find a way to expand the railroad within the space you have and maybe add more trains and workable staging. In many layouts everything else are dominated by trains instead of as in reality the surroundings are dominating the trains. I think that Lance Mindheim has come up with something good, with less tracks and shorter consists and using prototype rules you can add more action with much less effort. I guess one of the most smart layouts I have seen is one German modeller, Dieter Thomas, who made a german based N-scale layout years back which included loads on very limited space. lots of scenery a town, and a switchback yard where the second leg was the mainline and the other a short former line now used for switching an industry. All this in space just over 3x4 feet, pretty amazing as everything looked quite convinsing! He even had space under the layout for a small staging yard for the two trains that ran on it.
Even a 50 foot car standing alone is rather samll but afte coupling it up with a few of its sisters, you realize how much space they consume, add a diesel or two and the sight can wreck any great plans you had in the mind in beginning. So I guess one scene, a Town scene will be great from the beginning and you can still expand it, with a loop down to lowel level where you have a staging so you can make the line more busier with more trains and few meets in the Town. I guess you are possible to save money and maintenance and finish the layout before you have a change of hearts later on. Big city yards eats lot of space and make them work better you need switch leads and even more space. Perhaps a switching area in a city or in suburbs works better or a backwoods town. I guess you can start making a list. First what you want to see on the layout most and decent with items you are willing to compromise more with further down the list. This way you can do the most of your future layout and have even more fun with it years to come!
Even a 50 foot car standing alone is rather samll but afte coupling it up with a few of its sisters, you realize how much space they consume, add a diesel or two and the sight can wreck any great plans you had in the mind in beginning. So I guess one scene, a Town scene will be great from the beginning and you can still expand it, with a loop down to lowel level where you have a staging so you can make the line more busier with more trains and few meets in the Town. I guess you are possible to save money and maintenance and finish the layout before you have a change of hearts later on. Big city yards eats lot of space and make them work better you need switch leads and even more space. Perhaps a switching area in a city or in suburbs works better or a backwoods town. I guess you can start making a list. First what you want to see on the layout most and decent with items you are willing to compromise more with further down the list. This way you can do the most of your future layout and have even more fun with it years to come!