a musing about forum layout sizes

hey jay jay, can't see your photo!  says "Image Not Found"

thanks, Forrest....I'll try again.

  I posted a thumbnail...let me know if it can't be seen.

It all comes down to What each person desires most in the layout.

The OP wants more action / operational area, thus he went with tighter curves.

I believe he is also using an island type to avoid a duckunder, or replacement thereof.

 

Personally, I do not have anything that requires O-72 or up. That said, I have an Imperial RK Big Boy that looks far better on larger curves. And dragging a long consist looks better on larger curves as well.

 

My old layout was 11' x 23' and had a single O-72 mainline but the Wyes were O-54 and the yard varied down to O-31.

You do what you have to do to make things fit.

 

My new layout is going in a BARN.

Yes, I have to insulate first. Yes, it will grow a lot.

I'm dreaming of those sweeping curves mentioned but I must remember the area and time I'm modeling.

I may actually be able to add the Wasatch 1.72% grade for my Big Boy to climb since my Yard is in Ogden, UT and the rest of the layout is North Western Co.

With a little luck and good planning I hope to avoid a duckunder, my knees will thank me.

The VL Bigboy has inspired a Layout expansion on my layout.  Will be growing considerably.  I told my wife that Super O only comes in 0-83" Minimum, so I must take over part of the family room! 

Yes.

 

It's a mistake to presume that the people on this forum represent anything other than the people on this forum.

 

I am in the process of building a two-level layout, the lower level measuring roughly 12 by 22. On the bottom level I've managed to create a hybrid design consisting of two parallel broad-curved race tracks with some interesting features to break the monotony. These include a turntable area with roundhouse, a reasonable 4-track yard and a couple decent sidings / industrial spurs. Yes, easements and bigger curves (112 min on the outer loop) eat space, and it does mean putting up with a lift gate (which will be disguised as a truss bridge), but I like running even the smaller stuff on broad curves and am willing to sacrifice a little convenience to do so. A trio of GP9s or 35's with a string of 40ft boxcars entering into a 128 curve is a pretty cool sight in my eyes. Working in the other operating features coupled with a second level will help aesthetically blend in the race tracks and keep operations interesting.

 

I liked the comment about using minimum curves in hidden areas and may explore that a little further. I'm just not sure it will buy me much in the way of increased flexibility considering the extra clearance that might be required. We shall see - track planning software is sure a blessing in these situations!

True of this forum and most decidedly true (thank goodness) of some other forums as well.

My layout is 53' by 35' & I have 72" minimum radius but I am kicking myself now. I have the space & should have gone with a bigger radius. Now I'm limited with my purchases. I bought the new turbo train but it wouldn't work on my layout. (Ross track). I've thought of a redo but it's pretty far along & I swore that this would be my last layout.

Your comment regarding "letting go" of your existing layout and doing a radical re-do of every aspect struck home for me as I also look at my own as a conclusive creation, and every time I think of a radical rethinking of it, I come back to how much time and effort it took to be satisfied with it even though at the same time... I realize it's imperfect and does not meet all of the bullet points in terms of meeting them as criteria for the design. Now what? And so..I sit on the fence about this..and lurking in the background is perhaps a contradiction as well, that it was perhaps more engaging to build it versus operating it...Maybe I just have to think about it more, although I cannot get off the mark.

3 rail trains today are phenomenal!  Detail, sound, control and variety of prototypes and road names.  We have driven the market to scale and there is no Looking back in my opinion! I love it! 
     I started with O-42 layout and scrapped it immediately for O-72.  I have a folded dogbone with  a sort of reverse loops.  30 feet long total and wish it was bigger!  I would in a heart beat tear it down if my wife would give me the green light to use the basement bonus room next to it!  I can only imagine what I could do...  #1 bigger curves!!!

Chris

I just developed my "retirement" layout and it is an 11' X 14' around the wall style layout. I managed to keep an 0-99 outer loop with an 0-90 passing loop. One other loop has a half section of 0-72 + three sections of full 0-72 curves leading to an engine house. Turnouts are Atlas 7.5 degree hi-speed models with one 0-72 turnout for the engine house track.

My priority was retaining my large curves at the expense of loads of track. I have enough non-track area to keep me doing scenery for awhile.

This layout was the re-incarnation of a modular style layout I started four years ago in Ohio while awaiting retirement-I was able to re-use all but two four foot modules.

electroliner  I amin the same category.  I get more fun out of building layouts rather than operating them  I currently have a 12 x 28 tinplate toy train layout which I really like. But I am getting itchy and thinking about building a hi rail layout.  I will only have somewhere between 7 and 9 feet of width but 34' of length.  I have a lot of ideas about how I want it to look but am having trouble fitting all the ideas into the available space.  It will limit me to 0-63 curves but I can live with that.  If I happen to get a scale bigboy I can always run it on the tinplate layout which has 0-72 curves.

Timely topic for me - my O-gauge layout exists in fits and starts;  it isn't even permanent at this point.   I'm limited to 60 and 54 on my layout, and it works well for me.  It limits my steam purchases to RailKing mostly, but there are a number of Premier engines that run well on 60.  I've never had a problem with Diesel, scale or otherwise.   The fact that it prohibits me from acquiring the massive, mega-expensive "dream engines" is appreciated by my wife 

My 'train room', is about 22X22, the size of a two-car garage (which it was, prior).  My table layout is 16X16.  It is an 'island' layout because of the need to disply my 'collection' on every available wall space (I still come up short).

 

I simply had to have the ability to run the larger engines, thus a minimum of 072 curves, for some of the loops.

 

Two loops or blocks of 072, with reverse loop, on trestles, and two blocks of 031 minimum for the rest.

 

I'd like it all to be 072 minimum, but alas, that is not meant to be, for the present.

 

My version of your alternative is a G scale switching layout based on the concept of  former interurban now turned diesel short line much like the former IRR mainline now used by the Southern Indiana Railroad.There were some pictures in this months Classic Trains of various GE centercabs on the PRR and other Class Ones pushing around freight cars that dwarfed them..which I found appealing..then again, what do I do with what I already have in O? I am long since passed the illusions of resale values from experience.. I suppose I would just have to take my lumps or box it all up..

I have a Fastrack layout 6x11 with 048 and 036 curves – Love Fastrack and the switches.  My son (and dad ;-)) want Legacy steam engines that runs on 054.  I bet some of the Legacy engines that are rated for 054 will run on 048 Fastrack but that is a chance I did not want to talk.  Therefore I am in the process of adding an upper line with 054 tubular.  It will be done this weekend ….. My layout is in a 4^th bedroom downstairs that I use as an office.  

"

---

Mine is presently 5x12x9 but I do have room to make it larger but just lengthwise.  I run mostly O-45 curves but have one loop of O-36.   I'd love to redo my layout but at that current time it just isn't feasible so I just need to accept what I have now.   The truth is, the only time I think it needs a redo is when I see all the great layouts on this forum.  

 

--Greg