Anyone attempt a "Mushroom" layout?

For those that need a visual.

I'm still a little lost......waiting for more comments/descriptions.

Peter

I'm aware of only a very few mushroom layout designs and all are HO scale.  They are very complicated to construct.  The best known is probably Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Lines.  Here is the track plan and a good visual of how the mushroom works.

http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e1...ntent.php?content.20

The design lends itself to a point-to-point track plan.

The cut-away view shown there is pretty much what I was thinking based on moed321's graphic.

I does look very complicated to build, and with O gauge being twice the height of HO (roughly), I think it would be a challenge to construct such a thing.  With the level above it, you would seem to have a very narrow target space to work with since the other side of the aisle needs to be on top of what you are looking at.

It of course also depends on ceiling height.  For a basement with less than 8 foot ceilings, I can't imagine it working.  Maybe if you have a 10 foot ceiling or something.  ( I realize the graphic shows just under an 8 foot ceiling, but it also shows the mans sight line on the left as looking right at the framing for the other side of the mushroom.  He's got to bend down to see the scene I think.)

If you were doing it only to work for kids or "less tall" adults, maybe it could work.

-Dave

Actually, an 8' ceiling would do, since the raised walkway on Joe's mushroom is only 15". I have 12" raised walkways on my layout which has full double deck.

I think I got more bang for my buck going this route, as the upper deck makes up for the square footage lost to the aisles.

......now I get the term....I'm a little slow    

Peter

Got me at first but one picture works much better then someone trying to explain it to me over and over again......................Paul

Joe's Fugate's layout was on the NMRA tours and the mushroom does make the layout appear to be much more expansive than the actual space suggests.  In most places you cannot see the lower from the upper, and vice versa.  However, on the upper level with the drop downs from the ceiling covering the lighting he had only about a foot open and reaching in more than 18" to maybe 2' could be interesting to do scenery work or rerail cars.   A 10' ceiling would be better, even in HO, if you happen to have one lying around.

Here's the cut-away view of Joe's layout. You basically can only view one level from a given position. A lot of planning and careful construction go into this type of layout.

 Given you had a good ceiling height in your train room and were interested in prototypical operations on a point to point layout. I could see going this route in 3 rail. If I was starting out today with the proper room and ceiling height. From what I've learned over the years as far as operation I'd consider it. With walk around throttles and speed control to aid in climbing and descending grades it could work very well.Seems tedious to build but the rewards of a longer mainline run passing through each scene once it might be worth it. Especially if you are modeling a single or double track. With the current backdrops available you can  build a great scene in a shallow space. My layout does have towns to do switching moves and yards to perform moves. What it lacks is staging and a long mainline run to factor those trains into the operating scheme. I think you couldachieve both with this type of layout.

 It's probably not the thing for most 3 railers. If I was starting from scratch and 30 years younger. Yes. After years in the hobby I now know what I want. Operation. I make mine work for me. But feel I could make this work better.

While I like to see different ideas and thoughts in this regard it appears the difficulty to build, to see the entire layout for the top, wiring, is not of interest to me.  Just my little opinion.  

The promoters have specific reasons for why they build the mushroom configuration. I think one of the main arguments is that they don't want upper and lower decks accessed from the same side because it creates conflicts with operators following their trains, and it's more "scenically pure". I guess. It's a different way of doing multiple levels.

It's not what I would choose to do myself. I think the steps at intervals would be cumbersome tripping hazards. The construction is somewhat complicated and not convenient for modifications. You can do double-decking to get more layout area without the complication of mushrooms.

I have read about this in magazines and pictures here and still don't get why its called mushroom?

I still prefer more of the overall scene with a conventual layout.

I believe (though I may be mistaken) it's based on the premise that part of the layout hangs over other parts, like a mushroom cap.

Take a look at moed321's graphic.  I see a mushroom in the 2 "T" shaped areas the elevated figures are standing in.  (it's less pronounced in the graphic included in Matt's post since it's not a symmetrical overhang in the illustration)

-Dave

Funny,  if we are talking about the same thing,  I have always thought of it as a "dogbone" layout.   Looking down you have two large round ends with the larger radius curves turning back into a narrow,  almost side by side straight section in the middle.

I have a friend in the Tampa area that used to run his modular layout this way at local shows........

Mark

Oops.........  should have read down further in the thread.   I understand too,  wow,  quite a layout if done in O gauge.

Mark

Too much track "mushed into a room"?

Standing on toad stools?

I don't have a clue really, I don't see anything mushroom like

Thanks Matt, but now my brain hurts even more.

I've seen fish tanks forming walls like that

I believe John Armstrong first introduced the Mushroom as a layout design in one of his main designs popularized by Kalmbach.  Yes Joe Fugate's HO layout comes to mind right away.  I had the opportunity to visit John Armstrong's home layout in Maryland over 25 years ago.  It was O gauge outside third rail, the only layout I have ever seen in person using outside third rail.  Yes the mushroom name comes from the idea of one level cantilevered over the other as shown by others.  It is way more complex than anything i would want to build or even own if I could afford to pay someone to build for me.

John Armstrong's original article. "Meet the Mustroom" was in the October, 1987 issue of "Model Railroader".  He also did an article "A Mushroom in the Bedroom" in February 1993 "Model Railroader". 

Joe Fugate's article was in the January 1997 "Model Railroader" titled "Investigating the Mushroom:1".  The February 1997 issue had a second article by Joe. 

The August 2009 also had another layout that featured a mushroom design.

Regards,

Jerry Zeman