Change of Plans for my Arizona Layout

nice layout design-Arizona has to be like florida-no basements-attics are totally out.

in florida we are reduced to a spare bedroom or garage-heat in the garage will make for

problems-wish you luck

I would think about access hatches for some areas. It'll be a real issue later when you want to do scenery or have a train or track issue in the center of your plan. I like the concept of many levels' adds a lot to the interest. There are a lot of threads by forumites who have put very clever access hatches throughout their layout to reach "hard to get" places.

Just my opinion..

Glad you are able to stretch out and get your layout going.

Regards,

BRuce

There are few areas with basements in the Valley and even those have only half basements, more like tri-level homes. I'm sure the excessive heat in the summer will cause some problems as track and benchwork expand/contract. I'm hoping to keep that to a minimum by using soundboard over 1/2" plywood and "maybe" adding a portable cooler though that might add humidity problems.

I should have mentioned that curves are 54" and I'll use FlexTrack for the straight sections. The 54" should be okay for the 4-4-0 and 2-8-0 steamers and 2 diesels I plan to buy. I currently use 31" with my 2-6-0 Christmas steamer and I don't mind how it looks. I tried 72", but that was just too limiting for what I want.

Dave, Your garage should give you lots more room but with a caution.  I have visited several Phoenix area folks with garage layouts and it is critical that you dust proof it and provide for cooling.  Every one I've visited have said the same thing, garages are tough to keep the dust out of unless you use false walls to create a separate room which then can be sealed and air conditioned.

Thank you for your comments.

My plan is to have 2 access hatches near the spurs on the top level. The one on the left will include a lift-out depot just below the spur and the one on the right will include lift-out buildings below that spur. I'm also thinking of relocating the 2 turnouts on the bottom of the 2nd level. If I move them far enough to the right, I'll be able to access them without having to use the hatches. I intend to run short trains of less than 10 cars, the scenic steamer will only be 3-4 cars, so I don't expect a lot of operating problems.

Even so, the landscaping will be "soft". By that I mean I'll construct most of it using removable platforms that will simply lay on supports. In some cases, it might mean nothing more that cloth painted in desert colors and attached with Velcro. The track on the bottom level along the wall and the 2 grades will be covered with removable tunnel/mountain sections. Right now, I'm not sure how much "hard" landscaping I'll do, but my goal is to be able to remove almost everything down to the benchwork skeleton. This way I can work on each platform individually and then just lay it in place on the layout minimizing the need to do any landscaping beyond roadbed "in place".

At first I wanted to construct a modular layout, but when I decided to do a table in the garage, I remembered all those landscaped platforms featured in model railroading magazines over the years and decided that's how I'd like to do my landscaping. Once I settle on a track design, I'll need to make sure the underlying benchwork will support the platforms, but it looks like a standard 2'x4' grid will work just fine. I made a mistake on my Christmas layout last year by trying foam over a 1' grid and found the foam to be too noisy and the 1' to be too small. Since I don't like bumping into table legs while walking around a layout, the table will be 8'x16' to give me a 1' overhang around the 3 sides away from the wall.

That's a very good point Peter and I understand what you/they are saying. Unfortunately, the garage will still be a garage for 1 car and will double as a workshop, so I'm not willing to go to the expense of air-conditioning it. My wife has been after me to add a portable cooler from Lowe's/Home Depot, but then I'd worry about moisture. I'm actually pretty comfortable out there even in the heat of summer.

Also, I had a garage layout at one time, so I'm familiar with the challenges. I can certainly try to come up with something to minimize the dust, but I'm probably going to have to live with the need to clean regularly. Since running trains is not something I'll be doing every day, I can probably cover the layout with plastic too, though I know what a pain that will be to remove, etc., each time I want to run trains. I actually wanted to do a layout on the patio which would have been even more challenging.

Okay, I've made some changes and need some comments on them.

I added a water feature with a waterfall and river on the left side of the layout.

I changed the track for the grade from Level 1 to Level 2. I wasn't happy that most of the Level 1 track on the bottom of the layout near the wall would be hidden, so I decided to use it for the grade and let the other track go beneath it on the lower right section. That way I can have most of the track visible, put a bridge in front of the waterfall and have trains cross over each other. I'm wondering though if I shouldn't just push Levels 2 and 3 completely against the wall and I'll be playing with that idea. After all, I've got over a year before I can start construction. In about 2 weeks I'm hoping to purchase some ScaleTrax for my Christmas layout and sell my RealTrax so I can get some experience with ScaleTrax before I commit to using it for this layout.

I also turned the spur on the bottom of Level 2 into a siding and extended its length so the turnouts are more accessible. This will let me have trains meet each other coming and going for a little more operating interest.

I moved the grade end point on Level 3 to make room for the depot on Level 2, but I might move it back. I'm conflicted about how to model that grade and I'm quite sure the depot will not be that large. My goal is to somehow model a scaled down version of William's Grand Canyon Railroad Depot and San Marcos Hotel in that area.

I know I should probably merge Levels 2 and 3 into a slightly larger version of Level 3 to give me more track separation for scenery, etc., but I really want to be able to run 3 trains unattended at times.

I should mention too that I'm leaning toward covering the perimeter and under the track of Level 1 with 1/2" plywood and 2" of foam. Track areas for levels 1 and 2 would be cookie-cutter 1/2" plywood and Level 3 would be 1/2" plywood sheets. All levels would have 1/2" soundboard and maybe cork roadbed under the tracks. I don't know if the 2nd layer of plywood under the tracks on Level 1 would be needed, but even though the layout will be in the garage, I still want to minimize track noise.