Designing a Lyout

First and foremost, measure the room accurately. Include door and window locations and dimensions as these will influence where you'll need access.

Next, draw out what you'd like using pencil and paper subject to the room size. The rule of thumb I follow is use the largest curves possible that will fit within the space (other than just a plain circle). Reason being is that large equipment looks an runs better on larger curves. For 3-rail O gauge, you can use 36" radius (O-72) curves as every piece of 3-rail equipment built to date can handle that curve (though they'll look better on even larger curves).

As for software, I use RR-Track (PC/Windows for about $100) but others user SCARM (freeware). With both, having accurate room dimensions is the key. I've used both and prefer RR-track, but both are pretty easy to use.

Hope this helps.

Great advice above.  do use computer aided design--more accurate.  Don't created another plan with circle after circle of track; especially if the circles are separated.  What railroad are you modeling?  Where is it located?  What does it do for a living?  How will the Operator(s) of this layout be involved?  PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, what you will do BEFORE you do it.  Don't be in a hurry.  Layout design when done properly is NOT a race.  It is a journey.

The Operator(s) need something to do to stimulate their interest and have fun.  Command control makes it easy to have a single main with passing sidings and operate the trains as they do in real life.  Have sidings for commodities.  Trains do not just continuously run.  they need to generate revenue to survive.  A model railroad should simulate that action.

If you have a favorite railroad, study it's track arrangements and history.  What did it do?  How were its tracks arranged?  Etc.

Very last, don't think in terms of rectangles of plywood.  Cut plywood sheets in half.  You can't reach comfortable further than thirty inches.  ALSO, plan how you will reach every spot on your layout.  O scale layouts tend to be constructed with areas that folks have to limb on or use objects to reach spots on the layout.  Don't do this.

If you want to give me the exact dimensions of your layout area and share with me what railroad you are modeling, where it is located, I will give you some ideas.  Give serious consideration to moving beyond a circle or loops of track.

 My experiences and observations, along with many other folks, is that everyone eventually tires of seeing  train circle continuously in the same direction with no purposes.

A model railroad (not toy train layout) design should always include: PLAUSIBILITY, PURPOSE and PARTICIPATION.  In other words, does it appear believable, what exactly is it depicting, and what is its Operator(s) doing to enhance the realism of the operation?

Sorry, I should write a book, huh?  :-)     

Dear Sir,

I have passed this along to other members. Maybe you can get some info out of it? Maybe not.. ? But the thoughts came from my past experiences..

good luck..

Having built a few layouts.. to the one I now have in my own barn.. I would consider these valuable lessons.

-No duck unders..  Having those suck. Especially for those with back, leg, hip issues.. if you feel you need a duck under.. then built the walkway area with a lift out bridge or something similar. because ducking under sucks! 

-reach.. only make the benchwork as far as you can reach.. if it's outta reach, that is where your issues will be. If you can get to the tables from both sides, then your reach to center from each side is your width.

-height.. I would have made mine Chest height.. It isn't.. and I contemplate raising the layout every day.

-electrical... do that before scenery.. at least the bus wires.. get them run under the layout. 

-height of scenery works better to the eye then depth of scenery.. 

-make all benchwork modular. So if you don't like something or want a change, taking out the old and inserting a new piece is easier...  Plus you can work on the new piece while the old one is still in place and you can still run trains. 

-For O-Scale, use 3/4" plywood sub road bed.. For the areas where sometimes where risers get a little wide, the plywood being a little thicker, won't sag. because 1/2" will. Don't use flake board.. that stuff sucks for model RR. If you get flake board and use water against it for scenery, the flake board seems to expand and never contract. 

-Wide isles.. A must, you can do it with the room you have.. 30x50.. Trust me, it is worth the effort to have these.. I have two spots where the isles gets close, but they ope right up to wide ares.. I also didn't make those areas points of interests.. make your points of interests where the isles are wide. so people can gather easier without hitting benchwork.. 

 -If your thinking of having a turn table.. One where the tracks are coming out all around it, that becomes an area of interest and people gather around it.. I did mine where the mainline went behind the house and people can see into the roundhouse.. and also get right up to the table to see the loco's turn.. This turntable idea came to me this past spring and I changed the whole yard and turn table area into another part of the layout in another area of the room to accommodate this. It works out great now.. 

-Also, with your yard, well, before i forget, have a staging yard.. one hidden under mountains or there of.. then your yard itself won't be cramped with cars as mine was till I did this.. (I am also ridding cars of later dates because my model RR is set around 1977. So this purge is setting up nicely as I now have room for the cars that fit the timeline.) Also, keep switches within easy arm length.. repair is easer etc..  I did redesign the yard as stated above, and am going to again because of the railcar purge etc.. Plus, the yard is smaller and more manageable. well, the whole layout is..

Also, keep this in mind when you design.. 1) model the places as scenes you love as a kid, adult.. just don't put track down for the sake of putting track down.. you will get bored with it. I learned this on the first layout here in the barn.. I thought I had all the room and when the layout was up.. it sucked.. so a friend came over and told me it sucked and gave me this advice.. number 1 again, model scene you love, figure out the top five scenes you love and design them into the layout, then the next five and so one. you find that the layout fills out nicely and you will want to work on it all the time.. Mine is (3) years old now and it is awesome to me! I;m not biased or anything! HA! But I can't wait to work on it when i have the time.. Or add to it or whatever.. I am always designing for the better.. I love running it, showing it, etc.. with these changes too, I have to write into this mag to show my updates as the model RR was published in O-Gauge at about two year ago.. 

Anyhow, designing and building is fun! Good luck!   I hope this points help? Dan

Allan,

I have to agree with Matt. Take the time to measure and sketch the area accurately. Include the mechanical and physical obstructions. Pencil and paper is great. You can share a photo of it. Take some photos to accompany the sketch. This will be you canvas to create your layout.

I don't know if I have shared this document with your before, but here it is again. This packs a lot of the planning keys that were developed by the well known layout modelers and designers through the years.  Again, pencil and paper to make your notes will result in a list that will be the outline to creating the layout and track plan that will encompass your dreams and ensure a result that will be fun.

Then, you can go ahead and begin planning the construction execution.

Some points that I have observed:

1. prepare the room or layout space first. Electric modifications, lighting, painting, flooring, allowance for building maintenance and such.
2. Build the tables/framing in a sectional method - you will want to modify it, remove it, etc.
3. Build around 40" high plus/minus and avoid reach/access difficulties.

Enjoy the process and reading the document.

Ohh yeah, While measuring the room, I use masking tape where the table edges are going to be. I tape right to the floor.. This way, I know how it will be and all.  Once I have the table made, I pull the tape.. You can also lay the track on the floor to make sure everything fits.. works well... helps with visioning the layout.. Dan

"lay the track on the floor"  and put a car or two on the track.  What looks like a nice size siding or yard on paper may not 'look' right in the room.  With the cars on the track walk around to room an look at it from all your different vantage points.  To me the 'look' of the railroad is as big a piece of the puzzle as the 'function' I think.  My 2 cents, spend wisely!  Russ

Hi Allan,

How familiar, or comfortable, are you with using computer software.  I went through about 20 iterations designing my first layout, initially with Atlas track planning software and the with RR Track.  The same is happening for my second gerneration layout.  It helps that I have a degree in electronic engineering and computer engineering.  This allowed me to incorporate electrical design using a host of products such as LochMaster and LogicCircuit to do testing before any electrical component was built.  Now I am doing 3D design using SketchUp.  A side note: I was able to fake out RR track to do some crude 3D modeling.

Now let's say you won't go through such great lengths to accomplish what you want.  Mind you I NEVER contemplated using 3D software nor building signal circuits.  This came gradually over time.  You first need to know where the layout is going to reside (basement, garage, spare room, etc.) and how much space you have available.  Sketch your initial idea on a piece of paper and then maybe place a crude rendition on the floor if applicable.  Believe it or not my first floor layout was a small oval using books to simulate an elevated grade.  Next was a basement dog bone with a crude subway station platform using a 2x3.  Surprisingly at that time (in 2003) I built my first subway beams out of Plastruct (which the web helped me to find by the way).  That beam design is still in use today.  Only then did I start using the track planning software to design benchwork and a larger track plan.  The layout initially used a power track to feed off a transformer.  Not until 2 years later did I contemplate using the concept of bus wire for voltage drops along a modular layout.

What I am saying here is to start small and then gradually build up to your eventual goal. It is important to have a long range plan. Do you want the layout to be modular? Do you want signals and accessories?  A train yard?  Do you want to run multiple trains? What era or location are you modeling? Answer these questions, but you need not build everything at once.

First and foremost, get some trains RUNNING no matter how small or crude the layout.  I should heed this advice as it has been a year since I have had any trains moving.

Joe P posted:

A side note: I was able to fake out RR track to do some crude 3D modeling.

Joe, I'm curious what you mean by this. RR-Track has the Z and +/- Z fields as well as the "extrude" option to define position and depth of 3D objects. I'm able to define my 2x4s, 1x4s, 3/4" plywood, 40" tall legs, risers for added levels, etc. The main thing I don't like in RRT is that you can't set the terrain to 40" and have the legs rendered below like you can in SCARM. Therefore I add a tabletop and set it to 40" so the legs render beneath them as a 3D table. Unfortunately, you have to then set all the track to "overpass" or you get that white "shadow" filling the space between the track and the terrain. If you've found some other trick, I'd sure like the know what it is. Thanks.

Dave. I never used the terrain feature. I did just like you, played around with the z-axis.

Thanks, Joe, just didn't want to miss a feature. I've been using SCARM more and more because of the better terrain feature and especially Mixy's simulation module.

DoubleDAZ posted:

Thanks, Joe, just didn't want to miss a feature. I've been using SCARM more and more because of the better terrain feature and especially Mixy's simulation module.

Simulator done?

And here I sit , stuck on android.

Excuse me while I go fill the swear jar....

I've used all of the methods mentioned. While winging it is fun, and filled with spontaneous ideas, it takes time and doesn't always give you a clear choice of your best option's. Quick sketches are great for those spur of the moment ideas in odd places and to be later applied to: Software, which on a laptop or remote keyboard, let's you test build from bed if you like.  The scenry visuals can give you a good idea what feel, ths real thing will convey. Not to mention if  it fits easy ,or might fit, as things can vary slightly from screen to real life.

" the best laid laid plans of mice and men, gang aft a'gle"

Know what you like; a dream is a dream; better you know your reality.

Mine lies between toy and prototype. Id not be happy on either extreme for long. Expeience taught me running a prototypical operation looks fun, but for me gets as boring as looping is for others. Watching trains loop is "my indoor campfire", I may zone out relaxing and think of nothing, or meditate deeply on an upsetting issue, or think about a prototype and what it did in life, because for me, much of the appeal of a train is mechanical. Ie, I love anything from the wheels up, even the sound and smell . The layout shape is afterthought and not as important as the train; not even close. So that said, a small temporary layout on a card table, under a section of bench work, etc. IMO is a great way to run till done, to give inspiration, ambiance, test,  etc.etc.

Painting the walls first a great idea, though no ideas here are " bad". Sky blue, midnight glue, desert tan,, granite, folage green snow white, or even a fall color assortment of dots; no horizon is a mountain side, or distance; where and/or when can be nicely told by background alone. A mix isn't unheard of.

  Gotta go ..low sugar crash.