Getting Ready for the Track Plan

I make the track plan first, including general town areas.

Then design Bench to support it.

Naturally, available space for a layout is a major factor. I would say that the best way to design a 'serious' layout is to work out track plans and details to fit your available space, then build the layout and benchwork accordingly. But in the case of an impermanent tabletop layout like I am currently doing, it can be fun to rearrange the track at times, working within the confines of an existing table. It all depends on the kind of layout you want to build.

I like to understand what I want to accomplish. I know I like to look at long trains running. I wanted to be able to have trains running in either direction without having a turntable or picking up engines and manhandling them around. I wanted to have as much on table storage of at least engines as I could so again didn't want to pick them up. With that in mind I knew that I needed reverse loops, longs runs of straight track, and as many storage tracks as I could accommodate. After this, I would have liked to have as much open space as possible to put the many buildings I've already built and will build in the future.

 

So each time I moved locations and got a bigger space the railroad grew to more meet my initial objectives. So to accommodate lots of tracks and reverse loops, I'm elevating the town over the trackage so that both will gain more real estate, kind of like the City of Chicago.

 

So start with what you want. What do you like? What kinds of trains are you going to run? How big or scale-like are your engines? I have all big and bigger locomotives which all require O-72 and bigger. So I went as big as I could when building the layout in our German house and that was O-88 and O-96. I have a lot of that track so future iterations all had those diameter curves as a given. If I was to start over in this house, I would have even gone bigger. Just because an engine CAN run on O-72 doesn't mean that it's going to look good. That just means it won't derail on that curve. I would like 0-120, but that train has left the station.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Getting a lot of good information and I appreciate your insights! Terry

I always have a track plan and general idea of what I'm laying out before building benchwork.  Maybe I'm old fashioned.  Although I've worked with these parameters before.  What are your dimensions?9

The benchwork is done so what you've got is what you've got.  I'd grab a couple accessories and some long straights and full curves and see where things start laying.  If you have limited track and accessories then do a section at a time - lay the track, set out structures or even tissue boxes, soup cans, etc, trace the track, pull it and move onto the next section.  Get it all traced out and make your shopping list, buy more track and accessories, and see how it looks. 

Still learning. I filled around the room with a walk thru and then took a section with a pop out from below (too much to reach) in order to fill up the space. What everyone is saying makes a lot of sense for I will remember this when going to layout #3. I'm trying to use some software to layout the space with dimensions.

 

I certainly appreciate everyones comments! Thank you, Terry

Normally I do a 1/2'=1'-0"scale plan of the room, then track plans on a 11x17 artist's pad that generally conforms to the room[use a lot of gum erasers]. Most times I try both an island and round the-room plan[s] with scale templates of structures that I know I will use, plus some I don't have.

 

But this time after recently dismantling two separate large layouts of 25' and 32' length in '08 and '09, I was starting over in an 9x19 attic with only 54" height at the knee walls where the ceiling pitch started. THis restriction determined that I access from a center aisle. As a result, I knew that a 9x16 round-the-wall benchwork with a hinged drop section with spring-loaded catches for entry was my best option so I scaled benchwork on the scale room plan followed by a track/turnout plan.

 

Then I buillt the benchwork leaving the grid exposed. I set up a rig and, swung a tape and marked the curve radi track and turnout locations on the 3/4" edge of grid joists which enabled me to stand up while wiring a bus and rough wire runs to T-strips for Tortoise turnout motors, switchstand lanterns, railpower risers, and several raw wire runs for distributing accessory/lighting power,etc.

 

I still have to crawl under the layout at times of course but rough wiring before covering my grid saved me a lot of old "train-back" and "train-neck" aches and pains.

 

Not a perfect method but adaptive to the room restrictions and to my age and reduced capability. See 3 year old photos below.

 

 

 

 

 

Terry,

What is your theme? Is it modern big railroading or older big scale steam? or smaller branch line diesel.  Hi Rail or Postwar? As Russell says a trackplan 1st is a good idea. The size of your engines will determine what you can run. What size room do you have?  Big Scale Steam needs big curves 072+ at least as trainman and others have said.  What are your givens and druthers?