Help and suggestions for 1st layout.

Congrats on the new home.  Search for "lessons learned" on the forum.  There are several threads and first hand accounts of what worked well and what didn't.  

From bench work, trackwork, design, room uses, lighting and more.

Not sure how old you are, but don't think now.  Think 10-15 years from now.  I did not want to crawl around on my hands and knees and everything had to be within arms reach.

Have fun.

Ron

Requests for help like this appear from time-to-time and usually draw the same responses.  First, you have to be a little more specific in your "givens & druthers" (i.e. what your limitations are and what your preferences are).  Examples include are you planning to run steam or diesel or a combination?  What era do you choose to model?  Following any specific prototype?  Any particular industries you want to model?  As far as power, how many trains do you want running at one time?  Are you planning analog or digital control?  Anyone wanting to help you will need more details of your "plan."

Second, spend more time reading this and other model railroad related fora.  There is a section here (and on other fora) dealing specifically with track planning and sections dealing with electrical control of layouts.  Synthesize what you learn into your own plans, even if just a rough sketch, and then others will provide advice.  Another option is to hire somebody (there are many vendors) to plan and/or build your layout.  Please note that even a basic around-the-walls plan doesn't have to be purely circular.  With your size availability, you could run point-to-point, point-to-loop (often referred to as out-and-back) or loop-to-loop, either by way of stacked (needing an upper level) reversing loops or stacked dog-bone designs.

The combinations may seem endless, but you have to narrow it down for yourself while seeing if you can fit what you want (those druthers again) within a chosen design.  Then, you will get more help.

Chuck

Well, from somebody who just finished his first layout design in O gauge I can assure you that you don't need a computer.

Go the center of the floor and put painter's tape down, in the outline of your chosen layout board dimensions.

Buy a bunch of really cheap, old, rusted track and switches in the gauge and circumferances you want, get down on the floor on your hands and knees in the middle of the tape area , with your tools and track saw, and just start cutting and fitting the stuff together in a creative fashion that you like.    Design as you go.   Start with the inner sections first, as they must be tight enough to fit inside your outer curves and track.  What you are doing here is building a cheap template, just to get the layout planned and properly fitting together.  The tape outline shows you how to keep it inside the dimensions of the layout board.

Yes, you will do alot of head scratching, and shuffling, and moving the small curves and loops around to get everything to fit, as well as cutting some straight and curves to custom lengths, but when you are done you will have a unique layout of your own design. (Unless you are really up to speed on the electrical aspects, make sure you don't accidentally build any reverse loops! )   Hook up a transformer and use a test engine and cars to make sure they stay on the tracks and switches.

Then, go piece by piece through your track, throw out the really bad pieces, clean up thoroughly the so-so pieces, and buy brand new pieces as needed to complete it.  

When done, then build your layout table, move your track onto the table, and screw it down.  If you are going to put down cork bedding, then put the layout down on the table, trace the track, then remove it to put the bedding down.  Then put the track back on, and screw it down

I don't know how old you are, but if you played with Legos as a child, did you need a computer or book to show you how to build  a neat custom building on the building platform?  Nope.  

For me, copying a layout from a book or computer printout, and then just buying the list of track pieces they tell you to buy, and then just snapping them together, isn't building a railroad.  It just snapping a plastic model together.

To each his own.

Have fun.

Mannyrock

You have enough room to do a folded dogbone which would eliminate the need for a lift-out or crawl-under.  A double mainline of O72 and O81 (if Atlas) curves would fit nicely in the corners and leave you 14-15 feet for your yard/engine terminal.

Jan

Bellcaptain - - - (my father-in-law is as retired bellcaptain)

Congrats on the house.

While they did build things like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pyramids without one, a compute might have helped them a bit. 

There are several trial programs available like Anyrail and Scarm. You are limited to how many pieces of track you can use without buying the software. (usually about $40)

There are many track plan ideas out there and a software program will save you hours of crawling around on the floor.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. 

Took about 5 minutes and my knees don't hurt. Ha

Start with spending on power, ZW, ZW-L, etc. depending on how deep you plan to go with electronics, the ZW-L might be worth the extra loot. You never hear someone complain they bought too much power; just that they want more

I surely wouldn't go smaller than a KW on 15x20 . (maybe an LW for each loop)

Try SCARM (capable/3d) and Anyrail (simple) free versions if you have Windows.

You don't "need" a computer, but it is fun, doesn't wake everyone at 3am, can save time and effort, and are pretty accurate. It saves pencils too.

☢️Save the pencils!☢️😬🙃

Look at GarGraves track. It's worth it to most folk. Ross turnouts maybe. Harder wiring GG/Ross turnouts, but that's mostly so it is easier to customize; they work real well..... except on pre-war fat drivers like Marx.  Prewar/tin thoughts mean a plain loop(no switches, no uncoupler tracks(need skinnier magnet/ custom) or using Marx 0-27 prewar turnouts or importing larger curve ETS track from Czk. (keep in mind while pricing GG/R/etc , not all turnouts include the sw. motors and linkage. Many motors also mount under the layout and take extra work over others)  

Im not a FasTrack fan. 

Do check out Miane benchwork kits, or at least mind their style. 2x4 overkill isn't as good as thinner wider boards cut and fit to specific functions.

Use a thick foam +3/4" and/or real Homasote as a benchtopper to cut down on noise.  Tons of threads on sound deadening too. Lots of cross brace supports, foam & H-sote are the effective things you can start now.

  (Trains are much louder on a table than on a floor. Carpeting/rugs will help tons for absorbing sound from the underside that the floor will deflect back up at you. A thick curtain along the front edge, down to the floor, also helps trap sound (and hides all your junk).

Menards track would be a lower cost alternative for new tubular rails.

New track is worth the price. Old works; sure. But on new track your stuff, old or new, will run better period. 

Lift ups and drop downs are a PITA IMO. We did a wide one, then narrower, then gone. I'd avoid it unless it's a must for design; and you seem to have an open slate.

I'd use reverse loops or bent dogbones, turning around at the doors/steps/whatever. Islands at these ends can be wider than benchwork along the wall for wide curves on the rev.loops.  Reverse loops are nice as you never have to touch a loco to turn it around.  (this assumes you are looper, and not as interested in a more prototypical switching layout)

Another option might be to make each rev.loop a regular loop. "Two towns with 2 (?) mainline connection(s) between them".

The other post above has a geat point, How do you run your trains? Looper? Totally proto logistics, distances, etc? Switching?   Knowing your habits and yeilding to them is a better way to build that some "dream" you'll never use as envisioned. 

Maybe add another island on the 20' wall for a yard, another loop etc (or keep it in mind for a later extension)

Put the controls where you can overlook it all, on the outside edge facing in.  Otherwise, the whiplash effect to look behind you at the train is a PITA, especially when you already have a little kink in the neck that day 😧

 What is wrong with you guys???

I LIKE crawling around on the floor in the middle of the night!

Mannyrock