Need Help - Design Phase of new 11' by 8' Layout - 1/1/14 update.

You definitely have the potential for a more "interesting" layout than just big loops.  Like you said, reversing loops would add a lot.

You mentioned the room is bigger than the table but does have some things in the way.  Can you provide a room layout?  I get the sense you have things currently laid out with the tunnel against the wall, but the other 3 sides open for viewing.  I'm a believer in the benefits of a corner.  Then you could have more table space if the table was pushed against a wall and access/interest points could be gained by pop up portals, penninsulas, etc.

As requested, the Layout of the actual room.   Your Stand 30in Door at the Entrance.

18in wide door where the small closet is, which comes away from the wall 1ft( this is where the main water line for the house comes in)   and a small Basement window in the corner.

I planned on using the wall right at the entrance to put up shelving and display the trains on the wall.

I don't have access to layout software and this definitely isn't to scale, but I think it, or something close would work.  Put a mountain the corner and you could have 6 tunnel portals.  An outer loop of O72 gives you room for the big train.  I think you can get an O54 double reversing loop inside.  The switches would have to be inside the tunnel.  My picture is a little off and I don't think you'd have as much room between the loops for a yard as I drew, but you might have some room.  Another option is put the yard inside a loop. 

You could also use the space between the loops as an access pop up for viewing.  They you'd need a duckunder bridge for the 072 outer loop.  But it would allow better access in the case of a derailment.

Good luck and keep us posted.

So MichMikeM, tried your design in SCARM and while it would work.

It does not fit on a 10' x 8ft table (basically)

So I'm still working on a interesting layout. 

MatthewG- Appreciate the follow up.  I was hoping for some confirmation one way or the other to see if it would work in that space.  Too bad it didn't.  I even as far as downloading SCARM the other day to try it out myself.  But I'm still figuring out how it works and haven't built the 10x8 layout yet.

Good luck with what ever you end up doing and keep us posted.

Expand and  tunnel through the little Closet.

Is the only thing in that closet the water line? (i.e. you'd almost never have to go in there?) If so, why not just block it off with a drop gate or removable module and make use of all of that space against the window wall.
For example:

(obviously not drawn to scale)

Don't let a closet stop you. In my case tunneling through the wife's Pantry. Would open things up for your expansion as Boilermaker notes.

Can we assume the water line only sticks a foot or two up from the ground and doesn't run all the way floor to ceiling?  If so, you don't even need the closet.  You can take it out and the meter can just sit under the benchwork.

Below is the area of the "Room" that I'm currently working on.

I've highlighted the area where the Water Line comes into the House.  It comes about a foot away from the wall and goes all the way up to the Ceiling.

I like the idea of a 3/4 wrap around the room layout, but I feel it would make the room feel too small for others to view/hangout in.

I'll really have to play with it once I actually get the room completed.

I bet the wrap around will feel less constricting than your original big table.  The wrap around will allow viewers to go more "into" the room without having to stick to the outside walls and going around the table.

Finished all the Framing for my new train room the other night.

Final Dimensions of the room are 15' 7in's by 11' 3in's.    Which will allow for a very nice 11' by 8' layout with a small bump out. 

Also came up with a new layout design, which gives me from my list above.

1. 1 loop of 072 curves

2. CAN run (3) Trains At once.

3. A Small Yard for storing trains / spurs

Inner loop is 054, Middle Loop is 063 and Outer Loop is 072 with 054 on the Bump out.  All switches are 054.

Only thing this DOESN'T get me is a Reversing loop ( 054 min) which I just don't think is possible in the space that I have. 

Looks nice Matt. Room prep is coming along. Personally I like some elevation in a layout, breaks the 3rd dimension. Adds some depth to mountains and tunnels also. Have fun!  JA

I'm no pro but I think there's a general rule of thumb that says, "Don't lay switches inside of a tunnel if you can help it." Any chance that you could use crossovers to accomplish the same thing? There's less chance of derailing on a crossover and you still give the appearance of changing rail lines.

I have a very basic layout that uses 072 radii (for outer loop) and 0-54 radii (for a long passing siding.) It is designed mostly for maximum operating variety. I use MTH DCS for control of engines and accessories. In order to allow reversing of engines I have designed an 0-72 WYE with a stub end passenger yard.  Although the 0-72 WYE takes up alot of space (6 feet by 6 feet) it provides a way to back scale size passenger trains into the yard and allows the engine to escape and then reverse direction as necessary.  I also have two 0-72 crossovers which allow transition from the 0-72 loop to the inner 0-54 passing siding track.   The passing siding allows for either holding trains or for train makeup and peddler freights. I operate mostly MTH Premier PS-1 and PS-2 engines so the 0-72 radii is essential. I occasionally run Williams and conventional size Lionel equipment.

The layout fits a space approximately 15 feet by 18 feet.

When I am not running full size passenger trains I remove the passenger equipment from the layout and run modern intermodal trains using multiple engine lashups.

So it been while for an Update,   I'm almost completely done with the Room.  Only thing I have left is Ceiling/Floor and Paint the Walls and I can finally start building the layout!

What I have changed is my design idea to use as much room within the room to build the layout.    I decided that I can work around the Water Pipes and the Window in the room and change it to a 3/4 wrap around layout.  But at the Cost of some of the features i wanted.

Below is concept of the new layout, dog bone design with reversing loops, round house and a small yard.   It is Possible to run (2) trains at the same time and all switches/curves are 054

Thought's?  Suggestions?  Critique's?     Would love to hear it as I'll be starting to build it within the next ~4months or so. 

No switching lead!

This is my original room layout. Room size is 12'6"X 9'6" The closet area, bottom of picture adds. 2'X 7'6.  Outer loop is O-54, Inner loop is O-45.  Door is lower right corner next to the closet area.


Expansion into the next room.

Camera walk-around.  Click on the underlined phrase to access.

How's this for a Yard Lead?I think it will work just fine as long as I'm not trying to do switching and using the reverse loop at the same time.

Mathew, I like your latest design.  I makes for an interesting layout. 

So I have gotten quite a bit done in the new train room since my last update.

Really the only thing holding me back now is the installation of the floor.  I finished up all the trim work this evening ( but forgot to take pictures) and installed Outlet/Switch plates.   So now on to flooring, which is going to take awhile to due to costs.  TrafficMaster: Allure Ultra is what I'll be going with because it's a Vinyl Plank floor that is 100% waterproof ( this room is in the basement after all and sinks/tubs/toilets do leak from time to time) but at $2.97 a sq ft will be the most expensive part of this build out, well other than  the actual layout/train purchases

Updated Track plan to include basic bench work shape.

@John C. -  I can't make the top loop any longer to move the turnouts due to the door opening ( I'm already pushing within 1 1/2ins of the door frame as it is)

I'll have to play with the second passing siding in the lower right hand corner, I have ot make sure there will be enough clearance.

I've attached my SCARM file for people to fool around with.

Room looks good Matthew.  Looking forward to more updates.

I think John means like this:

DoubleDAZ - So much easier to understand/see now.   Thank you for tweaking this.

I actually like it, and I think I can get away with putting some elevation under the top loop now.

I would suggest that you visit the Korber Models (see bottom right) website and review the dimensions for the roundhouse track configuration. It will give you some specifics for a starting point. You'll need to determine the turntable diameter that you'll use, the lead-in track before the roundhouse and the size of the available roundhouse and extensions that you'll use. Depending on which manufacturer(s) you choose, the area may need some repositioning and minor track changes.

A recent thread discussed this topic.

Looks like a fun layout is coming together.

You're welcome. I initially didn't take the time to tweak all the connections so they joined error-free, but then I decided to play around a bit and try some numbered turnouts to avoid the reverse (S) curves. I also added some elevation to part of the upper loop and you can see how 3" is the "recommended" limit. I even played around with the yard a bit to get a little more storage. I could have added more, but didn't know exactly what you had in mind for that space, so I didn't play more.

I can do that, but I think Matthew mentioned he might want to raise part of that loop, so I decided to wait. If he doesn't understand what you are saying, I can play with it some more. I also want to see what he has to say about my change to the yard.

Moonman is right. If the turntable area is not correct, a lot of changes might need to be made, unless you plan to use some flextrack to make connections easier.

Now this is the feed back i was looking for

DoubleDAZ - I DO like the changes to the yard, seems more symmetrical now.  What are the Numbered Turnouts that you swapped out?  #5's?  #7.5's?   

Elevating the Upper loop is still on the yes/no table, so having a second passing siding might out weigh having the loop elevated.

I'm not too worried about the turn table area, as I prb won't have a roundhouse, it's mostly for "storage" of engines on the layout instead of me having to get them in/out of boxes everytime I want to switch Engines.

They are #5's because the #7.5's have a bigger footprint.

I tried a passing siding on just the straight, but it's too small to be of any value. So, I started it on the curve (again ) and here's what it looks like. I didn't reset the heights, so the 3D view won't look right. I also couldn't make things connect error-free, but things should fit.

Long over due update!

Room is 98% Complete!  Just need to button it up with some baseboard molding.

Then I can finally start working on Benchwork!  If you look carefully you can see to mock up of the new layout on the walls.

Getting the train room ready surprised me on the time it took, too!. Now on to some fun stuff...building the railroad.

The room looks great and the plan looks good.

Do you want to consider having two separate tracks to run two trains w/o any switching?

Think in 3d, multiple levels, mountains, rivers and valleys, and this will be great!