New House - Help Me With Layout Design

Dave,

I just got home from work and have a nap I need to take, so I will look at your SCARM plan this evening.

Here are a couple of things that jumped out right away. To save space and reduce the amount of track needed to join two levels, I would put a helix inside your planned mountain.

I would use the top level as your rural setting and the lower area for your industries.

Others will chime in shortly to get you started.

Thanks Chessie Fan, I'm a C&O fan too.  

I hadn't though to much about a Helix, I think of them as taking up a lot of space because they need wide curve to keep from being too steep.  What is the smallest curve that can be worked into a helix?  Also, would I still want to be able to run a train in and out of a tunnel in the mountains.  

I remeasured around today, and I attached a slightly adjusted SCARM file.  At this point, a few inches here/there won't matter a ton, but I'm probably 90% close enough which is enough to get some ideas flowing.  I shortened the run on the left leg of the L, because I think I want to leave some space on the endcap there for a work desk.  Need some space to lube up and take apart these trains.  But, I also widened this section to fit a double track main, while before I was just think width for one 031 loop.  Not sure if this is really feasable, as it will really eat into the room.  I think I may put tape down at this wider width and see what it feels like to walk around that for awhile.  I could also gain a few inches here by using 027 on the inside loop instead of 031, but overall, I want to stick to O gauge and not go o27. Maybe just for this half loop.  I also realized that I should be able to gain a little more space in the angled area to the top right which I added .  

I laid down some track today in SCARM, and realized I really need to up my skills.  Can anyone give me their best advice for easily creating a grade? I see the features for height, but maybe I just need the trick to it. So sorry that all my track is on top of each other.  And, I think my grade would be way to steep as is, so this still needs alot of work. I was thinking that the loop with the wye would be at the top of a grade, and I would also have the double looped tracks descend to make clearance.  Apparently you cant decrease the height in SCARM...

Some other things I'm missing from my wishlist is a second reverse loop, a second crossover, and maybe another siding (or 2?).  I think that I am destined for the a spaghetti bowl layout, which I think I will be ok with.  I'm not a great artist, so I think I can sacrifice scenery a little bit in favor of better train routes and operations.  

Keep warm out there.  -Dave

Dave,

Take a look at the picture below. Is your sump pump located in the area I indicated? Does it have an access panel? If so, can you take a picture of it and post it along with the dimensions? My concern is that if you build that layout with that much area in front of the sump pump, you are going to have to crawl under a lot of layout to get to it, and that you may not leave yourself enough room to access it with table legs in the way.

How far from the foundation wall will your interior wall be around the sump pump area? How wide is the sump pump and well?

What is the max length you can go on the leg?

Hey Stewart, 

Here is another pic of the room as it is now from a the same perspective. As you can see the back wall is currently flat, but I want to cut and angle it to add square footage in the top right.  Where you have sump pump circled, is really the furnace, with the sump pump over to the top right. That's basically an unfinished utility space that can be accessed by going around the stairs, and i dont think it makes sense right now build further into that. Stairs are parallel to the wall on the left. In the pic, the top right corner is 52 inches to the red storage door, and I figure I can add about twenty inches to that run and still not have the new angled wall over the sump hole.  The wall on the left can run as much as 120 to the opening, but I was thinking that a desk space on the end, looking in this same direction would be good.  It might be smarter to forgo that and maybe do a roll out desk under a high deck height. 

Ignore the derailed mess of trains, I knocked over that picture frame while measuring and haven't got everything back on the track yet. Hoping nothing broken...  We have still just moved, so everything is set up temporarily and lots of junk around.  Loving owning a home, and so excited for a layout!

Thanks, -Dave

I played with what you posted am closed the gaps.

Jan

First thing I would do is gut the basement, make sure you don't have any water problems, move furnace, water heater to the best location for your RR. make sure all plumbing and electrical is up to code and out of the way. Start with one big empty space and see if the stairs will work where they are.

I didn't do this and started a 36 foot long layout, three years later I took it out( saved the bench work), then did all of the above, and still should have done more. Like move the stairs and make the small crawl space, a basement addition.

Did I mention make sure you don't have a water problem.

Clem