Proposed new layout - Help me choose

Russell,

Sorry, but I thought no pictures were appearing.  As soon as I posted that comment a few minutes ago, the pictures showed up.

Chuck.

I vote for the walk in.  It gives you more main line track and more chance for meets.  I once had a rudimentary lift bridge on my second level.  It was a pain to move it every time I wanted to pass and to keep everything lined up…so I hardly even used the second level.  It looks like your lift bridge is at the main entrance to the area.  Right?  That would make it even more of a pain.

OK, so now I've looked and will say:

Option 1 looks like it has about the same running distance as Option 2 and makes it very easy to enter the barn and allows entrance to many participants.  It's main drawback is that it requires access to the back two tracks at the dog-bone loop on the left and, as you noted, behind the yard tracks at top.  Option 2 only requires the access behind the yard at the top.  Option 1's secondary drawback is that many of the tables hold four mainline tracks, leaving little, if any, room for accessories or scenery.

Both options are built with several long stretches of straight track which would be much more interesting with some gentle front to back curves (and vice versa) avoiding natural scenic roadblocks (rivers, valleys, hills, etc.).  You also seem to avoid off mainline industry sidings or a passenger terminal.  Are both choices intentional?

Finally, when building around the walls, I would avoid putting the track at the back of each table because the scenery in front will just block the attendees views.

Hope you find this helpful.

Chuck

 I like the  bottom  one,  I don't like having to crawl under or over top of the layout to do  any work or re-rail a car. The max reach for me would be about 3 feet off the wall.  I like the saw mill,  mine idea, where you can walk around to the other side to reach something. Same as the shop area. I'm just not too sure about the  area beyond the yard.  you can reach the yard so that's good.   Long straight sections seem to get boring .

Russell, how about this...

Elliot;

That has possibilities If I can get the spiral up mountain to fit in the loop at the lower middle. I really want the Sawmill and Mine in there as I'm adding Businesses run by Family or a Family Friend in the case of the Mine. My Uncles Ran a Sawmill / Lumber business and a Slaughterhouse (not specified in the pictures).

There will be other things like a couple rural towns spread along 2 sides as well but a lot of it will be open farming and forest terrain. There will also be a lot of Vertical as I'm modeling Western Colorado.

Thanks, here's some more food for thought:

• Move the TT and roundhouse to the middle loop
• That leaves the other two loops for towns or your mountain setup
• I enlarged your yard by about double
• No duckunders or lift bridges
• Your yard is on a reverse loop, which is accessed from a wye. Any train can enter or exit in either direction.

I really liked your original design, and saw a lot to work with.   Keep working on it, and I'll keep following.

Russell, great track plans. I do like Elliot's suggestion with the middle peninsula. For the module group are you talking of the Maine 3 railers Club.

George;

Thanks, I've been bumping them around for a while.

I'm not expecting the Maine 3 Railers to want to go Modular but I'm not opposed to it.

I'm actually hoping to gather a bunch from New Hampshire and make a new club and since I'm in the M3R I would not compete with them but try to compliment them.

Have different locations and dates so we don't conflict and so on.

Hi Russell,

I might be interested in your New Hampshire club.  I'm in South Portland.  Which part of NH?   I would be ok with around 1 hour away.   I'm also in the M3R's and plan on staying with that club as well.

Mike.