EXPLANATION OF ILLUSTRATION (DIAGRAM) BELOW
“I have no space for a layout.” “Layouts are very expensive to build.” “What can I do in a small space with a limited budget?” The formal “Design Process” is the answer!
Those common statements and question are routinely heard. However, virtually everyone does have space. It may just not occur to them that they do. With clever use of the design process planning and good shopping skills a plausible/believable, purposeful and interactive participation layout may be constructed in almost any space; including a coffee table-sized layout.
Here is what I envisioned: There are several themes/eras this concept as illustrated above would work with. This most basic of the basic point to point layout is located in a very small 10 foot square bedroom. The layout is built on a shelf that is two-feet-wide, completely level, and is situated along three of the four walls in a “U” shape.
This design leaves an area 8 feet long and 6 feet wide for people to freely move about (PEOPLE SPACE). NOTE: most people think in terms of squares and rectangles and would try to place an 8 by 4 sheet of plywood in this room. A sheet of plywood this size would dominate the room and be exceptionally inconvenient for people to get around.
In addition, this sheet of plywood would provide only 32 square feet of layout surface. The “U” shape layout above would provide 52 square feet of layout area--a 61% increase! Even better, there is much more user-friendly “people space” in this “U” configuration.
Here is the operational plan: There would be a shipping point (S) on the left side of this drawing. The receiving point (R) would be on the opposite side of the room. This “terminal interchange” layout would provide “LOADED” cars to be moved from the shipping point to the receiving point. At the receiving point, the cars would be unloaded and be returned as “EMPTIES” to the shipping point where this process would be repeated again.
To augment/supplement this operation, drawers could be placed under both the shipping and receiving points where various rail cars may be removed from or placed (INTERCHANGE) onto this layout---a visible “fiddle yard” set-up.
Please notice the “Engine Escape” on both sides of the diagram. That single track area on the room’s entry door wall, on both sides, provides a means for an engine to pull a small consist (small number) of cars from one point to the other, where the engine would be uncoupled from the cars so that it could “run around” the cars to be re-coupled to the opposite end for the return trip. The engine escapes are long enough to accommodate the engine only—less using a small scale.
The length of the train’s consist would vary depending on scale. I planned this in “O” scale with a MTH 44 ton switcher pulling three small pieces of rolling stock. The “loads” could be: cattle, gravel, coal, grain, junk or whatever or even a combination.
The buildings could be “flats” placed against the backdrop, painted on the backdrop or printed out and secured to the backdrop. Smaller scales could have 3D buildings.
This arrangement would also work with a toy train set-up. Accessories could be placed on either side and the engine would use the engine escapes to “turn” itself in order to travel the track from accessory to accessory.
The only absolute necessity either realistic or toy set-up is that an engine must have working couplers on either end.
I intentionally for simplicity’s sake designed this layout in as basic as basic can be of a simple style as possible. I included no additional spur tracks or sidings and this plan. This layout has four turnouts (track switches) which may be manually operated—again keeping cost down.
The entire point and purpose of this message is to demonstrate and explain using the formal design process to plan a layout in a very small room that will be easy on the budget, provides space for people and is fun to operate.
YES. It can be done! And there is plenty of room remaining for you and your friends.
