Inspiration Required!!! Feel Free to Pry

[Spavo]

(A bow to the great and the good out there....)

Here is my thing.....I have just taken ownership of a rather large store room where I work which although large in space is still going to be required to act as a store room for the next few years.....so here's my dilemna....

I need to install a brand new layout in the space available, I have moved all the stored items either up or down to make a nice height for the baseboards and although it will still be tricky with petrol strimmers and paint brushes hanging around with clever use of some paint I should be able to hide this effect on the layout.

The room is basically rectangular, 5 metres long and 2 metres wide, that is approx 15 ft by 6 feet to you, now before you get too excited this is not the room I have to use, I am only going to be able to use a fraction of this. There will only be room for 1 line on two of the walls which means my 1st 2 baseboards will by only 10cm wide but 5 metres and 2 metres long respectively! Awesome!

Having planned the main line completely around the outside edge of the room which gives a lovely long run for all types of rolling stock I have 2 problem area's which I would love to hear suggestions....

On one of the long walls I am going to have an area of 2 metres or 6 feet long to install 2 loops and the main station, this needs to be at the smallest width possible, I am going to have a maximum width here of maybe 30cm although it doesn't matter how long the loops are as I have plenty of room, as I am only going to be able to run 1 main line around the edge of the room it will only be 3 tracks width in total but with the station in there somewhere..........help, advice, suggestions please at will.

Also at the south end of the layout the wall is 2 metres long, after the 3rd radius curves have done their thing at each end of the wall I have a total area of 1 metre 20cm long and up to 40cm wide to bring some interest to the layout by way of loading bays, engine sheds etc etc.

I know that I haven't got a lot of room to be able to have a super interesting layout but I am hoping that someone with have a flash of inspiration for an enormous run on the layout, in total nearly 15 metres on the main line with ideas for both the station area's and the south end.

I know that I will not have the room for very interesting fiddle yards etc etc but am happy that this will give me more opportunity to really knuckle down on the realism of the layout and take all the time I need for scenery etc etc.

If I end up with a long long main line, 2 passing loops in the station area and perhaps a small engine shed, coaling stage and loading bay at the south end of the layout then I will be a very happy man!

As this is going to be so tricky I will be doing regular posts and photo updates of my progress although from experience this is going to be a long haul.

Fire away.....I am completely open to suggestions......but please don't say run 2 main lines, I just cant get the space behind the main fire alarm control panel and the water pumps at the north end!!!

Gracias Amigo's!

[Lee]

Hi and welcome is there any chance you could take some pics of the area in mention, im sure from that one of the kind lads on the forum will be able to assist you better, or even draw you up a quick plan

but sounds a nice project though

[Spavo]

Thanks Lee,

Will do it today......I mean I am down there anyway servicing a lawn mower........hmmmmmm, now you see why I want to put a layout in there, much more interesting!!

Laters.

[Lofty]

Wow, that’s some introduction… It will take a while to absorb all the points

Welcome to the forum though

Looking forward to ‘enjoying the ride’

Lofty

[Spavo]

Thanks Lofty,

I am just waiting for my registration to clear so I can post the pictures of the working environment, the layout is going to take some while, due to pressures of work and family I am guessing at least 6 months to complete but that's the whole of this layout, as I don't have free rein just to lay tracks any old way I choose it is going to be a real challenge to get it right hence the assistance post here in the forum.

As soon as I have my clearance for the photo's I will link them in here, I am hopeful someone will come up with a cunning plan!

Oh well, back to my Superquick Goods Shed with about a ton of mod's and painting to be done to it after assembly to get it right.......beats going shopping though!

Thanks.

[waz]

HI !!

Just to say welcome to the nutters club. I hope your plans work out okay. Hope to see some progress in the near future.

Regards

BILL.

[joshing_man]

Welcome. Plans sound different and interesting. Photos will really help with suggestions. From your decription am I right in assuming you will be modelling steam era? Will it be N or 00? Any other preferences?

Look forward to more details and progress.

Andrew

[Spavo]

Thanks Bill & Andrew, very much appreciate your thoughts......

Yes the layout will be OO gauge running with as much peco felxitrack and pointwork as possible but obviousy not that many points due to the nature of the layout.

The rolling stock will be late BR black or something very close to this, I am not that experienced in these matters so will take advice as we go along.....

I still cannot work out why I can't upload my pictures of the space available, on another forum it says you have to upload the pictures to a link and direct people to that but I have seen photo's on the posts here so where am I going wrong, can anybody help???

Thanks,

Spav.

[Raider]

You need to upload the photos to some webspace and then copy the URL to your post and then included that in the Img tags as follows (but minus the spaces)

[img]ht%20tp://www.photohost.com/imagename.jpg[/img]

Your image will then appear in your post when you preview or submit

HTH

Chris

[Boosterdq]

hey and welcome to the fourms, Just a quick thought, if u run N u could have 2 mainlines also think of the distance they will travil it would be like a transcontinental!!!

[joshing_man]

I would consider going N gauge if you want to really make the most of the space available but even so 00 will be fine.

To upload photos use Photobucket or similar and copy and paste the image url and the photo will show. If you use fotopic then you will need to provide the link between the url tags.

eg.

or

http://andrewsmodelrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p33477763.html

Hope that helps.

Andrew

[westbrom]

Hi and welcome to the forum, will look forward to your progress.


Neil

[Spavo]

Thanks Everyone,

Just wanna say that the support so far has been amazing for a 1st timer like me to the site and just wanted to say thanks......

Thanks for the N gauge suggestion booster and joshin, i hadn't thought of that as I have big sausage fingers, besides, i already have a lot of OO rolling stock etc etc and so could not afford to start again, great idea though.

Ok so I finally got the pictures uploaded, thanks again for your help......

This one......
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n284 ... rdSite.jpg

Is of the area whrere I want to install the engine shed, goods bay, small station etc etc, the photo is rubbish as it is full of junk but imagine another shelf above the white shelf shown in the pic, if you look carefully you can see the blue marks on the wall where the board will go, the board in total will be 204cm wide by 40cm deep. The problem is that after the curves has entered from the sides the back straight will only be 120cm wide, that's the space I have chaps, although of course the nearer you get to the front of the board the more space you have......if that makes sense! Feel free to suggest away....I need it!

The 2nd and 3rd pics......

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n284 ... gLoops.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n284 ... psSite.jpg

Show the location of where I need the main station to go with the 2 passing loops off the solitairy main line......excuse all the mess but of course we are talking from scratch here........

The available space is 250cm along the wall so no problems there and a depth of approx 30cm which is not much, in fact by my calculations this will be enough for the main line, 1st loop, island platform, 2nd loop, errrrmmm that's it!

Ok chaps I have babbled enough, over to you, have fun with it, enjoy looking at all the crap in my storeroom and have fun.

Thanks in advance.......

[cold-ash]

Looks quite a good space, nice to have a dedicated area too.

A Watford fan?

[mortyfootball]

A Watford fan?

Looks like it... they'll be down before you know it!

The width issue(s) cause quite a problem. Trying to think of a solution...

Shaun