Elliston - loft layout

[Emettman]

I don't have flooring behind the rafters for the baseboard legs,

But you already have the legs: the rafters
Horizontal battens from them will support longitudinal baseboards sitting on such.
A 10" wide is plenty, so they can handle four tracks and leave room for one or two more.

Chris.

[Emettman]

A sketch:
5ft between the rafters: 3ft for you 2ft for the layout, in the width.
Drawn as 11ft long. An extra foot would get an extra coach length for your trains.



You had drawn four points and mentioned perhaps two more.
The magenta track keeps to that six point limit for stage one.
You can have four trains taking turns on the single mainline, given the two long end sidings (dual track to be) and the "hidden" passing loops.
The next stage would be either to develop the station or to complete the double track as shown in light blue.
In each case either installing future points or matching short pieces of track as you go would minimize later disturbance.

Just thinking, Chris

[paule23]

Not a lot been going on with the planning. I installed Windows onto my Mac so I could use SCARM or Anyrail, but I can't boot the bloomin' thing up as i need to press the Option key, and it won't recognise my wireless keyboard until it boots up. Arghhhhhhh. I'll snaffle one from work on Monday.

In the meantime I've been baseboard building. A couple of 4x2 boards built (excluding legs) another couple more to go, and I'll need some 1' wide as well.

Also stocked up on Peco flex track. My birthday today and my wife bought me a really cute Hornby Nissen hut, so I've got to work that into the plan somehow.

[paule23]

I've made some progress with the baseboards.

As you can see from the photos I've been playing with running boards around the room, or back to an 8x4 slab. It's clear from this that around the room is the way to go as there is so much more space, I can have wider and more realistic curves etc.

I've now got to make a couple more boards, I'm thinking 2 4x2 on the left hand side, then a 2x4 across the top, some 4x1 (or 4 x 1.5) down the right hand side, and a 2x4 across the bottom. Should make a 10x5 (or thereabouts) layout.

Still going to be based on a double oval, but scope for some crossovers and multiple sidings/fiddle yard in the narrow section on the right hand side, with a station scene on the left. I'm still having trouble getting some track planning software, but I've now got flexible track so I might just have a play and see where it leads!

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[Kerluk]

Good start. Now it's a "Personal Layouts - Under Construction".

[paule23]

Good start. Now it's a "Personal Layouts - Under Construction".

I think it might be a combination of planning and under construction for a while (whilst a bit of overspill into the Baseboard section)

[Kerluk]

I keep my eyes wide open to watch this thread.

[paule23]

I keep my eyes wide open to watch this thread.

Don't forget to blink, I might be a while getting this up and running.......

[sishades]

When constructing the tracks, bear in mind that transition curves and gentle twists and turns are more pleasing to the eye than long straights.

[paule23]

When constructing the tracks, bear in mind that transition curves and gentle twists and turns are more pleasing to the eye than long straights.

Understood, I've got flex track forthis very reason so I can have slight variations in the straights.

Below is a basic plan. THere are some alignment issues but I hope I can overcome these with flexitrack. It is one plan but shown as a top half in the first image and a bottom half in the second (limited free software!).

I'd appreciate any thoughts on how this works. The aim is a basic oval, with a country station (top) and some sidings/storage (bottom). There will probably be a hill and track in a tunnel on the right hand side of the layout.

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[End2end]

It is one plan but shown as a top half in the first image and a bottom half in the second (limited free software!).

Just one suggestion. Get yourself SCARM software for your planning. Free and unlimited.
http://www.scarm.info/index.php
Thanks
End2end

[paule23]

It is one plan but shown as a top half in the first image and a bottom half in the second (limited free software!).

Just one suggestion. Get yourself SCARM software for your planning. Free and unlimited.
http://www.scarm.info/index.php
Thanks
End2end

I've got a Mac and no Windows software so no can do I'm afraid.

[paule23]

After a slight delay, and some judicious use of a hammer, my baseboards are now complete.

I've fit in 10x6, with a 2x6 hole in the middle. I'm still looking at a basic double oval, but with sidings probably to an engine shed on the left where a country station/village scene is planned.

I'm still deciding what to do in the right hand side, whether to have a fiddle yard, or an urban station scene.

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[js1975]

Track down. That's a good start. Keep it up.