09/06/2021
A series of proposed basic, rough track plans I have just sketched out for a model railroad in a modest (13' x 17') room...
The owner is dismantling a very cramped, poorly designed layout, salvaging only structures and the turntable/roundhouse which he wants as a central theme.
The mainline is double tracked throughout, with provision to "combine" the two into one long run. There is a surprisingly long run time for such a clean layout, with about 3 or 4 minutes to complete a run at realistic speed before crossing over the same stretch of track. Long enough to go grab a beer.
Very little has been worked out for many secondary items...streets and roads, specific structures and so forth, as those have yet to be settled upon.
As you can see here, my layout design philosophy is built on immersion within a layout... rather than the typical "ping-pong table in the middle of the room" approach. My designs commit the owner to turning their head 180 degrees several times to follow their trains. This multiplies the "distance" a train travels... by not being able to see the entire layout ALL the time... aided by scenic dividers such as mountains.
My designs also stress accessibility, with no area of the operational layout beyond a comfortable arms' reach. A common fault is to shove a sheet of 4 x 8 plywood into a corner and then have to climb on hands and knees over your layout to retrieve that wrecked boxcar in the far corner tunnel. I leave those far corners to scenic grandeur, if I have to have them.
Another key item of my design philosophy is to build at what I call "ni**le height"... the "sea level" is at the height of the owner's ni**les as they stand by it. This is a perfect height to do work...without having to lean over, and usually close enough to attend most maintenance without a stepladder. This height also reduces the need for vast depths or huge structures, as your field of vision is foreshortened and the "horizon" is hardly visible (a great disappointing thing, and very difficult to disguise when you can see the edge of your "world"). Consequently, 2 feet of depth is very rewarding.
Bonus, the room afforded under your layout at this height is great for rolling storage and bookcases. Hell, I even had a work bench and a daybed under mine.
Thanks for looking!
