New N scale layout (thoughts and suggestions)

[MichaelT]

Well, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things and part of that (after finishing up a few home projects) will be getting back into the train room. Above is a loose rendition of what is in there now i.e. benchwork, but I'm not against taking it down and starting from scratch if some of you experienced folks can/would add some of your thoughts. As far as my ideas, I do have some things I'd like to do;

Continuous run, either dogbone or a pull out leaf
Era will be late 60's to mid 70's, somewhere in that time frame
Mopac will be the main railroad for this project; mainly running in Arkansas
4 axle diesels mainly, but do have a couple of 2-8-0's that will run at times either in service or as nostalgia
probably nothing larger than 60 foot rolling stock except maybe some passenger units

One thought is a Mopac owned shortline branched off a PTP mainline

The area around here is flatlands, some minor grade changes but nothing like the Ozarks or other mountain ranges.

So, with the space you see, anything pop into anyone's heads as to possibilities? I would like to read all anyone would want to offer to help out.

[ednadolski]

What is the height of the existing benchwork?  It looks like you've got a kind of 'bridge' section near the center of the room,  if that is going to be a duckunder then you want it to be as high as possible.  Alternately, you could consider a removable section that only goes into place when you want to run continuously.  A section like that could also go across the doorway on the upper right, and that would give some more freedom of movement within the room.

Another though: have you considered what kind of train length(s) and the staging/storage tracks that you would need to support that?  With continuous running, it sounds to me like you're after a 'railfanning' kind of scheme.  If so, then do you want a double-track mainline, or a single track main with passing sidings?  For the latter, you'll need to decide your train length, so you know how long the sidings will have to be.

Ed

[wm3798]

Good to see you scratching that N scale itch again, Michael!

I would recommend you start simple, maybe just run a loop of track around the room, put in a couple of longish sidings (20-30 cars capacity) and amuse yourself running trains around for a bit.  Let the thought process about the scenes you want to include, structures you want to build and what not evolve a little.

Over time, it will become apparent where the best place for a little staging will be, a good location for a junction, and maybe some industrial areas.  If you start with at least a 2" layer of foam, you can always go back and cut in some water courses, and add some layers to build up the terrain.

Don't be in a hurry, do one scene at a time to a fair level of completeness, then move on to the next.  I've found that doing scenery in bits like this makes it easier to deal with a change in plans later.  I can cut out the completed scene, and just worry about blending it back in to the new alignment.

Hope this helps.
Lee