'Tis Only a Matter of Time...

[Santa Fe buff]

My room is almost done, and my layout is on the verge of coming into my room. It'll be a 4x8 inside my own room... I'll officially be a layout modeler besides the Steel Alloy E-Z track on the carpet. In other thread's I've posted that I've "Raided Someone's Garage", and got tons of pre-weathered and detailed, as well as undecorated, locomotives, tools, and scenery cheap. Then got what didn't sell for free. I've learned how the model, decal, paint, plan, wire, and weather 300% better than ever before, thanks to me joining Bachmann's Ask The Bachmann. Once my room is complete, and my layout is in my room. Then it will be a step bigger then my first Life-Like and Bachmann Train Set. Everything seems to be so odd. The year I get into the hobby for real, we get two Hobby Shops that sell ton of railroad stuff in a district that hasn't seen a hobby shop in 25 years, and only had a Arts & Crafts store with no train-related stock. Yesterday, I've purchased my first copy of Model Railroader, and plan to subscribe when money is gained. I'm planning an ATSF/BNSF merger time with ex-ATSFs, ex-BN and early BNSF schemed engines. On one side, a coal mine, on the other, a Life-Like Home Coal company hopper unload with distributing center, truck scale, and coals and rocks. I've also bought tons of HO scale "coal". I'm planing on a section of it being the end of a river via lake. I'll use an older Bachmann bridge to transport the trains over, and have a road under the bridge next to the river. Also, I'll see if I can fit a small mountain or something to make the mine just not be there for nothing. But I'm hoping to get a small yard. Also, this will mostly be double track, for I'm running Amtrak too. I'll see what happens. I'll get some pictures when time allows...

'Tis only a matter of time...

[SteamGene]

Back off.  That's far too much for a 4x8.  Sorry.
Gene

[Jhanecker2]

sounds like youthful enthusiasm, hope it last.  J2

[Santa Fe buff]

I know, I was trying to brainstorm a bit... But as you think about it, all together, it'll need a HUGE layout. I'll probably end up with a simple double oval with a couple spurs, a small coal loader and little kit, and my coal unload is about 5"x5"...and is a dead-end unload, so the unload thing is at the end of something. This river will likely be small. I see your end, Gene, this will likely be too much. I'll just see how it plays out, I'm probably getting ahead of myself...

I'm thinking BIG and planning small!

I'm looking into track plans...

sounds like youthful enthusiasm, hope it last.  J2

Probably! I was able to think of a track plan and did it on my friends layout and was able to get these while not stressing the locomotives:

An elevated oval ; Double Oval ; & 3-Track yard!

But he had his enthusiasm, but he's also getting a huge layout to do it on! But hey, most modelers start on a 4x8!

[RAM]

One thing that you might want is to put a view block in the center.  At one end you could have
your coal mine, and right next to it (on the other side of the view block) have a power plant.  I
have seen this done on large layouts using unit trains, but you would not want that.  Just pull four
or five loads of coal from the mine and push the same number of empty hoppers to be loaded.
Then you take the loads of coal around to the power plant.  Now you will need a runaround track
so you can drop the inbound cars. Then go and pull the outbound cars. Drop them on the
runaround track, and then push the inbound to the power plant or coal mine.  You would not
need to take all of your coal loads to the power plant, or all of your empty hoppers back to the
mine.  You can have other customers on the layout out or off the layout.  You would have a main
line that would bypass the power plant and coal mine.

[Santa Fe buff]

Another suggestion that sound interesting... I'll talk it over...

[Daylight4449]

Hey your wrong, Ive got a turntable, Yard, passing siding, main line, siding, branch, and room for tons more on my 4X8. By the way. Any hint on how to get free Steam No? Ah well.

[Santa Fe buff]

"Free Steam"?! Do you mean like a trade of me giving you? If so, I don't own any steamers... Although I'm planning on one locomotive for excursions... Yeah, 4x8s are big, but no turntable for me. Perhaps a shed. I'm only planning on coal. So a 3-4 track yard, 1 for Amtrak; 1 for passing freight, and 1-2 for storing cars. But again, think about this, I'm planning 22-35° radii on my outside loop with 22° radii on the inside. Will this work/fit on a 4x8?

[Guilford Guy]

22" is the maximum you can fit on the outside loop. Since radius is measured center to center, and roadbed would be an additional 1" on either side, 2xRadii+2= width of track+roadbed. Thus 46" for 22" radii, leaving only an inch of clearance on either side. If you are using flex, I've heard of people getting good results with 20" radii. I know one of the MR project layouts used 20" radius. If you are using mostly 4 axle power(MUed Geeps or F's), few if any six axles, and 2 bay hoppers, you can get away with an 18" minimum radii on the inside, and 22" on the outside only if absolutely necessary. Passenger runs on 4x8's are pushing it unless you use RDC's or Doodlebugs (Amtrak operated RDC's in Illinois in the 1070's and 1980's.

[Santa Fe buff]

Ewe, sorry GG... I'm not using any RDCs, I know what your talking about too. I'm using F40PHs... Bachmann Spectrum's. They're currently out of order, but I'll have them running. It was only going to be a 3-car commuter train anyway. Here's my plan, and thanks to GG, I've got some figures to work with. A 18" radii inside loop on a separate transformer for housing the Amtrak w/ a station that is facing inward. On the outside, a 20" radii loop with 2-3 spurs on ends. If the whole 2nd track idea is a bust, then I'll run it like real-time. The freighters wait while Amtrak roll by. If I don't have the proper equipment for more then one locomotive per pack, then all derail the freight unit by setting the wheels off the rails, but so it looks like they're actually on the rails. I've considered insulation joints, but I can't do that on this size system without it begin to protect a car on a "for-fun" spur. All in all, I've got several plans and sizes, but I can't really decide.

EDIT:

RAM,
   I talked it over with my parents, no. We can't put the block in the center. It's seems much too small.

[SteamGene]

Run the passenger train on the outside loop if you have two loops.  A single track with a long passing siding makes for more operational fun and is more prototypical for today.  Also, Amtrak goes in the hole for freight these days.  Now in September, 1957, it's the exact opposite. 
Gene

[Jake]

Ewe, sorry GG... I'm not using any RDCs, I know what your talking about too. I'm using F40PHs... Bachmann Spectrum's. They're currently out of order, but I'll have them running. It was only going to be a 3-car commuter train anyway. Here's my plan, and thanks to GG, I've got some figures to work with. A 18" radii inside loop on a separate transformer for housing the Amtrak w/ a station that is facing inward. On the outside, a 20" radii loop with 2-3 spurs on ends. If the whole 2nd track idea is a bust, then I'll run it like real-time. The freighters wait while Amtrak roll by. If I don't have the proper equipment for more then one locomotive per pack, then all derail the freight unit by setting the wheels off the rails, but so it looks like they're actually on the rails. I've considered insulation joints, but I can't do that on this size system without it begin to protect a car on a "for-fun" spur. All in all, I've got several plans and sizes, but I can't really decide.

EDIT:

RAM,
   I talked it over with my parents, no. We can't put the block in the center. It's seems much too small.

Let me get this straight, your parents won't let you put a view block in the center of your LAYOUT because it seems too small?

[pdlethbridge]

The  view block could be just buildings, a hill,  trees or plywood. It doesn't need to be big, only act as a distraction

[Guilford Guy]

Or a combination. Veryfine Juice on my Lamoille Valley is 2 walls angled into a hillside, and hidden on the other side by a forest starting behind a row of houses in the town.

[Santa Fe buff]

Ah, it doesn't really matter. I ask them again, they thought it was too small and also, they wouldn't have the time. But I don't think I really want it anyway. We're getting closer, we're going to paint my closet, and the other night-stand and then it comes up. Before that, we need my uncle to get the wooden legs on it.

Josh