ho layout ideas

[TrainFan2020]

i its timwojo here-

i need lots of help i want to make a new layout in the basement and i mite do some places from the show "thomas and friends"
here are some examples: coaling yard,tidmouth sheds,knapford,and bredom docks

you can give ideas,pictures,anything you people have.

REMEMBER:IT CAN ONLY BE FROM SEASON 1 2 3 14 15

THANKS

TIMWOJO

[SodorAdventures]

Well, you can check out my layout in the layout thread for some ideas.

[Cheeky_ULP]

How much space do you have to work with?

[TrainFan2020]

sparks-

a normal size layout like sodor adventure's layout


timwojo

[TrainFan2020]

ow yea

people you can't tell me about the coaling yard,
bredom docks,knaford, and tidmouth sheds
because i will be using those ideas
 

timwojo

[SodorAdventures]

Um, my layout is Anything but normal sized. It is 4 by 16 ft with 2 by 2 's connecting it with another 2 by 16 ft section.   A normal sized layout is 4 by 8 ft. So do you want 4 by 8?

[JWR3001]

Just a few ideas that come to mind when thinking about the first three seasons. You probably won't be able to use some of these due to their size or complexity, but you'll know which will work best on your layout.

-Gordon's Hill
-The Viaduct
-Bulgy's Bridge
-Ffarquhar Station
-Wellsworth Station
-Henry's Forest
-Vicarage Orchard
-The Watermill
-Anopha Quarry
-Tidmouth Hault
-Henry's Tunnel
-Elsbridge Station
-Dryaw Airfield
-The Windmill

You can find information and pictures of all of these by searching them up on the Thomas Wikia, although I'll include some photos of my favourites:

The Watermill:


The Vicarage Orchard:


Henry's Tunnel:


Wellsworth Station:


The Viaduct:


It might also be a good idea to take a look at some photos of the Drayton Manor "Discover Thomas & Friends" Model Exhibit. For my layout, I've been looking over some photos and it helps a lot when planning a Thomas-themed layout.

Hope this helps,

JWR3001

[TrainFan2020]

for sodor adventures-

i want mine to be a  4 by 16 with another 2 by 16 ft section

and for JWR3001 -

thank you for the ideas and pictures

[SodorAdventures]

Oh, wow! I didn't know! 

  Then, make sure you have a lot of space, and time, because its a lot of work just to build the tables for them! I think I can send you some pictures here on how to build the frame of the table in a little while.

                                                                                         -Tanner

[jward]

if you can get another 6-12" of width your possibilities increase greatly. a 4 1/2' or 5' table allows the use of 26"r curves, plus it gives you more room to work with smaller radii.

here are my thoughts on layout design.

1.  avoid s curves. never have a right and left turn connected together. always put at least 6" of straight track between the turns. this is especially critical on the smaller radii curves.

2. avoid the use of the standard switches. these have an 18"r curve through the curved side. when you use them as a crossover between main tracks, you have an 18"r s curve, never a good idea. the same applies in yard areas. instead, use the numbered switches like #4, #6. these have a straight section built into them past the frog, and using them automatically gives you the straight section between curves.

3.  avoid the use of 15"r if you can. thomas train cars are short and may run well on those curves, but most american style locomotives are too big for them.

4. avoid long sections of straight track. these only make your layout look smaller. you can often substitute a gentle curve of large radii, such as 33 1/4"r or 35 1/2"r instead of a long straight. i think you'll like the way these gentle curves look.

5. try to build some elevated trackage. the over and under will make your layout more interesting. adding a lap of figure 8 track will open some scenic possibilities and break up the oval effect.

6. it is more interesting to have 2 tracks run around the layout twice, on different levels, than it is to have 4 tracks go around once.


7. where you need to build grades or inclines, don't make them too steep. 1/4" rise per standard section of track works out to about a 3% grade. try not to go much steeper than that. it takes at least 3" of vertical clearance for one track to bridge another. at a 3% grade, this means about 8 1/2' of incline to gain this height.

8. this is critical. make sure your rail joints are smooth. there should be no kinks or bumps at the joints. sight down your track when you lay it. you shouldn't be able to tell where track sections join.

this should be enough to get you started

[SodorAdventures]

Couldn't have said it better myself jward. I would most certainly agree about the 15" radius part, too

        Also, as a personally opinion, I found elevated trackage to be unrealistic for filming purposes. My old layout had an elevated double oval and it never looked right. However, it does add to the depth of the layout.

[Narrowgauge111]

this is all very interesting speculation. Ive been working on my layout a lot these past few day 9after sitting idle for 5 months...) and i could really use some ideas for the "bald spots". its all in shambles right now, so I'm just trying to get organized.

p.s, great to be back, after a few month of lack of posting (worded weird)

[TrainFan2020]

all-

also you can put up Pict's of YOUR layout


petersam12

[TrainFan2020]

hi it"s petersam12 now instead of timwojo-

instead of all of the seasons  i said instead i want from seasons 1 2 3


so give any ideas from my new ho layout


petersam12

[jward]

all-

also you can put up Pict's of YOUR layout


petersam12

mine have already been posted in this forum:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,15758.msg128133.html#msg128133


not much has changed since then as i've been working 70 hour weeks. some scenery has been started but not completed.