Help Design My New Layout

thomasj219 · August 29, 2012, 07:46:04 PM

Hello all, I am finally getting a bigger place and have room for a layout. I would love some help with the track design and who better to ask then you all. I have seen some of your layouts and they are fantastic.

It will most likely be 5X8 but we could go a little bigger if necessary.

There will be three main lines.
I would like to include

Wellsworth Station

Tidmouth Sheds and Yard

Tidmouth Station and Yard

The Docks

Quarry/Coaling Plant

The Viaduct (If possible)

I may have a separate table just for Knapford but I am not sure yet. I really need help on this one guys and I hope you will help.

Shawn · August 29, 2012, 08:08:32 PM

If you have a mac, railmodeller has been invaluable in my layout planning!

thomasj219 · August 29, 2012, 09:10:20 PM

Thanks I'll have to buy that when I can. I have been looking for a good software for Mac for quite a while. Anyone with other design ideas please post.

JWR3001 · August 30, 2012, 04:31:55 AM

My advice to you at this point would be to maybe considering drawing up some layouts plans or writing ideas down on paper first off. Sure, computer programs can get you a much more accurate result, but drawing up some plans and experimenting with ideas can give you a basic structure/plan for your layout, which you can then expand upon on in computer programs.

Putting all of these locations together in a single layout will be very challenging, I'd definitely experiment with a few different layout plans on paper to begin with if I were you...you may end up deciding against including certain locations, or choosing ones which might better suit your available working space.

JWR3001

jward · August 30, 2012, 12:59:55 PM

the best advice i can give is to start with a published plan. while 5x8 is not that common, 4x8 is. there are many 4x8 plans out there to choose from. use the extra foot in the front for a small yard, or even for extra scenery.

there is no way you are going to be able to put all that you want in the space you have, somethings will have to be shelved. probably the biggest in terms of space used would be the turntable at tidmouth sheds. the rest of the features may have to be selectively compressed, maybe 3 tracks instead of 5 or 6 in the yard for example.

thomasj219 · August 30, 2012, 02:29:46 PM

Guys, I don't think I made the above post clear enough. I fully understand I will not be able to fit all that but that is what I would like to have in there if at all possible. I have already had a layout for years that was 8X9 not too common either but I made it work. I am not asking for advice on the design process as I have already started putting things on paper (I have done this several times before and I find paper is the best way to start) but asking if anyone would want to help me with a design, like an actual track plan. Know what I mean?

donaldthescottishtwin · August 30, 2012, 03:16:02 PM

If you want to make accurate sections of the TV locations I suggest using SI3D's Trainz routes as reference and sources. Just count yourself lucky you have room I am an intense collector and have no room for a decent layout nor do i have a fancy cabinet so they sadly gather dust on my wooden shelf next to my consoles.

thomasj219 · August 30, 2012, 04:08:32 PM

Yes I have admired the SI3D layouts for a long time and have been looking at them intensely. However I don't really have the room to make them exactly as they are on the program. I am trying to find a design that will mesh the destinations together easily.

Calebtrain · August 30, 2012, 07:03:43 PM

Hmm....How about I draw up a plan, then upload a picture here? Then maybe you can go from there? I'm making a layout using almost all the locations on Sodor, and I'm figuring out how to cram things together, without it seeming crammed.

thomasj219 · August 30, 2012, 08:13:22 PM

Yea, if I had a few designs to go with my own I could take the best form all and put together a great layout. Anyone else who has time to design one it would be greatly appreciated.

Shawn · August 30, 2012, 11:59:59 PM

Railmodeller is free! This is the website: railmodeller.com. The only thing different between the shareware and freeware versions is you can't save in the freeware. I get around this by using command+shift+4 to get around it

thomasj219 · August 31, 2012, 01:24:02 AM

Oh cool! What does that do then?

Shawn · August 31, 2012, 08:20:56 PM

You open the UI, at the bottom you have some menus to select many brands of track (bachmann,Hornby atlas ect) in many scales. Even Tomy/TM/plarails track! you drag and drop around the screen to move the tracks around, they click together. At the top are a bunch of functions. There are tutorials an YouTube by the dev, type in Macrailsoft into the search bar in YT.

jettrainfan · September 02, 2012, 02:04:06 PM

With a 5 by 8, I'd say do tidmouth sheds and yard., have a 2-3 mainline oval with the shed and yards at one end and add a good stretch of mainline for a more country view. I'd say give 3 about 8ths of the layout to that and 2 8ths to the main line part.... just a quick idea, I didn't mention certain areas cause I figure your mind can start wondering and figure ideas out to fill in the gaps I left.

thomasj219 · September 10, 2012, 03:04:49 PM

Yeah thanks, I am currently working on a design which I will upload when I am finished with it. Maybe in this topic maybe not. But be on the look out, in the new year will come a rebirth of my model series...and I'll need a cast.

More details will come soon...when I figure out what they are

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Help Design My New Layout