wentere albertyna founder
Phoebe Sibilio
I wanted each module to be completely self-contained, that is to say I wanted it to have the overhanging facia, backdrop, lighting and track all as one piece. Having it all connected means that when dismantled I could brace each side of the module and it would create its own containment box. This would make it much easier to move and store in the future without causing damage to the scenery.
I started by building each separate module in Anyrail. This gave me a plan for how I was going to cut the wood and actually assemble the modules. Once I had the baseboards drawn and the basic footprint visualized I could start on layout design.
A really cool feature is you can print your design at any stage during the process. Sometimes it can be difficult to use a computer to work out your track arrangement, especially in the planning and experimentation stage, which is why I printed a bunch of layout footprints without track on it. That way I was able to simply use a pencil and play around really quickly with trying different designs.
Cudgewa was an end of the line station, thus it had a turntable. The problem for me is the layout is just to tight to have a turntable, so I had to go without. My real goal with the layout was to get a station that felt large and could fit a long train. Similar to the Victorian train station diorama I made, but bigger. And for that to work I had to sacrifice some other details.
When designing the track plan, it's a very good idea to know exactly where the modules for each section begin and end, something that you'll need to avoid at all costs is having a turnout placed right over a section where two modules join... It won't work!
Also, as you can see in the above image of the track plan, I've got the framework of each module visible as a faint background under the track. That is for a very specific reason, as stated above it's so I don't put a turnout across two modules but additionally it is so I can avoid placing the section of the turnout that will be controlled by a point motor over any sections of the module framework. That's because the switch machine that controls the turnout will hang down underneath the sub-roadbed and possibly be fouled by the framework. While this isn't an overriding consideration it will make laying track and building the modules much more straight forward.
The plan was printed in 1:1 scale on A4 paper, so that I could piece the paper sections together and lay it out on top of the modules, making it very easy to transfer the track plan designed using Anyrail onto the actual baseboard of the layout.
After developing your concept, or theme, you're now ready to consider various model railroad track plans. The information on the first part of this page has to do with the basic building blocks and various schematics that can be used in forming your basic track plan. You will probably want to use the information here in conjunction with that on the Layout Design page, as you form your overall plan...
Here are some examples of simple continuous running track plans, which can be combined, twisted, duplicated upon each other or stretched out in different ways to make unique track plans none of which look alike:
When laying curved track, you should use an easement, which eases your way into and out of the curve. In other words, start your curve with a larger radius, then ease into the tighter radius, then come out of the curve again with a larger radius. Your trains will look better going around the curve that way.
Easement:
You must remember to make gaps in the rails at each end of the reversing loop and in at least two sides of the "wye" triangle in order to avoid short circuits. (You make gaps in the rails either by cutting through the rails with a saw or rotary tool and filling the gap with non-conductive plastic or silicone sealer, or by using plastic rail joiners sold for this purpose.)
A passing siding is an important component of any model railroad track plan. A conventional siding is a simple way of getting one train around another. Perhaps a better, more versatile, way to do this is to use a lapped siding as suggested by Dave Husman in the 2007 issue of Model Railroad Planning...
It helps to use graph paper with each grid being a scale measure of your layout. This will help you to be realistic in your drawings so that your trackplan will more likely fit into the space you have available. Make sure you include terrain, roads, rivers, towns, structures, etc. And try to avoid "spaghetti". Sometimes simpler is better.
One very important thing to keep in mind while drawing your trackplan, is polarity. If your train will be looping back on itself such that it will be returning on the same track from which it came into the loop, you will have to have railgaps somewhere to prevent an electrical short. Some of these loops are not easy to see. For example, looking at the trackplan at the top of this page, if you imagine a short train or locomotive traveling east (left) on the bottom of the layout plan, and then backing up into the branch, as it makes it's way back and forth through the branches to get to the top of the plan, when it re-enters the mainline, it will be going in the reverse direction compared to when it started on the bottom. This won't work unless you have a railgap somewhere in the middle.
At some point in this process, after you have a rough draft of your layout on paper, you may want to use one of the many great software programs available to look at your plan in more detail and show it to others. Many of the programs allow you to run virtual trains on the tracks to see how they will operate. You can even get an idea about how many sections of track and how many turnouts you will need. Go to the Software Page on this site to find out more about these helpful model railroad computer programs.
Once your benchwork is built you can start putting down some tracks loosely on the subroadbed and see how it looks and how it might operate. This will help you further refine your plan when you can see it in 3D.
If you are planning on having grades, or elevations, in your track plan, or if you want to find out more about making sure you have proper clearance for your tunnels and bridges,and the proper space between curving parallel tracks, etc., you may wish to visit the page on Grades and Clearances.
I usually spend quite a bit of time on my model railroad track plans. I try to imagine how my trains will travel, how they will operate, how many trains I want to have running at the same time without having to worry about crashes, how they will spot cars in spurs, how they will pick up the empty cars, how to avoid tying up the mainline, etc., etc. I do this on paper at first with lots of different drawings of different parts of the layout and then I use the Railmodeler software to "draw" it on my Mac. Mostly, I want to try to avoid "re-do's" later.
If you know what structures you will be using, you can include them in your planning at this time and see how the trains interact with the buildings as well as the terrain. You don't necessarily have to use completed structures here. You can just use mock-ups or just a piece of cardboard cut out to match the dimensions of the base.
Rather than designing your own layout, you may wish to use or modify a layout plan that has already been created. There are many excellent references containing multiple trackplans of all different sizes and shapes:
NOTE: I'm in the process of updating the scripts that run the blog, so there will be changes made in the next few months. Comments no longer need approval, but you must be logged-in to view posts. If you want to become a member of this website, just click on the 'Sign-In' link on the menu bar for more information. Cheers, Rob.
Back in May of 2018, I was asked to design a micro urban industrial switching layout set in the transition era. The client also sent a track plan for a waterfront scene that he liked (I did as well), and wanted it used as the basis for the design that he wished to be mocked up in 3D. I assumed the track plan was from a British source, since it used a...
A new version of this blog has been in the works for the past few weeks, and it will hopefully be available soon. I'm not sure how much disruption there will be during the transition period, so please be patient. I will also inform you that once the blog is moved to the new server, the need to sign in will be eliminated. The sign-in was only there to combat the ongoing spam issue. Take care, Rob.
Back in March of 2018, I was asked by a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group to help design a minimalist layout with a beginner in mind. The design was to be done in N-scale, and had to fit a 11.5" x 36" space (the size of a 1x12-inch plank) and be based on an Inglenook design. The layout would be set in the American Southwest...
Back in February of 2018 I was asked to design a layout based on Baltimore & Ohio's West 26th Street terminal on Manhattan. After completing that track plan, I decided to tackle another similar design. I finally settled on Erie's West 28th Street terminal. The design was a lot more straight forward to duplicate than the B&O one, but of course...
This concept design was done back in March of 2018 for an owner of a partially completed N-scale pike who has grown weary of the level of operations required on the layout. The N-scale layout occupied this space, but had been dormant for a few years. Theowner was considering moving up to HO, and from modeling mainline operations to a more...
Back in 2017, I had been inspired by a member of a railway forum that was modeling a Soo branch line on a mini HO-scale layout. Since that time, I had taken a keen interest in modeling Prairie towns and grain elevators operations. So I began designing some small modules depicting small stations, with grain operations...
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