# Suggestion for placing roads



## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

I am working on the layout. So far, it is looking good but realized my major mistake - no road for anything to go to. Any suggestion will be appreciated.


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## dsertdog56 (Oct 26, 2014)

Are you planning on putting a town or small city somewhere? My suggestion would be in the center of the dogbone. A gate crossing could be added at the straight section east of the stone pit. That road would continue east and then North just behind the the bumpers in the yard to the diesel shop. You could then run a road west to the sand pit area. Lots of Dump truck traffic there!

You might have to shorten your yard tracks slightly to accommodate the access, or splay the southern most yard track off to the south as an industrial spur. Then you could "Y" in a second road to service any industries along that spur.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

One trick to help you design your roads. Don't let a road
system control your layout. You can let a road simply go
over the edge of your layout similar to this scene from
my HO layout.









I use that device in various places. Some roads never connect
with others but do provide 'access' to an industry or other
place.

Just locate your industries or train stations where it will be best
for your operations then build a road that may or may not
connect with any others.

Don


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## dsertdog56 (Oct 26, 2014)

As you can see, there are at least two schools of thought here.

On my layout the roads disappear off the bench work like Don R has. But I've also replanned my layout so that roadways and streets appear to connect and support the railway. I wish my bench work was a bit wider so my streets could be connected properly.

I have eliminated some trackage so that access can be gained by vehicle.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Turn your thinking around a little here...

The biggest mistake I see on some layouts is that they have all of these facilities and now way for anyone to get *to* them.

The roundhouse and diesel shop should have driveways and parking for employees.
The stone pit should have a way for trucks and equipment to get in and out. And probably some parking out front for employees.

As mentioned though, you don't have to model the entire road system - the parking area could be across the tracks and off the edge of the layout and represented by a driveway and grade crossing at the edge of the layout - and the roads on the layout don't have to connect *everything* together, but most of what's there should be at least served by a roadway or driveway even if it just runs off the edge of the modeled world.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Assuming you aspire to some degree of realism, you absolutely cannot omit places for vehicles other than trains. As cv_acr said, everything on your layout needs access to a road, except perhaps if you're modeling some deep wilderness area for camping / hiking, etc. While logging camps in the deep timber that were served only by rail were not unheard of, they were few and far between.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Little better this time!


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm not sure what the purpose of the road crossing the 3 tracks to get to the turntable is. Perhaps I have missed something. The rest looks good to me.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Only one thing lacking in your road system. It is totally isolated from the world
unless you plan that 'stub' crossing that seems to end on the other
side of the tracks.

I'd add a good crossing of your main on the right side and off the table as your
'exit strategy'.

Don


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I would be tempted to isolate the road to the turntable area and have it exit top left, not connecting to the 4 track yard. Then isolate the 4 track yard with another set of roads that exit where you have it and perhaps going straight across the three mains and disappearing. Remove the connection to the rock pit and isolate the road exit off the the left. That helps the feeling that these industries are long distances apart from one another. Having never gotten any of my layouts to the point of actually putting in roads, this must make me at real expert!


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

More changes done.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

If you are still in the design stage, you might want to consider where
you could put spur tracks for industries. You've got a nice yard, and
very good continuous running tracks, but a little short on why you
have freight cars of various types.

Don


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