# Newb Layout Questions



## Waeninzil (Sep 24, 2008)

Hello all,

I got my old train set from when I was a kid back out a few weeks ago. And I think I am going to go crazy trying to get a good design for my space. I just can't make up my mind, I haven't been able to design anything that I like.

I have an 4' x 10' Table with one end that has a 3' x 2' "L" sticking off of it.

this is what I have so far. I don't want to load the table up with track, because I am actually getting it set up no just for the trains but also 50% because of the modeling aspect of the scenery and towns etc..

Again this is just a rough draft. And the bottom got cut off a bit.

The entire left vertical side is going to be elevated a couple inches on a hill, and then on the corners I will have a 2-4% incline/decline.

The "L" portion will be my train yard, and will be bigger, but you get the point.

I am having a tough time picking my era still. (thinking sometime 50s-70s???)

I definitely want a logging/lumber industry. And maybe a coal industry if I can fit it in.

I also want a river or something somewhere.

Am I trying to cram too much in? Hey at least I didn't say I want a round house haha.

I am grateful for any suggestions you may have. I do believe the current layout is a little boring, but I don't know how to make it better.

Thanks!

- Thomas


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## Boston&Maine (Dec 19, 2007)

Welcome to the forum! I assume that this is O scale? 

I would say that having BOTH a logging company and a coal industry would be a little too much, but I guess if you do not want a town or anything you could stick the logging at one end and the coal at the other end...

I think the best place for a river to run through your layout would be from the top left, down the middle of the layout, and then out the bottom right...

These are my thoughts; just throwing in my two cents...


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## fsm1000 (Jul 24, 2008)

I had a resort, a saw mill [not built but a space for it] and more on my O scale layout in only 6 feet by 4 feet. Tore it down recently and building another one in the same space.

In the end it depends what you like most and how much detail you want. A simple one building shot can represent the logging. Say a warehouse on one end and a sawmill on the other. A small mine house in one area etc.

As for eras etc i don't bother with them myself. I buy what I like and use it as I please. Then again I prefer smaller and geared steam. So that narrows it down for me.

One other thing I recommend too is to make a model of your model before you commit [tutorial of how i did mine on my website if you wanna look at how I did mine]. This will save money and heartache later. Also it helps you to visualize things better and see if it is really what you want and if it will all fit as well. 

I hope this helps you out


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