# HO track plan... looking for thoughts...



## Pitt-Trolley (Dec 11, 2017)

Here is my track plan for my layout...









The green, red, and yellow are for freight and passenger. The blue is strictly a trolley line and carhouse. The little section of gray track in the upper left goes into a tunnel and through the wall into the next room, where locomotive and car storage will be.

I love scenery, and I'm hoping to have a good bit. There will also be a good number of bridges and tunnels as well. Overall layout size is 21'X5' on the left side, and 21'X 8.5 on the right, with an access hole in the wall at the top right section, and 2 step throughs in the front.

Just seeing if anyone has suggestions or idea for any changes.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You have a very nice continuous running layout. There are many
folks who like to sit back with a cool one and watch the trains
go by...but how long will you be content with that. You seem to
have a lot of area where you could build a yard...and several
spurs that serve rail freight businesses. Those additions 
would provide you with hours of challenging switching
operations. The trains could continue making their
rounds as your switcher shuttles cars here and there.

Don


----------



## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Is that going to be a duck-under for the parallel tracks in the lower left?


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I think, when everything else is considered that you don't have much room on that layout for anything remotely resembling realistic scenery. You're going to have trouble even fitting structure models on that.

If you really want scenery, get rid of two or 3 of the loops and focus on one well-sceniced run, perhaps with an alternate routing or two to add variety.


----------



## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

You are going the right way. For now. But as the others are softly cautioning, there is a great concept in a loop, and most of us want one. It's just that they need some patience, revisions, often three or four, and then careful construction. Loops do get old if there's nothing else going on. Two, three loops in a confined space, now you're getting into the 'spaghetti bowl' territory where everything else is going to have to be pried into place with a crowbar, and a lot of your ideas won't fit. So, have a loop, maybe two, or why not a double loop (twin tracked, which is what I have to allow only my long passenger cars take advantage of the wider curves on the outside loop, 33" vs 36". It makes a difference especially backing a train with diaphragmed passenger cars).

Must you have a trolley? Could that be a separate build altogether, even in the future? Where will you put hills that don't have six tunnel entrances and exits on what you are contemplating? How many trees, and where? What about a street scene, a church, a schoolhouse, a barn, a couple of stores, a warehouse, a power station....a fire station...? To create this world, you need realistic spacing and placing of several items needed to create a fun illusion...that works. Having loops running all through it will just get boring within about three weeks. You need something for the trains to do. Do they haul anything? Do they switch at industries, swapping out empties and laden cars ready for market or the closest port? Where will your stream, ditches, or rivers run on your layout? Have you considered that it is almost a given that the approaches on either side of a bridge will be tangent rail, at least a car's length?

You're going the right way, but I hope you can understand and accept that three loops in your space is going to be fun and interesting to put together, but the 'whole' will leave you wanting something else before long.


----------



## Thelic (Jan 10, 2018)

21' long seems like a great space for a folded dogbone instead of concentric loops.

I also think your trackplan looks excessively deep. At the middle what reach is it to the back wall?


----------



## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

That’s a nice bit of space to work with. 
I agree with the others, there may not be a lot of room for scenery with all that trackage. 
It’s not necessary to make a trolley line a loop. You can use a forward/reverse auto reverser on a single line. Bazooka Electronics makes a nice one that you can adjust the delay time so it’s realistic. These will work with DC trolleys (or any loco) only.


----------



## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm a very firm believer in it's your railroad, you want it, go with it. So the only suggestion I'm going to make is to think movable sections in case the worst happens, you have to move. Been there, done that, total loss, never again. You can do it so there is little to no repair required to rebuild without adversely affecting the looks of your layout. I've seen many different methods so I suggest looking around. 

Personally, I'm a looper through and through. My current layout design doesn't have a single staging/yard track on it. I tried that switching thing, I'm just not interested, thank you very much.


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Same here. Not really interested in making up trains. This is a spectator sport for me when running trains.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Chaostrain said:


> I'm a very firm believer in it's your railroad, you want it, go with it. So the only suggestion I'm going to make is to think movable sections in case the worst happens, you have to move. Been there, done that, total loss, never again. You can do it so there is little to no repair required to rebuild without adversely affecting the looks of your layout. I've seen many different methods so I suggest looking around.
> 
> Personally, I'm a looper through and through. My current layout design doesn't have a single staging/yard track on it. I tried that switching thing, I'm just not interested, thank you very much.


No one is really telling him not to. What we are suggesting is that if his interest, as he stated, really is in scenery, then he has too much track to make that work. There is nothing wrong with loops (my layout is really just two big ones. The recommendation against the loop was trying to open up some room for scenery.


----------

