# Third draft - N Gauge fictitious Ohio river valley



## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Please have a look and let me know if you would do anything different.
The blue colored track will be ground level, sitting om top of 1.5" foam board. The river will be carved out pretty deep. 
The orange section will be 2" elevated with the peak of the hills on the insides. This section will use 2 Faller double-track bridges that will combine to a 31.5" span.
The green areas are inclines and declines. The right is an incline from ground level to 2". The left is a decline.
The bridge at the top is made up of 2 Walthers bridges.

I like the design, because in order to go from the right side ground level to the Left side ground level, you need to climb the incline and cross teh river at 2" height, then take the decline on the other side of the bridges back down to ground level. I feel like this will give me a lot of enjoyment, as I shuffle cars between spurs.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Perfect to run HVRY cars!


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A single track main should have passing sidings.
If you are using DCC you can have one train going
clockwise and another going counter clock wise
on the same track. They'll
need places to pass each other.

I would want a lot
more spur tracks for switching operations. You have
plenty of room where you have the village to set
up freight using industries that give purpose to 
your layout. You also
need a passing siding on the Blue track below the
upper left yard...there's no way to get a loco behind
a car as it is. 

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

You ask if we would do anything different. This really isn't a valid question, because no two people have the same desires and tastes, and what satisfies us may not satisfy you.

But, since you seem to be asking for MY opinion and how to satisfy MY tastes, I will tell you: I would find a layout where the primary "action" is just watching trains run around -- no matter how beautiful the scenery -- incredibly boring. We have a pizza joint near us which has two huge layouts built and maintained by a friend of mine. They're beautifully detailed and built., but obviously, trains just run in large circles. This is interesting to observe for about 5 minutes, then it gets rather dull. To satisfy me, I have to have sidings for industry, passing tracks, intersections, and other things that require me to have a throttle in my hand and control the trains. 

Now I'm not saying that you have to be like me. Maybe just sitting back and watching the trains run is right up your alley, or you want something that will run in the background while you talk to visitors. If so, what you have designed could be a very satisfactory layout. But I would caution you to test it first and make sure you really do find it engaging, otherwise you may expend an awful lot of effort building something that you will quickly abandon. 

There is a software package called TrainPlayer. It's kind of pricey, but it would allow you to import this design and run virtual trains on it. That could give you an idea whether or not this layout will have staying power with you.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JeffHurl said:


> Please have a look and let me know if you would do anything different.
> The blue colored track will be ground level, sitting om top of 1.5" foam board. The river will be carved out pretty deep.
> The orange section will be 2" elevated with the peak of the hills on the insides. This section will use 2 Faller double-track bridges that will combine to a 31.5" span.
> The green areas are inclines and declines. The right is an incline from ground level to 2". The left is a decline.
> ...


 Your "declines" (grades) look way too short to get from 0 up to 2" or back down. Grades should be about 2% meaning 100" to gain 2" also its a good idea to have "vertical easements" at the top and bottom of each grade. A vertical easement is a length of milder grade (1%) to let the train transition smoothly from flat track to the main grade. I also agree that some sidings and spurs would add operational interest. Right now, you can only watch trains go round & round. Perhaps that's all you want, your choice of course. Most of us would want some switching operation too. Your track plan also looks nothing like the trackage of a real railroad. Again, that may not matter to you, and it only has to satisfy you, nobody else. Real railroads don't run around loops, but in as straight a line as the topography will allow, from point 'A' to point 'B'. We modelers tend to want continuous running, which means some form of return loop at each end of the main line. However, it is possible, and desirable, to conceal or disguise part or all of the loops so that the train appears to be running from one town to another, rather than just chasing its own tail around & around. To see an example of this idea, look at my layout's track plan in the "Layout Design" section of this forum. It is the last entry in a thread called "Here are the layouts of some forum members." This idea may, or may not, appeal to you, and that's fine. Your layout, your choice.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Lemonhawk said:


> Perfect to run HVRY cars!


OK, I'm stumped... what does HVRY stand for?


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