# First Layout of a Noob....



## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

I'm a rank Noob here, and have received some good input so far here. Just got done with the preliminary build for my bench (moments ago) based on an idea offered in another thread by NIMT. The bench still needs some finishing touches, but I couldn't help putting up an oval for tonight. 

Please feel free to offer any suggestions on any aspect of my build, I will post pics of my progress as it happens.










I plan on having a whole lot of fun with this, but am at kind of a loss on what to do with it. This is the only space I have to work with as my dungeon of a basement is a hundred years old and unfortunately shaped.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Looks like you are off to a great start!:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Your next step would be to get a track plan going, in the mean while do what your doing and get a feel for the space you have to work with!


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## JohnAP (May 4, 2011)

Looks like a good start. What are the dimensions? I'm guessing HO scae? Juniors' eyeballing your beverage, better watch out!


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

You got Pabst Blue Ribbon up there? Haven't had one in years.


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## sawgunner (Mar 3, 2012)

Looks like a great start!


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

JohnAP said:


> Looks like a good start. What are the dimensions? I'm guessing HO scae? Juniors' eyeballing your beverage, better watch out!


Yep, HO scale. The benches are all two feet wide, (except the lift bridge which is 18") and the side length is 10'x6.5'. I'm not too worried about the little one and the beverage.... he smelled my beer once and gave a pretty substantial sour-puss look (can't blame him.... it's PBR afterall :laugh. Now his big brother on the other hand........ getting to that age where we put locks on the booze box. 



xrunner said:


> You got Pabst Blue Ribbon up there? Haven't had one in years.


Yep.... PBR flows like water here. Tastes like it too. :laugh:

Thanks for the words of encouragement folks! I just got done watching the train go in a circle for about an hour, an assembling a new boxcar. Going to take a hard look at a whole bunch of track layouts, and see what the bear can see. Also, a good friend of mine just got done renovating his bathroom, so I have about a sheet and a half of 1" and 2" foam board to play with as well for landscape and such. :thumbsup:


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## CasperFLSTC (Nov 7, 2011)

Stradawhovious said:


> Going to take a hard look at a whole bunch of track layouts, and see what the bear can see.


Congrats on the space and the benchwork  I also have a "square" room similar to your sizing. For what it was worth I went through several iterations of ideas until I got some good input on this forum.

This thread http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=9173&page=3 may provide you with an idea on what can be done with a layout of that size and shape (in general). One suggestion that I have discovered the hard way. Be sure and put up whatever background you want first. Its a pain to squeeze it in later  Due to budget and other considerations I'm having to add to mine as I go as I"m not up to painting anything that would even resemble reality. In two places I forgot to leave me a 1/4" gap to slip the background in and had to sort of make room for it. Would be much better if it were placed up before I'd ever done anything else.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

I made a little more progress tonight......

I added the things highlighted in red. There is about a foot and a half more bench space, I mounted a power strip (I was a bit tired of hunting for cords), and I installed track lighting* because I was tired of tripping over and getting blinded by that work light I was using.












* well, not really installed..... Took some track lighting and spliced it into an extension cord. 

Didn't feel like running wires in the ceiling. That would be major home renovation.


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## Nevada wheel (Feb 18, 2012)

nice stuff--you got more room than me--Id kill for a basement


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

Man, I haven't had a PBR since I was about 14, in other words a day or so ago. Won't tell you what we called it.  I love the layout. One thing, I'd have built it with a drop down for access. Just my 2 cents there. Nice building block. Hope to see finished pics.

Edit: Nevada, my basement blows, way too much moisture even with a dehumidifier.


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

`lookin good there, would love to have a room just for my trains so i could build even a simple layout, but at least I do have room to run my trains  so im happy I get to enjoy them


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

Kwikster said:


> my basement blows, way too much moisture even with a dehumidifier.


Yeah, mine gets pretty damp in the spring and summer too, but with a fan and a 20 pint dehumidifier I can keep it in line.

Still working on my layout... for someone who doesn't know that much about trains, this is proving to be a difficult task! It's fun doing the research though.... Looking at the design of others, google searches for images of train yards, using Google earth to follow the tracks of working railroads to see what they look like at certain points..... etc etc etc.


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

Well, I was plyaing around with some software and my layout, and came up with a tentative design. It has a yard, a turnout for an industry area, a continuous loop and a seperate trolley line. Measurements here are in inches.

It also has enough room to add plenty of scenery.

I have to tell you... when I was building this bench, I was thinking to myself.... "Self, this is quite a lot of space to work with!"

Now that I'm actually getting some track down and looking at options, I realise that it isn't much space at all. 

Please let me know what you think of the following design, and feel free to be brutally honest. I may be a Noob, but I hate to have to get through a sugar coating to learn.

Thanks!


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

While this design is not disastrous, do you really want to have not connected section? it seems you decided to not utilize any flextrack, IMHO thats a shame. consider using it.

you do have quite a space , i see a lot of posibilities. perhaps look into "Heart of Georgia" layout and borrow some ideas from there?


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## Conductorjoe (Dec 1, 2011)

Im not real good with track programs. I kinda wing it as I go,with the original plans in my head. I do agree with Tankist though. With the amount of room you have to work with you could add a passing siding to park a train, maybe even another industrial spur in one of the corners on the right of the diagram.


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks fro the input folks! Certianly good things to consider!


My only concern with adding more track is that I might not have room for the scenery I want to add. 

As far as the flex track, I guess I haven't given it much thought.. I will certainl reconsider. That, and I am really unfamiliar with that program..... I used the straight and curved tracks because I was able to figure out how to lay them with very little effort. :laugh:

This is certainly a work in progress, so I'm very grateful to all suggestions!


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Stradawhovious said:


> As far as the flex track, I guess I haven't given it much thought.. I will certainl reconsider. That, and I am really unfamiliar with that program


Strat, You do know flex track is not a program but track the comes in 3 foot sections that can be molded and bent to whatever you need.


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

NIMT said:


> Strat, You do know flex track is not a program but track the comes in 3 foot sections that can be molded and bent to whatever you need.


Yep. I'm familiar with flex track....... but I'm not familiar enough (or ambitious enough) with the program used to get the above image to try to figure out how to lay flex track with it.

Sorry.... I should have been more specific. :laugh: I do have a handfull of pieces to work with, so I might as well incorporate it.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

OK, Just chicken!


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## Conductorjoe (Dec 1, 2011)

Stradawhovious said:


> I'm not familiar enough (or ambitious enough) with the program used to get the above image to try to figure out how to lay flex track with it.


 That is why I dont rely on a computer program. I measure out the radius, draw it on the surface with a pencil , then lay the track and cork.

Flextrack is more work to lay, but has many more advantages. Flexibility of layout curves and less joints would be first on the list.


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

If I can offer a thought...............your son seems very interested......he might be a great help in "about about this for the layout" planning.


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## Stradawhovious (Feb 28, 2012)

Carl said:


> If I can offer a thought...............your son seems very interested......he might be a great help in "about about this for the layout" planning.



Good thought. He has been there every step of the way so far. :thumbsup:


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

When I was working with my son on our layouts I used to put craft paper over the board space and we would draw out what we wanted to do!
Roads, tracks, buildings, mountains, trees, bridges, rivers. A Crayon or marker can go a long way in helping the planning stages! 
You have some track just try arranging it in different ways to see what you like and get a feel for it before you make it permanent!


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