# need ideas for a new layout.



## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

My "hobby room" will be 10 x 30 feet and in the middle of that room will be my walk around layout. The base table will be 4 x 24 made up of three 4 x 8 sheets of plywood. It could even be five feet by twenty four but that is the max. Planning on HO scale.
My idea is to have the three eight foot sections have a layout in each section that can operate independently of the others and have a connecting RR operate around the edge. I see one section as industrial, one as a residential town and one for railroad operations like a yard etc. to serve the other two sections.
So I'm looking for some ideas on this and some of you are really good at design. Anyone care to take a crack at this? Norgale


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

The wider you can go the better your trains will look on the curves. Especially long prototypical passenger cars.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

That's true Michael and four feet wide will give me a 22" radius for the outside track and 18" for an inside track for a double mainline around the edge. Problem is the room is only ten feet wide so that's three feet on each side. Not all that much room. At 5 feet it's only two and a half. Gets too tight after that. I forgot to mention that I'm using HO scale.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Do you have room for an 'around the walls' or a penninsula ?


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Here is a diagram of the room with the table in it if I can attach it.






Scale is 1/4 = 1 foot. Has to be a door at each end so need room for them to open. Not much room to playwith here. Bottom half is the house and top half is the added Florida room.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

here is what i wound up with... quite a bit of elevation changes ...
four feet only on the ends though, two feet in the middle ...
here is the link .. http://www.scarm.info/layouts/track_plans.php?ltp=48


if you straighten it out, might be useable ?


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

I see what you mean WV. That may have some use for me. I've saved the pan to my computer so I'll print it out and see what I can do with it. Thanks very much. It's a nice looking layout.
Norgale


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

if you want, you can download the layout direct into scarm... with all the elevations intact .. as well as the lengths of the flex track...i have no idea if you can load the scarm data file into another program though ..

however it does use atlas code 100 track, and atlas custom line no6 switches .. you can then straighten it if you wish to ..


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

I've been working on getting the new trailer house built and it won't be delivered until about the first of October. Got to get my old trailer ready to move too. It's been sitting in the same spot for 18 years now. Hate to part with it as it's in good condition and a fifth wheel camper that's been very easy to maintain. been very comfortable in it but I do need more room so I have to make a change.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

You must have sold a lot of flags.
Wow a new home coming?

What did you do win the lottery? 

The old dog still kicking?


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Hey,Big Ed.:appl: How you doing you old goat? Was thinking about you and few of the other old hands on here so I'm glad you spoke up. Ya, last summer was a bad one. My sister moved back with her family in SC in June, my dog got cancer and died in July and my mother died in August. Selling flags was a flagging business so I haven't done that in a long time. Still have some unsold flags though so what do you need? Ha! Mom left me some bucks so I'm using it to buy a Park Model home which is like a small mobile home. It's being built now but won't get here until around the first of October. It's only 12 x 32 but with the added hobby room it'll be plenty for me. Soon as it's ready to live in I'll get another Labrador Retriever. You still driving? My nephew is driving now, delivering gasoline around Greenville, SC. He likes it because he's home every night so that's a good thing. Let me know what's going on with you. Norgale.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

This first picture is the center unit of the three 4 x 8 tables that will make up my new layout. The second picture is the right hand unit that butts up to the center unit. The left unit hasn't been done yet. There are two tracks all around the outside of the table with one track as the main line and the second track as the local line. Trains move from the center unit yard to the right unit and the left unit by the rails down the center. In the right unit you can see there is a complete circle of track inside that area to deliver freight and passengers to that part of 'town.' In operation there can be two trains on the outside tracks and one each on the right and left units with action still going on in the yard. So five trans can be operated at the same time. That ought to keep me busy for awhile.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

I like your plans, but that inside loop on the right hand table is going to have a really tight radius.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Yes ,it will probably have to be 15"R or maybe make something with flex track for the curves. I'd planned on using a small engine in there for shifting freight cars around to the different factories but the passenger train will go out onto the main line and come back in so it can be backed into the station like they do in Tampa. I draw this stuff to scale so I can see if it fits but as I build I usually make changes and then have to change something else. Maybe this circle within the main line won't work but we'll see.


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## SantaFeJim (Sep 8, 2015)

You should be able to make one heck of a GIANT H-Scale layout in a 4’ x 24’ area.

Go BIG or go home.


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