# Switching Scales - New Layout



## Jacobpaul81 (Jan 24, 2015)

Making a transition from O to HO. Playing with designs and need some assistance. 1970 ATSF operations in Topeka is my inspiration.

Musts:

- An engine house and car shops area. (It is Topeka)
- 1 Continuous running mainline with scenic areas.

Goals:
- 28-30" curve minimum. Will be running Passenger cars, intermodal flats, big Boxcars.
- around-the-walls ideal 
- plan for dead Rail or DCC. Not DC or DCS. 
- some sectional benchwork that could be relocated if in five years we move. (I'm 34 - there's a good chance). Such as the diesel shop area.
- some Industries - Goodyear Plant, a Brewery, and a Beverage Distributor would top my list.

Working with a decent space. I've attached an image of the space (grid = 1 ft) as well as an attempt to design in the space. Unfortunately I don't think the design will work. Could really use some experienced eyes with good ideas.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A lot of us are very envious of the large area you
have to work with. Interestingly, the layout you
show is very close to what I first thought seeing
your space.

I would add another yard and or spur tracks on the 
loop end without them. Add to the wall run that
feeds it. The more businesses that use rail freight
you have the more you will enjoy your layout.

Can't tell, but your radius looks pretty tight considering
the amount of room you have. You should have at
least 22" radius.

Don


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2016)

Looks like an excellent plan with plenty of operation or just running trains to watch the wheels go 'round.


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## Jacobpaul81 (Jan 24, 2015)

DonR said:


> A lot of us are very envious of the large area you
> have to work with. Interestingly, the layout you
> show is very close to what I first thought seeing
> your space.
> ...


Thanks Don. Trying to figure out how to deal with the large return loops - right now this puts them on 6x6 table tops that aren't going to be accessible.


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

I'm thinking about just building my 20' X 40' layout in HO instead of O. Still thinking about it.


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## Jacobpaul81 (Jan 24, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> I'm thinking about just building my 20' X 40' layout in HO instead of O. Still thinking about it.


Having built (and torn out) a 36' x 27' O layout - I have a better handle now on several factors and now I wish I'd gone HO from day 1. 

Certainly cost is a big issue. If going realistic - materials costs will be substantially higher for O due to amount of foam, plaster, and wood needs. 

Track is 50% more in O just for Gargraves Flex. Atlas closer to 75%. Im finding switches can be had for 66% less or better in HO. Same goes for engines, rolling stock, and buildings / Kits. 

Opportunity is another issue - more kit options means more buildings, more challenges, and more opportunity for a unique layout. 

Availability - O is much more niche - 1 time runs, limited availability, limited production. In two years of collecting O, I could never locate anything I was looking for.

Operation - you can flat out get more into less space. My new layout space is 27 x 27. It actually has freed up a 25 x 27 room for me to install a finished basement - and yet I can do more with the new space than the larger space I had. 

So that's some of my reasons for switching...


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

Jacobpaul81 said:


> Thanks Don. Trying to figure out how to deal with the large return loops - right now this puts them on 6x6 table tops that aren't going to be accessible.


Place openings in the middle of the loops so that if need be you can duck under and pop-up inside to reach everything.


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## OceanRailroader (Jul 26, 2016)

I'm in the process of building a layout idea that will have a O scale track running on a HO scale rural town layout. The O scale layout is from my grandpa and I would like to run it one day. But not build a super massive O scale layout for it. So what I plan to do is make up a fictional railroad gauge that is 8 to 10 feet wide for a fictional county's iron ore moving railroad. The idea is is that I would have regular O scale locomotives. But I would also take some cheap railroad cars and locomotives off of ebay and glad them in new skins to make them look like they are two stories tall. That way I could have a single track of O scale track for this fictional railroad run around a giant HO scale railroad layout.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Jacobpaul, a nice space you have there, and a good start on a track plan. A couple of questions for you:
1) Why didn't you do a true "around the walls", which would be the obvious way to eliminate the balloon tracks? If it's for access to the right side of the room, do you have any objection to going down the middle? 
2) What other towns will your layout area encompass? Atcheson and Santa Fe perhaps? Are any of these towns a real or plausible location for the industries you propose?
3) Do you want, or does geography dictate, a major water crossing along the way?
4) What about grades? I assume that the crossing with the return loop track on the left is at grade, or that you're willing to buy off on some really steep grades (not a good idea with the long equipment you propose to run)?

EDIT: and I just realized that this is an old thread that Ocean Railroader resurrected rather than start his own, and you're probably well past this by now. So to quote Emily Letella: "Oh, never mind!"


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

OceanRailroader said:


> I'm in the process of building a layout idea that will have a O scale track running on a HO scale rural town layout. The O scale layout is from my grandpa and I would like to run it one day. But not build a super massive O scale layout for it. So what I plan to do is make up a fictional railroad gauge that is 8 to 10 feet wide for a fictional county's iron ore moving railroad. The idea is is that I would have regular O scale locomotives. But I would also take some cheap railroad cars and locomotives off of ebay and glad them in new skins to make them look like they are two stories tall. That way I could have a single track of O scale track for this fictional railroad run around a giant HO scale railroad layout.


You are, of course, free to do whatever you want on your own layout. 

The only time I have seen scales "successfully" mixed, other than the odd element for forced perspective, is at a hobby shop, where the purpose was to demomstrate the different sizes. I would run the sentimental o scale layout separately from your own HO one, but that's just me.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Ocean Railroader:

One important consideration if you continue your
dual scale plans is that you cannot let the HO tracks
'cross' the 0 tracks. (you would have to build
a custom crossing to do it) Ho uses DC or, if DCC, a modified
AC, while 0 gauge uses variable AC power. Any
electrical contact of the HO tracks to the 0 would
bring on possibly damaging results.

Don


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