# First Design lets hear how I did



## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

Will be the first layout I designed build by myself, did many with my grandfather when I was younger.

I would like all criticism and comments,

Thanks, Zach


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.

Just a personal preference, but that looks a bit "symmetrical" to me. I'd rather see some sidings and a couple of clean mainline loops. Not sure what the purpose of all the crossings in the center is.


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

i assume this is HO?
i do not know what goals you pursuing with your layout and what is your idea of fun, but IMHO what you have here is not very interesting. to much track which leaves less room for scenery. a lot of switches (needless) - will get expensive. 

i'd suggest looking at existing design. i misplaced the link i usually use but at http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/ (online free MRR magazine) they had several lahyout featured.


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## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback my goal was that all the yard track be at least 8 or so tracks and i was trying to go for big switching yard layout if anyone has some nice big ones drop me a line very interested.


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## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

tankist said:


> i assume this is HO?
> i do not know what goals you pursuing with your layout and what is your idea of fun, but IMHO what you have here is not very interesting. to much track which leaves less room for scenery. a lot of switches (needless) - will get expensive.
> 
> i'd suggest looking at existing design. i misplaced the link i usually use but at http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/ (online free MRR magazine) they had several lahyout featured.


Ive spent a whole day just scouring the internet for plans for a yard layout but they are few and far between.

yes ho


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

what you have drawn is not a yard really. well, actually you have the right idea on the top most part, but the mess in the middle is un-explainable. yard leads have to be streight or almost straight, otherwise auto coupling will not be possible and decoupling will be a mess as well.

yard that is operable requires long layout. your spurs will go lengthwise outside or inside the loop in as drawn in quick sketch. remeber, the areas ligned in red are useless as you can not store stock there nor you can couple, which makes space available for 2 cars tops inside. you never mentioned how much of real estate is available for your project?






but forget my rambling. here is a yard design article by a pro : http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html and there is no oneed to scouring, this is the veri first link that comes up when you google "_designing a model railroad yard"_
i wanted a yard myself but after reading this i realized i do not have room for anything remotely sensible


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Hey zach, 

Had you considered a turntable?... 



I use a little one as a combination turnout, turnaround, and passthrough... 










Here's a plan with a combination turnaround and runaround...










Just a couple ideas that you might add to the mix...


Greg


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## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

tankist said:


> what you have drawn is not a yard really. well, actually you have the right idea on the top most part, but the mess in the middle is un-explainable. yard leads have to be streight or almost straight, otherwise auto coupling will not be possible and decoupling will be a mess as well.
> 
> yard that is operable requires long layout. your spurs will go lengthwise outside or inside the loop in as drawn in quick sketch. remeber, the areas ligned in red are useless as you can not store stock there nor you can couple, which makes space available for 2 cars tops inside. you never mentioned how much of real estate is available for your project?
> 
> ...


yes i actually bookmarked that one but what i was designing for was that the A/D tracks be acessable two ways and that the spurs be the same and i designed it that way so that i could in esence run 2 switchers one pulling them from the ad track and one pulling the already sorted cars into the ad track without them being in eachothers way.

the one i designed is roughly 12x6 but i have a 18x8 area tarped off in the basement i curently use as the man cave so i think ill go back to the drawing boards and see about utilizing all the space and make it look somewhat like drawing on that website 

im trying to get a design done so i can start the bench work trying to quit smoking and i think that putting all the money id use for that into the layout would get me going prety quick

wish me luck lol
zach


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## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

*New design*

went back and redesigned the whole thing only about a 18x 4 tho will use the rest of the 18x4 for industuries and such on phase 2 

you will noticed i didnt put any ML on the design because im not sure how i want to put them yet the yard is my first phase and the rest will come.

so lets hear how i did.

Thanks for all the input.
Zach


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, one obvious thing I see is you have no mainloop, so you don't have any continuous running track.


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## hotchevymanzach (Jul 31, 2011)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, one obvious thing I see is you have no mainloop, so you don't have any continuous running track.





hotchevymanzach said:


> went back and redesigned the whole thing only about a 18x 4 tho will use the rest of the 18x4 for industuries and such on phase 2
> 
> you will noticed i didnt put any ML on the design because im not sure how i want to put them yet the yard is my first phase and the rest will come.
> 
> ...


I did state in my above post im not sure of how i want the main line yet just want feed back on the new yard design


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## lajry (Aug 4, 2011)

Have a look here for yard design: http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

OK I see here a large table type layout that is wasting valuable space.

I also see a mess of storage tracks or some other purpose tracks that go right in the middle of the layout and are too close together really to do much of anything. I dont get it. Now the yard you did in the north section looks pretty good but not great.

The very north track has no access ability. If you were to run a longer spur off the turnouts you could get a loco or maybe a car in there but you would only be able to get one or 2 in or out at a time and you would have to preform a switchback type move to do this. That will take too much time to be of any use to anything. You need to have the turnouts facing so the train can roll right through and onto the tracks with out stopping and reversing.

You have the right idea but your turnouts are backwards. Your design gives you "longer" tracks but you are actually not allowing longer trains to enter or leave.

Have you ever thought of making a walk in type layout in the area you are working with? You may be able to achieve your goals or having a yard and switching operations along with some industries and a mainline. What are your room dimensions, layout dimension space (the amount of space you will allow for the layout) and what is your ultimate goal in this design, such as what industries are you gonna serve? I may be able to help you if I can get this information.

Massey


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

Here ya go Simple plan in the same 18x8 area. Duckunder or build a lift out section, but it lets you run continuos loops but you have a yard and a few spur tracks for some industries to serve. Again, it's very simple but it took all of 30 minutes for me to whip together.


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

^^^ Nice design. I might have to see what you would put on my table.


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

Xrunner, post a pic of your table, room and I will tinker with it too. Just let me know what kind of industry you want and stuff like that.

Massey


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

Massey said:


> Xrunner, post a pic of your table, room and I will tinker with it too. Just let me know what kind of industry you want and stuff like that.
> 
> Massey


Here's a current pic in my layout thread -

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showpost.php?p=89932&postcount=22

I don't know what industries I want yet, but I will have a lot of yard activities, engine house, pit. I'll have a shipping container loading area with lots of containers. I need a fully functional yard and at least 2 mainline routes so I can run 2 trains at once.


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

Looks like this guy bailed on us. Oh well, good luck out there and I hope you get your layout figured out.

Massey


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