[db ice 3]

hey folks, well my baseboards are built! ... just waiting on the dowels coming that i ordered this morning from bromsgrove models! (advice from richard to someone else in here on a baseboard thread!).

this is my dilemma!. in n scale. my baseboards are 3m67cm long and 60.5 cm wide. im looking to model a german ficticious setting, in winter with a mainline station with 6 platforms (4 tracks for waiting trains and 2 passing thru lines). i want long continous runs with probably 2 hidden tracks - so that a train appears to go into a tunnel onto a holding track and a different one emerges from the other end of a tunnel!. im happy to use 2 or even 3 levels of track to enable the long runs and im thinking that a tunnel going into a mountain at each end of the baseboard will be needed. a long figure of 8 type design might give me the running lengths that im looking for as i want to run 8 car passenger trains.

can anyone in here draw potential track plans for me that i can use as - is or adapt to my liking? i have been playing around with the track on my boards and seem to not be getting just quite what i want!.

hope someone might have some ideas and thx for reading!

 

[72C]

A few questions:

Period because German track planning changed dramatically in the 80's.

Area

Why mountains, do you intend to model Bayern?

Presumably you intend to use Peco 55?

Multiple unit or loco hauled operation?

Is goods traffic a priority?

I will do my best to answer your questions if you provide a bit more info.

 

[db ice 3]

hi there 72c,

the period is 1980 to present day, area nowhere specific but mountainous and doesnt need to be accurate to anywhere in particular, mountains because i like them! - pretty esp with snow which the layout will be covered with, using a mixture of fleischmann track (because they offer the 3-way point that ill be using at least 6 of when tracks merge at stations) and they also offer the simplest-to-use electro-frog points where no addtional wiring or external switching is required to change the frog polarity unlike peco.
the only peco track ill be using is the long flexi-tracks as ill need about 30 ish pieces of it and the fleischmann track is too expensive for me for that quantity!.
trains i have curently are electric and diesel locos with passenger carriages, 3 x fleischmann ice-t and 3 x minitrix ice 3, and some fleischmann dmu's with sound. so all very modern.
i have a large collection of goods wagons/tankers/beer wagons as ill want goods trains to be passing thru occasionally to provide variety and colour as i love the different liveries of all the goods wagons.
but fast passenger traffic is a priority over the goods trains!.

i also have 2 x viessman overhead catenary start packs and various other mast packs, but i know ill need a lot more, but thats to be added in at some point too!.

 

[Geoff Booth]

Hi there,

A few more questions:

How many boards have you got and what shape are you after once they are connected - what size room is this going in? Are you limited to 3.67 by 0.6m (12'x2' by my reckoning)?

Here is a link to my layout whilst under construction which has a long main station and overall is a closed double loop laid out in a large U-shape with a fiddle yard which enables you to get to any track. Layout under construction. My 180 degree turns are just inside 60cm but will be hidden once all the scenery is on.

I will also try and help but haven't quite got the picture of what you are trying to achieve.

Regards

Geoff

 

[db ice 3]

hey geoff!...

unfort im limited at the moment to 3.67m x 0.6m ... i might be able to extend to 5.0m x 0.6m in the future so im planning for that in my layout!. the 3 boards are arrnaged in one long run length-wise to achieve the 3.67m length. the room is much bigger but its used for other things than just the railway so the board dimensions are the absolute max i can have!.

i luv your u-shaped layout .. however its just not practical for me to have that at the mo ... i do have a dry garage though (so maybe in the future ... lol - u never know!)

in the long narrow space iv got im trying to achieve a multi level layout with at least 1 large station, not a terminus but a mainline thru station with passing tracks. the running tracks id like to be dual tracks, ie, not like a single track branch line.

what other info can i gove you that would be helpful?

 

[john woodall]

Hi,

Given that you want to model something fairly ecently, I would suggest using Google earth to get an idea as to what is possible.

My own interests are in Wurttemberg so I would suggest either Plochingen or Göppingen (wonder what is made there!) may be of interest

Cheers

John

 

[Geoff Booth]

QUOTE (db ice 3 @ 22 Dec 2008, 23:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>unfort im limited at the moment to 3.67m x 0.6m ... i might be able to extend to 5.0m x 0.6m in the future so im planning for that in my layout!. the 3 boards are arrnaged in one long run length-wise to achieve the 3.67m length...

in the long narrow space iv got im trying to achieve a multi level layout with at least 1 large station, not a terminus but a mainline thru station with passing tracks. the running tracks id like to be dual tracks, ie, not like a single track branch line.

what other info can i gove you that would be helpful?

OK I think I know what you are going for. Quite a challenge in some ways as you are pretty limited on depth. For the main station I reckon you will want at least 2.5m length to get your 8 coach ICE rakes in and by the time you have the tracks, platforms and buildings you will have used 40cm+ of your 60cm depth. That means the long run will probably appear to be sitting on a steep escarpment above and behind the station. To get the necessary depth to achieve that I suspect that you will need a spiral at each end. Do you want any hidden storage or a fiddle yard? I would also seek views from others on mixing tracks especially as you are using some Fleischmann which is pre-ballasted and the long stretches won't be although I see you have some foam underlay from the other thread.

Also are your boards open frames or solid and do you already have stands for them?

Have you looked at any track plan books or seen anything that inspires you at a show? You might also want to think about getting yourself some track planning software. Time spent on planning and adjusting before building is seldom wasted and much easier to do that electronically! I used WinRail 8 to plan mine but there are others mentioned elsewhere on MRF. In the end I would recommend you spend the time finalising the plan you want even if others provide a starting point. I will try and put something down later as a start point but all getting a bit busy with seasonal festivities!

The suggestion of looking at prototypical stations is a good one so you can work out how you want to replicate something on your space available.

Regards

Geoff