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friends and fellow members. It might be the benchwork/baseboards; it might well be wiring (I hate that myself) or scenery. Whatever it is, make a note and secure a volunteer or two to commit to help you.
There are publications available that look in detail at layout planning and design and construction techniques. Model Railroader regularly runs series of articles on building a project layout. That might help identify issues you had not thought of or realised. You can be assured others have trodden this very path many times before.
10) Have I forgotten anything?
Go back over the checklist and see if you have forgotten anything
or you want to change your mind on any points. Provided you have not ordered the track, it is not too late! Do you need to compromise anywhere? Can you still achieve your dream layout? Will what you leave out really bug you?
But please remember Rule 1 for all layout owners – “It’s MY railroad.”
11) Reality check
Now we have got to the end of the checklist and you should have covered all the bases but . . . stand back, take a deep breath. Is this too ambitious? I read recently in a magazine that many layouts never get finished for the simple reason that the owner was way too ambitious and was trying to build beyond his ability or his purse strings. Or he/ she completed in his/her head and lost interest.
As I said up front, honesty is vital. Can you do this? Do you need help? If so, reach out for help and assistance – you will be surprised how many members nearby would just love to get involved with you. If you prefer to work alone, please take another look at your plans and that other word might come into play again, compromise.
Getting it down
You have now decided:
• the scale/gauge
• the era
• the location/railroad
• the space
• how you are going to operate it
• who can help you
• what industries/themes you want.
Okay, you may not have decided all the above but you may well have enough concrete ideas to proceed to the fun stage, planning – getting it down . . . on paper, that is.
There are a number of layout planning software resources, but I have only ever used a very low-tech one, AnyRail. It is freeware for up to
50 items on any one plan. Below is just an illustration of what it can do for a plan for a lumber mill on a modular setup.
This is based on a real location on the Willamette & Pacific just north of Eugene at a location known as Bethel, with length compressed. Go
to www.nmra.org/software for many great links for layout planning software and other useful links.
Another, very low-tech, approach is to use photocopies of turnouts and track and plotting your track runs on the floor or on sheets of
old wallpaper you kept for a rainy day. You can download templates
for turnouts from Peco’s website (see www.peco-uk.com/page. asp?id=pointplans) – I have used those. They come in all the scales and gauges that Peco manufacture.
Another useful tool is drawing and cutting out curves to your desired radius. Use old cardboard. You will be surprised how much space a 48 inch radius curve takes up when you add on a good few inches outside the track. It would make one 90 degree turn something like 54 inches deep allowing for 6 inches on the outside. Work out what radius works for you and go as low as you dare, but bear in mind that long-wheelbase locos may have difficulty below 30 inches and long freight cars will look silly overhanging the track on the inside of the curve if below that too.
Metal templates for curves and straight track by Tracksetta can be useful not only for planning but also for track laying later. You can usually find them in model shops that sell Peco track. You can buy them in N and OO/HO.
Think carefully about the choice of turnout sizes. HO #8s look great but a crossover using them will be approximately 25 inches long and #6s
Photo by Geoff Tiller of his planned modular switching layout
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