Model Railroading > My layout so far.

Well, after several years of waiting and hoping, I finally got started on my layout. It's an around the wall setup, with a swinging walk thru to the center. It's in an 18 X 26 foot air conditioned room on the end of my garage. I have about 200 feet of Atlas Code 83 flex track, 30 Atlas Custom Line turnouts, and 30 Tortoise switch machines. It uses a double main line with a long passing siding at the yard, along with a 6 track yard. There are also two, 2 track sidings for industry. The turnouts are #8 on the main, #6 in the yard, and #4 for the sidings. I wired it up for DCC, but don't have a DCC setup right now, so doing test runs using DC, and so far everything is doing good. No derailment problems, and no "bad" spots for the electrical pickup. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

1. Double main line and short 2 track siding

2. Further around layout and switch yard

3. Down the other side with another siding

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

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4. Coming back around to first picture. (NOTE: Swinging walk thru)

5. Double main line, passing siding, and 6 track yard.

6. Swinging walk thru.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

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7. Walk thru opened

8. Other side of walk thru

9. Control panel for siding and crossover

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

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10. Main yard panel (not yet painted or holes drilled for LEDs and switch controls)

11. Crossover on swing out walk thru.

12. Six track yard.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

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great lookin layout ron. keep us posted on your progress. what kind of scenery are you gonna model?

66

Nice looking lay-out Ron! You might want to think about adding some intermediate legs. Some of those spans look awefully long.

Old Bob up in Lost Wages

Mainly going to model desert area, some low hills, but mainly flatland. I'm going to paint the walls up to the bottom of the windows blue sky with clouds, and land just above the layout level. I know someone that does painting, and she said she would give it a try when she has a chance.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

chuchubobnv Wrote:
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> Nice looking lay-out Ron! You might want to think
> about adding some intermediate legs. Some one
> those spans look awefully long.
>
> Old Bob up in Lost Wages

I plan to add more legs, but for now, trying to get under the layout to do all the electrical hookups, it's easier with the additional room. I have a bad leg, so I have to move around underneath on a really short chair.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

Very nice! I really like the design of the swing-out walk through section.

Dennis

CNW Wrote:
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> Very nice! I really like the design of the
> swing-out walk through section.
>
> Dennis


yea, that sure is one "slick" looking swing out walk-through........

66

Nice swing bridge but the crossover on it makes me kinda cringe thinking about just one axle picking a point on the narrowest part.

KevO

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

I like the simplicity of the track arrangement and the benchwork, just smooth flowing and looks like it will be a nice layout to run trains on.

Infern0 Wrote:
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> Nice swing bridge but the crossover on it makes me
> kinda cringe thinking about just one axle picking
> a point on the narrowest part.
>
> KevO


The whole layout will have a masonite facia sticking up about an inch to keep just that from happening. So far, I have been running a test train around to check the track, switches, etc, and have not had any problems yet, but I know what you mean. The concrete floor is not very forgiving.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

Nice looking layout. May I make 1 suggestion and this is from my own experience with my last layout. Make a tail track for your yard for switching, looks as if you have the space. Trust me it's worth it.

Ron go out this week and take some pic's of the horizon and once you have a good picture print it and have a look at the colors of the horizon. you will notice its not all blue down to the ground it changes due to the atmosphere it go's into the browns lower to the ground.

I say this because, you say you will be having an artist paint your back drop. If so that person should be able to capture this in the art work on the back drop.

I can agree and disagree with you on this Matt, looking to the prototype and having switched in actual yards with no lead. I think operationally it would add to the realism by a yard job poking out onto the main once in a while to do some work from one end of the yard or another, then run trains around that area via crossovers on the main or just have the yard job or road train wait while one or the other does their thing. Of course you don't want every yard on your layout as such, but having one where it makes switching interesting doesn't hurt at all.

NJTMatt Wrote:
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> Nice looking layout. May I make 1 suggestion and
> this is from my own experience with my last
> layout. Make a tail track for your yard for
> switching, looks as if you have the space. Trust
> me it's worth it.

czuleget Wrote:
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> Ron go out this week and take some pic's of the
> horizon and once you have a good picture print it
> and have a look at the colors of the horizon. you
> will notice its not all blue down to the ground it
> changes due to the atmosphere it go's into the
> browns lower to the ground.
>
> I say this because, you say you will be having an
> artist paint your back drop. If so that person
> should be able to capture this in the art work on
> the back drop.

I had that same idea. The lady that may do the backdrop painting for me said the same thing. I've tried mixing my own paint using the dies you get at the paint department at Home Depot and was planning on getting some white and adding a little blue to it, and more as I get higher in the sky.
Same with the ground. Take some pictures of different areas and print them to get an idea of colors and textures.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

Highspeed double track mainline going through the desert. BNSF power in the pictures. And you live in Arizona. I wonder where you got your layout idea? :D

Looks good. Good to see others modeling their local areas. Do you plan on running the Amtrak Southwest Chief? Gosh that would look great on this layout.

How stable is the benchwork? Does it 'wobble' when leaned on?

Thanks.

CNW Wrote:
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> Very nice! I really like the design of the
> swing-out walk through section.
>
> Dennis


No Sh*t. I wouldn't attempt that! I would just "crawl under" but props to you for this engineering feat.

Nice work dude.