Wondering if there is a Marklin C track layout planner who is interested in designing my layout?

I have the dimensions of the room created in an Anyrail file. So far I can't seem to figure out how to design a well thought out plan.

If you're interested let me know and we can work out the details.

Regards,

Michel

Edited by user 03 August 2018 22:55:46(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hello Michel,

I am sure there would be several of us who would like to see what we could do for you.

Let me know the details of your available space, which track system you have of C or K track, and what your ideal layout strategy would be in terms of levels, loops, reverse loops, shunting, automation, turntable, etc, and we can see what we can do.
Send me a PM if you prefer.

Regards
John

Michel,

Are those "before" pictures or have you removed everything you had already?

Harold.

Hello Harold,

That my friend is how it looks today! New paint on the walls and new paint on the floor. I decided to completely start over so everything was dismantled. I had to discard the K track as it was permanently glued down with the ballast. Ninety percent of the wood used for the framing of the layout and baseboards is reusable so that was moved to the other side of the basement. Here's a couple of pictures. Like I told my friend Myles, when I say I’m going to re-do my layout I'm going to re-do my layout!

I would think of doing the following: -

A layout with a long main line meandering through a series of hills along the long length of the room. This would allow you to have tunnels and bridges as a backdrop. At the end with the door have a loop around the outside of a village. The village could have some industries like a sawmill and maybe a couple of other smallish industrial buildings (e.g. a cabinet maker and may some other non wood related, say farming equipment supplier) which would justify having some short sidings at the village to drop off and pick up wagons, and be a source of commuters for a 'big city' at the other end of the layout. The track could then disappear into a tunnel which could return the other end of the layout as a hidden track. With some clever thinking it may be able to have the return track visible at places where the out bound track isn't, when along the long wall.

At the other end of the room have a 'city' area with a large number of sidings for passenger and goods stock, along with engine serving facilities.

With 11 foot of width you could have the layout as an E shape bulging out from the 'mountain' area with another village on it, and leaving an acceptable access width to walk past. This could be set up as a farming village rather than a 'mountain' village as at the door end. The 'return' track could then loop out from being hidden to come out to a station at the village, again with the possibility of a couple of short sidings to service local industries.

To make it less confusing here are the room pictures all in one post. The second picture shows the alcove or repair shop. The layout can protrude into this area somewhat if need be.

My vote is Linn Westcott’ s layout number 83 as a base idea. It will need to be stretched.

Hello TEEWolf,

Thank you for the heads up on WinTrack and all of the links. I will check them all out!

Regards

I only see it as the following;

Layout 83

I think the broader question is are there 2 or 3 things that you really want?
In December, you looked at my turntable and thought that may be of interest. With your length of room, you could fit a few large scenes. Perhaps the Trix/ Walthers steel mill complex? Or a container yard with the Heljan container crane? All of these could be fit into a layout that has good operating flow and could have lots of operating interest. Interesting scenes that could each be thier own variation of the Switchmans nightmare.

Sounds like we need a trip to Barrie!

Hi Michel,

When you do something, you really go all out! Looking forward to see what you come up with. Will the roll-away Bietschtal bridge reappear at the doorway to the room? I thought that was very unique and well executed.

Cheers,

Harold.

P.S.: For those not familiar with Michel's original layout, here is the feature I mentioned -

Not my trains!

Hello Silvano,

Yes I would love to spend an afternoon talking trains with you! Tell me when and I'll come over!

Very nice looking layout is that C track?

Email sent. Michel

I used anyrail to design my K track layout. I like the software. Mine is an older version though and doesn't have the newer wide radius C track curved points.
https://www.marklin-user...e-25-July-2018--BW-track

I don't know that I have the time to design your layout - I know mine had several large revisions over its life span until its current state over a year later.

Sounds like you are committed to C track rather than K?
There is plenty to like about both track types and it will depend on your goals. Perhaps a combination of both is the best. You can't beat flex track for long stretches.
If I had my time over I'd strongly consider using Tillig Elite for visible areas and lay centre studs but then I am a perfectionist.

What you really need to do if you want someone to plan your layout, is to provide a list of features you'd like and what you plan to model and how realistic you'd like it.

What era?
city (large/small?) with a large station, or perhaps just regional area with a small station?
dual track mainline, or a single line, or both?
Do you want a BW? What size?
Engine sheds -Turntable? transfer table?
Do you want overhead line equipment (catenary) ?
What type of terrain? Gentle country, hills, mountains?
How many levels?
Staging yard(s)?

Once you can provide that information, people can start throwing some designs together.

I'd get some good layout software, like the suggested WinTrack, and the slowly plan my own layout. Take your time, even if it takes years before you start building. Think about what you like to do most when using your model railroad. Make that functionality a central element. Think about what you like next most, and add that (just as a concept block, not as a detailed implementation), etc.

Eg
1) Industrial operations - so you'd want to place 2,3,4 industries around the room that made sense to moving freight from one to the other; suppliers to factories to shipping? Maybe a port at one point to drop off for shipping (with or without a functional transloading facility)

2) Passenger operations - you'd want to place 3-8 passenger stations (say 2 big, 2 medium, one small, etc) along a line/spur that the trains would go through, stop, allow for overtaking.

3) Watch trains run in the country - plan in the proverbial 'paradestrecke' - the parade route, a long run of straight and gently curving run through some landscape (with or without bridges, varying trees, etc) where one can sit and watch a long 7-12 car passenger train, or 15-20 car freight train run past. Include some form of this in any case.

4) Modeling towns - leave space around the stations/industry to put some towns in to model streets and goings-on. Consider adding operational street loops with car-system traffic; maybe a place where it crosses a guarded rail crossing.

5) Modeling cities - bigger buildings, some urban features if you have the space (even as half-relief ), maybe a tram/street-car.

6) Modeling a detailed station and operations area - with all the tracks and facilities, a detaild model of just a small bit of the world

7) Changing seasonal content - find a place that is a manageable size where you can have a standard board that drops in that contains scenery. If its near a town the better - then you can model/build changing content on it that you swap out over the years. Eg a christmas market, an ammusement fair in the summer, a zoo, a rock concert, just a farm field, a soccer pitch, etc. This feature will let you keep building model scenes long after the layout proper is done.

8) season changes - interest in dividing the room into seasons - winter at one end, through a spring section, to a summer then fall section? Allows snow and ice at one end and lush green at the other. Consider scenic divides via mountains to allow sharper weather transitions without it looking too odd.



Then plunk down the big bits on a track plan (train stations/stops, industry spurs/sites) and plan how the track will work between the regions. Re-arrange. Try things out. Sleep on the ideas, revisit weeks later. Look at lots of YouTube videos of other peoples layouts, to get inspiration or recognizing what you like.

And if space is tight, and your not a prototype seeking modeler, consider running shorter trains than prototype - nothing wrong with 3 car passenger trains lengths, if passenger traffic modeling is important to you but a 7-10 car platform would restrict you to just one station.

I find the planning to be huge fun; I'm in no great hurry to start cutting wood and screwing things to the wall. Right now I'm considering in my own plan of adding a 3rd middle layer in my 2 level layout - to provide a longer running space for a parade route and relocate and give more space between stops in towns.

Great suggestions, Minok.

The only thing I would change is not to wait too long to get started in running trains. Waiting years to get going is not my cup of tea....

Hi!

It took some time but here is a suggestion a layout that I hope will fit your room. The idea behind the layout is a long double track main line (green) that where the driver can choose to enter the main station or pass by on the track below (outer). Each side of the main line is connected to a hidden staging area (red) where the trains can either turn or come up at the other side of the staging area. To give more variety. The main line is placed at 100cm (suggestion, can of course be changed) and the station is placed at 110 cm.

There is also a couple of branch lines (blue) connected to the main station. They lead to two smaller stations and an industrial area. There are two connections to the main station, where one is hidden in a long tunnel.

I made the layout very thin at the left hand side so that everything can be reached from outside. In the corner you can also come up and do maintenance. On the right hand side I preferred to make the layout accessible from both front and back.

The red line at the middle of the layout is supposed to be a low wall. Maybe 50-70cm high. On each side of that wall you place landscape backgrounds. That way you can have one station on each side where the main station is at 110cm and the smaller (blue) is located at 120cm.

The layout is mainly made of C-track but the main station and the sweeping curves are made of K-track. Can of course be adjusted.

There seems to be a graphical error on which track that are on top of each other at a few instances, hope it doesn't disturbs too much.

Hidden area:


Branch lines:


Main line:


Visible tracks (main and branch lines):


Simple 3D view:


Well,let me know if you have questions or comments.

//Dennis

Great and sound work Dennis !
:o)

Now for something completely different. I am digging out a concept I proposed three years ago for a „lenghty“ contemporary-themed layout.

Compared with Dennis´approach, this meant flipping around main and branch lines, i.e. (old) branch lines below and (modern) main above, as it would be prototypical for an ICE line to traverse valleys on high viaducts with old lines arcing around in the valley below.


I elaborated the concept for a fellow MU member, mainly by including an interchange between modern high line and old water level line.


The long ICE viaduct could look like this.


Scenerywise, Wuerzburg on the river Main could serve as source of inspiration.


My related 2015 posts:
https://www.marklin-user...-layout-ideas#post478727
https://www.marklin-user...-a-New-Layout#post502787

Hello fellow Marklin enthusiasts,

After an absence and total abandonment of my basement from the beginning of August to today, October 3rd. I can officially say, “I'm back!”

First off thank you to Johnvr and Dennisb for reaching out to me by private message. And also a thank you to Alsterstreek for your ideas.

My track plan has not been finalized but I have come up with a framework for the layout. Please see image below. My goal is to make this framework first and then finish the track plan. By building the framework, I will get a better "feel" of how does it fit. This way I will know how comfortable the aisle ways will be so I can get to all the areas of the layout.

Please note: Each square is 12 inches.

Feedback kindly welcomed.

Regards,

Michel

Edited by user 04 October 2018 14:57:35(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

What a difference a day makes!

Pictured below you will see some of the modules that I made for the benchwork today. Not all of them are finished but I should be done tomorrow. The truth test for aside widths will be once I raise them on legs.


One thing is for sure, I'm slightly sore all over from the extra activity and I thought that I was fit! I must be kidding myself!

Regards,

Michel

Edited by user 05 October 2018 23:18:35(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I see you the important bit - the radio in the corner ...

Michel,

Glad to see that you are back at it! Progress looks good so far and I think the 30" or so all around will give you sufficient access.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Harold.