New Shelf Layout Some Advice Please

[Stoby]

Hello to Everybody 

And Thank you for Having Me On The Site 

I am a Total Newbie to Model Rail , so i am reaching out for some advice please , First of all i am limited to space , what i have available to work with  is  74 Inches Long   and 28 inches Wide. And  What i would like to fit to the board , is some sort of switching yard ,something that will not be boring and will be enjoyable to use ,  My First question is    What sort of Board i should use  ?    My Second Question is Track , which to use  ?  i will try attach some photos i found on the Net  to show what i would like to have , if anybody has any ideas or plans i would be grateful, as i am totally new at this , sorry i forgot to mention , i want to base it Around C I E   in the  70,s to 80,s  

Thank you 

Stoby

[Stoby]

Forgot to mention     DCC  use 

Edited March 27 by Stoby

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Welcome Stoby, the board choice of many is MDF, preferably one piece with no join, the under frame is more important, for best results it needs to be sturdy, steady, plumb and level, some 3x2 should be perfect for that size of a layout, happy modelling.

[Stoby]

Hi  thank you for the info 

[skinner75]

I must get the finger out & do something like that myself, as I have no layout & a small shelf one would be good for practicing scenery techniques, etc...

[Metrovik]

Best of luck lad, I know from experience that you've come to the best place for advice.

[Tullygrainey]

Hello Stoby,

As regards track, you'll find that there are lots of opinions regarding the best way forward because accurately scaled track to suit the Irish standard gauge is not commercially available. Many modellers get around this by making their own track.

If as you say, you're new to the hobby, making your own track probably isn't what you want to do. Not just yet anyway. Rest assured, you're not alone there. Many of us find that notion pretty daunting so we compromise and use whatever is commercially available, even though it may not be absolutely scale-accurate. I'm guessing you're planning to model in 4mm/foot scale or OO to give it its more common title. The track most widely used in that scale is Peco Streamline Code 100 with a track gauge of 16.5mm. This allows most commercially available locomotives and rolling stock to run on it without modification. The range consists of various ready-made points together with long lengths of flexible track. 

Good luck with your modelling and keep asking the questions. As Metrovic says, this is a very supportive forum. Someone will have the answer.

Alan

[Stoby]

Many thanks for the info Alan and everybody 

[Rush and Lusk]

Hello Stoby,

I am also a relative newcomer to the world of model railways (Covid stimulus !) and can thoroughly endorse the help, advice and entertainment value of this excellent community. A few quick suggestions - (1) consider starting with a small railway based diorama on an IKEA shelf, great to experiment and learn a range of skills on a very small scale - (2) start with PECO Setrack, easy to use & widely available - (3) consider not electrifying point motors initially, use the "hand of God" method - (3) temper your ambitions, much less track than you might initially envisage/desire, less is more, (be prepared to stop and rip things up, I have done so a couple of times ! - (4) source your buildings from Metcalfe, inexpensive self build card structures which are fun and satisfying to construct - (5) go to model railway shows, you will lean so much from the displays and the mostly great folks you meet there - (6) purchase fabulous models from IRM, game changers for everyone interested in Irish railway modelling (also the good folks at Marks Models). (6) Have fun.

George    

[Stoby]

Thank you George and all  for the information   , i have made my mind up  on the layout Theme      Freight Yard       now my big question to all who are into the track set up                     Attached is what i would like to have on the Board, Either of the Two plans 

Again the board is  74  long by 28  wide       Could anybody tell me if any of  the attached plans will fit on the available space 

 

Thanks 

[Flying Snail]

Hi Stoby and welcome to the forum!

There's a number of track planning tools that will help you here. I use this one (I'm a Mac user): https://www.railmodeller.com/express-edition-en.html

Most of them will let you specify your layout's dimensions and will let you layout set track pieces from popular manufacturers. Like Railmodeller, most of these tools have a free version with a limit on the number of track pieces you can include before having to pay.

[amdaley]

Try Anyrail https://www.anyrail.com/en

[Stoby]

1 hour ago, amdaley said:

Try Anyrail https://www.anyrail.com/en

Excellent thank you 

[David Holman]

When planning layouts, important to remember basic stuff like the length of your longest loco, so it will fit in the headshunt when running round and don't forget to add in a couple of inches for buffer stops either.

 Train length important too. Ideally, your longest train should be no more than a third of the length of the scenic part of the layout. It just keeps things in proportion. In 00, allow about nine inches per point (shorter or longer depending on radius) and remember that the absolute minimum width for a platform is 6 feet and 12 for an island, so one to two inches and ideally slightly more.

 

[Stoby]

Great info thanks david      this could have been a problem so again thank you for pointing it out    {  basic stuff like the length of your longest loco,}

[Stoby]

Hello to All , i found this plan on the net , it fits in my available space     which is 72 inch long  x 28 inch wide  

My Question is   , is there anything i can add to this plan   ?    Any input would be very helpful 

Tom 

 

[Galteemore]

Looks good. Has some good potential. I wouldn’t bother adding more track to be honest. On a small layout, it’s tempting to cram in too much track. Sometimes less is more! If anything I’d feed that siding to building 5 off the loop to make it easier to work.

Edited April 10 by Galteemore

[Stoby]

Yes i agree  Galteemore  , it was the width i was thinking about  as i  have 28 inches in width  on the board  ,  and on that plan  it is 12 

so thought i could get a bit more on there 

Edited April 10 by Stoby

[NorthWallDocker]

Try the "Small Layout Scrapbook" by Carl Arendt:  https://www.carendt.com/category/small-layout-scrapbook/

Iain Rice was a master of small layouts: https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews/news/in-memoriam-iain-rice/.  Three of his four U.S. books appear relevant: Small, Smart & Practical Track Plans (2000),  Shelf Layouts for Model Railroads (2009), and Compact Layout Design (2015).  A full list of his books appears here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Rice.

You might also like some of the Wild Swan Publications books about layout design and scenery: https://wildswanbooks.co.uk/Layouts-Scenery-Landscape.htm

Finally, you might want to consider basing your compact layout on a real place, such as the shunting operations in Dublin at East Wall and North Wall.  A Shell Oil "Hibberd Planet" locomotive that operated at East Wall is buildable from a kit by Nonneminstre Models: http://www.nonneminstre.co.uk/4mm-standard-gauge.php.  You might use the Ordinance Survey Ireland maps of the docks and railway lines to get some inspiration.  There was plenty to do around the Spencer Dock and eastward to the GS&WR goods depot, known in the 1980s as the concert venue The Point Depot.  (Some of the dates might be a little fudgy for your 1970s-1980s focus.)

Good lads here taught me all this.

[Stoby]

A change in plan , Due to the space Available , i will go with  7 X 2 Module, in the Hope that more space will become available at a later stage 

Thanks to Everyone who Helped me so far , i have managed to come to Grips with  ANYRAIL.

I Came up with a design that works for me , and having had most of the track parts available , i am Happy to say. Trains are now up and running . 

Attached is the plan  

A Big thank you to all that helped 

[meathdane]

3 hours ago, Stoby said:

A change in plan , Due to the space Available , i will go with  7 X 2 Module, in the Hope that more space will become available at a later stage 

Thanks to Everyone who Helped me so far , i have managed to come to Grips with  ANYRAIL.

I Came up with a design that works for me , and having had most of the track parts available , i am Happy to say. Trains are now up and running . 

Attached is the plan  

A Big thank you to all that helped 

Looks like a great plan! Loads of operational fun there! Only thing I might say is accessing the timber siding might be a faff, especially if you're looking to run around an outbound load. Assuming you're going to have the IRM Flats carrying the timber. I could be wrong there mind you if the straight between the two points can hold two flats!

That's only minor though, main thing is, you're happy and it looks great!