Planning for success

i am working towards a plan for launching construction around August this year.

This means that I have to step out the layout in 1:1 fashion.
This includes, point locations, access, and grades.
Points always seem to take up more space than you think, for HO scale my rough rule of thumb, is about 1 ft. 305mm.

My initial planning will be a shopping list.

• Track, not sure if I am going with Peco or MicroEngineering.
• ME for the concrete track, I find that Atlas seems to have too much lateral movement.
• Signals, about six from Montelo line and point indicators and motors from Rapido
• Count out the foam sheets.
• Clips, from ebay.
• Lighting, this will be from Alice Springs, I will need more lights for this layout so I will plan for more lights.
• 12mm Ply and 3mm  MDF.
• I am going to look at using MDF as a road bed for the mainline, if it is successful I will do it in the whole yard.

Operating era.

AN 1990 to 1993, I think I have the stock, and Auscision are releasing the AQSY so all good there.

Here is the first shock ASR NR 1999.  A long time ago, Roger was convincing me to look at the year 1999.  I have had a chance to look back and I agree with him, CLPs on TOLL trains and strings of manky ABFXs,  look great.

I have some original NRs (yes I know they look terrible)  But I have a stack of AN equipment, and I could supplement this with the occasional R type wagon (I am not going to recode half my AN stock, its just not going to happen).

I will just roster more ANs and DLs to make me feel better : )

Roadrailers were back running, although limply renamed trailrail by NR, and thats because they didn't own the name Roadrailer. I have a box full of trucks that will make a good RR train.

An L class can sneak into Spencer Junction, remember L268 was released without Westrail, in yellow, about that time.

Steel trains still looked like steel trains so no effort there.

and Maybe 2010 2011, I have the stock but to I have the inspiration?

A new blog for a new layout

Hi All

This is a dedicated blog for my next layout, this will be based on Spencer Junction yard, and a location I have called Wirrimpa, a loop north of Spencer Junction, on the Trans Australian Railway (TAR)
My previous layouts include Barcoola (my take on Tarcoola South Australia) and A Town Like Alice my take on Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

Thses can be viewed on my other blog at http://barcoola.blogspot.com.au

Barcoola was my first serious attempt at an exhibition layout, with desert scenery.  This layout has limited operations capability modelled off the traditional exhibition type layout, display area and fiddle yard, in a loop.  Eventually grew to 16ft wide by 38ft long.

Alice Springs was a departure into operations, I could best describe this as a classic UK terminus type of layout.  Trains arrive shunt then depart.  Alice Springs has tought me alot about operations, and continues to do that, even when I convered it to a more modern era 2011.  This changed the dynamic even further.  We operate Alice Springs on a bi-monthy basis, crew of about 5 to 6 operators.
Alice Springs is 14'4" wide and 24' long and fits into my train room with an extra 2ft to spare.

Buiding and operating both of these layouts has thought me lots about constuction, operation and scenery.

Spencer Junction - Wirrimpa is a bigger step into prototype operations.
I would describe this layout and all previous layouts as mid sized layouts.  i find it interesting that mid sized layouts are some of the most difficult to design.
Small layouts are by definition small thus easy to limit your scope and create something just for you.  Most of the time these would be considered single person layouts, and then you only have to consider yourself.  Easy right?

Large layouts end up with different rules, you have the space, you now need to concentrate on access operator requirements, as well as concept.  You can afford to be extravagant, dedicate long runs between locations, get that feeling of going somewhere. Easy right?

Then there is mid sized layouts, not enough room to be extravagant, but more room for just one operator.

Thus the mid size layout can be very tricky, how do I get the impression of going somewhere in a medium sized space, without it looking comical etc?
How do I allocate enough room for operators, yet still remain faithfull to the prototype?
Not so easy right?

I set myself some goals:
The access on Alice Springs industrial branch was only 2' wide enough, but you would find that your arms would scrape the edges, just slightly.  So rule #1 must be more than 2' 2" wide access.

Staging hidden behind the backdrop, sounds great and if you are in a jam, its a good space saver, however if you can avoid it, try to.  So rule #2 avoid hidden staging.

The duck under on Alice Springs is fixed and I must have clonked my head or back on it a thousand times.  So rule #3 if you have to have a duck under make it easy to remove and replace.

Complicated boards are difficult to construct and slows construction time. so rule #4 make simple boards as much as possilbe.

I have looked at other prototypes finding the next layout, but reading Joe Frugates