I'm back.......

[NozomiFan]

So, after a long day of thinking, I decided to retry my layout, including changing my avatar. Moving on, I need a good layout plan suited for a HCD (Hollow Core Door) does anybody have any links?.
So far I have a Super Elevated Oval, w/ station. I have know intention of putting a river, but a rice patty is definite maybe. I need more storage for trains, like a switch yard or under table staging area. I do hope this turns out good, and I need a name.......

[Bernard]

 
These are very popular plans, look in the middle of the link there are plans specifically for hollow core doors:
http://www.cke1st.com/m_train2.htm

And I know Kato has put out some new plans too (I just don't have them)

[qwertyaardvark]

Yay~ Glad to see the layout return!

I was about to send the link that Bernard posted till i clicked on it! Definitely would check that place out.

Are you also wanting to keep the mountain and tunnel part of your mainline through it?
Do you want fairly complex spaghetti-bowl plans or a simple oval ? (do not mistake simple for boring, see Mossberg's layout to convince you of this fact; simplicity has its own elegance)
If you want a rice paddy, will you incorporate a small farming town to be next to your station?
What types of platforms will you use: Island or One-sided?
How many lines are going through your station? How will passengers get to the platforms from the station building? (Perhaps through an overhead bridge?)
Are you comfortable with a free lanced layout or do you want to stick with the prototypical?

Ask yourself these and other design questions and think about them a bit. Draw/sketch them out on a sheet of paper or on computer and share your thoughts/layout plans here. Expect a layout's design to go through a few revisions when members of the forum make recommendations; it may seem cumbersome, but the results are worthwhile. It'll save you a few headaches down the line.

As for a name, may i suggest "Kaerizaki" (返咲) or "Futamezaki" (弐目咲). Either of which translates into "Second Bloom" (the first name being the "official word", and the second being my own creation). cheesy, i know, but that's my suggestion. :P

[CaptOblivious]

Excellent news. Bernard's link is, I think, good, but you will have to be creative in adapting them for your stated needs. Sounds like a fun exercise to me!

[Mudkip Orange]

does anybody have any links?.

How about something like this?

You can start out adding interesting tracks (a yard, a siding, places to back a train into and reverse) with it completely flat. Then later if you wanted to try adding a second level, you could do something with those two dead-end tracks in the top left - or just add another S-curve so you have three ovals instead of two.

[Lawrence]

I think that it will depend on whether or not you are going to settle for Kato track or will go for the flexibility something like Peco or Atlas offers instead?  Is it worth you selling you super elevated stuff and buying some 'regular' track, you can play around with it till the cows come home and the flexibility it offers will give you so much more scope for putting in a yard and short spurs.

Mike's pages (the link from Bernard) are somewhere I often point people and will using them to inspire my own layout.  I had considered using a door too however, I was concerned about feeding any wiring I need thru the door and also the fitting of point motors.  I may go with a door sized sheet of 12mm plywood, topped with foam for scenic work (easy to carve in paddies), it should give good rigidity and lightness and can be moved around easily.

I might pinch which ever one of Bernards names you don't use, as this will be my second layout, if you don't mind.

Bernards points about design are spot on, it is rare, if ever, that a first track plan works first time out, so be prepared to change, consider all comments (you don't have to agree or accept them  ) and use the knowledge of your fellow members on here.

Ultimately though it is your layout so consider all the options given you and make it your own, most importantly, have fun doing it.

[qwertyaardvark]

I might pinch which ever one of Bernards qwertys names you don't use, as this will be my second layout, if you don't mind.

Bernards points about design are spot on, it is rare, if ever, that a first track plan works first time out, so be prepared to change, consider all comments (you don't have to agree or accept them  ) and use the knowledge of your fellow members on here.

while i wont take credit for the design methodology, I will take it for the names :P

[IST]

Good to see that you are back, do not give up the layout building!
I think you should imagine what would you like to do with your layout: run trains in a circle as long as possible, mostly storage the trains in a yard with lots of track, make shunting activity in a bigger station, etc, or just have fun and it does not matter what is running and where. These requires completely different layouts. I know that the space is limited, but building up a good scenery can be so fun: I have only an oval track for my Unitram which seems boring but I enjoy to put another new building to the baseboard, sticking the advertisement and putting cars to the street and it will take a few month or maybe 1-2 years to complete such a small layout.
I am not familiar with this HCD stuff, could you please write me its size?

[Lawrence]

I might pinch which ever one of Bernards qwertys names you don't use, as this will be my second layout, if you don't mind.

Bernards points about design are spot on, it is rare, if ever, that a first track plan works first time out, so be prepared to change, consider all comments (you don't have to agree or accept them  ) and use the knowledge of your fellow members on here.

while i wont take credit for the design methodology, I will take it for the names :P

oops, sorry qwerty 

[NozomiFan]

Good to see that you are back, do not give up the layout building!
I think you should imagine what would you like to do with your layout: run trains in a circle as long as possible, mostly storage the trains in a yard with lots of track, make shunting activity in a bigger station, etc, or just have fun and it does not matter what is running and where. These requires completely different layouts. I know that the space is limited, but building up a good scenery can be so fun: I have only an oval track for my Unitram which seems boring but I enjoy to put another new building to the baseboard, sticking the advertisement and putting cars to the street and it will take a few month or maybe 1-2 years to complete such a small layout.
I am not familiar with this HCD stuff, could you please write me its size?

Well a HCD is a Hollow Core Door and it's dimensions are 80'' by 36'' inches.

You can make a standard oval with it (4 128-mm straight pieces).


I am troubled with a part in the layout. So I have the standard oval, 4 128-mm track pieces, and I can't fit the V1 set inside! I did it before but, I'm not sure yet.

Yay~ Glad to see the layout return!

I was about to send the link that Bernard posted till i clicked on it! Definitely would check that place out.

Are you also wanting to keep the mountain and tunnel part of your mainline through it?
Do you want fairly complex spaghetti-bowl plans or a simple oval ? (do not mistake simple for boring, see Mossberg's layout to convince you of this fact; simplicity has its own elegance)
If you want a rice paddy, will you incorporate a small farming town to be next to your station?
What types of platforms will you use: Island or One-sided?
How many lines are going through your station? How will passengers get to the platforms from the station building? (Perhaps through an overhead bridge?)
Are you comfortable with a free lanced layout or do you want to stick with the prototypical?

Ask yourself these and other design questions and think about them a bit. Draw/sketch them out on a sheet of paper or on computer and share your thoughts/layout plans here. Expect a layout's design to go through a few revisions when members of the forum make recommendations; it may seem cumbersome, but the results are worthwhile. It'll save you a few headaches down the line.

As for a name, may i suggest "Kaerizaki" (返咲) or "Futamezaki" (弐目咲). Either of which translates into "Second Bloom" (the first name being the "official word", and the second being my own creation). cheesy, i know, but that's my suggestion. :P

I like that name idea..........


Oh, and here's my layout sketch. (done in two min)

[qwertyaardvark]

Glad to hear you like the name ideas :) Where did the layout plan go??? That certainly was not 2 minutes! :P

[NozomiFan]

Okay...... maybe I didn't upload the drawing.
I wrote before I thought.

Well progress is slow, I need to extend the table by about 5 inches on each side, which should give me enough space for the station.

[Bernard]

There is not rush. Take your time, plan it out and enjoy it.  (I can't believe I said that, I'm a native New Yorker that's against our nature  ) Lets put it this way, I still haven't finished putting the simulated water in my river, lake and harbor and that was 2 years ago.

[NozomiFan]

Watchin' TruTv!

I should think about working on that station...  I know that my LHS stores some nice mini light blubs that would be perfect for this job.

If any one lives in the Greater Portland Oregon area, The hobby shop is Tammie's Hobbies.

[Mudkip Orange]

If any one lives in the Greater Portland Oregon area, The hobby shop is Tammie's Hobbies.

Oh awesome! I lived in Goose Hollow for 2 years. THE DOORS ARE CLOSING.

[NozomiFan]

If any one lives in the Greater Portland Oregon area, The hobby shop is Tammie's Hobbies.

Oh awesome! I lived in Goose Hollow for 2 years. THE DOORS ARE CLOSING.

Ya think? It seem that he never gets anything new, and carries a lot of old stuff.
Ugh.. they do have what I need though.
I do go to a HobbyTown USA in Argyle Square.

[NozomiFan]

I finally got the lights on my station to work!  wired them up, and using 2 junk train controllers and I got them to work.
So....... After this is just extending the table, build up the scenery and run trains!

Pics below.

[IST]

Did you connected the inner and outer track with a V7 set, or those are totally separated?

[scott]

What did you use for the lights themselves?

[NozomiFan]

Did you connected the inner and outer track with a V7 set, or those are totally separated?

Nah... I couldn't find one, and I don't think that would fit.

What did you use for the lights themselves?

Well.. They are very tiny light bulbs and you can find them in large model train shops.

[Mudkip Orange]

Nice double road crossing you got on the back there.

[NozomiFan]

Yup.... I think that I still need to keep going with the foamwork, for the rice paddies.

BUMP!

[NozomiFan]

Ok, so I suck at ballasting.
But from what i can figure, ballasting is impossible for Kato track.
But I have a new idea! (your probably going: great, what is it now?)
I keep the track free of ballast but put the clumps of scenery around the edge of the Unitrack!
Suggestions, ideas on how to improve this idea are greatly appreciated.

The train is still in the building stage and some parts have been scraped.

[CaptOblivious]

Ok, so I suck at ballasting.
But from what i can figure, ballasting is impossible for Kato track.
But I have a new idea! (your probably going: great, what is it now?)
I keep the track free of ballast but put the clumps of scenery around the edge of the Unitrack!
Suggestions, ideas on how to improve this idea are greatly appreciated.

WS ground foam should work well for this; run a line of PVA (Elmer's) glue along the base of the roadbed, and sprinkle the ground foam on. Should give a nice, not-so-well-used, rural look to the lines while hiding the seam between track and layout.

[Bernard]

NF - Any Updates on the layout?

[NozomiFan]

Layout... Terminal...
On a better note, I am going to try modules and continue model making.
I just didn't have the time.