Dad/son OO gauge layout...thoughts?

[Hard-Drive]

Back when "I were a lad" and I didn't have a driving licence, didn't understand what beer did, or how girls worked, I had a OO model railway. I'm now late forties, and I do have a driving license, visible evidence of what beer does, and a 5 year boy, who like most 5 year old boys, is train mad. Perfect excuse for re-living my youth with him then!

I've been keeping an eye on Facebook marketplace, and I've actually picked up an 8x4 layout for free which is currently in his bedroom. I've also picked up a load of second hand track, and some really nice locos and rolling stock (wow...the more modern Hornby stuff has certainly come on a bit while I was away!) We currently have a Q1, Black 5, 8F, Merchant Navy Pacific, garter blue Mallard, 4MT, Hinton Manor, 08 shunter and a couple of 0-4-0 tank engines, along with 6 car rakes of Pullmans and LNER teak coaches, and a load of wagons. Also picked up a load of Metcalfe buildings and a Hornby powered turntable. My lad absolutely loves playing with it, which I am all for as it's not the TV or his tablet!

I've got a big open loft, so I'm planning on building a larger layout up there, around 13' x 11'. It's aimed at keeping him happy, so it will be continuous running, not end to end, and it can be a "preserved railway" to run stuff from any era. Plan is to get the baseboard and track down fairly quickly (which will be ballasted) and to keep things fairly simple initially. Rather than plan each and every detail, I'll just keep the scenery fairly basic to start with, and he can have a think about what goes where and add stuff in time as he gets older.

I'd really welcome any feedback on the rough plan below (done on SCARM). It will have a large central operating well (not shown) with a hinged section at the bottom for entry. Main points are as follows:

-2 track continuous running with plenty scope to swap tracks
-Elevated section at the back with a tunnel to add interest (probably be "open" at the back in case of derailments!
-1 main station roughly capable of a 6 car train with another smaller station
-Goods yard at the back left
-Engine depot bottom right with 2 sheds, turntable and elevated coaling stage

It's obviously not super scale or "prototype" but it's supposed to be fun and should still be an impressive size. Any feedback or changes would be most welcome!

Also, with regards to control, what do people recommend? I'd like to go DCC, am I best off with Select, Elite, or Railmaster? And am I best off doing the points with digital, or having an old school control panel with switches?

Thanks!

[Yertis]

I spend a lot more time designing potential track layouts than actually building them (which I haven't actually done in forty years). I like that layout. I would be tempted to double-track that loop that goes behind the scenic break, just to get another train in play. But that's because I've still got that old fashioned train-set mentality where lots is always happening. Those realistic layouts where movements happen in real time leave me a bit bored.

[Hard-Drive]

Thanks for the feedback and that makes perfect sense too, brilliant! I've updated the design...

[Yertis]

Exactly. It's a nice layout. Potentially, six trains in play at once.

[Boatbuoy]

Great work, well done. My contribution would be to consider storage of trains for the inner circuit. I know you've got crossovers to get from one circuit to another, via which a train on the inner circuit can get to the sidings, but if you want an element of playability rather than 'operating' I'd add dedicated access for the inner line.

You don't want your son to get bored while complex shunting has to occur to use a different loco/train/etc...

[Hard-Drive]

Boatbuoy said:

Great work, well done. My contribution would be to consider storage of trains for the inner circuit. I know you've got crossovers to get from one circuit to another, via which a train on the inner circuit can get to the sidings, but if you want an element of playability rather than 'operating' I'd add dedicated access for the inner line.

You don't want your son to get bored while complex shunting has to occur to use a different loco/train/etc...

Good point...here we go. Also worth mentioning that the section to the left of the lift up section will feature a dropped section with a bridge over a river or canal.

[mcdjl]

The top left cross from the inner to outer loop looks like its in the wrong direction to me.

[Hard-Drive]

mcdjl said:

The top left cross from the inner to outer loop looks like its in the wrong direction to me.

Excellent spot sir! Thank you!

[droopsnoot]

mcdjl said:

The top left cross from the inner to outer loop looks like its in the wrong direction to me.

Is there a reason that it couldn't be the bottom left one that was altered? Then both would follow the line of the tracks joining / separating from the left and perhaps look a little better? Or move a junction down and replace the crossing with a single or double slip and do away with that separate crossing altogether?



(I'm long out of touch with this stuff, since my 8' x 4' bedroom layout was dismantled, so things may have changed somewhere along the line. Diagram added to make up for potentially incorrect terminology.)

Edited by droopsnoot on Thursday 10th June 09:43

[Yertis]

I'm a fan of slips – I've just fitted quite a complex (by my standards) hypothetical junction into an actual awkward space for my hypothetical layout by using them. But I'm not sure anyone makes a slip at that radius.

Also, reading up on it, isn't wiring slips for DCC a bit of a trial?

[droopsnoot]

Yertis said:

Also, reading up on it, isn't wiring slips for DCC a bit of a trial?

Ah, can't help on either of those, sorry. My experience is limited to old-style controllers, and when I had this stuff set up all my track was Hornby and as I recall, they didn't do slips at all. If that's the case, then I'd still think that swapping around the crossing in this area rather than top left might be nicer to look at.

[Hard-Drive]

droopsnoot said:

Ah, can't help on either of those, sorry. My experience is limited to old-style controllers, and when I had this stuff set up all my track was Hornby and as I recall, they didn't do slips at all. If that's the case, then I'd still think that swapping around the crossing in this area rather than top left might be nicer to look at.

Thanks for the feedback...it's all good! TBH I'll stick with what I have on the plan simply because I already have enough standard points so it's cheaper than buying a slip. I also reckon that being able to do a run-around and swap the loco from one end of the train (in the station) to another without interfering with the tunnel loop might be useful. I also quite like the look of a bit of complexity, adds a bit of visual appeal I think!