Configuration shown in figure "E" could be a real problem, especially if there are operators on the side of the "blob" facing the door and someone is trying to enter or exit the room.  Consequently, this option has been eliminated.

Below are some sketches of the two levels and the "around the room helix".  The benchwork is 1 1/2 ft wide in the room and closet [this makes a 3 ft aisle in the closet which is barley enough, or maybe not enough].  There are three eight inch wide shelves in the storage room, one above another, which feed the top level, the bottom level and the helix [this provides various interchanges].  The number of operators would be 4-5. 

The "crude" software for the diagram is sufficient to scale out space.  Templates have been generated for curves, parallel tracks and switches.  Minimum radius is 24 " and the switches are scaled out to 12" which is just barely adequate for a number 6 switch providing a 2 inch space between parallel tracks.

The top level has a 56" inch "nod under" at the door and the bottom level has a drop track, or a swing track, crossing the door [in operation the drop/swing track would be used VERY little and the normal position is to have it out of the way].  The light gray 3/4 circle on the bottom level was a thought about a single turn helix going to a staging area under the yard or a single turn helix along the 13 1/2 ' wall but with the 24 " min radius, it doesn't seem like a good idea.

Yard location - it needs to be on either the top or bottom, not within the helix, with the bottom level being a preferred level.  That said, to maximize the distance between the bottom and top levels, it needs to be on either side of the door to give the greatest possible length of run to get to the 56" inch "nod under" at the door.  There is more wall to the left of the door than to the right so it was located to the left.  Should it all be against the 10 1/2' wall or curved around onto the 14 1/2' wall with at least a foot of straight beyond the curve before reaching the fowling point of the yard switches?  The way it is drawn, there could be some industrial area immediately to the left of the door and the line crossing the door on the drop track would come in behind the industrial area to feed the yard with a couple of interchange trains.

Estimated length of helix is 52 ft and an average grade of 2 1/2 percent gives an elevation of about 15.6 inches.

 

Shortly after my last post [yes, about 9 months ago] a good number of you provided some valuable suggestions, ranging from software to use for planning [using “PAINT” here] to moving/removing walls to a specific plan.  Though some of the suggestions are not readily doable in my lifetime, all of the feedback was helpful and very much appreciated!! and has opened up my thinking.  The only actual “progress” has been the removal of the doors from the room and the closet entrance.  One of the uphill battles is to clean up the TV room area, the train room and the closet as well as the storage room.  When moving up from Lynchburg years ago, STUFF was just dumped wherever so its going to take some time to thin, discard and organize all of that STUFF to make room to begin building and there has been some slow headway made there also.

Knowing that my “druthers” are more than can be achieved in the available space, as a starting point I decided to see might be the maximum size layout in the space utilizing approximately 18 inch benchwork against the walls and approximately 4 ft. aisles in the room and 3 ft. aisle in the closet.  The red semi-circle "blob" is nominal 24" radius so track would have to be 22" radius.                  

                                                                                                                                  

     


Another consideration is for the “around the room helix” to take the lower track up to the 56” nod-under at the room entrance on the upper level.  In the diagram below, each wall is conservatively marked with the length of run [in feet] against that wall.  Going clockwise, if there is a yard on the 12 foot wall, there is 11 + 10 + 4 + 10 + 6.5 = 41.5 feet [or 498 inches] of run to go from the lower level to the nod-under at the door.  If the grade is 3% that would mean 15 inches separation in the run.                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                   

The idea would to have a lower level around the walls of the train room and the closet, an upper level above, and an around the room helix connecting the two.  

Diagram E below shows a bit closer [but exaggerated] to what I am thinking with the track coming out of the closet having some room to make the curve into the train room.  The yellow area just above the dashed line are two potential 6-8" wide staging areas [one for the lower level and one for the upper level] connecting into the closet for the top and bottom levels and at mid elevation maybe a 10" wide switching area/branch that would connect with the around the room helix approximately at its midpoint in the closet.

It has taken me HOURS to learn how to get the correct size of the figures, add dimensions, and assemble them so will post before going much further to make sure I don't loose it. 

 ALL feedback is gratefully encouraged.                                                                          

                                                                                                                                        

After taking down the old layout and not getting to building the new one yet, it is about time to get things moving.   Below is the space available for the layout, basically a 13' 6" X 14' 6" room with an attached 6' 0" X 12' 4" closet and a ceiling height of 8' 0" [except for a 2 ' 0" wide duct drops it to 7' 0" along the wall of the13' 6" X 14' 6" room that connects with the closet].  However, I have hit a solid bumping post, so to speak, on what the layout should look like and look to you good folks for ideas and input.


Givens are:

13' 6" X 14' 6" and 6' 0" X 12' 4" Sheet rock walls and ceiling.  Carpet in layout room and closet


HO scale

No door to the closet and probably no door to the room

Track will pass through the wall between the closet and the room on both sides of the closet door. No track across the closet door opening

Aisles 3' 0" to 4' 0"

Minimum mainline radius 23"

Design to provide good operation for a max of 5 operators on a single track mainline with emphasis on switching and interchange.

Fan in a hole between the closet and storage area for ventilation

Time frame is the 50's

Druthers:

Two levels
      Upper level 56" "nod under" at the entrance to the room
      Lower level  rarely used lift-up/lift out at the entrance to the room
      Connection between the two levels is around the room and closet "helix" [no circular helix ]

The railroad runs from Hagerstown, MD, parallel to but  north west of the N&W through the Shenandoah Valley and up through the southwest Virginia mountains past Johnson City, TN, and ending at Rockwood, TN.  In that distance it connects with the Western Maryland, a logging and coal mine shortline, the Norfolk & Western, Southern, East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, Louisville & Nashville, and the Tennessee Central.  Interchange may be just one or two track that disappear behind shallow scenery.

"Spaghetti bowl" is to be avoided though "sincere" is not an absolute requirement.

A peninsular comes out into the room from one of the walls which may have a turn back track or it may be just stub end.

Lighting to be spotlights from the ceiling and maybe some sort of lighting underneath the upper level.

The layout is on wall mounted shelf brackets.


Maximum grade of 3.0%


Can the closet be part of the "layout" area or should it be staging only [with or without scenery]


Minimum signaling with opportunity for TT&TO operation




Here is a diagram of the space: