Foundations

Ok, here's the first post. I'll be jotting down bits about all the fun I'm having with my trains. Naturally I've been busy with the actual doing, not so much with the documentation (that being this blog). So I've got a couple weeks, ok - months, to review.

The Planning

So I'd been tossing around a lot of various track plans and ideas. Then in the middle of my almost completed idea, there was a change of location. The empty basement apartment was re-zoned back to being a basement apartment for my uncle in law until he finds a place. Probably a year more or less. So instead of my new hobby suddenly getting - wait for it !!! -- derailed --(gosh I'm a hoot) my understanding wife said 'use the kids upstairs playroom'. Ok that reads more monstrous then it really is. The kids are 19 months old and play in the living rooms downstairs right now and will for years. Let's be honest, my progeny aren't going to be left alone in a room upstairs at least until they're 6. Even then I'm sure I'll have to install camera's to make sure that no explosives or weapons are being used.

I figure I've got 4 or 5 years before I'll have to move or re-do the layout if I go into the playroom, which is fine. I NEED to have a hobby that doesn't involve my computer (well, I do plan on automating things, but I digress) or a lot of noise after 7pm. That's bedtime for the kids. Which means that although I love pool, and would love to practise, it's unfortunately a bit loud as the billiard room is next to Greyson's room. The pool room is on the second floor of the house - unusual but that was the best spot for it.

Anyway, back to the trains - I've gone through 8 major revisions, with countless minors before deciding on this plan. During the many many hours I've spent perusing the Internet forums on N Scale trains or just model trains in general there seems to be a standard on layout designs. Its broken down into Givens and Druthers. Givens, being, well, must have's, and druthers, the rather nice to have but its ok if they never come about. So with that in mind, here are mine.

Givens

• Era being modelled is post 1970's. I say that because I've aiming for anything modern, specifically after the 1990's but I have two C630's (a type of locomotive) that were discontinued shortly into the 70's in CP Rail's inventory that I rather like.
• Modelling a fictional line of CP Rail that would run around southern Ontario and the Niagara escarpment. So Hamilton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Dundas, Elora / Fergus, and where ever else I happen to like.
• All turnouts or switches on the layout are powered
• 1 mainline and ability to run a couple trains by computer without worrying about collisions (without getting into block detection yet)
• running freight and some passenger (VIA or GO, maybe both.. I know VIA is CN...)
• freight yard interchange with CN Rail, just 'cause CN is so ubiquitous in S. Ontario.
• various heights with a couple bridges and tunnels
• city scape modelling
• countryside modelling
• yard for operational fun
• hookup to the computer for automation
• DCC (digital train control, versus the really old school DC)
• Minimum 15" radius for Mainline
• Minimum 10" on side / industry spurs
  

Druthers

• double mainline
• signals
• train ID'ing in realtime (thinking RFID, but might have to go IR or ???)
• block detection - I haven't decided on the system but it should go hand in hand with ID's
• wireless train/layout controls with Itouch, Ipad or Iphone. Google Android is also a thought
• using JMRI or Rocrail as software controls
• webpage with ability to control layout remotely
• web cam's for 'on the scene' action

The Layout Plan




The notes - blue is the lower or zero elevation, Green is the higher bits representing the escarpment. It will be about 12" up from the blue.
There's a red line near the bottom, that's going to be a scenic backdrop - everything behind it is going to be staging yards representing the rest of the world... so trains can go south and then new trains can come North. Maybe I'll do up a better layout diagram...