One board routes??

[colhad]

Hi all

I'm trying to construct a one board route. Never found it easy, one board doesn't offer much room. I just wonder what you can do with one board??

At the moment, I have pretty much two loops (in the shape of a bum)

I'm after suggestions and ideas. I'd also be interested to know what to look for on the DLS as far as one board routes go.

Thanks folks.

 

[cascaderailroad]

You can use a small FT 75m radius track to test out making tight curves.

A switching layout that has no circle of track, could be huge on a single 720mx720m baseboard (2360'x2360')

 

[American_Connections]

3-D

Set tracks at different heights as you travel around the board.

 

[jammydodger]

Set tracks at different heights as you travel around the board.

Obviously with correct filler and/or embankments!

 

[philskene]

Hi colhad--

"I just wonder what you can do with one board??"

Just look at what has been done on one board in "Clear Lake Logging". The answer to your question is "heaps"!

 

[Capt_Haddock]

Colhad, if you think in model railway terms, One Trainz baseboard is roughly equivalent to an OO scale layout 10 metres by 10 metres. Massive (by UK standards anyway) and plenty of scope for a fully operational railway, particularly if you make good use of Portals to represent the "rest of the world".

A quick browse through a few Model Railway magazines ought to give you plenty of ideas.
Chris

 

[SuperFudd]

Take a look at my Elko and Lincoln in UTC, TRS2004 and TC1/2 on the DLS.
Based on a 5.5x10 foot N scale layout expanded to fill a base board.
One N scale base board would fill a 2 car garage wall to wall. That should be plenty big enough.

 

[StorkNest]

I back statements here about easily fitting model layouts on 1 board. Depending on what size you choose, you could even enlarge the layout size and still fit it on one board.
I think the challenge with one board is to think small and simple. Just a few industries as opposed to prototype routes with large industries and yards and long stretches of mainline.

 

[evan123]

A nice industrial switch yard is basically as good as it can get for one board.

 

[martinvk]

I guess it's all a matter of personal preference but why would you want to limit yourself to one board unless it was a challenge. Just to see if it was possible? Seems so model trainish. I always appreciated Trainz for removing the walls from train route design giving us the freedom to follow the tracks, where ever they may go.

Back on topic, I would think that narrow gauge would also be a way to maximize the potential of a single board. Also using a trick from physical model RRs, place a two sided backdrop (or two back to back) down the middle of the board to visually separate the two halves.

 

[Kon1786]

A Small city or town with 2 basic loops and a trolley.

i just made one but it turned into 2 boards opps....

 

[Mikeinva]

A Small city or town with 2 basic loops and a trolley.

i just made one but it turned into 2 boards opps....

Well if it's one thing I've learned from running the maglev &marias approach routes is that you can make nice long routes using a linear pattern to baseboard placement with a beginning & an end point at each end of the line rather than taking multiple baseboards & creating,say a 4x4 grid....which would be huge.

Case in point: I started building my TGV route with two trains running in a shuttle mode on double track & made some major progress on it today.The route simply uses multiple baseboards in a linear pattern(with a few extra baseboards added to the side near some stations) & since I'm using the US stations along the mainline(8 stops total) I plan to use the 3rd line on the right side of each platform as a branch line to provide ICE service into various towns that will be added later along the route,granted I've gotta go back into surveyor & rotate stations 6,7 & 8 so that the driver commands can be executed properly for each stop along the route.

 

[SuperFudd]

So, evan123, If you had an empty 2 car garage you could at best only do a nice industrial switch yard in N Scale?

 

[Longbay]

You could have a look at Darkdan's NG Europe routes on the DLS. All of these are one baseboard with lots of variety. Well worth checking out.

Longbay

 

[Dermmy]

I have a couple of 1-board switching layouts/modules on the DLS - search 'Southside' (TRS04). They are old and not real flash, but the concepts are OK...

Andy

 

[westrain]

What about a small scrapyard plenty of stuff on dls

 

[cascaderailroad]

You could make a huge Locomotive Repair Terminal (w/roundhouse), or a switching Industrial Complex, TOFC Terminal, or Airport

 

[pommie]

A whole baseboard , way to much room :hehe:

Cheers David

 

[JRT]

I build some of my routes on one baseboard and don't have much trouble.

 

[Mikeinva]

^Nice work there JRT,looks like I may try having a go at a single baseboard route myself sometime.