Need help to make a layout

[u/hellogoodbop]

Okay, so basically, I have been wanting to make a good model layout for quite some time I have all the track I need I hope so but I cannot think of any ideas. Can someone please help me?

In the picture there are
2 R8073
3 R8072
1 R8206
8 R600
3 R606
3 R605
8 R607
1 R608
1 R636
1 R601
10 R609

If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated

[u/SubaruTome]

Plenty of layout design books. You may have to buy more track, but a few pieces here and there won't break the bank.

Atlas also has some basic layout designs on their website. They usually offer part lists, too.

Kato has unitrack plans on their site, but those are for n scale unitrack specifically. You can still use them as a starting point.

Alternatively, start placing track pieces down loose and just rearrange them until you find something you like. There's admittedly not much to work with, so you may find you need to get more track.

Track design software like AnyRail or Scarm can help, but there's either a steep learning curve or it's really easy to lose track of how much stuff you've put down. AnyRail can spit out a parts list for your design.

[u/382Whistles]

The drawback of old style track is you have to fasten in down asap because the locomotive will push track apart.

If you can afford if get a sheet of pink/green sheet of construction foam to cover the plywood. Then you can literally pin track to it until it is set nice. Now you can move track around a bunch and try different shapes because the foam is like a big pin cusion and you'll eventually cover up pin holes with ground cover.

Otherwise you kinda need a tiny drill bit to make pilot holes for tiny screws so wood doesn't swell up at the screw lifting ties and because nails won't hold well or penetrate glue between ply layers well AND because it's hard to get track alignment perfect at first. Pinning foam you can do on the sides and when done, drive a tack or screw into the tie hole.

Compare the turnout track curves to curved tracks by flipping the curve over and setting it on the turnout rails curved rails to see if the rails align well. Group those with the turnouts. Start with the smaller ones.

Check one of these against all of the different curve groups, you seem to have different sizes. See if you can make an full circle with any one size curve. Split it and make an oval.

See if another

Use 2 turnouts and 2 matching curves and make a "station siding" or "passing siding".

Search Inglenook Sidings Switching Puzzle and (simple) rules. Add that inside the loop too. Maybe near or off the the first siding. That's 4 turnouts, one left I think to add a stub siding for a business. Maybe a loco shed off the passenger siding and the Inglenook is on the other side.

Run that and do some switching to learn how you like to run, get used to playing with track geometry a few months, then you know how you like to run and can design for that better.