North American Tram Layout

[madharry]

It seems like an age since I have done any serious modelling.  Maybe three months and counting.........I have decided to complete a little layout that has taken a long time evolving. It will be a home layout rather than for exhibitions. Its size is 12 foot in length by 2 foot wide. This means it does not go into Mrs C's estate car and we would have to hire a van to transport it. The design is simple. It is port city with lots of structures (which are the stars) with a dogbone of track and a passing/holding siding. Controlled by DCC with just two turnouts. The five trams comprise of two Bachmann Peter Witt, one Bachmann Birney, one sound-equipped Con-Cor DC Railbus and one sound-equipped Bowser Postwar PCC. Behind the city is an elevated track on DC which features a Lifelike Budd RDC which is on a time-delay shuttle control. All the structures are already made and I will need suggestions on the best placement of each and every one. I am looking forward to getting started. I am toying with the idea of catenary for the trams. It will be non-working but I have a stock of British Dapol railway plant which I would like to experiment with. I do not have any idea where the port city is located so hopefully I will not be pulled up for too many liberties being taken...................The layout will reside in one of my two new train rooms. I plan to make several different layouts rather than just one as there will another 48 foot of linear length to fit them in. The other room is likely to feature just one medium size layout - 32 foot by 12 foot. But I am getting ahead of myself......................

Mike

[GPdemayo]

Sounds interesting Mike.....any rough sketches of the track plan? 

[Janbouli]

Glad to see you picking up building again Mike.

[S&S RR]

Mike


Great to hear that you are getting started on a new project - it sounds great. And it's okay to get ahead of yourself - it's part of the hobby. I'm looking forward to your reports on progress.

[postalkarl]

Hey Mike:

glad to have you back.

Karl

[madharry]

Sounds interesting Mike.....any rough sketches of the track plan? 

Thanks Greg, here is the plan. The red line is the tram line. The blue line is the elevated track for the shuttle. Now all I have to do is fit in a few buildings.............
Mike

[madharry]

Thanks for your support Jan, John and Karl.
Mike

[GPdemayo]

Looks good Mike.....looking forward to seeing what you do with this one. 

[postalkarl]

Hey Mike:

You are quite welcome.

Karl

[ReadingBob]

Looking forward to following along with your adventure Mike!    Should be a lot of fun. 

[madharry]

Thanks Greg, Karl and Bob..............
Work in progress trying to figure out how to use the structures...............
Mike

[ACL1504]

Mike,

Late to your party but I'm here at last. Looking wonderful as usual.

Tom 

[GPdemayo]

That's a bunch of good looking structures Mike.....so many choices, it will be fun watching this come together. 

[madharry]

Thanks Tom and Greg for your kind remarks.
I have managed to get the shuttle working. I'm using a Bachmann sound equipped loco with a milk car. It is on a 30 second delay and travels along the elevated line before it brakes to a halt. Once the buildings hide its full presence it will be a great feature.
Mike

[madharry]

Just a few pictures of planning the best use of some of the structures. Several of the stores already have interiors and I intend installing more with hopefully lights as well.I think I need to have some height behind the buildings as the scene looks too flat at the moment.
Mike