cimddwc

Planning My Layout

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It's still several months until my new apartment is ready for me to move in, and in all that long time waiting, I've been off and on working on plans for what will finally fill that 4x6 m² basement room, moving from centered layouts with space to walk around it to ones set against the wall (more usable space!) in lots of variations.

I'm quite pleased with what I've come up with by now, but, as yon might guess, I'm looking for input from you now – there might always be this one great idea that I just didn't have, or that one thing that I forgot...

So here is the plan (made with BlueBrick) with all levels put together:

E5d_640.jpg

Notes:

- Images are links to bigger versions.

- I used baseplates (and roads) as drawing tools and not really as baseplates as such; roads will be brick-built anyway. (Also, the tram tracks are painted with blue tracks but in reality are brick-built into the road; see Pet Shop block road.)

- < and > denote a slope or stairs (higher > lower), ][ a bridge or tunnel entrance.

- Green text = completed buildings.

- The layout will rest on tables, most likely typical conference/multi-purpose tables with a steel frame underneath along the edges; the main level at a typical height of ~72-75cm or whatever the tables are that I'll get in the end. Brick boxes will be stored underneath in the front area.

- I can reach reasonably far, though I'll still need some sort of grippers/pliers for the far corners and some edges behind houses. Don't think that's much of a problem, though.

- And I'll need some way to remote-control the track switches in the tunnels. Might start with a simple thread pulled by hand...

- I wanted a somewhat balanced combination of train and town, and I decided to go with larger areas of these instead of smaller ones of more types, so there's no airport, no freight harbor (though I thought about adding a small one next to the container terminal, replacing the road there), no space port, no forest police, etc.

- And no inclined tracks connecting the levels nor an elevated train around and between the houses either (just a short one at the station) because I feel that would be too much. I still hope it won't end up too cluttered after all...

- The rationale of the tracks and tunnels is mostly this: what you can see is "official" as it could be in a real, bigger city, and all the tracks in the tunnels are just "unofficially" connecting the visible parts to make the layout useful and playable. So you could imagine trains coming from way up north (top), enter the station, and leave to the east (right) through a tunnel.

- It's intended to keep me busy, Lego-wise, for many years to come, so being big and detailed will help. :classic:

Before I break that down by level, a quick comparison with two earlier designs with a 90° rotated station that also shows what was important to me:

B2_320.jpg M4_320.jpg

Advantages of the "final" design:

- An extra freight train loop on the left in addition to the double passenger loop.

- A much better integration of the station area with the city area.

- More platforms at the station means less trains hidden/stored off-site.

- Compared to left old plan: Avoids a long gap between levels (upper city in the back, lower station in the front) that would have to be filled with (open) wall, underground shops, parking, etc.; though that's not really a bad thing, it might be a bit too much in a row. And the bay might even need another lower level (due to the Pet Shop block slope).

- Compared to right: Avoids a big area at the back of the room that's on a lower level than the front.

Disadvantages:

- Two separate passages, i.e. I won't be able to easily reach everything from the center.

- Slightly shorter platforms.

- Track switch areas are a bit more cluttered.

Alright, now the separate levels:

The subway level:

E5d%20sub_640.jpg

The building table shouldn't be here, actually. But I'm too lazy to edit the image now. :wink: Note that in addition to this simple double loop – that's using most of my old 12V tracks – there will be an intermediate level above it for the passengers to access the station, probably also featuring some kiosks, and around to the left a secret underground base of the Alien Conquest's ADU mixed with some Torchwood ideas and the like (as written on the combined image). I just didn't draw this level; it wouldn't be much more than a small grey area anyway.

And I might actually build more levels from the floor up: A tunnel that's just being built (for a second trunk line due to high demand, with greetings to Munich^^), the subway, an underground suburban train (S-Bahn) station, and the intermediate access level.

The main level:

E5d%20main_640.jpg

As you can see, there's a freight area on the left, connected along the edges to the outer right loop (so it can actually serve as a reversing loop for trains coming from the top right), a double loop on the right, and three "hidden" storage tracks that will be accessible from the front through openings in a wall that could be imagined solid.

(Those dark sections of track (e.g. around the crossover switches) are images I created for 8 flex track segments swivelling the track to the right or left before the current BlueBrick version included the flexible flex track feature.)

Upper city level:

E5d%20upper_640.jpg

(Yeah, the building table shouldn't be here either.) A lot of big modular houses and streets, with a road in the center coming from the lower level. Gotta make use of the possibilities this multi-level layout offers. :grin:

This also shows the passenger bridge at the station and an optional elevated maglev track – I used the monorail track here, but most likely it will be some brick-built thing and not Lego's monorail train either, since I don't have that and wouldn't want to buy it at those high prices anyway.

The mountain levels:

E5d%20mountain_640.jpg

A seperate little train track, using all the few 9V tracks I got with a Toy Story western train (modified accordingly), on the left. Each level of the mountain is intended to be about as high as the upper city level is above the main level, 20cm or so. (Of course they won't be like big blocks with vertical sides, but with varying slopes.) Some smaller, older houses going up the slope in the back next to the small train stop there.

And ever since AussieJimbo presented his funicular, I thought how I could include one, too – albeit just a smaller one for people and not for vehicles. So there's one here, connecting the beach with what will probably be a big old castle used as an open-air theater nowadays.

Aaaalright, so, any questions, comments, suggestions, ...?

Update 13 May 2012: A little change to the top section, adding some space for police and butcher by turning the road on the right into a narrow pedestrian-and-tram lane:

E7-up_300.jpg

Edited by cimddwc

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Comments? One: Wow.

That's a pretty insane layout plan. Do you have any idea of how long it's going to take you to complete most of this? I'll be following your progress, that's for sure...

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Hi there, your plans inspire me to consider re-doing my layout.....makes me smile!!!

Your plans are looking great..!!!!

Greetz, LegoSjaak

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Glad you like it. :)

Do you have any idea of how long it's going to take you to complete most of this?

Not really. It will take however long it will take...

At any rate, once I got the tables (including "short-legged tables" for the upper city), I can at least put all the existing buildings and the tracks (which I should have enough of by then) where they belong to get a first impression of the real thing. And then add the roads, ground and ballast piece by piece.

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wow, this looks really exiting, I cant wait to see you progress with it. I used to have a 15ft x 15ft layout in a custom built shed. I was extremely sad to see it go when I sold my house. I wasnt as quite as elaborate as your plans though. Gook luck with it and keep the pics coming.

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