Lookin' good - I'd agree with Rich that B is a good minimum to work with.

You can't beat good old fashioned laying out point templates and plain track (I use 2mm turnout templates and photocopied some old Peco straight set track) and then placing some rolling stock on it to check how they sit.

Sometimes, the lengths and clearence widths required for run-a-round can be quite surprising.

The construction using two layers of 4mm mdf looks pretty sturdy though and should reduce the temptation to twist...but I would still add cross bracing...which may impact on your folding fiddle yard ideas...

Thanks for the advice guys.

Playing around in Templot B6 is definitely out, not enough space for the Head shunt if the cross over from the loop release is kept on board 2, even A6 is a squeeze can manage A5.5 though.

I am going to build the 3 point group as one unit so I can trial some re-wheeled N gauge stock through it before comitting them to the layout.

I was going to start building track today but cannot find my stock of shop one part and I've just realised I didn't re-join the 2mm society this year so I can't re-order yet (membership form is in the post!)

If space is tight do not use REA switches (A ,B, C, etc) on non-natural turnouts. Change to the straight switches in Templot which can shorten the turnout while also easing the radius. Try 12ft straight switches with a 1:6 crossing, or maybe GWR 10ft curved switches. Both of these will give easier running than an A-6. Prototypically such switches are loose heel switches, but you don't have to build them as such if you don't want to, just adopt the geometry.

The natural sizes are

A-7

B-8

C-10

D-12

If your turnout is not one of these you can almost always save space by using a straight switch instead.

Martin.

Martin's advice is spot on. The ABC switches act like a transistion curve. I found in 0 gauge a 5.5 crossing worked well enough but was only using small locos and were rather tight so I would go for a 1:6 if possible. The only issue with straight switches is that full size the heel offset is only 4,5ins which in 2mm will not give sufficient clearance so make the actual heel a dummy and alllow it to flex as a spring switch as Martin suggests.

Don

Martin,

thanks for the advice. I must confess to being out of my depth once I move from REA switch (I didn't even know REA was a switch type until your post!).

Playing around in templot it appears a GWR 10ft switch with a 1 in 6 crossing will be the same length as an REA A5.5 which suits. Obviously the clearances will need easing but I think I can manage that.

Would there be a problem in moving down to this length of switch? The switch will never be taken at speed.

Also please forgive my ignorance, what is a "natural turnout"?

Thanks again for the help!