The Oval

[The Nth Degree]

I've been planning an N gauge layout for a few months, constantly drawing and redrawing the track plan. I have very limited space in which to work (less than a metre) so it has to be right from the start - there's no margin for error in this teeny tiny track. Oh, I forgot to mention, it's going to have a runaround track plus an Inglenook on two separate levels in a 900x600 footprint. Something else I forgot to mention, it's going to run 4 engines/trains on DC, one at a time.

 

Yes, you purist will certainly have something to say about all this, and so do I: go look at a prototype topic, this is not for you. This is just for me.

 

The problem is I've never done this before. This is my first ever layout – except for the trainset I had as a nipper, but that was just an oval (as you'll see soon, things haven't moved along a great deal...) and ran on batteries. So, I thought I'd experiment and train (yes, a pun) myself in the basics of this hobby. To do that I've decided to make a test track, a little larger at 1400x1000, to run and store the trains I've bought, and to keep on my desk at the office.

 

The simplest plan I've come up with for this is a basic oval with a few inside spurs (term?) to store my trains. When I want to run one I flick the points over and away I go. When I finish playing, it reverses home for dinner. The key to the plan (for speed and simplicity) is basic wiring – controller on the track and go. No isolation sections, no point motors, no switches or buttons. Just the speed and direction controller.

 

I've bought most of the track and some buffers for the spurs(?). I'm just waiting for the rest of the track and a simple controller. I can then set about making a baseboard when I've tested all out on my desk.

 

Here is the plan. I may make the spur lengths longer to accommodate longer trains:

[Kris]

Interesting plan for a test track. The spurs (sidings) might be a little short. If you are using peco set track points you might find problems with the latest releases of UK outline steam loco's, as some of these need bigger radius's.

[The Nth Degree]

Thanks for your input Kris, all my stock is diesel, listed below:

GWR (BR green) Railcar

Class 101 3 car in BR green

Class 108 2 and 3 car in BR green

Class 27 in BR green

 

Hopefully, they'll all manage to get round the Peco ST-6 points. What do you think? I'll make the sidings longer by adding another straight bit on.

[Flying Pig]

Why not flip one set of sidings round to face the other way (use right hand points)? then you can run trains in either direction without reversing and straight into an empty siding when it's time for another.

[RWJP]

You shouldn't have any problem with that stock negotiating Settrack points, but you will have issues with length.

 

If the straight sections of your sidings represent ST-1s then you defintely haven't got enough room for your 3 Car Units, and possibly not even for the 2 car units. You appear to have enough space available, so i'd suggest whacking an ST-11 onto each siding to add the extra length you'll need.

[The Nth Degree]

Thanks chaps, will definitely make the sidings longer.

 

FP, I can't reverse the points because all of the sidings will be occupied with an engine or a train - the only place it can go back to is its home siding. Thanks for the thought though.

[The Nth Degree]

Lesson 1: read descriptions properly.

 

It seems I didn't buy the large radius curves I thought I did but, in fact, bought first radius curves. I know that my stock should negotiate this reasonable well, I was hoping for longer runs round the track. Perhaps another shopping trip is in order...

[The Nth Degree]

I've had a rethink.

 

So as to not waste the track I've already bought, I've added to it to make a larger loop. It's starting to look like Clapham Junction though with all these points. I've had to extend the layout size by an extra 10cm in length, and shouldn't be a problem. It seems to have created more space in the middle for a tree or two!

 

Any foreseeable problems, considering I don't want isolation sections, button or switches? I'll probable feed power to the inside and outside tracks though.

[The Nth Degree]

Slight revision to use up some curves...

[Wherry Lines]

Why not look at some of the wonderful small n-gauge layouts on this site, many of which developed from a simple test track layout originally.

 

That way, you get both a test track, and a model railway in one layout...

[Kris]

You still might want to make some of the siding longer.

[The Nth Degree]

Kris, I have 2 three car DMUs, 2 two car DMUs, 2 Railcars and a couple diesel engines. Do you think I need more length?

 

I'm thinking of adding a siding on the outside for a 6 carriage passenger train but I may be going a bit too far!

[Kris]

Your 3 coach DMU's will need 18 inches, the 2 coach ones about a foot and the locos 6 inches. A 6 coach train + a loco will need about 3 and a half foot. These lengths are for normal coaches and older DMU's newer 75ft models will need a little more space. Remember that you also need to leave a little room at the end of each siding for the buffers and next to the point to make sure that they do not hit other coaches or locos that are passing.

[The Nth Degree]

Holy Moses! Are you sure? This is N gauge not OO. I reckon each DMU coach is about 4" or so (101s and 108s).

[artizen]

If you look at the two car DMU on Hattons, they photograph it against a ruler which appears to measure around 250mm in length. I think you will need longer sidings for even these and definitely for the three car variants you want to run. Remember each stored train or loco or whatever has to be far enough along the siding so that anything on the adjacent track can pass it without hitting anything. If you extend the bottom set of three sidings coming off a single point on the loop by about two or three track lengths?

[Kris]

Holy Moses! Are you sure? This is N gauge not OO. I reckon each DMU coach is about 4" or so (101s and 108s).

 

I always work to 6 inches as a basic coach length. It is a little generous (except for the 75ft coaches) but it does work and you don't end up with sidings or platforms that won't fit the trains that you want them to.

 

 

 

[The Nth Degree]

Thanks both. Well, obviously I'm not going to doubt you as you know much more than I do. Another shopping trip is in order...

[RWJP]

Just measured up my 3 Car Class 108 against some Set-Track.

 

To fit it in a siding comfortably, with a standard Peco buffer stop at one end, and enough room at the other for trains to clear it across the point, I needed to use two ST-11s and one ST1 which roughly equates to 17 and a half inches.

 

As with everyone else, I usually measure 6 inches per coach/loco to ensure plenty of room. For my layout I had to measure out a headshunt into a depot, and used my Dapol Colas Rail 66s as a ruler, as they, when paired up, are the longest things that will enter/leave the depot.

 

If you have some track, put one of your 3 car DMUs on it, and you'll see what we mean.

[The Nth Degree]

Thanks RWJP, really appreciate you taking the time out to do that.

 

Have adjusted plan accordingly. I should ave enough room for the 2 two car units and the 2 three car units now:

[The Nth Degree]

The track points on this layout are all isolated frogs and enable me to simply wire in a power feed or two and away I go, changing points to switch power to other parts of the track.

 

Just for curiosities sake, what wiring differences would there be if all the points were electric frogs? Would it work like it is or would I have to isolate the points and portions of the track?

[Satan's Goldfish]

You'd need isolating sections after the frogs at certain points if using electrofrog due to the frogs and connecting rails always being live, you can quite easily end up with a short circuit. Difficult to explain without drawing diagrams, if you google 'wiring electrofrog points' you might come up with something. The plus side to electrofrog is there's no break in continuity (like you get running over plastic insulfrogs) and they visually look better being all metal rails. The down side is the wiring can get complicated.

[Kris]

You would need significantly more track feeds for electrofrog points and isolating sections to make sure that your trains ran as you want them to.

[The Nth Degree]

Thanks for the info SG and Kris. For this exercise I'll stick to the insulated versions, as I've bought them all already. I will also put 4 power feeds into the track - 2 on the inside loop near all the pointwork and 2 on the outside loop on the corners.

 

Meanwhile, a photographic update. Still waiting for quite a bit of track to be delivered and it's a mix of new and used. Forgive the bad quality photo and poor light:

[The Nth Degree]

Looking at the photo again, I'm surprised by the amount of huge plastic blobs on the points. I suppose it's not a major problem as this is only a test track afterall. Also, there seems to be a sleeper missing at every track joint. Is this normal? What can I do to fill in the holes?

[Kris]

I assume that you have made sure that all the rails are fully butting up to each other. Part of the oversize look will be caused by the fish plates which make the rail even wider than it is and in the photo the camera seems to have particularly picked up on this.