Oliver1940

6 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

Be aware that for things like Mk1s & Black Fives, you're looking at a likely minimum radius of 6ft, due to buffers & scale couplings.

The reasoning for thinking about the possibility of loop is because of newer stock being made to negotiate Peco's R2 curves which are a roughly a 3,3 ft radius curve. Locos such such as the Hattons Gresley A3 and A4 pacifics and even the the future Ellis Clark Trains Black 5 are all described as being able to run on the R2 curves. RTR Mk1coaches are also described as being able to run on R2 curves without their corridor connectors separating. But certainly mainline trains might look a bit odd on such a curve.

Thank you all very much for the detailed responses. I initially wanted to go for O gauge and so I think I will end up going with it. Another question I had is if the storage yard is along another wall and the whole 25ft is scenic, would a larger tender engine look out of place? I was thinking of doing up something like an old Lima 4f but I would maybe in the future look into a loco such as a Black 5 or West Country. I know recently Hattons had their A3/A4s at quite a fair price. For passenger traffic I was thinking trains would be made of 2-4 Mk1s but this might not leave a very long run. I've seen some layouts that go fiddle yard to station but some greenery might be nice. A rather out there idea I had was to build a narrow removable section that connects to the main 3ft wide baseboards and allows for continuous running but can be easily packed away as the whole thing would take up a large chunk of the basement if permanent, but this could very likely be more hassle than it's worth . I think station to fiddle yard will be the way to go but how big a station is up for debate. Any suggestions and insight are appreciated.

Hello all, I'm Oliver 14, and I've finally began to design and build a layout. I have asked a few questions on the forum but I thought I would ask for some advice. I have decided to start a layout after having wanted to for some time. I am quite set on O gauge having bought a Dapol Pannier and a Parkside kit. But before I put down anything I began thinking whether OO was the way to go and I started to looking at my OO trainset. I have 25ft x3ft plus a wall behind a TV for storing stock to use which is quite some space. I know the prices can be fairly comparable between the 2 but I was looking for some insight to whether O gauge might be too ambitious for a first time modeller. Another thing is since I now live in Canada I don't have access to a club let alone a local model railway shop but I do have a GOG membership.

Cheers,

Oliver

Another question I had is what sort of passenger traffic and station could I get away with given the space I have. I was thinking of running a loco and 2 mk1 coaches, even 3 though that may be pushing it. Is something like a GWR BLT as has been suggested more fitting or is something bigger possible.

Oliver

29 minutes ago, bluestag said:

You will use a LOT of space doing that.    I am using a cassette system that takes up 6'.    That allows me five six wheeled coaches and a loco, or ten wagons and a loco.    Perhaps long for your preferences, if you are going to run only really short stock, set track will work.    I would find that limiting.

 

Kevin

I believe you are correct, I think a 6' traverser would work well for myself as well. Just for comparison how long is your layout?

Thank you everyone for all the helpful suggestions and answers. While planning the storage for the layout I ended up wondering whether in place of a fiddle yard or traverser I should have a return loop that leads back to the station making the layout almost a balloon shape. I would probably use Peco settrack to allow most stock to negociate it.

Hello all, I've come to the decision that I'd like to make a start in O Gauge. I've had OO trainsets but never set up a layout . Now with the space available, I already have the baseboards built as well as a Pannier and a Parkside Toad kit to start off. I was wondering as this will be my first layout if 7mm is the right choice or if I should go with 4mm though I am enjoying the level of detail that can be achieved in 7mm. My layout measures 25ft x3ft, what type of scene could I create in this space? Perhaps a regional terminus, but that is yet to be decided. Any suggestions are welcome. Cheers!

On 12/11/2021 at 14:03, Harlequin said:

 

Hi Oliver,

13ft by how much? Can you use more of the room for temporary attachments when running the layout? Such as a cassette-based fiddle yard.

 

Even using the diagonal or L shaped you might have trouble with the tightness of the curve.

 

I suggested a design for someone with a similar problem a while ago, although he had more than 13ft on the longest side. He wanted to use both sides of a garage but was worried about the radius to get around the end in O gauge so I came up with this neat trick, which you might be able to adapt:

 

Hi,

I have about 13ft x 7ft so I hope to maybe fit some 2nd radius curves to complete a circuit and maybe a slightly wider out side line. The layout you linked is very good inspiration for a relatively tight radius layout. Seeing as the rtr A3 and A4 can negotiate 2nd radius I may be able to run 2 coach passenger trains.

Oliver

I'm looking to acquire a O Gauge Dapol 8750 Pannier Tank 9659 in GWR Green.

Many thanks,

Oliver

Yes 13' is a bit small but hopefully I can make the most of it by building the layout on a slight curve or diagonally like how you made yours. I looked at your second layout and noticed you have the Peco turnout templates. Did you download them straight from the Peco website because I tried and they don't seem to be available though I might need to try a different device.

Oliver

I might go with a branch line terminus running a GWR 57xx. But something closer to a mainline would be nice. I have up to 13 feet in the room I plan to use so I'll look at some different layouts for inspiration.

Thanks again for the idea 

Thanks for the quick replies answering both my questions. Now knowing this I might go for an L shape layout or most likely an end to end. 

Cheers

Oliver

Hello,

I'm fairly new to O gauge and have been using OO and I'm looking to start an O gauge layout. My question is I plan to use a 6ft curve radius but need to make sure that it means the width of the loop is 6ft? Also if I'm using flexi track and track setters so should I solder the rails before curving them or should I use another method? Thanks!

Oliver