scoomby

Hi Jon Thank you very much for putting that together. The curves do look smoother so the high speed trains should run better on this. I will hopefully get the rest of the track I need this weekend and build the track layout and test it out. I will put some photos on here to show progress :-) Thanks again. Steve

Hi all I have done another layout based on the plan supplied by Angus. It's almost the same. I have only done a few minor tweaks and rotated it 180 degrees. It also includes an optional siding to the side which I do have space for. And L&Y, my son is also into Thomas. We decorated his room almost 2 years ago with a Thomas theme! Regards Steve

Hi all Thank you very much for all your commentaries and thank you very much to Angus for the example layouts. I will probably do something very similar to the 8ft x 6ft layout that you have shown. That one has a couple of circuits, space in the station for alternating trains and plenty of space for shunting. I have been rushing this a little as I wanted to get at least one circuit and siding running for Christmas but I wasn't entirely happy with the design that I had come up with hence I posted it on here and I appreciate the feedback. I am planning to build a baseboard that can be easily-ish to split in half to move into another room if I have to although I doubt I will actually do this. The layout will 2 x 6ft by 4ft baseboards individually framed and 4 legs for each. They will be bolted together and the electrics will have connections between both baseboards. I am an engineer with an electrical background so that will not faze me. As for the reasons for doing this? My son who is almost 4 and is train mad. He has a wooden train set that he plays with a lot. We went away for a holiday in Devon in May this year and visited Pecorama, World of Countrylife (has a mini layout) and the Model Railway at Exmouth and we had big trouble pulling him away from the train layouts. It was from that point we decided to build a family layout for us to all enjoy. I may build a smaller separate one for my son for his Thomas trains too although that will depend if he remains interested in it. Velotrain is right that the original layout was based on my old layout although a little larger. The 3 x circuits is what the Mrs wants on the layout. I am going to be building the baseboards and laying track and she is going to be doing some of the scenary. I'm trying to keep it to 2 x circuits with tunnels as it will keep it a little bit more realistic and easier to operate. I have seen a lot of model railways on youtube, and some of them look fantastic. I have been running a double loop layout for a couple of months that isn't pinned down on a 6ft bt 4ft board and we want to keep the loops on a larger layout. As for train shows, I have been to train shows when I was much younger but we are regular visitors to Railways museums (Swindon & NRM York) and we have been on several preserved lines; Avon Valley Railway, South Devon Railway, West Somerset Railway, Seaton Tramway and Gwili Railway. I know it's going to take some time to get this layout finished, probably years, but it should be fun building and tweaking it along the way. Thanks again. Steve

Hi All I have made another 12ft by 4ft layout (see below). It's not 100% finished, especially around the turntable, but I think it's a layout that would be much easier to use. I will have a go at doing an 8ft by 6ft layout shortly. Thanks Steve

Hi I could probably fit in an 8ft by 6ft with a hole in the middle. Would that give a better layout? Thanks Steve

Thanks for the replies. My layout is OO gauge and the gradients were kept low by having the 2 outer tracks and inner figure of 8 both going up and down gradients. The worst gradient was 3%. However, I am binning the whole idea of gradients and I am now going for a mostly level layout. I think I understand the advise I have been given. I am going to redesign with 2 continuous loops (one clockwise and one anti clockwise) and then have additional 2 tracks in the station so you can alternate 2 different trains per loop. The add a siding that can be accessed from either loop with turntable. Have I got this right? I will have a redesign tomorrow. Thanks Steve

Thanks very much for your comments. Although Rule 1 does apply, you are 100% correct. It is too busy and I will start over. Access to around the layout is possible by bringing it forward from the wall to get temporary access. I may have to re-think this as well. I just have a couple of questions if you don't mind. 1. What do you mean by add loops for the platforms and do you have an example? 2. And do you have an example of a siding and a loco siding to the turntable? The one thing I am looking for is 3 or 4 large sidings to store coaches and wagons if possible. Many thanks. Steve

Hi All I am just getting back into railways modelling after a 30 year break. I used to have model railway as a child and, now that I have children, I have decided to get back into it. I am planning a layout that is 12ft by 4ft with 3 continuous loops and gradients to allow for a single figure of eight. This will hopefully add interest to the layout. The gradients will be between 2% and 3% which should mean that any loco + 3 or 4 coaches can get up them. I have already bought the baseboard and timber to support it. To make the 12ft by 4ft, I will join together 2 x 6ft by 4ft baseboards that can be fairly easy to separate incase I need to move the layout into another room. I have also got most of the track already although I will be fitting points and lighting along the way. It looks like I will need a lot of point motors! I may also add DCC in the future too. My first draft of the track plan is shown below: I may adjust the track layout around the turntable as it's looking a bit busy there! I will post construction photos as I go if anyone is interested. Thanks Steve