Nova Scotian

I'm not planning on any "roundy". The board will also sit on the floor when being built - so it's less than 3 inches off the carpet if the kids do accidentally run a train off into the abyss.

This gives good thought too, thank you. This was why I'd planned the road coming over a hill/bridge, down to the station (Bertie races etc). When looking at my trackplan it's pretty empty front left - this could be a fun "activity" area, or where we build up a small village or something. One of their favourite games is picking up livestock in the trucks - so perhaps by the station I should create a siding with a ramp where livestock can be walked up into the trucks before going to market? Interestingly the thing they want more than anything is the model building. I've already done a couple of aeroplanes with them, peco sheds etc. They're not quite six yet (so lots of supervision and some assistance required - especially with painting!). So one of my overriding concerns is the ability for them to try different crafts - so was thinking a duck pond near the road (practice making water). A quarry near the sidings (shaping expanded polystrene and the painting thereof). Making the station building and some other buildings for the layout. I'm happy to ballast, I'm not sure I can face doing the grass with them though!

They are. I don't have any troublesome trucks - and most of what I have are shorter chassis - so in my initial trackplan I can fit an 0-4-0 and three trucks fully inside with clearance, or 3 trucks and a brake van. I'm trying to wrap my head around the two levels. This would be far more interesting and give much more room to play with the track

This is fantastic, thank you @The Johnster

I like it - but I'm not sure I'd be allowed to still be their father if I sold Thomas!

Update - I've figured out being able to fit an 8x4 layout into my space, moving furniture around, out, etc. I've kept the original 2x4 request below as there was really great info, but updated scenario starts in a few posts ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Before I can get working on my layout, I've committed to working with my kids to create a large diorama / small layout first. Which only seems fair, because kids. My kids are getting into putting models together - they like crafting, and so they requested the opportunity to create buildings, lakes, roads, and "somewhere for Thomas and Percy". So, I've put the baseboard together. It's as good as 2x4 (123cm by 61cm to be precise). There's no real need for realism - but I'm thinking about a modified version of what we see at the end of the Thomas intro - small branchline with a station. I can build up a road that then goes over the tracks - to replicate the hill Bertie comes down during their race. To make it more interesting I'm thinking of a slightly larger station, with two tracks (one of which I can continue on to a new baseboard if I get more room), so a platform + station building. Then at the opposite end of the board I'd have room for sidings to do some shunting. So, a 2 foot wide board gives me more space than most inglenook type layouts I've seen. However, 4 foot is quite compact. There'd be nothing to stop me adding a fiddle yard later on a new board. What should I do with the wider board? Sidings for coaches? Pay and display car park with a couple of hoodlums loitering? Somewhere to load milk vans? Anyone have suggestions for a decent trackplan that gives a hint of operating (within a confined area) - and if it's one I can expand later then we're golden. Would only be running 0-4-0 and 0-6-0, so tight radius good. Probably going to use settrack, but worried about if this limits me. Should I use flexitrack? It'd all be code 100. Thinking about wiring the whole thing live with droppers for reliability and simplicity - disconnected from what I later do with the points (motors etc). Ultimately this is for the kids - and for them to build plastic buildings, paint, have design input etc. I expect their design input won't cover track design, so, please, I'm hoping someone can help. Thanks

I don't model in O. I have OO, HO, and have considered N. But this e-mail today had me seriously reconsidering my options. These are fantastic prices. A proper bargain.

The best feature in a new model has already come and gone; possibly before its time. Hornby Live Steam.

Rails have one less of these than they did when the e-mail was sent out. How about an N gauge Kato 373 for 120 pounds? https://www.traintrax.co.uk/101295-kato-eurostar-class-005006-powered-classi-p-1205.html

I have a soft spot for Bure Valley Models - no affiliation, links etc, just a decent shop doing their best. Bargains here: http://www.burevalleymodels.com/c/112/Locomotives Couple of Bachmanns caught my eye: DB 08 for £69.00 - http://www.burevalleymodels.com/p/8078/32-119---Class-08-DB-Schenker-Red-08-907 Bachmann Patriot for £99 - http://www.burevalleymodels.com/p/7987/31-214---Patriot-45538-Giggleswick-BR-Green-Early

I really like the clean ploughs on the bogies - it sets off the "cow's bottom" weathering elsewhere so you aptly described and named.

Class 139! I count four liveries, one in service, three various prototypes/trials. No-one else has done it. It's not a 10 car DEMU. You could build a massive flywheel into the floor driven by a small vertically mounted coreless motor to try and stay more "true" to type. And no need to worry about smoke.

I love this track plan - you've fitted so much into the space, with operational interest. I'm looking at potential plans for my own in a similar size, and this post has really helped me, so thank you.

Excuse the awful drawing, I was travelling, then deleted where I stored the file, and now it's late and I had a long day... It's an odd situation - I have no "permanent" room that I could designate. My apartment is 60 sqm, two bedrooms - one for me, one for kids. I would use an area by my bed for storage of the layout when not under construction and in use (which is where my space restraint comes from for something that folds/wheels/breaksdown). In the living room I have a large entry way (on the right as you look at it), even with my storage furniture overhanging I have about 105cm through the entry way. Directly opposite that is a window with an electric radiator beneath (high temperature - you can't put anything above or next to it). On the wall at the top of my diagram are a tall filing cabinet (180cm tall), and then storage furniture including bookcases, tv stand, toy storage etc. This is all the same depth, and the height varies. I see this wall as "done" though, I can't move the furniture elsewhere as most of it is fixed together, the TV has to go there because of where the connections are etc. Down the right wall as you look at it, another bookcase (slim, 140cm tall), a wardrobe (two girls, only room in their bedroom for one wardrobe, so the second is in my living room!) that's 180cm tall. The corner space is inefficient - I have a chair diagonally that fills the gap between the wardrobe and the sofa, currently a rocking chair. I rarely use this (as my kids are now older), and there's a potential to use that corner, but it's only 80cm by 80cm approx. It would be hard up against two walls and the wardrobe, and then against the sofa (but higher) if I were to try and fix something to the wall here. Back wall is a large 3 seat sofa. Gap between it and the outside wall for cables, speakers, various reasons (15cm gap). Therefore I believed my best option is something I can drop into the middle of the room. The coffee table is light and easily moved. If I can move the layout to storage, and I believe I'm competent enough to create a folding/wheeled solution, then this seemed best. I COULD push an absolute maximum of 300cm by 180cm if taking up the entire empty floorspace, but then I couldn't store it, or get around it. To leave reasonable working room on all sides and be able to store it, I settled on roughly 183cm by 130cm - or 4x6, 48x72. Red box is rough (not to scale) placement and dimension of layout if I were to take this approach. You'll see why I feel as though 36 inches (91cm) would be preferable, or even somewhere inbetween, as pushing the full 130cm will make it slightly tight. (45cm on each side - whereas 60cm would be much more comfortable!) Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? My understanding from this is I'd want something that's "scenic" all around - I could put scenic breaks in to split into two, but there'd be no storage area or fiddle yard that's not devoted to being scenic. With the ability to walk around etc this is why I was thinking some gradients would add interest and chop the scene up a bit.

I'll take one day at the races for 95 of your finest British pounds. Disappointing that the retailers et al. have it marked up so high at 170-200!

This sounds brilliant. Thank you so much.

Will do - travelling right now, but will post some dimensions and room plan Friday. Maybe there's an option to move around some furniture and attach it, but I'm not visualising it well.

By moving my coffee table, I create a large space around which I could walk easily around a layout that's 48x72. However, I can't store the layout in this room - it would need to be moved in for me to work on it, and out to storage when I'm finished. I likely do not have a free wall to keep it more permanently there, but folded against the wall as an example. The size and location of the entry way and other furniture (that would be too heavy to move regularly) preclude that. Make sense?

Making a layout fold, or split in two, or folding legs for upright storage, doesn't particularly concern me. I'm good at the big lumber and hinge skills, I'm poor at fine landscape detail, paint etc. It does have to fit through a door, so I can't go too "tall". I'd keep it to 30" tall, which on its side would fit through a narrow door. If I go the easy route of storage I have an easy 72" of length, and stored on its side the width isn't an issue. If I go a harder route for storage (twisting around various ways) I can push beyond that 72", but it'd have to be important for me. I think my preference through is a hinged swing on legs with castors, so I can just roll it. Does this make sense?

It will be "dedicated" while the layout is in use/building. The space available is 12' x 14', ish, so easy to walk around it. However, I will carry/wheel it away for storage. So I'm more limited by my storage. Otherwise I'd just build it the whole size of the room because who needs a living room! Currently planning to put it on castors to move as one block, but could feasibly use folding legs and practice lifting weights... (also splitting in two would help, especially if 4'x8')

This is a good point I'd not considered - I'd already thought to myself "I have no plans to run a big-boy" and therefore I should be okay aiming for reasonable clearances to run anything. I'm drawn to the 50s/60s - EMD F9s and the like. I'm also in Canada and tend to like CP/CN (that's what most of my OO is). These, and the rolling stock of the time, should be okay clearance wise. However if I were to look toward some of the new amtrack stuff (bilevel coaches etc) I can imagine this would be a problem. I was thinking of a roundy-round where the scenery in the middle is built up - forcing you to walk around to get the different views. I realise this would make operating more of a challenge. Having not built anything in a long time... is that a good plan or doomed from the start? Appreciate your helpfulness.

I'm aware I was being pretty demanding! Thanks for sharing that link - that's a really good trackplan. Because I can push wider than 28 inch I can ease the curves a bit, and as you state make room for that dock scene. Very much appreciated - going to take this under advisement. I do really like the elevated section, but may need to rearrange slightly (helped by the wider board) for scenery purposes.

Looking for thoughts/input and assistance. I've traditionally been an OO modeller, and my current (small) collection is OO. However, I'm very limited for space, given that I want a "roundy" layout. For me there's something about watching a train click and clack it's way around the layout that's very soothing. I'm looking at potentially building an N gauge layout. There's no specific era or geography in mind. I'm in Canada and I'd probably run both North American outline and British outline. I have a soft spot for Era 3, particularly GWR and SR, but my general approach will be "it's mine, I run what I want". With limited space available my dimensions will be as follows: - 36 to 48 inches wide. 36 is preferable, but I'll go as wide as 48. Somewhere in between may give me more room for sidings and operational fun, without going all the way to 48. - 72 inches long, potentially pushing as long as 96 inches, but it's going to be extremely tight at that point. - I can consider an L shaped layout, possibly. I figure this would be each board 36 inches wide, with a maximum length of 72-84 inches. Main requirements: - Track radii that allow smooth medium speed running for "roundy", up to and including pacific class locos on the outer radius/edge - Some form of gradient where a line can cross over another - I want to make the landscape interesting. With the limited space available I'm assuming this'll have to be an almost 4% gradient, but that's okay as I'll only be running something short (think pannier tank with two bogie coaches). Anything I can do to reduce the gradient is ideal, a with the track radius to try and reduce wheel flange friction - I'd like a "main" station, a couple of platforms allowing me to run through or stop. This would likely be at the "front", on the long edge of the layout, but the plan is to be able to walk around the entire thing. I guess that's where I'd typically operate from - Some operational interest on the mainline - a passing loop or something. I'm not sure if I want to run double track the entire way around or not - Operational interest somewhere around the station - some sidings where I can do some shunting. I'm a real idiot when it comes to understanding how best to layout sidings and points for maximum combinations in limited space, so thoughts here are appreciated. - Landscape - I plan to build up some hills/valleys etc. A tunnel probably, maybe two. Something that allows multiple viewing angles. It's probably too much to include a "dock/quay" scene at the main station given the space available, like, I can't do everything, but that type of thing appeals. - If I don't do some sort of dock/quay I'll be dropping a river into the landscape somewhere - for this reason am I best to build the layout on a thin layer of foam over the baseboard, so I can cut down into it? Other thoughts: - I'd considered Kato unitrack, I know some sneer at it, but it's very robust and runs well. However, the thought of trying to figure out all the different pieces required and having them fit together makes me think I'll just run flexitrack. Possibly code 80 rather than 55 so I can run older trains easily. - Almost certainly going to be DC, probably with the ability to control two tracks at a time. With some of the crossovers I'm considering this may be a problem? I'm not overly smart at the electrical side, though I can learn. Perhaps I need to use electric points to reduce the manual input and "set" the train's path. The only problem is that the cost begins to balloon for that stuff. - My partner's going to help me build the scenery, she's a little more talented than I am when it comes to the fine arts. This provides a way for me to do the large landscape/gradient pieces, lay track, operate etc, while she works on different techniques for realism (she also loves the sound + sight of trains running). So it's going to be important for us to get a good mix of easy running, operational interest, and varied landscapes, a bit of a balanced approach. - I don't see running anything longer than 5 bogie coaches given the space restraints. - I *may* experiment with some canted/superelevated track on the outer ring for faster running, which I've always wanted to try, but getting the transition right in such a short space means I probably won't. Initial plan: - I think this is a good place to start from: https://www.katousa.com/track-plans/scenic-ridge.html - It's 36x72 - so if I can have an extra few inches, especially in width, that gives me more space at the front (station) to add extra track for sidings etc. Get some interesting buildings in. - Is there any point trying to push from 72 inches longer for the gradient? Or to make it manageable to move in one piece, rather than two, should I stick to 72 inches? - With more width, do I create a line that runs around the layout, through a tunnel, while that other line climbs the gradients and loops around? The single track seems a bit too simplistic, though I like what it does for scenery options. It's been a very long time since I track planned - is there easy to use software, or should I just work to lay things out? Layout will be built on plywood baseboard, supported by lumber underneath. It'll be only inside, so won't have to deal with wild swings in temperature, but does have to deal with some nasty summer humidity. Open to building onto a foam base, but I've not done that before, so would have to learn new techniques for the track work, glueing etc. Any thoughts/advice is gratefully appreciated. Open to questions.