Hi. I'm new to model railroading and after many years of waiting I finally built a 10x12 foot table in my basement. My question is is it possible to have four trains running at the same time? Also does anyone have a track layout plan for a table that size? Is it better to run less trains? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Pete
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Here's our 4 trains in 12 x 6:
Do you have any trains yet? If so, what kind? Do you have a control system, like DCS, in mind? Since you're doing a table, make sure you put in access hatches for the tracks you won't be able to reach from the sides.
Pete;
A lot depends on what you want to run.
Do you want a HiRail layout or a Toy layout?
Articulated Steam engines are BIG & eat up lots of space to the side of the track as well as length. Long scale passenger cars do the same.
Operating accessories take space as well.
Scenery takes space.
Which do you want and how much in percentage of space.
4 loops is going to eat a lot of that space to start off.
Choose what you want to do up front before you spend a lot of money on things that won't fit.
Do you have any trains yet? If so, what kind? Do you have a control system, like DCS, in mind? Since you're doing a table, make sure you put in access hatches for the tracks you won't be able to reach from the sides.
Dave, Thanks for getting back to me. I'm running o scale and have lots of engines and cars. I have the mth z4000. I also have an access hatch in the middle of the table that will allow me to reach the inside of the table.
To run conventional trains (i.e. you control them with the throttle lever on the transformer), the simplest way is to have electrically isolated loops/sections of track, and one transformer per loop/section that you want to run independently.
You can still connect the loops/sections, but you need to use a fiber pin in the center rail where they come together. To move between them, you set the transformers for about the same power level, and drive across.
I'm running a two-train layout using this simple method.
With remote control equipment, anything's possible. You can run multiple trains on the same track using one transformer.
I suspect your question then is more like, "can I reasonably run 4 trains in a 10x12 space?", and I don't know how to answer that. My space will be 12x13 and I plan to run at least 3 and probably 4 at times. However, my design will have the capability for 2 of those to be unattended trains and all my equipment will be DCS. That makes things much easier/simpler to set up, wire and operate. Someone else will have to discuss all the conventional problems you might face.
Since you've got a Z4000, do you have the DSC Remote Control with TIU? Are some of your engines conventional? DCS? TMCC? How are you using them now? What kind of track?
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