And....we are off! ALL/ANY help, appreciated!

After a few more days, here is the final platform, just need to get a little paint on some bare spots and the new boards I had to make. Clean up, and start throwing down track is the next step. It is 18' along the back, 1 2x4 bump out, 1 4x4 bump out and 1 4x78" bump out (new, unpainted one)...center "visitor's center" opening in this year's.

That is quite a large space.  Please keep us posted!

Mark, you are correct. That is a large room, 16'x28' actually. Those pictures, and the ones below, are taken standing in the doorway, looking south , with my 16'x28 shop behind me.  It is large (so is the shop) until you start putting things in there. That room has served many purposes over the last few years. Used to be a dirt floor, and 12 years ago, I moved the shop items there, to put up a train board at Christmas.

So, for perspective, the first shot is of the room & the board, after painting yesterday. The second is the room & the "other" stuff (some will be moved to the shop after I clean it.

And the third shot, is the shop....after cutting to build the new boards, and before cleaning. Daggone...stuff accumulates fast when you are old. Tomorrow, I will have enough room to try to lay down a track plan.  Have a great evening, thank you for writing. Greg

Greg, thank you for the new photographs!  Wow! I certainly like your shop area, I don’t have one.  I cut wood outside.  Yes, I am amazed how stuff accumulates as well!!

Opened up some boxes of track, and tossed them on the table to see how they landed. This is the first plan. (sorry that it is 3 picts that you need to "stitch" together in your mind) that came to mind. I want to be able to run 4 trains, on 2 loops, with access to either and direction change ability. A siding would be great. With the plan, and the reverse loop, I see a problem with the inner trains possibly crashing at the crossing - one would have to be on their toes. I may go out today, move it all around and come up with something else. Anyone who has the time to offer suggestions, would be more than welcome to. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do so. Greg (shown right, center, left for orientation Ignore the piles of spare track)

Being a Christmas “garden”, is the layout intended to be temporary? It’s looking terrific, BTW...

PD

Greg- I barely have room for a permanent layout, much less a Christmas themed one......Very nice.

My only comment at this point is to exercise caution running 4 trains on 2 tracks. Consider that you will be entertaining friends and family and not necessarily paying close attention to where trains are in relation to each other.

I don't think you want to turn this into Gomez Adam's layout......

Think about trying to have a long passing siding on each loop so that you can still have 4 trains on the layout but only run 2 at a time, or all 4 if distractions are at a minimum.

Change the inner loop from reversing loops to a folded dogbone with the passing siding. The outer loop along front, the passing siding can follow  the horseshoe shape at the bottom.

Bob

To do both comments:

"Being a Christmas “garden”, is the layout intended to be temporary?"

It is and it isn't. I am starting early (I use to put the holiday traiins up in a week to 10 days..I will post pictures if you want) but I wanted to run them sooner this year....and probably longer in Jan/Feb/Mar....who knows? They use to come down mid to end of Jan.  AND.............

"My only comment at this point is to exercise caution running 4 trains on 2 tracks."

Caution was what was exercised in years past, when I ran 4 on 2 loops with DCS. DCS makes life so much easier than trying it with conventional. I use to say, it was the closest one could come to running a real train, without doing it.

Mike Wolfe knew what he was doing when he put that red, KILL button on the handheld. I bet it has saved me and many others, numerous head ons. Yet, I still have my share of bloopers. Check out some past posts...especially the one on the lift gate thread, to view my modification of an engine front coupler.

ALSO, maybe because it is early here, I am not sure what you describe with "Change the inner loop from reversing loops to a folded dogbone with the passing siding. The outer loop along front, the passing siding can follow  the horseshoe shape at the bottom." Can you sketch that and post a quick picture? I think I need reversing loop some place.

I am not happy with what I have shown, and I will be heading out in an hour to pick much up, and re-try. Thanks for taking the time to post your insight, it is greatly appreciated. Greg

What I am doing....gives me a MUCH greater appreciation of some of the track designs that I have seen many of you guys post in the past, since I joined this forum!!!! It is amazing what some of you can come up with! Just wanted to let you know! Greg

Greg, I agree with Bob. You’ve got to remove the disaster prone sections. Change it around a little bit. If it’s truly a display layout, you might want to forgo the switching and just have the trains running around in opposite directions. if you have accessories for the young ones to operate that’s always an attention getter. Put them on a closed siding. Because when you’re busy talking to somebody inevitably somethings going to happen at the other end of the Layout.

Thank you Bob (two Bobs in this?) You are both right - I stated in my orig post, looks like an accident waiting to happen on that inner loop with 2 trains....even with DCS.

As for switches, I have guests at times during the holidays, but when I run alone, I want to do more than be hypnotized by trains going in circles. I like to run 3,4 or 5 at once, and do the necessary moves to do it safely. Helps stay sane. Ok, half sane. I am on the way out now to look at a correction.

I am hoping some of the schematic geniuses here can tap into their wisdom, and help put me on the path. I am going to post a prior board, just for reference. Thanks again for taking your time to chime in. Feel free, anytime about anything. Have a great day, Greg

Here are a couple of prior Christmas train gardens just for reference for what I am shooting for this year....the first year I have put them up since 2012 - it has been longer than I thought. All had working log, coal, milk, cattle loader, working gatemen, crossing gates, lit houses, light towers etc. Each had 3 to 5 running trains using DCS.  Picts were for showing plan and scenery, most trains were removed for picture. 5 different years shown I think.  Greg

Greg, I’m no whiz at track planning.  It looks to me once you get back into it you will be able to come up with something new that will work as well as what you did over a decade ago.  My layout is based on other folks input and trial and error.  A lot of error! 🤪 I have never run more than two trains at a time, even using DCS.

Two points......yesterday, I pickup some of the track that "fell" into the wrong place, and have modified the original plan (which was temp at best) and will post a picture today, if I get all track joined. Which brings me to the two points!

Point 1) It is amazing how easily some MTH realtrax goes together...and how impossibly hard some of it is! Makes me want to grab a mallet. Even using the "angled/toed" approach, some batches don't fit properly. AND, if one has thumbs that do not work due to the joints being attacked by arthritis, it is REALLY problematic!!! The track can't be pushed together, if the hands are not capable of gripping it tightly.

Point 2) I am stunned at how much harder this is to do, physically, at 77 years old, compared to how "relatively easy" it was 12 years ago when I was 65! And I am just getting started!  Unreal, also I am glad I built new legs to raise the table higher!

Greg- So a passing siding is this longer....long enough to hold a typical train with room to spare.

This is an impressive layout for a seasonal display. Yea- I'd have Christmas in July if I had built that.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Greg- So a passing siding is this longer....long enough to hold a typical train with room to spare.

This is an impressive layout for a seasonal display. Yea- I'd have Christmas in July if I had built that.

Bob

Bob, as I look at that, I can see it was a pull off siding so the cattle could be unloaded from the cattle car, or take on cattle. Somewhere on the board, (the track just to the left I think) is the milk car unloader track. You can see a log loader in the foreground and a coal loader at the rear of the pict. Yep, it was always a sad day when I had to start taking it all down to store it until next Christmas! (Ask Walt how that feels, he has done it for many years!)

Hi Greg,

I have a small collection of MTH RealTrax and have experienced your challenge with joining some sections together.  There was a post on the forum a while back about using a lubricant to aid with joining sections together.  I don't remember what the lubricant was, but it worked for me.  I know that the search tool is sometimes challenging to use.  If I get a chance, I'll try and find the post.

John

I appreciate the tip and the great picts. Seems like this should not have to be done, but it is probably a good solution. I have to pull all of my track up after I make sure the design works (I lay "snow" under my track on the Christmas garden) so this tip will be used!

I  have noted, while working with track yesterday, some sections go together like butter, but a box of never used 054 short, 4" sections, are the ones that have to be nearly "hammered" into place. I look forward to trying your tip on them....and I might just use a drop of 3-1 oil, or WD-40. At this point, I don't care if they harm the section! Thank you again for taking the time to post a reply. NOW....if only I can solve that one switch/turnout problem, I am ready to lay track. Have a great week, Greg

Yes I get it.  I too have come to realize how much we depend on the opposable thumb and have the pain and loss of strength.  I hope the suggestion of lubricants work so you can move forward.

My thumbs and hands appreciate the "lube" tip. I grabbed a needle oiler and lubed the two extended pieces as shown. But, I found that most resitance came from the slot under the track - the part where those two pieces went into. Oiled all 4....like butter on bread. I think the tolerance on these O54 curves are off...they are the biggest offenders.  Thanks so much for taking your time to post the tip and pictures, I like that. Greg

@Mark Boyce posted:

Greg, I’m no whiz at track planning.  It looks to me once you get back into it you will be able to come up with something new that will work as well as what you did over a decade ago.  My layout is based on other folks input and trial and error.  A lot of error! 🤪 I have never run more than two trains at a time, even using DCS.

Bob, Bob and Mark....I took the advice. I posted a new track plan earlier. Here it is. What else do I need to fix?? Thank you, Greg

It looks good to me.  I’m glad you got all the pieces connected.

I'M BACK!!! A thank you to Arnold, who took the time to explain the problem, and even more time to solve the problem. Now, to get back to getting this layout done! Greg (thank you to all who commented on the above, and those that tried to help solve the viewing/account access problem!)

@Mark Boyce posted:

It looks good to me.  I’m glad you got all the pieces connected.

Mark, I fear that I broke a few laws of geometry when it was all said and done! I am wondering if all the engines/trains will be able to navigate it! Thanks.

@cngw posted:

Mark, I fear that I broke a few laws of geometry when it was all said and done! I am wondering if all the engines/trains will be able to navigate it! Thanks.

All you can do is try them out and see.  😃

"All you can do is try them out and see"

Mark, added power (had to jumper a few gnds to get it to conduct) but hooked up wires, put on and MTH F3 Chessie and ran both loops. Going to try DCS and some longer engines tomorrow.  All the non-derails on the turn outs worked. Looks like it will an interesting run of trains.  Still a long way to go, but made some progress. I would add a pict....but it looks like a bomb went off. No sense showing a pile of stuff. Greg

Success!!!

I don't post photographs of my layout or work area that look like a bomb went off either.    Hey!  There's actually a bomb in the graphics supplied with the forum!