looking for a good source for medium sized layout designs. what can you recommend?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Need to know the space you're using, where doors and windows are, equipment you plan to run. Drawings are helpful.
Try the Lionel Fastrack book. It is what I used to help set up block sections, switches, and layout ideas. They have examples of layouts in all sizes. Our layout is 6 by 11 ft. Not small but a little less then medium size. It has 3 separate lines with 8 block sections to park locomotives. We run conventional. The book is also great for wiring help and to set a layout up with command. Good luck. Nick
Join the Yahoo Fastrack group... lots of ideas in the "Files" section
Ed
"Need to know the space you're using, where doors and windows are, equipment you plan to run. Drawings are helpful."
don't know the answers. grandsons (and their parents) moving into new house. don't know how much they will allocate me for layout yet. would like to have some "set pieces" to suggest.
Originally Posted by Forrest Jerome:
"Need to know the space you're using, where doors and windows are, equipment you plan to run. Drawings are helpful."
don't know the answers. grandsons (and their parents) moving into new house. don't know how much they will allocate me for layout yet. would like to have some "set pieces" to suggest.
Oh. Thought it was for you. In the case of kids/grand-kids, a maximum size would be a 5x9 as this will fit into just about any bedroom or into the corner of the den and you don't have a high construction investment should the kid's interests wane, or as I prefer, go dormant then come back with a vengeance later and he joins the legion of OGR Forum members. 
A good site for ideas would be http://www.thortrains.net/marx/47fastrack1.html which is Thor's section dedicated to FasTrack.
Hope this helps.
These two, and my granddaughter, are HOT for trains. they have remote Thomas sets and fully engage with my layout. Oldest is just shy of four. I know a room has been designated (big house), but don't know how much of the room I will get, but certainly more than 5x9.
OK, I was thinking keep it simple for now, a 5 x 9 (ye old ping pong table can be had cheaply used), so here's a few offerings. 1 elevated and 1 crossover. Also, a 7 x 7 corner. Have fun!
Twice Around Elevated
Twice Around Crossover
A 7 x 7 corner layout
Attachments
Images (3)
Originally Posted by Forrest Jerome:
These two, and my granddaughter, are HOT for trthere they have remote Thomas sets and fully engage with my layout. Oldest is just shy of four. I know a room has been designated (big house), but don't know how much of the room I will get, but certainly more than 5x9.
There's an H.O. layout designed by Scott Perry called the "Heart of Georgia." Scott's concept was to go beyond the "4x8 oval" and make a more operations-oriented loop using a single sheet of plywood. The trick was cutting the plywood into 1'x4' pieces, then cutting two of the pieces down to 7' long and slicing the 1' squares into two triangles each to fill the inside of the corners. The result was a layout measuring 8'x9' that had broader curves and space for more industries. That could be applied to an O gauge starter set. Obviously, you wouldn't have as much track, but that could be worked out. Here's a picture:
Here's how it would look done in O gauge using FasTrack. The interior spur at the lower left comes off an O-36 turnout with an 11.25-degree O-36 curve extension. The mainline usins O-48 curves and turnouts.
Attachments
Images (2)
