New Christmas layout

Dougie, If you run windows there is a free software program called SCARM you might want to download.

Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeler. Use the small blue download, not the one in the center. The big center one(green usually) is just a google ad.

 There are others too, Anyrail is easy, but the free versions are limited.

RRtrack is another fav. here but no free version I know of.

 Any with a 3d view, give you a way to see a finished layout close enough to get a decent idea of what it might look like, and give others a good way to convey their ideas too. (main scarm thread   "hello from the author")

Its just a matter of time till those ideas flow from folks here. Get ready

Here is mine in SCARM and real life.....oops...I forgot my laptop died with all my files.

I'll have to search the forum for old posts to recover them.

Ok  got some..... but haven't found the new mine photos

Tough to get two trains running with anything interesting. The twice around and thrice around the tree layouts look good.

The 031 isn't an exact step down from 036.

What track will you use? FasTrack?

Ok, check this out, "two train's runnin' and a trolley line"-Beck

The trolley line is up to you as well as the tunnel locations. I tried the trolley elevated, but it detracts from the tree and other lines. An 031 twice around and an 036 loop around. Having the trains run in opposite directions with a bump'n'reverse trolley sliding back and forth will look cool.

I can email you the SCARM file if you have it installed.

I think what you've had in the past is really cool.

A list of how many and of what sizes you have, might help too 

MMmm how much do I have in fastrack???  straights I guess about 140 feet turns??  I have three draws in my garage filled with 36 and 31's turns. Afew 48 and one or two 72's

Is the old base staying with a new design?(how big is that one?)

Will it be three 4x4 "modules"?

Is the TV cabinet staying?

Cabinet dimensions? Need to open the doors? Door height?

Anything to display in them?

(I think it may be "better for the room" moving the backdrop away from blocking the cabinet so fully.) 

"Corner" dimensions? Tree diameter?

I really like what you had there.

Here is another trolley idea I got looking at what you have.  

Dougie,

Here's a revision and the track plan is marked with Red for 1 3/8" and yellow for 1.75"

Version 2 use a PW #317 bridge that you can find for $15 or $20 bucks in fair to good condition and paint red or green.

I extended the ends and moved the trolley inside.

Still room for Christmas buildings and a tunnel mountain somewhere.

The previous layout looked good!

I was thinking differently than you. I approach it as turn the trains on and let 'em run.

Moving the TV will let you corner the tree.

Anyway, I hope I gave you some ideas to work with for this year.

 "He's got skills" Moonman,

I'm wondering, since we put air in his ball, if he is going to pass, or run with it himself?

   That Beck caught me off guard. Soy un perdedor   

How did you get your tree that big MM? (is that even a scarm tree?)

Df,  If you download the program, you can share the files here too.

Any file extensions that you see listed as text .txt in what is really a scarm file, simply change the file name to read .scarm, then open it with SCARM. Those files were posted before the .scarm extension was recognized by this site. You used to have to do it manually.

 Here's the actual files for the base without the snow, so you can see better (added last).

  You will have to learn to raise the track, to use this bases elevation, but you can "grab" things like the tree, steps or trolley and use it elsewhere on another files layout (its not a "measured" trolley, but I'll include it separately too)

  The blocks that form items, should be grouped together here(?), but can be ungrouped, or grouped with other stuff.

You can grab, and reuse almost anything in scarm you see. 

 This site doesn't have the software to open it loaded for use.

 It just lets us post the .scarm files now, where it used to be done only by text extension.

1-Right click one of the files in the attachments I posted above.

2-Save target as.... (I keep them in a file I made, in with my train photos).

3- Find and Open the file on your pc.

 As soon as he knows you are using a program, Moonman will likely include files too.

On Moonmans attachments, right click and open in a new window.

 A click directly on the pictures should open a viewer, but occasionally it glitches when updates are new/due.

Adriatic,

I took the tree from Mixy's Christmas layouts on the SCARM blog. He has yet to build in the 3D texture feature for end-users. (smooth curves, for trees and locos and anything)

Dougie,

I prefer to add photos as attachments rather than paste them into the body of the post reply. Keeps the thread shorter for reading. Yesterday, there was scheduled maintenance by Hoop.La on the forum server. You may have run into that going on.

It sounds like you have it now. You see how the ends can be extended or shortened. I think you'll find the roadbed close to the outside edge and the corner loops clearances are critical as they are very close.

SCARM now has the Streets library under K-Line/Lionel as that's where we could find the most documentation.

I hope you will post some photos of this year's version. You have a good eye for the Christmas layout.

Dougie,

The 031 quarter turns are not here yet. Use an 036 half turn to extend the 031 twice around. I'll paste these in for you. Are you on an ipad?

I like this layout enough to maybe do for us...

Thanks!!

 My knee jerk reaction is to want to put the tunnels on the quarter vs half turn. Mostly because I like seeing deep into them.

 Very dramatic on curves in particular, the light getting brighter as the approaching train casts its "beam of anticipation" onto a curved tunnels inner wall, just before it turns to blind you, is very hypnotizing for this "buck".

 Full turns can be harder to dig a derailment out .

Portals in the curves have to be wider too though

That's where the PW "earth mounds" vs modern "brick portals, shine to me. Being wider down low, helps with any steamer pilots overhang clearances.

  Traversing that corner with the trolley line going over a girder bridge or two is another "low obstruction" option. Prototypical when the lines were more than just "street" cars. The old Red Devil's Detroit line still has structure like that standing.  

Thank you MM. I think you had mentioned that about the tree once before.

I lost my old files when my PC died. I just whipped that one up.

Hopefully that "sticks" in the organic PC this time 

I really like looks of that trees branches

But being in Michigan, the sparse number of the branches, and openness, reminds me of Charlie Brown's tree Our fir trees tend to be very "full".

 I remember one year, we only used half the ornaments, because none went "into" the tree we had chosen. There was no room for them "in" there 

Another issue with tunnels on curves is larger locomotives tend to hit the sides!  For O36 curves, even smaller locomotives may clip them unless you widen the tunnel portals.

WOW..THANK you for so much help guys!!!   Yes I think I will go with the half tunnels and I'll make the portals wide..  Moonman, I did not see any Yellow-1.75 on the drawing so I take it none is needed...  Also I think I can extend the other end and put the village in between the two tracks or a siding.   I will post pictures as I build this so you all can see how its coning together.   I got a stack of 2" blue foam from a job site yesterday so I will be using that to make the mountains...  I did that the last time but just covered it with plaster cloth, as I have yet to figure out how to hack them up and paint them to look like granite Mts.  Thank you all again....!!! 

check out jacobpaul81's update starting on page 3, Sept 8. He put tape on a hacksaw blade and went at it. He carved Missouri sedimentary rock. Granite will be more angular and less worn. Black, then gray with white highlights and a black wash final.

Have fun!

PS. After you look at the little pieces enough on the plan you can tell the 1.75 size.

I wasn't trying for any particular look other than "grey rock".

 I stacked, and carved some. Scraped rock walls "grinder style", like it was machine faced.

  A sharp blade leaves smooth faces. "Grind" it with a saw blade and its "eroded" and pitted now. Its that simple.  

I used different tooth count per inch on saws to ad randomness.

 Box knife, Exacto, steak knives, whatever.....it will look like a rock once painted

That's hard to "mess up" too. If you do get crap, just carve the same piece more, and repaint that area.

Flat, craft type, water based acrylics are cheap, and work out great.

Like 50¢ small & $1+something for a huge bottle of Apple Barrel at the ol "W" mart. 

Black, grey, white, brown.

 On scrap, maybe try tiny bits of yellow, green, blue, purple in sparse dry brushing, speckling, faint wash, or combos.

Warning: Carving foam can be addictive. But please proceed with throwing caution to the wind because it is fun and easy.

That is the only combination of standard FasTrack pieces to equal 8.75".

You can reduce the amount of those small fitters by cutting a 10 to 8.75" by taking a piece out of the middle and putting the ends together to preserve the connectors.

The method is detailed in the Appendix of the FasTrack Modular Specifications v.2, which I have attached.

You need a miter box, a hacksaw, some super glue and some Lionel O gauge tubular pins, a drill and a 7/64" drill bit. I like to use a quick clamp or two to hold the track in the box. Don't do a lot of sanding or trimming after the cut. Just get the plastic off with you fingers. I dress the rails with a file after assembly.

it's a tight fit on the table and between the roadbed of the tracks.

Mock it up on the floor somewhere with some tape for the table edge outline. I think you'll find it fits as designed, but just fits.

Let me know if you need anything more.

PS- I have attached the handy dandy FasTrack lengths reference.

Hit 'em straight and not too often. I'll look for the update. Enjoy.

Dougie,

    I use FasTrack also and my Christmas layouts are done in multi levels, something you might want to consider with your limited space.  Think about adding another level and some of the new 036 Command Control Switches.

PCRR/Dave

no,at the other side to put the passing siding. Not on the mountain end.  To the top right.  I want to keep it as you have it on the bottom..

Like this? 036

YES!!!!  That's its....Thanks you soooooo much..Have Blessed Sunday

Good place for a station or to park a train. I was wondering what you would with that space.

Now, I know.

Peace be with you.

Houston We Have A Problem...........OK..I just measured the tree base that our Christmas tree sits in. Now it is a rotating one so it is bigger than the stock one that came with it,  Its 32 inches from one leg to the end of the opposing one.....Since I set this on half inch foam..I guess I could cut the foam to recess the legs into it to see if the track will pass over them ok or raise the track what ever I need to, to make it work...I need to do a mock layout on it in the garage and set the stand on it...

it will depend on the slope from the end of the stand feet. Measure in 3 1/2" from the end of the feet on the stand and check the height.

That will tell you how thick the foam board needs to be. Hopefully, it's and inch = or -.

Work with a 36" circle and cut out the center leaving a 4" wide rim. Put the stand into the hole from the bottom and mark the feet. Then cut out recesses for the feet on the bottom of the foam.

I re-measured, it is 28" inside roadbed edge to roadbed edge for the 031 circle.

If that works, you may have to create a slope from the cross-over to the opposite side to keep from raising the rest of the track.

You should be able to make work as long as the legs aren't on a steep angle to the center.

I think that the slope is small enough that if I recess the stand into the half inch foam, then if need be I can place foam under the track bed to raise it the small amount that I need.   As in years pass, and what my pictures does not show is that the layout sits on 8 inch oak legs.  I did this 3 years ago so I could place transformer's, wiring etc. under it all so it can't be seen.  Then I go some cute Christmas patter cloth and Annie made a skirt that I staple around it all to hid it.  Oh. I also will curve cut the outside corners like I did in the last one.  I think it makes it look better.