Newbie Fastrack Layout Help

A Fastrack layout book would be a good place to start. 

You can also search YouTube for ideas...lots of great layouts in all sizes.

Also check out this site.    http://www.thortrains.net/marx/48fastrack2.html

for some detailed ideas.

Good luck, have fun, and don't forget to post pics when you get something up and running.

036 will be your largest curve on a 4 x 8. You can figure 8, or an inside passing track. You need 5" straights in the middle of the 2 90° corners to expand it and 55" of straight on each side. 5 -10" & 2- 5".

Check the Lionel site for the kits for 8 & passing to see what they look like. Search here on the forum for "4 x 8 layouts" and you see some more creative designs using tubular O track. Smaller radius turns.

If you can fit a 5' x 9' size into your area, you open up your options a lot. A used  Ping-Pong table can be found for about the price of the lumber for a  4 x 8 or less. Check the local _List. Edit: just checked 3 of 5 areas in AR $30-$50

Being you are only doing a 4x8, I would recommend getting only O36 manual switches.  They can be found at a decent price at different online vendors.  I went this route and it allowed me to get 5 switches in a space smaller than 4x8 (Had to fit it under a bed.).  Look here for another thread like yours where I posted photos of it.

I like that layout. do you have a list of parts you can send me?

I don't have one handy, but I will work on that and get you a SCARM file of it, which you can then get the parts from, as well as change it.  With 4x8, you can get a bit more track on it as mine is smaller so that it would fit under a twin sized bed.  In the mean time, I suggest you go download SCARM and play with it a bit so that once you get my file, you can look at it, and tweak it to your likely and needs.

Another useful tool is Lionels Fastrack book.  They have numerous examples of small, medium and large layouts and all the helpful hint in wiring, example like wiring up block sections, command control, ect.  I found it useful when we did our 3 line 6 by 11 foot Fastrack layout.  Santa Fe also mentioned Thortrains website.  Lots of great examples on his site. 

willyfire,

Here is Sinclair's under bed layout stretched to a 4' x 8'. The SCARM file is attached.

The switches should include an 036 1/4 turn (11.25deg), so those won't need to be purchased. Check the Forum for sale and Mark's offer and anywhere you can. Buy the track used or as low as possible.

Right click the SCARM file attachment and select "save target as". Save it to your desktop. Download an install SCARM. Then just double-click the file to have a working file.

Have fun!

Thank you for the layout. Really appreciate it!

You are most welcome. Post your progress when you get something together.

Moonman, close, but not quite.  As promised, here is my layout and SCRAM file.

I was using Lionel's logging train set as the main train.  So the uncoupler on the one spur is to unload the cars.  Of note on the locations of the other uncouplers, very bad placing.  The spacing is just right that on most locomotives, the pickup rollers hit the dead spot of the uncoupler and switch at the same time, which made switching next to useless, so I would just skip them as you can reach by hand.  I also wired the bumper lights and the uncouplers to be powered off of the ACC of the CW-80, so that they still would work with track power off.

Now here is one layout I might build if I was going to have room for 4x8 and wanted to stick with FasTrack.

I like this because it gives slightly longer spurs, adds another spur, and gives a couple of passing options for longer trains as well as allows you to get around short trains.

But if I was really going to do a 4x8 I'd go with Atlas track so that I could get a double main all around the board.  Like below.

This provides some switching, but mostly allows me to run two trains as once, as I am mostly a runner not an operator.

 Here is my beginner track. Any suggestions? 

It depends on what kind of model train guy you are.  If you like just sitting back and watching them run, this is good.  But if you like operating your trains, giving them a purpose, then you'll get bored quick.

I personally like as much track as possible, within reason, so the short pieces in the curves on the 4' side I would make longer to push the track to the edge more.  But if you want things on the outside of the loop, then you are okay that way.  I would put in at least one more spur to give you some options for stations or industries.

Thanks sinclair. Since I am brand new I don't know what I am yet LOL. My thoughts ar eto get a basic track layout at  the most reasonable price. By adding one loop and one spur it will let me get a little exposure to multiple options. I want o add a few buildings, some scenery etc. pretty quick to make it more enticing to the 4 year old granddaughter so I was limiting track expense to spend $$ on some "stuff. Really appreciate your advice.

Even though you are new and trying to keep costs low, I'd add at least one more spur.  This way you could park a couple passenger cars on one and do freight with the other, or have a place to moved freight from one to the other.

Check out this one.  Easy operating point.

Be patient and troll the bay and the forum here to get your track. Being in a hurry will cost $.

You can get your outside oval up and add other track as you acquire it.

My 78" by 48" layout is a simple loop of 036 FastTrack, where a train simply "runs" if I like. The inside is made of five 048 Command Control switches where a Trackmobile operates on both track and 016 SuperStreets; Here is a pic from a year ago:

The SCARM file is a simple text file. Sometimes the "Save Target As" changes the file extension to .txt, like it just did for me. If you download it with the .txt extension, all you have to do is rename it to change the extension to .scarm.