O Guage equipment and layout recommendations wanted

Brent - first and foremost join TCA and visit the York train meet next week.  There are many books featuring simple and more complex layout designs.  These can be had at your LHS or going to train shows (Greenberg etc.)  Track is a matter of preference - personally I think Atlas is most realistic.  Good luck in your planning - my advice is take your time with the planning stage - if it's a simple design go to the books - if you want a more advanced design I would invest in track software (i.e. Railmodeller).

Regards

Paul

If you get DCS, your command-equipped (i.e. Protosound 2 or 3) locomotives can be operated in command mode on a seperate loop from your traditional Lionel equipment. Both can be powered from your ZW through the TIU, since it has four inputs/outputs.

 Additionally, your Lionel loop can be controlled with the DCS remote by operating the TIU output connected to that loop as a "variable AC" track (of course, you'll still be limited to whatever you could do with just a plain transformer on that loop)

---PCJ

OK. Thanks, Paul. Much appreciated. I will take a look at the Atlas track as well.  No doubt this will take some time and consideration.

BK

Brent - track preference is a personal thing.  Be sure to take a peek at all track possibilities before making a decision to buy.

Regards,

Paul

I'm relatively new, too.  I've fallen in love with SCARM (www.scarm.info).  Simple and free.  Does amazing 3-d renderings.

Right now Atlas track is a wee bit hard to find, but I like it...only because that's what my dad uses

Hi Brent, You sound like me. About a year and a half ago I too decided to build a layout in my basement for use by my grandchildren. I did'nt have much experience, probably a lot less than you do, I went ahead and bought two ready to run Lionel sets, and built an 8 X 12 table in my basement. Those starter sets came with fastrack and it seemed light years ahead of the old O-27 track that I remembered as a kid. So with my giant table I started buying more track, first I added a bunch of 048, next came a bunch of 060, and then I decided that I could expand the table to 8 1/2 X 15.

after my expansion I went and bought a bunch of 072. By the time I was done I had switches purchased in each size 036, 048,060 and 072. I was running connected loops in 060 & 072 outside of a 9 X 5 layout which was complete with trestles, bridges and reversing loops. Yes it kept getting bigger and bigger, but the outside loops just went around in a circle, and I along with my grandchildren, who regularly play with I Pads and the like were less than thrilled. I mean can you imagine going from the computer age with all the graphics, action and adventures to watching a train go around in a circle. Thank god I had the inside layout at least it had some sidings trestles etc.

After a while I started to think that there must be something more and while looking through an Atlas layout book I realized something, my first epiphany, if I didn't spend so much time putting in larger rails I could get a lot more action, in a lot less space, and after all I was probably never going to have engines or rolling stock that required 072 curves anyway.

That table in the center of one corner of my basement was also another problem! I could not take over the whole basement for electric trains, and the grandchildren would be getting older. If I pads could distract them what was going to happen when Girls, cars, and hormones came along? Egad! I then read two of the permanent posts at the top of this subject, one of them says Please read this first, the other is a welcome from Ross Custom switches.

With tape measure in hand I revisited the basement to find that the corner of the house I was using for the trains was 13 X 23 and If I took down the giant table in the center of that space and rebuilt it going around the outside of the room instead.... BANG a lightening bolt and epiphany number 2.

The next thing that came along was SCARM a free design software for trains. I don't know if it's the best thing out there but I find it to be pretty good, it is the only such software that I have used. Now I will be dismantling the giant table in the middle of the room, and oh yeah I decided to change track types, although I have not made up my mind on which one I will go with I think that Ross probably has the best switches. That statement is not from experience mind you but rather just from reading these forums. The long and the short of it is see whats out there, find out what all of these very experienced model train people on this forum have to say, read the permanent posts at the top of this section, do your research, and plan, plan, plan. For the time being enjoy your 8 X 12 layout, but keep in mind it may be a temporary thing for alot of reasons. Welcome back. Rich

I would go with Fastrack, it works well and is easy to find.  They also have 0-31 curves now but no switches yet.  How old is your grandson?  That will determine what sort of layout it is that you build.  

Lots of ideas here.

Take a look!

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/BlogShowThread?id=958

brent you are doing the right thing asking questions there are alot of differnt styles and ideas on how to build a layout but its great to ask people who have done this before to prevent you from have the same problems alot of us have found ourselves into building a layout you should look at friends layout talk to people at shows like york but most of all just enjoy the process i have been in the hobby most of my life and have enjoyed every min of it some people plan there layout and some just go with the flow i wish you the best of luck in your quest

Just search "O Gauge Layouts" on the web and you can find examples.

Here's one   Thortrains is a good place to start, also.

I recommend SCARM software cause it's free and has Lionel, Gargraves, Atlas and MTH Realtrax. Easy to learn to use and let's you play around with a lot of accuracy. I would suggest a design that gets you up and running and allows expansion for more switching.

Track brand\mfg. is probably your biggest concern, as it becomes one of the larger cost items making changing later cost prohibitive.

Go to some train shows and a local hobby shop with O gauge trains and eyeball and touch stuff. Take the grandson with you and observe his interest.

Take your time with small bites as a big layout can be overwhelming. Getting a small layout up and running from scratch is quite a task.

Most of all, have fun!

Brent;

Many MTH engines will run on O-31 but some are listed as larger because they can't make an S curve or switches at that radius. IF you want an engine that is listed as O-42 or larger, Ask on the forums using MTH part number for the engine or set you want to get. Someone likely will answer yes or no for you.

You will have to avoid much of the Premier line as it tends to be scale and larger curves are needed. However the Imperial  Railking line has much of the Premier detail on tighter turning engines of the same general outline. These tend to be a bit shorter than the scale ones. But not terribly so, they are still at least as big as traditional Lionel engines if not a bit bigger.

I have a Big Boy (4-8-8-4) Steam Engine in Imperial RailKing that is over 29" long and it will run on O-31. But wow does it hang off the edge of the track !!! Keep a clear area 4" outside the curve and 3 inside or the Big Boy will clear it for you. Thus I no longer run that engine on O-31, besides it just looks wrong.

I don't find it to be a problem.  Trains make noise.

I was at a club meeting the other night and the members layout was three rail tubular.  When he fired up his trains the noise was pretty loud.  I decided to use FasTrack and I'm in the process of putting together a 14' X 28' double track around the wall layout using O84 outside and O72 inside curves.   This is the preliminary track plan.  I plan to add a staging yard along the bottom of the photo.  I have about 11' X 3' to work with.  The track climbs six inches to cross over the lower tracks at the top and starts the down grade at the left bottom side all the was around the curve.  The turnout going to the yard area will be about 4"above grade.  I used Woodland Scenic risers to build the grade on the top left.  I had to uses four sets to make it wide enough for the double tracks.  I found a local company that makes polystyrene foam and had them cut 6" thick foam blocks for my upper elevations and had them cut tapered 24" X 48" risers 6" to 4" along the long axis and a 4" to 2" and a 2" to 1/8" that I will trim to make the down grade.  I plan to have plateau's about 24" X 24" at the end of the 48" piece to help make the transition into the curves.

IMO.

Wait. stop, freeze. 

Consider not buying a single piece of track until you and family members are exposed to the noise level different track systems provide.

Sound is very subjective.  However on more than one occasion I have had clients experience grave misgivings after jumping into what they or other family members considered too noisy of a hobby.

The markers of the noise spectrum of 0 gauge in my experience would be tubular track on the loud end with solid rail track on the not as loud end with 2 rail 0 gauge being the absolute most quiet.

Even though Ross turnouts use hollow rail, their's are the only three rail switches I would recommend.

The loudest setups I have seen have been multiple trains running on multiple loops of tubular track on large island style full plywood platforms.

As you approach construction, realize, if your product selection produces less noise then there will be less sound attenuation needed. 

Whether it be sound, building/tree heights, bright colors, etc,  many RRers have found supression of extreams to most favorably present model railroading. 

Fast track users!

Listen to the advice you are getting! It is noisy stuff! Good stuff but noisy!

When you go ahead, lay a strip of rubber backed indoor outdoor carpet under the track. Take regular home fiberglass insulation and stuff  underside of the track before lying down and never screw it down 'tight', just an infrequent screw in just tight enough to hold the whole thing from shifting. Ballast will hold in place later.

You might be happier with gargraves. Personally, because I had so many 072 switches and old tinplate rail, that is what I used rather than spend for new rail.

Nice job Hugh

I use K-Line snap track from RMT.

Dale H

here's my suggestion...

1) get two 4'x8' sheets of plywood and throw them down on the floor as an L shape in  your 8'x12' room.

2) get a bunch of track.

3) it's not rocket science and limiting yourself to that size area (as opposed to, say, a 15'x25' room), there really aren't a lot of options.  start with some simple loops and see what works from there.  believe me it's more fun to get down on your hands and knees (even with my pathetic knees) and try different configurations with real track than it is sitting in front a monitor or poaching someone else's simple designs.

the benefit of 3-rail track is that it's difficult to do anything to screw up the power distribution.  no matter what your layout looks like, the center rail always stays in the center.  worry about insulated rails later.

4) run temporary wires right on top of the board.  i like tubular track in that it is easy to duck wires under crossing tracks.  once you have your layout laid out, then you can think about raising the boards to operational height or trace out the track configuration on the plywood base in preparation for L-girder construction.

have fun!

cheers...gary

Forum tip for you, Brent:

If you're quoting somebody's text in a reply, you can place your cursor below the shaded block of text. If the Reply window doesn't let you go below the quote, click the "Toggle WYSIWYG" link , move the cursor below the last  "</div>" and enter the first few words of your reply before clicking the same link again, and you'll be able to keep typing below the shaded block of quote text.

---PCJ

And if you are in a tight room space, build the layout on some inexpensive kitchen cabinet kits at lowes or Home Depot. These will give you plenty of nicely finished storage space.

Allow an access hole underneath rest of the table in one of the corners  so you can do wiring etc.

If you set up properly and use DCS and/ or TMCC, your whole control panel fits into a draw with only ONE switch to turn on the whole layout.

See Pics

Hello from Casa Grande!

This is what i did in 8x12 feet. I used both MTH realtrax and Lionel fastback on my layout. I also have DCS and TMCC systems installed.

Is there train beer in the fridge or is the layout in the kitchen?

My current house has a 2 room apartment attached, this became my train room 

The slot cars are in the other room...