Realistic FasTrack Layouts

If possible, what I'd love to see from some of these great FT layouts are the layout drawings or digital files of them.  This would help those of us just beginning to work within the confines of fixed size curves, turnouts, etc. 

In other words, how the various railroaders dealt with turnouts, crossovers, sidings, yards, etc. (what can realistically fit in various dimensions).

Thank you all.

Nice job, and those trains look good, too, Chris.

AbuelO_gauge: Well, here's a track diagram of my small layout. I decided, after several layouts, that I wanted no curves or switches smaller than O60. So my inner loop is O60, and the outer one is O72.  The entire layout itself is only 10' x 12', in a spare bedroom. (No huge basements in California!)

   Bob A.

 

 

Ken-O scale: here are a few additional pics of my yard as you requested.Sorry it took so long.My yard is fairly new(6 months old)It has a capacity of 75 pieces of freight.I moved most of the freight out onto the main lines to take these pics.My switching operations were inspired mainly by Bob anderson's videos.I wanted a facility that I could actualy build consists and not just park a few cars.MAN.. when I came back to this thread I can't believe all of the amazing pic's that have been added since it started.Nick

All of these photos show excellent work!  They are an inspiration of what can be done.  I want to try something similar since i always ballasted my HO track and even my dabble in N scale.  

 

Nick is absolutely right about all the amazing photos, and his is just as amazing!

Really nifty layouts rockstars1989 and LarrySr (and others).  Any chance you might be able to share the track plans, either a picture of the full layout drawing or the actual track plan if it is in digital (e.g., RR-Track or SCARM) form with dimensions?

Thanks a lot.

One of the things I found about deadening the sound for fasttrack layouts I've built for people is NEVER use screws to anchor the roadbed.  The hollow nature of plastic track attached to wood creates a"speaker" effect and the metal screw amplifies the sound...even through 1/2" styrofoam sheets.  I have used two methods successfully.  Using the aforementioned pink,blue, or green styrofoam sheets, I then use cable ties or zip ties...the small 4 inch ones in black.  the head slips down into the tapered hole in the fasttrack.  Then from the bottom of the platform slip the other cable tie up to tighten the track.  There will be minimal sound and if you ever want to take out a section of track, all you do is snip and there is no screw turning.  the othere method is to go to the dollar store and buy the rolled rubber non slip shelf liner.  Lay it out uder yout track, use the same zip tie method above and once anchored, razor knife the edge of the track/rubber.  move to the next section.  You can deaden about 5 feet of track with one roll for $1.  A nice india ink and alcohol wash over the fasttrack also creates a nice effect. 

Thanks rockstar1989, your yard looks great!  Very inspiring.  -Ken

Nice Work! I haven't really started mine yet but soon! I would like to hear about different techniques in weather the track.

Al

So, Dave, I guess Gargraves bugs you, too...round top rail...

This is my track plan. My layout is 6'x9' with a 30"x30" piece added to one end. I started building it in October last year so it's a work in progress. The inside loop is O36 and the outside O48. The switches are all O36.

Isn't that your old layout Christopher?

Where are you at in Cleveland Nick, I'm in Brook Park?

Enjoyed your tutorial on building it Bob.

WOW!  You all have really shown what can be done with FT.  They are all unique and look just fantastic...great work guys.

gandydancer1950,

   Thanks for joining the conversation, great FT layout sir!

PCRR/Dave

The pictures of ballasted FasTrack look great. What did you guys use for ballast?

To LarrySr:

What is the "quiet brace" that you used to deaden the sound with your FT layout ?

 

To ALL:  

WOW !!!   All of your layouts are fantastic from your photos.  Thanks for all of the tips on ballast & sound deadening.  How many of you used the LCCA frame kits & how many of you built your framing from scratch ?  

 

Thanks in advance ,

 

CB&Q Bill

 

Hey Guys!

 

I'm new here on the board and live close to you in Berea. I'm currently putting together a small layout on a 4 x 12 area of mostly post war trains and accessories. Basically 3 loops of track for operation currently. I am amazed how many locals are on the board here.

 

Wayne

CB&Q Bill

 

It's a cost saving option:

Celotex soundstop or Quitebrace.

 

Similar properties to Homosote, a lot less cost and more widely available.

 

these actually reduce sound better than homosote (Opinion)

 

and to my knowledge do not shrink.

 

Usually available at Home Depot / Lowes

 

Larry

Hi Larry Sr:

 

Thanks for the response.  

 

To day I bought my 1st batch of FasTrack: rewove (12) 0-42 curve sections, Five (5) 10" straight sections, and one (1) 10" straight lock-on section.  I plan to use this batch for Carpet Central around the X-mas tree.  I also bought an MBI book on Lionel FasTrack layouts and WS's (Woodland Scenics) rail paint pens (Rusted Rails & Weathered Tie colors).  

 

I also looked over WS's black track bed material and their 1/4" and 1/2" styrofoam sheets.  I wonder when mounting the FT (FasTrack) on top an underlayment (Homasote, QuietBrace, or SoundStop), if the WS black roadbed material as a base for the FT (with  pieces of the styrofoam sheet filling in the plastic ballast cavity hollow sections) might reduce the loud sound.  

 

Are the Celotex SoundStop & Auralex QuietBrace as "carve-able" as the blue, green, & pink foam insulation boards ?  Is it more "carve-able" than Homosote ?  

 

I also plan to join LCCA & buy some of their Lionel/LCCA FasTrack Module Frame Kits.  I plan to attend Milwaukee Trainfest  in NOV-2015 to look up close at any Lionel / LCCA FT module layouts.  

 

These threads on OGR have helped tremendously to steer me toward FT & the LCCA Modules as probably the most efficient, fast, easy, convenient, & doable pathway for me to actually get a layout up & running.  I have always been intimidated with the idea of building modules from scratch, cutting GG & Ross track, ballasting Atlas-O (or GG / Ross track), figuring out all the wiring.  Now that I find out from the OGR forum that the FT is readily available in all its advertised variety of sizes & pieces (and that Atlas-O & MTH have not kept up with demand for their systems' pieces), I think that FT is the way to go.

 

I do have some Atlas-O straight & curved sections from 10 years ago that I was stockpiling for an eventual layout and several RealTrax pieces from past Carpet Centrals around the X-mas tree (I gave up on continued use due to the connectivity issues that developed over time).  Maybe I can sell some of these pieces at a swap meet or use them on display shelves.  

 

Thanks for the help from you & other OGR Forum members on this & related track threads.

 

CB&Q Bill   

Great Photos! I'm glad to see others embrace Fastrack. I remember when it first came out, I asked if anyone had tried making it more realistic and promptly had Naysayers asking "why bother"lol.
I know it's expensive, but I know it's reliable and the switches are as flawless as it gets.
   I'm still looking at painting the rails somehow and treating the roadbed with a "wash" of some kind.
In the meantime, I'm still working on tweaking my trackplan and am happy with the results so far.
    Keep the pics coming!
Al














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That's looking really great Al.

I agree regarding the painting of the rails and the wash on the ballast.

I tend to think that adding additional, loose ballast may not really be needed. Seems like it might be enough to just have some green ground foam encroach along the bottom edge of the track base to help conceal the perfectly straight base edge.

 

Thanks for the idea...do you drill a hole in the platform to slip the zip tie through? Any chance you could post a pic to help me understand? Many thanks for your help. 

 

It doesn't have to be expensive, depending on where you buy it.  Grzyboski Trains, a forum sponsor, has FT at low prices and they sell by-the-piece and not in bulk packs like most vendors.  If you have more than one RTR set with FT, it can certainly be more economical to buy some more straights and a few switches rather than swap track brands altogether. 

I ended up ordering from Trainworld which were great with not charging me shipping. Buying locally in Canada is crazy $. Almost $200 per CC remote switch and $25 for 30" straight. I still do buy the odd piece locally but my bulk orders have been from the US stores. Grzyboskis is a good place too but at the time they didn't have the switches I needed in stock.
   Where did you guys buy the Indian ink wash and the brown colored paint markers? Michaels?
Al

To all

 

    Thanks for the compliments. I have been gone for a while and was surprised to see this come up again. I hope this inspires you as much as I have been.

 

Albertstrains

 

     Yes both can be had at Michaels. You will need some alcohol to mix with the wash. If you use ballast on the sides, only the middle will need some wash. You can use some powders like Bragdons after the rails are painted to blend the rust color onto the ballast. Chalk will work but they don't have the adhesive powders do. Perhaps a flatcote would hold i but then you must clean the rails.

 

    Using ballast on the outside in my opinion makes the difference from toy to more realistic. Because of the roadbed very little is needed. It only has to be done once and goes very fast. Why wouldn't someone want the best look possible?

 

Best

 

Ray

Al,you are off to one He%% of a start!Nick

Thanks everybody for adding to the thread, I always love to talk FasTrack with guys like Ray who make it look so seriously real!  

Thanks again

PCRR/Dave

 

If you're laying the track on top of pink foam there's an even easier and cheaper way of holding the track in place: round wood toothpicks! Simply place them in the screw holes on the FasTrack. Since they don't pull down on the FasTrack they won't cause the track to make more noise but they will keep the track from drifting side to side over time. Obviously not a great solution for a portable layout. 

>I ended up ordering from Trainworld which were great with not charging me shipping. Buying locally in Canada is crazy $. Almost $200 per CC remote switch and $25 for 30" straight. I still do buy the odd piece locally but my bulk orders have been from the US stores. Grzyboskis is a good place too but at the time they didn't have the switches I needed in stock.

Al nice work! What size layout will your FT be?
What size curves? And can you post a track plan?

This is a great thread .... I have a Fastrack layout as well (no scenery yet) but there are some great pics here.... Keep em coming!

Gentlemen,

   I have been using the old acoustical ceiling tile, covered with a thin inside/outside green carpet for many years now, it deadens the sound so much my wife ask me to remove part of the sound suppression, so she could hear the trains run at Christmas time.  Hence the upper levels of my layout have not acoustical tile or inside/outside carpet, just so there is a little train noise around the Christmas tree.  It's all in the way you use engineer your noise level, no matter which track you happen to choose to use, and in this manner you can definitely crew your track down and fully eliminate any major noise.  You an purchase the acoustical ceiling tile at Lowes, in different size squares.  If you want a silent FasTrack layout, this is how to engineer it.

PCRR/Dave

The best method I have found for laying FasTrack is to use Black Tack Tape

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/.../productinfo/SE0010/

 strips under the outside edges of the roadbed. 2nd to that would be using double sided carpet tape in the same manner. Just be careful with the tape... it is strong! If you lay a full width piece under the track you will have a really hard time pulling it up in the future.

 

With the carpet tape method- lay the track down, trace the edges of the roadbed onto the sub-roadbed, then lay a thin strip (say 1") centered on the lines you drew. Leaving some stick out passed the edge of the track will aid in keeping the ballast in place.

 

Here are some photos of a test module that I built a while back. The scenery isn't the best, but I was just experimenting with some new techniques to see what I liked. Same method as others for ballasting - white glue, ballast, diluted glue spray. I used paint markers on this but I don't like them. They smear too easy and leave streaks. I have much better luck masking everything but outside rails and spray with brown camo Rustoleum paint.

 

I have read thru the thread, and studied the pix, but I'm still not sure...  Are you all ballasting between the rails?

What I've learnt from reading the posts is that a wash is used between the ties. I dont think there is enough height to the ties to hold ballast between them. They would look submerged I think.

Johathan,

Those pics look great! Very nice work!

Ok, I thought it might be something like that.

In reference to ballast between rails, your choice. There is not much room and it probably would get knocked loose. The wash and some powders will look just fine.

 

     For installing the track, I used rolls of foam window seal on top of homosote and screwed the track down. Just trim the excess width and it fits under the track. Unless the trains run at supersonic speed, it is very quiet. I run almost all at very slow speed and have no trouble with track sounds.

 

Ray