My son and are building the last layout (the figure eight one) on this page: I know it may not be the best design for simulating operations, but he picked it out and he is very excited to build it (track is already ordered), so I want to try to come up with some ideas for operations for this layout as is.
We are completely new to this and had a few questions :
How would you handle drop-off pick-ups on the forward-facing spurs (it looks like if you run clockwise one set of spurs would be forward facing and if you run counter-clock wise another set would be forward facing). I have read where you need run-arounds in these cases but can this be done on layout as is?
Any thoughts on how best to assign functions to the different parts of this layout for simulating operations (perhaps logging, maybe put a town where the barns are and have a passenger depot/team track): mainline, “local” line, interchange/yards, etc.?
Ouch - those Thor train track plans again. These plans were made to sell a lot of tracks to beginners (as much as could in any way be squeezed into the area), not to be conductive to simulating a real railroad.
Runaround - you can use your entire mainline as a runaround. Leave cars on the mainline, run all around the figure 8 mainline, and come up against the cars you left from the other end.
Of course, a figure 8 with sharp curves all over the place doesn’t really have all that many straight areas where it is easy to couple and uncouple cars.
A hearty [#welcome] to this forum, explorer626, from snowy northern Germany!
I must say, you start with a tough question to begin with. The layout your son (and, I guess, you as well) start to build is definitively lacking a passing siding, which cannot be easily incorporated into the track plan. This handicaps your operation quite a bit, as the loco will always be on the “wrong” side of the train in the spur, making it difficult to just drop a car and then pull out again. The plan above is much better if you want to simulate “real” operation.It has a passing siding and plenty of spurs and even a staging facility. Staging is the part on your layout where you can “store” trains or cars to be used in exchange for the trains you run right now - makes operation more interesting.
If you see a chance to persuade your son to change his ideas, you should go ahead - maybe you can exchange the track not needed for other equipment and track you will use in that new plan.
Even if you cannot change your son´s view - building the layout and running a train on it will be great fun!
Don’t worry too much about proper operation. Let your son see where problems lie and then correct them. Don’t permanently attach track to the layout until you find a configuration you like.Hopefully you ordered the EZ track so you can easily remodel the layout. I think you have a good choice for a starter. Once you’re rolling I think you’ll see quickly what you’d like to do. If operation is your game then maybe just a shelf layout like a timesaver would be best. I think you can find a timesaver layout in search. It’d be a great little layout for interaction with your son. BILL
Enjoy the building process and run some trains. A 4X8 layout like the one you have selected will engage you and your son for many, many hours - enjoy them all. Even a simple oval can be made interesting with scenery, tunnels, buildings.
As far as operations you could electrically isolate a couple of the larger sidings and have one train running one direction, and another running the opposite, each serving its own industrys - sidings. One train at a time would hit the mainline dropping empty cars at various sidings. Next time around they could pick up the “full” railcars.
You could also run a “mixed” consist where a single passenger car would be put at the back of the train to pick-up and drop off passengers at different stations.
I’m sure you will have a great time running your layout. Give your layout a name also. My sons and I run the “PB&J lines” on our Garden layout. (P,B, and J are the first initials of our names).
The timesaver is a small switching game, where the point is to move a single free spot around. Has pretty much nothing whatsoever to do with trying to simulating a real railroad.
A more interesting small shelf switching game (in my opinion) would be e.g. Scot Ostweiler’s 1x6 foot shelf layout “Highland Park” (a variant of Linn Wescott’s “The Switchman’s nightmare”).Track plan and game rules for Ostweiler’s layout here: http://users.rcn.com/weyand/tractronics/switching_layout/switching_layout.htm
There are also a lot of other small small layout plans around. Some of which would allow you to simulate some elements of what a real railroad would. Ask if you are interested.
Some more basic info on quite a bit of the stuff normally covered by the word “operations” on a model train layout can be found e.g. here: http://www.gatewaynmra.org/operate.htm
Wow, thank you guys for the great feedback. We already have a nice 4x8 benchwork built so we are definitely going to start with 4x8. We are going to use the modular EZ track so it can be re purposed to a different layout. I think I can talk to my son about some of the issues you raised - I want him to have some ownership in the design, but also think over the long haul he will get much more out of the experience if we have some operational interest to the layout (watching the trains just go round the loop will only be exciting for a limited time.)
So, what do you guys think about this as an alternative layout? It looks like a decent balance between operation possibility and visual interest. Actually, the layout vision article on operations for a 4x8 mentioned earlier in the thread was what got me thinking about possible issues with the figure 8 design.
If anyone else has some recommendation for good 4x8 layouts, would be much appreciated (requirements are at least one continuous loop and at least one tunnel).
One feature I think I would look for in any plan is the ability for two trains to operate together - one for you and one for your son - to maximize the “working together” time. I’m not sure that’s so easily done on the original figure 8 you were looking at. You could point that out to your son to help convince him to look at other plans.
I would also look for one with a spur heading “off board” that could be used clamp a cassette onto for some minimal staging, or for future expansion
I think your son allready had another thread, where he asked about scenery, I’ve been looking at the Cactus Valley (in the MR trackplan database) and with a “fig.eight” you can only create space for a passing siding when you have one track going over the other (a bridge)
I used the tracks at the top for staging; When you have made enough laps with the freight train, you can pull or push it into a staging track. On the other track a passenger train is ready for departure. Also this layout is a one train at a time pike. I like staging with a cassette; just turn the cassette around and your train is ready to leave again.
The plan is drawn with Atlas track, and is meant as an illustration.
I like the plan by Byron Henderson, you can even run two trains at the same time. And no grades, so pretty easy to build, though not with EZ-track.
First off, as was already pointed out, the way you run-around a train on a small continuous run layout without a siding is to go all the way around the loop. Which is why I prefer to put at least one runaround - even if only a few cars long - on my small layouts. But as another poster pointed out, having your son figure this out is also good fun.
Next point - you didn’t say how old your son was. I bring this up because you will gain considerably if he can deal with helping lay (or laying himself) a combination of sectional and flex track without the built-in roadbed. Almost all turnouts with built-in roadbed have too long a curved section for proper flexibility in track arrangements. And the built-in
I don’t think you will be able to build that layout with EZ-track.
On the original layout choice there is an “alternate” to the run-around track that everyone else seems so worried about. Look over to the right side. That extra loop of track in the figure 8 can double as a run around track. Spot a car right next to the hill and two trees. Uncouple and go around the loop. TA DA! the locomotive is on the other side and has “run around” the car.
The run around loop is close enough to both towns and the “other” siding so it can work for all. It will take some more time than an actual run around siding in each area, but if we were in a hurry we wouldn’t be playing with trains - right? There will, however, still be the issue of coupling and uncoupling on a curve [sigh]
All - just an update we decided to return the EZ-Track and build Byron’s Fall’s Mill layout below with Atlas flex-track and Atlas turnouts. Cost wise it will be a wash - my son got a nice two-engine Bachmann DCC set for Christmas which let us down the EZ-track path (try to use the oval in that set as a start). The Atlas track is actually more reasonable price wise.
May I suggest you do some reading on how to lay flex track ? It is very much different from laying E-Z track, requires a certain level of skill, which can be learned. There is a wealth of information in the web!
Or get one of the excellent beginner series books from our host Kalmbach - an investment you won´t regret!
