I was going to go with the Carolina Central in N scale, but decided I couldn’t live without sound and the higher detail level of HO so purchased a Proto 2000 diesel and Digitrax DCC system today, along with a few sections of straight track just to see how it went.
I’m happy with my purchases but, of course, will have to have some kind of switching layout as I really do have just about enough space for a layout on a hollow core door and that’s it.
80" x 36" is about as large as I feel I can go. Any help?
You really need to try and go wider than 36". You will be limiting yourself to 18" and 15" radius curves. This will severely limit the size of equipment you will be able run.
A door is OK for N scale, not very good at all for HO.[2c]
If you could add 4", you could fit in a loop of 18". Otherwise you’ll be limited to about 16 1/2" (15" if you use sectional track). That can work if you stick to small locomotives and cars. You can also have a switching area down the middle where you could have larger locomotives and cars. “101 Trackplans” from Kalmbach has some 3’ and 3 1/2’ wide layouts.
That assumes a layout has to be an oval. A door could provide a very nice point to point or switching layout. I seem to recall someone building an entire layout of doors, and coined the word “doorminos” (versus dominos).
I looked at Chip’s layout contest, and like the Fergus Falls layout-it was kind of what I had in mind. I hadn’t planned on having any type of loop as I realize that the curves would have to be too sharp for my tastes. This will be my first layout so it will be more of a learning exercise than anything else.
(BTW, I must have spent a couple of hours since yesterday running the loco back and forth and listening to the sounds, LOL.)
Am I the only one to notice that Li’lJugs has already resigned himself - or perhaps herself - to a switching layout on a 36" by 80" door?; it become just a little bit ludicrous, therefore, to talk about adding 4" so he can get an 18" radius curve.
Li’lJugs, sound or no sound, you would probably have been served better had you stayed with N-Scale; I would cut off my left you-know-what right now to know just what kind of Proto2000 loke you just purchased. Considering the space you are going to have to work in it would not be too difficult to buy something TOO BIG for your purposes. That 36" dimension is going to restrict you to a 15" radius curve - one labelled as very sharp - should you elect to try some kind of a turnback operation for your switching. On his iconic Gorre and Daphetid John Allen engineered 15" radius curves but he designed his original layout in the late '40s - early ‘50s when small steam was available and there was a proliferation of 36’ cars. Although Geeps may well, with effort, be able to negotiate 15" radius curves you would be better off with one of Walthers/Life-Like’s SWs or a similiar loke from another manufacturer; for your purpose a Spectrum 44 tonner would be perfect. If you were to go t