I am planning a model railroad, I will try to scan or make an image I can put on my computer, but I will try to describe it for now. I have a room, and I have 3 walls to work with, 7 ft x 16 ft x 6.5 ft. I am planning to have shelfs 1.5 ft wide. The problem is the room still has to serve as a functional rec room. I thought about a switching layout, but I have a love for mainline railroading. I am still going to have some switching, because the old oval gets boring quick, I know. I am thinking of making it 2 levels, so I can have a continuous loop ( I have a “penninsula” designed on each end (26" radius in HO scale), and staging yards. Basically I am looking for suggestions, anything from new Ideas to what type of track to go with. I measured my track plan and it was 145 feet, so it won’t be an over night thing. $490 for flextrack and switches at my LHS, I am on a budget. So take it away, almost anything would be appreciated, and I want DCC, so some help choosing witch one would be nice, Thanks,
Morgan
first off, I think you forgot to devide your 145’ by 3’. That’s only 50 peices of 3’ flex track@ about $3 each.(based on Atlas flex) I think you have a good idea with a helix on each end.You have enough room for the 26" radius. That should be OK Keep your grade to 2-2.5% (so I’ve been told.)
Oops, I see you said $500 for track AND switches. I thought you where saying that much just for flex.
You are essentially describing a dog-bone layout. The Atlas site has some layouts for you to look at, or you could buy/borrow John Armstrong’s “Track Planning for Realistic Operation”. Kalmbach Publishing sells it.
Walther’s Shinohara, Micro-Engineering, and Atlas (Peco, too?) sell track and switches.
As for DCC, an excellent entry level system is the Digitrax Zephyr mainly because is fits the main bill AND allows interfacing with computers to program your CVs. Several members here swear by their Prodigy Advanced systems, but I don’t think they are computer literate as of today…soon, yes, but not today. You can purchase them cheaply online, as in e-bay or at internet hobby shops.
Think of your expected usage in the way of current drawing locomotives, though. Is it at all possible that you could be running more than five sound-equipped locos at one time in the next couple of years? You can still go with those systems, but expect to have to add power boosters in time.
You really should visit jfugate’s excellent series of workshops (clinics, he calls them) on this forum. He has had people bump them up to the front page just in the last day, so go back a few pages and find them, especially the one about DCC.
Edit- I found that link. http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36389