Can you smell the wood burning?..I am thinking, again, of starting a new layout (doesn’t everyone). At the present time, I have four independent loops and am considering eliminating one or two and having sidings to hold a train while one completes a loop. This way, I can alternate the trains running on the same track…perhaps in the opposite direction.
My question requires only a very short answer. How many loops, that is, how many trains can you run on your present layout at the same time?..As always, thanks.
I have two mainline loops and a branchline with a turnaround loop at the end. I usually run one train on each of the mains, I like long consists, 15 on the freight and 8 on the passenger, and I’ll run a switcher in the yard or up the branchline. My freights are limited by a tunnel that I want the whole train to disappear before the engines come back out.
One mainline loop thats sort of a folded dogbone. Resembles a double track mainline but is one continous loop. Can accomodate 3 decent length trains. 2 1/2 scale miles long.
One train on upper loop, that has 2 available reverse loops and a passing siding, which holds another train. One train on each of the 2 lower loops, the inside lower loop has a passing sidnig, which hold another train. There are 3 sidings, on the inside lower loop, each holds a train to alternate the main line running. Plus a trolley, which runs on it’s own loop.
When the main stem is closed - as many as the timetable calls for.
The joker is, I operate by timetable. NOTHING simply orbits the layout. The schematic says the mainline is a closed loop, mostly double track but with one section of single track. The timetable says no train will run the entire closed loop without changing train number and without an appropriate layover in hidden staging.
I operate tinplate rolling stock (real galvenized steel!) by prototype rules. I also readily admit this is not everyone’s cup of O-cha. However you choose to operate, have fun.
Yes, 14’ x 6’. And it’s for O-27 and O-31 sized trains!
The reason for the 14’ length is for passing sidings that can accomodate full O-27 passenger trains (I don’t care for freight) and clear the mainline.
Lionel’s three car O-27 streamline passenger set with add-on pack (5 cars total) adds up to 60 inches. Add the engine(s) and the train will be anywhere from 74-99 inches long! (depending on the engine(s)) That’s up to eight feet of O-27 capable train!
I find that running with three or four O-27 passenger cars (as opposed to five) works better on the layout. That allows for a choice of steamers and deisels to be used, and the train will still fit on the sidings.
If I had used O-31 curves, instead of O-54, on the outside, the siding would have been longer than 76 inches. But the layout really looked boxy to me when using O-31 curves. O-54 really smoothed it out and allows the trains to be run a lot faster without having to tend the throttle all the time.
It’s not the most exciting looking layout, but for how I like to run trains it allows for a lot of action.
I am presently running five loops and a trolley track.I am trying to put in a raised track that will be removable so I can run some of my shorter units which like to stall on the switches.Eventually I’d like to join all the loops together.As it is now I have my yard on track 1 and my industries on track 2.
When the layout is finally done it will be a double elongated folded figure 8, will be able to run up to 3 trains on each loop for a total of 6 trains, plus 1 to 2 on the second line, and a trolley. Have some more refining to do, but it is turning into a nice plan.
I am running five separately powered ‘loops’ - one long main line around the perimeter with a two track siding, two longish routes that criss-cross each other around the perimeter and middle of the layout and two ‘true’ expanded ovals with sidings. Every line ‘meets’ another - so trolley passengers can transfer.
