So Talking with the wife more, I will be able to have a 4x8 freestanding in the room we plan to put it in (when we move to our house)
I’m looking for suggestions for a 4x8 layout, as that is the size i’ll need to be building. The table will have sides, and i’ll need to be able to place some supports in the center as well, as the table will also be needing to be converted to a board game table. I’ll also need to put some storage underneath for said games as well. Pretty much I’m making a large coffee table build is a way to think of it.
I’m looking for something that’ll fit in the 4x8, but also have a dual track loop, with the outer having 22" curves for the longer steam locomotive with passanger trains I would like to get, a 2-8-4.
The problem I’m finding is a lot of layout i like don’t show what peices or even lengths and such. I’ve been looking at the Atlas layouts, as I have some of those books, but they use snap switches. I thought I had snap switches, but i have custom line #4s. I have tried to take the layouts from the Atlas books and make them in the RightTrack software with the custom lines, but have had no luck.
I’m really only looking for a layout that has the dual loops, and a couple spurs for industries on the inside, and it would be nice to have an outside spur for an interchange track. I would like more, but i understand i’m already asking a lot for a smaller amount.
So, what your looking for is a design that will allow you to flip the table over, and use the underside of the layout for a game table?
Or a design that you can lay a flat game table over the layout?
A game table is that important, that maybe a folding card table won’t work?
Trying to understand what your looking for.
There are hundreds of 4x8 plans. Place your mouse on the black bar at the top of the page, on “How To”, on the center column of options, click on track plan data base, you can enter search items to narrow it down.
This is just one option. Google 4’x8’ table top layouts, hundreds more.
A member in here designs layouts for a living, I think his name in here is Cuyama? Cuyuma? Bryon is his name. I’ll stop butchering his screen name. [*-)]
The plan would be to put a top onto the train table. Probably have something made up for it with a peice of glass so it can stay on and lifted up for working on it, unless it needs major work and then removed. Legs I’ll probably make some sort of bookcase like structure at the corners, leaving a gap for chairs to be slid under. I’m starting out with a 4x8, but I may be able to go bigger, but we’ll have to see when it is that time. I figured a 4x8 could’ve tweaked or just add an extra switch somewhere on the outside and add a small yard if I get to go bigger.
I have been able to see and look at the plans, but the ones I like all just show the design, no dimensions or how to build them or anything like that. More of a finished product than what I’m looking for.
I have the Atlas books, which break down the layouts into track peices, that’s really what Im looking for, something were I can pretty much duplicate how the track is laid. Even if I change the scenery and stuff up, the track itself can be copied over
But the table I’m building wood be like a coffee table N scale layout, just bigger.
I did that for my kids back in the 60s, worked out slick. I had two boys and one girl back then and they also liked slot cars so the slot raceway was on top of the trains.
Unfortunately they liked the slot cars more than trains so it ended up dad running his trains on their track.
That might work. I could just leave out the staging yard, or figure out a way to have one section of the “walls” drop down for it instead.
How would that Kato track translate over to Atlas code 100 stuff. Not like I’d have to.roadbed, but like the turns are 19 1/4" or 21 5/8" and the straight all have fractions of inches as well. Also with the turnouts it says they come with their makeup peices, would the Atlas turnouts I have something that’s the same? I wouldnt mind buying new turnouts, as I dont have many, bit to replace every peice of track would be a bit much, especially since I also want more locos and to fix the ones I do have, amd also need to get some rolling stock going too
EDIT: It is a single loop though, but is doubled for a bit, could maybe figure out a way to make it a dual loop.
Plus it looks like it would need at least a little bit of that staging yard for operations when going into the inside.
The Black River Junction Layout Ulrich posted is not the same as the World’s Greatest Hobby (WGH) layout and would need a lot of revision to work without the extra staging yard.
Here’s the link to download the free booklet that has the WGH 4X8 layout, which looks like this:
Both layouts have “Rock” in their name and it’s also on the WGH site, which may lead to the confusion. I don’t think this works for the Original Poster’s needs, either.
If you want to stay with an HO 4X8 using sectional track and you want a complete parts list, an alternative would be Atlas’ HO-6. I don’t know if all of the outer curves are 22" radius, so that’s a potential issue.
There are also a number of problems with this track plan itself, but there is an Atlas book that describes it, along with their outmoded method of wiring for DC.
So not an ideal choice in many ways, but restricting the options to an HO 4X8, sectional track, Atlas components, and a full parts list reduces the possibilities, unfortunately.
Byron - the WGH homepage features a mini series of how to build the “Black River Junction” layout, which I think is a former MR project layout. It´s a different layout, but certainly more challenging to operate than the rather simple oval of the “original” WGH layout.
As Mel knows, not without some (or a lot of) cutting and fitting. Turnout dimensions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If the Original Poster is willing to learn to use flextrack rather than sectional track, more is possible.
I like Cuyama’s suggestion. You could also check out the Virginia and Southern on the MR database. Just imput size" less than 100sq ft", and “island” as the the type, and scroll down.
Unfortunately, that one doesn’t have the detailed parts list that the Original Poster is looking for. It looks appealing, but I’m not even sure that it can be built as drawn in HO scale in 4X8 since it does not appear that room was allowed for transitions from level-to-grade and back. This would have the effect of making the grades significantly steeper than the quoted 3%.
In a 5X9 or 5X10, much more do-able – but that’s true for all of the speculative HO 4X8s with grades that have been published over the years.
By the way, you may never be able to get a plan from an Atlas book to work exactly in CAD with sectional track. Most Atlas setional plans require some slight offsets and/or little gaps in building to get the whole thing to connect, while CAD expects all the joints to be perfectly square and tight.
I am working on trying to go bigger, but wont really know until we’re in the house. I would like to do a 5x9, but I’m not sure if it’ll fit. Should be able to add at least 6 inches each dimension, for a 4.5ftx8.5ft table.
As for flex track, I have only 2 sections of it. But I have a ton of sectional straights and curves, and switches. I’m just trying to get use of what I have most of, don’t rely want a layout of all flex track, as that’s more I would have to buy.
Really i’d just like something a bit more explanatory on how to build the track. Like that Virginia and Southern, I wouldn’t be able to build that. The way it shows it doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’m missing something with it though.
Atlas does list the parts on their website, as you can buy three full layout from them to put together. Out of all the ones I’ve looked at, they used 18" curves, I haven’t seen any 22" ones
Is this goign into a dedicated room for the railroad/gaming?
If so, what about aroudn the walls, You can built on top of some decent looking bookshelves and make the whole thing look liek a piece of furniture. If you ahve room for a 4x8 or a 5x9 island int he middle with room to walk around it, you have plenty of room to run aroudn the walls and use much larger radius track. With a shadowbox sort of thing, you could have the layout on bookshelves for storage under, and then even more storage on top. With the front finished off with a nice stain, it would look like furniture, not a bunch of lumber. ANd still room to set up the gaming table in the middle of the space.
All of the above is valid information depending on what you want to build. I based my layout on an article of nearly 50 years ago and I am still finding things to do differently with it … with imagination of course!
My layout is here and feel free to PM me to get a copy of the original article which will also show you how to “grow” it as well as operate. If I had my druthers, I would make the front not quite as straight and give it a slight arc. I used flex track but now use Peco Set track for the curves so I have the best of both ways!
