Opinions on EZ Track Layout

[dougware]

Can I get opinions on my 42x84 layout I'm planning.

My goals are:

• Parallel loops for running two trains at once continously
• A yard
• A crossover so either loop can can reach the yard.

I've attached the layout in JPG and SCARM formats below.

PNG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f058qhxeogjucdl/Best%20Layout.png?dl=0

SCARM
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1npzewq0gjbzd5l/Best%20Layout.scarm?dl=0

[Joe Satnik]

Hi, Doug.

Great job getting the design in CAD and uploaded to the board.  A picture is worth a kilo-word.

Concentric loops are pretty hard to do in just 42" width.  

With 15" radius curves you will be restricted to shorter locos and cars.

I see 8, and possibly as many as 10, "S" curves, which will drive you crazy with derailments.

According to John Armstrong, you need a straight at least as long as your longest loco or car between opposing curves.

"S" curves love to hide in and around turnouts.  

Both a right and left crossover are needed to be able to change inner to outer loop,

and outer to inner loop without backing the whole train through.

If you run "old school" DC block control, (not DCC), and want to run 2 trains on 2 loops under separate control, (2 DC power packs)

you will need to cut rail gaps and make underside foil cuts on each crossover you use.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Edit: Added Italics

[jward]

better to widen the table to 4x8, use 22r and 18r, and eliminate those offsets in the main line. those are going to be a huge source of trouble for you. the use of those 18r switches is going to be problematic as well.

if you really must make your layout less than 4x8, perhaps you should look at n scale. you can build and empire in 4x8 in that scale.

[Len]

Just a suggestion, you might want to sign up for a free PhotoBucket account. Photobucket makes it very easy to copy an image location and paste it between [i m g] [/i m g] (without the spaces) tags in a post. This makes the picture show up directly in you post here.

Dropbox is aimed at people who want to load things for later download by others, not for linking pictures to other sites. It can be done, but it's a convoluted process that's not very intuitive.

Len

[Len]

Assuming your stuck with the board size you mentioned, here's the layout redone to eliminate the 'S' curves:



You'll definately be limited to 40', or smaller, cars and very small locos with the 15" radius inner loop. Also notice how I'm able to plug the image directly into my post using PhotoBucket.

Len

[dougware]

That's awesome!  Thanks for the alternate layout.

I've been playing with SCARM quiet a bit, but it's difficult for me to bring track back into parallel.  I love that you've eliminated the crossover.

I won't be using any long locos or cars.  It's going in my guest bedroom (used maybe twice a year), and 4x8 is just a little larger than I'm comfortable with.

Part of me wishes I had gone with N, but I love HO so much when I was a kid and I went to a large hobby/train show last month and now the bug has bit me again. 

Doug

[Len]

Forgot to mention, the turnouts for the crossovers at the left end are standard EZ-Track switches that match 18" curves. The rest are all #4 turnouts, with 1/2 18" curves to bring them back parallel.

On the outter loop, there's a 1.5" and 2.25" straight at the top and bottom of the left end, and the center of the right end. The straight on the right end of the inner loop is a 2" piece. And there's a 4.5" straight on the right end of the outter loop long straights.

Len