My son and I got our layout put together last night. Everything went smoothly with no real problems. Kinda roughly laid in the switches for several of the turnouts so he could see how those are going to work. We had a lot of fun last night switching our train from track to track and backing it down the spurs. Gonna have to start working on the control setup now.
Just wanted to thank you guys for the encouragement in my other thread.
Here's the link to the layout...we built the second one down on the right.
http://www.thortrains.net/marx/funlayez1.html
Quote from: Jason05216 on September 25, 2009, 11:39:13 AM
Here's the link to the layout...we built the second one down on the right.
http://www.thortrains.net/marx/funlayez1.html
That looks like a great track plan! Wish I had room for it myself. If you wire it for two--or more--train operation, you and son should have a grand old time running trains! :D
Do your MARX trains have hook and slot or the knuckle or the butterfly couplers? They made an uncoupler for the flat butterfly couplers and they worked quite well. You could drop off a few cars on a siding, and later come back and pick them up, all without touching the train.
I loved my MARX trains and I hope you and your boy have as much fun with yours as I had with mine.
Jim
Jim...Sorry I wasn't clear earlier. We have a Bachmann train set that came with the basic circle of 18" radius EZ track. So far he really enjoys it but like most 5 yr old kids his attention span is a little shorter than Dad would like.
My apologies too. I was so busy admiring the layout that I didn't read the words under it.
Jim
does anybody know why he has the word marx in the url? i can see how it could be misleading.
marx is the one who designed them .I built this layout . If you remember when I 1st came here . yampa bob and a few others helped me out.
Dear All,
More than likely the webmaster liked Marx trains, and this particular folder eventually grew beyond Marx topics, becoming his catch-all folder.
Slim chance that some Marx layout book, booklet or flyer has something similar to this double track peanut shaped layout, but HO EZ-Track geometry is so different than anything Marx had, that it is unlikely.
99% of the work would have been to get the EZ-Track to all fit together flat and without gaps or twists on a 4x8 sheet.
Very little credit, therefore, even if the general idea came from an historic Marx layout.
I've been proved wrong before, though.
(Gotta get Hunt to pop up every once in a while to correct me.)
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
I just called it that because someone else did when I first posted about this page of layouts. Didn't mean to confuse, sorry. Even though I never figured out the piece that is labeled "(1) BachmannEZ inch straight" I was able to get a layout done and all the pieces seem to fit as they should. No odd gaps or twists. I guessed it was a 1" piece and was planning to cut a piece. Only issue I've had is the turnout in the spur on the right sometimes causes a derailment when backing across it when the switch is in the straight position.
joe i think you were one of the ones who helped me and pointed it out to me about the marx layout html. you were talking about so many s curve's. and giving me some idea changes . and made them to good use . thats when my sd40-2 was derailing so much
Jason
Presume that your trouble is when you back onto the spur. Look through previous posts or search for "derailments". You will find suggestions as to cause and possible cures.
Eric UK
i think that that switch to the spur you describe is the only weak link in the layout. you come out of a right hand turn into a left hand switch. that is a sure fire recipe for derailments, especially with longer cars. better to use a right hand switch in place of the last curve section in that right hand turn, and run the spur off that. replace the existing switch with a 9" straight. in this way you can eliminate the s curve that causes derailments.
if you have problems with switchpoints causing derailments, try using a needle file to sharpen the points. use a matchstick or other small piece of wood to hold the point open when you file it.
Eric...Thanks I'll do a search
Jeff...You've hit exactly the situation for the derailments. I'll give your suggestions a try.
Jeff and Jason
There are 3 other similar S curves in the runround loop at the top. Since these are apparently not giving trouble I would concentrate attention on the switch in question.
Eric UK
you are right. there are those 3 s curves at the top. if i were building this layout i would redesign it to eliminate them. most likely, i would stay away from the 18" radius switches altogether and go with the much gentler #5s.
i think this would help out on the runaround track at the top of the layout, as would changing the switch leading to the spur tracks from a 18" right to a #5 left, moved up to the far right of the runaround track.
i have noticed alot of those s curves in the layouts on thortrains site. it looks to me like he is a tinplater (O27) and not really familiar with the limitations of scale model trains. that said, most of the layouts could be easily reworked to eliminate the problem areas.
A 5' x 9' area would give more room to fix those problems,
plus room for expansion and longer radius curves.
Joe Satnik
I started with one of these layouts on a 4x8 ft bench . It was a starting point . After awhile, I felt the need to expand as well and went to a 5x9 ft . And like you say , it gave me more room on the curves and a few more switches , deversions and get rid of the S curves that you find in some of these layouts . I sure wish I was still up north and had my basement . I'd have a full basement layout . But for anyone starting out these are pretty good layouts. I had a lot of fun with them .
I boxed up my fleet of engines and rolling stock and going to work on my track . My girlfriend as been wanting to work on the scenery and I need to finish my control panel . So will be busy for awhile . So hopefully in about 6 months we will be able to unvale . So I will be asking alot of detail questions . peace to all gotta get back to work
Like mf5117 says this is a starting point for us. As long as we don't have too much trouble with this layout I'm going to go with it for a bit. I put it on a 4x8 sheet of plywood so it would take a little work to lengthen it out to 9'. After doing this layout the thing I really don't like and I didn't think thru enough (since I don't know much there was actually very little thought) before doing it is the fact that you have to reverse the train to get from the outside track to the inside track. I think for my son it would be better if you could simply drive thru a switch back to the inside rail.
Your right about revercing to go to the outter loop or the inside loop . There are a couple other layouts on thor trains I think it's on a different page . It has the same simular layout but with another set of #5 bachmann switches, So you don't have to reverce to get to opne track or the other . although there is some crammed in pcs . In the straight parrallel main that can cause you some problems with derails . But with the added foot on length and width ,I was able to cure this . With some 4.5inch straights and 9inch straights . It was kinda like ," don't cuss call us " it was frustrating . But at the end ,I ended up with a nice decent layout . Due to space . But have more EZ track and r-18 and #5 switches than I need ........ Soooooo I told my gf I was going to knock out the wall and take it to the street . I have so much I'm still not satisfied . But the cool part was inner and outter track . running 2 or more trains most I have done was 5 at one time alot to keep up with . had a wipe out or 2 .But you know it made me smile . Run 2 on the inner and outter and do some switching . Enjoy what you have now and learn from it . And grow as you can . I love my dcc it allows me to run 2 or more Trains ,but keeps me from learning true d/c trains and all it has to offer .
I was wondering if you were running dcc. We are running dc right now. Thought about adding another power pack and gapping the inside from the outside to run two trains. But thought maybe just go ahead and get a dcc setup. Which dcc system are you using?
Hi Jason and good day . Excuse me for not getting back with you , I sleep during the day . As of now I'm running DCC , a Bachmann EZ COMMAND . I got a great deal on it .The wheel sets were off the one of the trucks on the Western Maryland box car. I got 60% off the origanal price of the HO digital commander set ."2 dcc loco's, 3 cars, track, a manual switch and the EZ command controller " .So that is what I started back with . It's easy to use can run up to 9 different addressed locomotives function for lights . I run a couple of 2 string consists FT-A&B unit , 3 gp-40's, gp-35 ,2 70ton switchers , 2 sd40-2 , mdt plymoth and a few steamers . their all bachmann dcc equipted . When I get my layout finished scenery ,control panel for remote switches , a couple of mod's to my bench work . then I will up grade to a better DCC system .some swear by the ez command some swear by the digi trax , zypher etc etc . It's all up to the individual and how much money you want to spend . but for a young boy it's easy to learn and easy to use . When your running more than one train at a time and they pass and go around and you back and move a couple at the same time I get kanook goose bumps .
I do feel everyone should keep up on the d/c side of the hobby ,but also dcc is the way of the future . So it's a 2 way street . I love my dcc
Jason
Have drawn a plan on a 4'3" x 8'3" board. A 4'6" x 8'3" board would be better. No S curves and has a crossover each way between loops. Unfortunarely the part numbers of some of the smaller pieces is in small print for some reason. It is drawn on a 3" grid which may help in getting the sizes.
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/damsonskin/E-ZTrack.jpg)
Renniks good job on the drafting . Thortrains has a very similar layout on one of there pages actually 3 or 4 of them . If you haven't experienced sectional track on a small layout such as a 4x8 . Although your drawing is a little larger with no S curves . The problem is all the short pieces of 2's 2 1/4 3's joined together at the switches . the upper parallel in the middle to the right side is what I had problems with . Also on the 22" radius to the right I think i see 2 2 1/4 and a 3 ,just out of the curve .you will get humps and valleys . Which in turn cause shorts and derailments . The smaller pcs 2 2 1/4 3 4 1/2 you don't know if they were manufactured , early on monday or late on a friday . Some do not match up well . The width looks good but I would add 6" or 1ft to the length to get rid of the short pcs . All the short pcs is how I had so many left overs . I do have the half dog bone and like it !!! peace to all mark f gotta take a nap gotta be at work at 11:00 shut down lots of contractors tonight ..... see ya around 3:00am for a few minutes....
Mark..No worries, I didn't think that everyone had time at work to keep checking this forum all day. Thanks for the input about your experience. I'm investigating the dcc thing to figure out how far to dive in so to speak. Seems you can spend as much as you want on those systems.
Renniks...thanks for taking the time for the layout. I'm going to modify what I have to get a layout like that. I'll have to go through and inventory what track I have versus what you show. I ended up with several pieces left over from my original project so I may be close. I'll have to get my assistant involved and get his OK, ;D BTW...Is there a way to either print that layout from the forum so I can read it or could you send it directly to me?
Hey jason if you go to thortrains and enter their site .about halfway down the page you will see " fun action and animated layouts " you will see HO and 0n30 layouts similar to what renniks did .all with bachmann parts list . gotta get back to work . contractors just getting out of safety orientation peace mark f
Jason
Have realised that I have not used your 2 x #5 turnouts which can be used for the sidings at top. Will redraw and get back to you.
If you right click on the drawing, you can "save image as " or "save picture as" depending on the browser you use.
Eric UK