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Hello from Rochester NY

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  HaBi Farm 
#1 ·
Just bought a house with a small fenced off area in the back yard. My wife gave me the go ahead and use that area to build a railroad. i have a 8ft circle and some straight track that i used around the christmas tree but at least its a start. the area roughly measures 15x25 so it will be small. I have always wanted a garden railroad and cant wait til the 4 ft of snow to melt and start .
 
#3 ·
the area roughly measures 15x25 so it will be small.
What types of trains would you like to run?
If you only plan to stick to small 0-4-0 steam engines, or diesel switchers, than your 8-foot diameter track can be ok..but if you want to run anything larger, like modern diesels or larger steam engines, then you should be aware that 8-foot diameter is considered *really really tight*! ;)

A good rul of thumb to always follow is: make your curves as wide as you possibly can! ;)
you will be much happier in the long run if you do..
just because you already have some 8-foot diameter curves, doesnt mean you have to use it.

If your space is 15 feet wide, you should be putting 14 foot diameter curves in there! ;)

My space is 20x40, im including a walkway along the back, which eats up some space, then im fitting in the widest possible curves that I can for the "main" loop, about 14-foot diameter..
which is STILL quite tight for the Alco PA's and large 1/29 scale passenger cars I want to run! but its the best I can do in the space I have.. 14 foor diameter is "ok" for 1/29 scale..20-foot would be better yet..8-foot is borderline unusable for at least half of large-scale models that exist.

I also have 8-foot diameter track, and I am going to use it for the "inner loop"..smaller trains can run on that, but many of my trains simply wont be able to run on that loop, because its too tight.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/stonehedge/page2.html

so you could still use your 8-foot track for a "smaller" loop..but if you can, its wise to make the "main loop" as wide as you possibly can..especially if you want to run more modern 1/29 scale diesels and cars..something to consider! ;)

Scot
 
#6 ·
Best advice is to connect up with others in your area - they can show you what works, and what doesn't!

Is the track you used around the Xmas tree suitable for outdoor use? It needs to be solid brass, aluminum, or stainless steel. The hollow steel stuff that comes with starter sets will quickly rust outside.

What is your current locomotive? My Bachmann Big Hauler does OK on 6 1/2' diameter and larger. For an inside loop, 8' diameter is plenty wide enough DEPENDING on what you intend to run there. Of course, the bigger the diameter, everything looks better.

the other Rodney
 
#7 ·
Welcome to MLS. As a former resident of that neck of the woods (Avon), I know the agony of waiting for the snow to melt. (I did lots of building during the winter.) 15' x 25' is actually pretty respectable for a garden railroad. My "temporary" railroad when I first bought my house out here was 9' x 20'. That was ample for a loop of track with a few spurs and a passing siding.

I was involved in a discussion the other day about scaling up HO 4' x 8' layouts for outdoors. While I have in the past been of the opinion that HO track plans don't scale up well in the garden, I got to thinking about it. Most of those plans are based on either 18" or 22" radius curves. If we equate 18" to 4', and 22" to 5' radius curves, you can translate many of those plans to a space on the order of 12' x 24'. Just for grins, I looked at a track-plan book put out by Atlas (HO track manufacturers) today at the hobby shop. I gotta admit, I think some of those plans might be fun to try in the garden--at least use them to draw inspiration. I think some of them have a bit too much track to allow much room for a garden, but some of them offer a pretty nice balance.

I'm ordinarily in the "use the widest curves possible" camp, but using 7' radius curves in a 15' x 25' space doesn't leave a lot of space for sidings or other things. A 5' radius is a very respectable radius for most of what we run, so if you can work with that, I think you have plenty of room there for a railroad that will allow for a good mix of sitting back and watching trains run, while also offering ample opportunity for industrial spurs and things like that.

Later,

K
 
#9 ·
I'm ordinarily in the "use the widest curves possible" camp, but using 7' radius curves in a 15' x 25' space doesn't leave a lot of space for sidings or other things.
K
That can be a concern..
but you can also just put those things on the inside of the main loop, not the outside. Here is my current trackplan:

http://scotlawrence.smugmug.com/Other/Stone-Hedge-Railway/i-PnWzVTm/0/O/gardenRR-plan14b.jpg

I chose to use the widest curves I possibly can for my "main" loop, so I can run my 1/29 scale diesels and large freight and passenger cars..(I wont run those on the inside 8-foot diameter loop at all) then once that was established, I fit everything else inside of that loop. the wide curves were of primary importance, so I gave them the primary consideration..everything else then came second, and had to conform to that outer loop.

you dont *have* to do it that way, but that's how im doing it.

Scot
 
#8 ·
My track that I have is Aristo Craft brass track. I have the 8 ft circle and a couple of 3 ft straight sections, Just enough to make me want more. I have a USA Christmas switcher and a few cars. Thank you all for the warm welcome. Kevin, I have actually been looking through some ho scale plans. Anything for ideas. Not quite sure i know what kind of rr I am shooting for but just want to lay some track and see where it goes. Scot, I have looked at your website and would really like to get more info.
 
#11 ·
The issue as I experienced it on my 9 x 20' railroad was that with using the widest curves for the space, I was let with only 10' across for a passing siding. By the time I put the switches in, I was left with maybe 5' where you could actually park a train to pass it. That's not a very long siding (3 cars, without a loco). That's okay if you're just using the siding for a switching destination, but not for holding one train while running the other.

That's why I suggest looking at the space and trying to create a balance between using the widest curves you can, but being open to compromising on that aspect for the benefit of another. Alas in my case, I didn't have the luxury of using tighter curves, so I was stuck with a very short passing siding which was good for nothing more than spotting a car or two at the train depot. In a space such as is being discussed here, you can use 5' radius curves, leaving you with an additional 5' of tangent space between the curves.

One thing we have today is the advantage of commercial curved switches, so you do have just a bit more flexibility in terms of design. But still--the space defines the railroad, and it's within that space that you must incorporate all the elements you'd like in that space to the best that they will fit.

Later,

K
 
#12 ·
Decide on what you like to do the most. I read in another thread that there are 3 types of model railroaders: 1) those that like to plan, 2) those that like to build, and 3) those that like to just run trains.

You already has an 8' circle (I assume this is 8' diameter). You'll want to get some more straights, but I'd suggest using what you've got to make a start outside. Maybe an oval that can become an inside loop when you decide on a final track plan (caution, no track plan is ever final). A few more curves or flex track and you could make it folded to look like a double mainline. Add on more as you have the time & money. My very first small outdoor layout is long gone - but I leaned lots from it and that helped my current layout be much much better.

No matter what - HAVE FUN!!!!

the other Rodney
 
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