HORNBY Digital Train Set HL4 Big Layout Track for 8x4 Board - Train A
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HORNBY Digital Train Set HL4 Big Layout Track for 8x4 Board - Train A
- Brand: Unbranded
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However if you mirror image the plan the sidings become trailing problem solved, and if you put two extra sidings on the fan of three and remove the return loop sidings it removes one electrical complication. as you can put in a diamond crossing and have the loop going from outer main to inner main and not actually forming a loop, An 8' X 4' actually needs 14' X 10' as you need to be able to get round the whole table to make good use of the board and run a scenic divider down the middleish sort of location to make it seem bigger than it is.
Go out your pace – one of the most relaxing things about this hobby is you can potter and go at your own pace. There’s no hurry. It’s all part of the fun. Is the gradient going to be too steep and if so- how can I raise the top platform a little to extend the run - i.e. I have 3 tiers of height. The room is oblong and the board sizes are based on allowing access along one side and both ends of the board. The board would be fixed (possibly hinged) along one wall. The suggested access hole is probably more necessity than preference as the size of the board makes it difficult to reach the items (i.e. points or derailed locomotives). Putting the second station above the first means that you can make the branch station a little bigger than shown, with perhaps a small goods yard as well as David's carriage siding. You could make some model loco shed faces and hide the actual locos under the upper board for example. A fair few sidings (and or branch) - to store trains on the layout including a high speed train - say 4 unitsYou could run round a longer train in the branch platform if you reversed the crossovers, especially the one on the left (or put the platform on the other side of the loop).
There's another oddity that you will discover if you try different sizes. No matter what alternative material you try, the maximum size that doesn't twist or bend is between six feet and four feet along its longest side and between three and six inches deep. This is why large exhibition layouts are made up of so many small boards, they resist bending, even if six foot long sections are so heavy that they require two men to lift. The reverse loop also means you can't really have the top station at a "half height" level, which could otherwise ease the gradient problem DCC - wha'ts a good controller i.e. Bachmann Dyn Ultima, NCE Powercab seem reasonable - or Hornby Elite - as starter kits. I've seen that NCE Powercab initially can only have 2-3 trains?Over-all the layout needs to be fun; doesn't need to be real-world - and is for my kids also - one is 4 1/2 , the other will soon grow up at 1 1/2.
Your post on the other thread mentioned 5 coach trains. They're going to look awfully long, and I don't think any of your sidings will hold them. So, I only need to cover the nail tips rather than seal leaks. Useful perhaps info if you’re running an attic layout. Quite a plethora of comments alread, which is great! You can always rely on RMwebers for comment and advice. I posted an answer to your question you posted on my topic here, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/104302-a-new-family-8x4-layout/?p=2112778 so I won't repeat myself here.I'd like to create two levels and get used to gradient work - as my future aspirations will be to do this on a bigger layout so will need practice landscaping
If space is an issue, consider instead an end-to-end layout, which can be built along one or two walls of a room and need not take up much floor space. Additional temporary sections could be deployed to extend the layout into a circuit if wished, and stored away under the fixed section when not in use. Alternatively, N gauge is very good for smaller portable layouts as it's half the size of 00. Two 4x2 sections hinged in the middle would give you a 8x2 layout when unfolded- enough for a decent continuous circuit in N but only a small end-to-end layout in 00. Having seen David's reply (arrived while typing), if you still do want to go electrofrog, read on .... I too have a NEC Powercab and really like it. Tried others when visiting Digitrains in Lincoln and found it the easiest to hold and work with. I found I could actually use it left or righthand which meant it frees you dominant hand for doing things like uncoupling, point control and other hands on tasks. Easy to walk round the layout with it too. You can add another throttle (NEC CAB04,05 or 06) very easily for two operator control; 2 kids, a very useful feature. I am new to this, and it is far from complete, but I thought I’d share some piccies of how I am getting on.
Well, I thought things were going well with my layout design finally settled and I’d begun to get all enthusiastic. However, an unexpected challenge has arisen. In a nutshell it seems that in a very hard frost – some little mositure droplets can form around the nails that hold our roof tils on. This moisture can then run along the nail shaft and onto the layout. It’s a bit odd as the roof is watertight in the worst possible storms.So, I need to move the layout and sheet up the roof space above the layout. What a pain. But, thank goodness I learnt from experience and built the baseboard in modules. (baseboards.jpg)By the way I attach a painful picture of what happens to a biggish layout if you can’t get it out of your attic ! (layout sawing.jpg)Work still in progress ! Post No 4 One of Powercab's strongest points is its modularity. The Powercab is essentially a very good starter set. If your layout grows beyond it, you can buy all the components separately to upgrade it to whatever you want. As I understand it box rooms are not very big so an 8' X 4' island layout is probably not the best use of the space, I would suggest as Tony57 has a wall hugging narrow shelf layout around the walls of the room. I like the plan and the reversing loop makes for a full range of operational possibilities. But I agree with imt that you need at least the cross over at the bottom of the layout otherwise you will lose some operational flexibility and will be running more trains in the wrong direction + kids = crashes. I was very disheartened at the prospect of losing my original HD layout as we embarked in relocating to Scotland. I attach a pic to give some idea of my layout.
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