First foray into Fastrack...not too bad!

[USNRol]

Well I finally found a mother load of Fastrack for cheap on eBay and decided to set up a quick layout on the slab of the garage to see how I liked it.  I posted the picture so you can see it.  I'm old school in that I like hitting the floor with tons of tubular and just start plugging it together until I like what I have.  Well, with Fastrack you can still do that (That's how I created this layout last night) but I found a lot more trial and error involved.  It is absolutley necessary to have several types of curves and different lengths of straights available, but given that you can make anything work.  This layout uses 2 060 switches and 2 072 switches and the curves are all 036 and 048.  I found by putting an 048 curve followed by an 036 curve on an 060 or 072 turn-out, you get a really appealing curve of decreasing/increasing radius that my PE really liked.

The fastrack switches are awesome.  they run on very low voltages and for the most part the berk went through them smooth as silk.  I did have intermittent problems running against the points though...sometimes the super sharp wheel flanges on the Loco or tender would get either between the point and the rail forcing them into the middle and derailing the train or the wheels sometimes would ride up the points with same result.  Never had any problems running with the points only against them.  Seemed to get better better the more I ran on them, also tweaked a little outward curve in the very tip of the points to get them right up tight to the outer rails to prevent a wheel from getting in there.

I really like how the switch controls work.  lights are nice and bright and they always reflect the position your switch is in even if the train throws the anti-derail, the controller light changes to reflect...nice!  Not sure if I like the fact that the control handles aren't spring loaded to the center position but it does give you a way of remembering the last command you gave the switch since the handle stays in that position.  The switch lanterns are kinda small and the LED light through the red and green filters are hard for this partially red/green color blind operator to distinguish.  On the plus side they're bright like the controllers at very low voltages and the LED's don't seem to over drive (Or get way too bright) at high voltages

I am still gonna use 027 tubular on my real layout when I build it though.  I like how trains look and run on it better.  plus tighter radii.  Oh one other thing I like about the Fastrack...no pin pulling/moving etc... every piece of track goes together with any other piece any where; very cool.  I will keep the Fastrack for my Christmas PE layout around the tree.  gonna get some white snow fabric, some lighted buildings and have a double reversing loop - dogbone  looping around the tree and through the villages.

Enjoy,
Roland 

This layout is every bit of 7'X14' You'd need 4 sheets of 4X8 plywood to put benchwork under this. 

[Rolo Tomasee]

I like your garage layout alot. I am using fastrack myself as it came with the train set I bought. I am impressed with it as layouts are quick and relatively easy to design and get your trains running fast. I have my fast track layout on a sheet of homosote that I glued to a sheet of 1/2" plywood, on top of the homosote I used green indoor outdoor carpet and I used screws long enough to only screw the fastrack to the homosote only as I have read to not transmit vibrations to the plywood.

I bought four switches to put in my layout and I am too impressed with these switches. I think the switches and the throw switches work great. My 6 year old thinks its neat that he can make the train change tracks by throwing a switch.

I have read one of the few complaints about noise levels with this track and I did not think it was too bad. Once I screwed the track down I noticed it became quieter than when not screwed down. My wife also commented that she thought it was more quiet than before. The fastrack locks together excellent and probably does'nt need to be screwed down at all.

I have not had any experience with tubular track and read how much many people like it but for me it is fastrack all the way.

[Anonymous]

Roland,
Very nice!

Two caution items I see:
1. in the center of the layout there are two curve sections that 'appear' to be not connected completely.  Make sure this is not the case as this is a potential derailing area...

2. The 90 degree crossing MUST be level at all times.  If not you have another derailing area.  You can move the graduated trestles back 2 - 5 inches and you should be good to go.  The 90 degree crossing really should be level with 5 - 10 inches of level straight leading into it.

The crossings and switch are really nice in the FasTrack, but they require more realestate and MUST be level with level lead-ins or you will have problems with them, it gets even more interesting when you put the switches AND the crossings together like this:

[img=http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/6143/crossoverlw1.jpg]

This requires:
2 Remote Left Hand Switches (with 1/4 curve extensions)
2 Remote Right Hand Switches (with 1/4 curve extensions)
6 10 Inche Straights
1 90 degree crossing

Brent

[USNRol]

Brent,

Your eagle eyes were correct! I did have a gap in the "S" curve and the crossing is a little uneven due to the start of the grade.  I fixed the gap and the crossing I'm gonna let go for now I only expect this layout to be up for a week or so...Call it an Easter Layout!  I have had problems with the crossing derailing the pilot truck on my PE berkshire.

This crossing would be tricky getting everything flat and true...I'd think a 45 degree crossing could get the mainlines closer.  Anyway, now I've definitely got the bug to get going on my tubular layout...gotta build my benchwork first though.

Thanks for your comments!

Roland

[USNRol]

Ya ya, it's a flower pot...It was handy and just the right size!  I have a graduated trestle set and 1 tall trestle set and I'm probably 4 or 5 tall trestles short for this layout.

Roland