Do you ever get tired of watching your trains go in circles?

[pbjwilson]

I prefer ovals

[Dr. John]

Yes, at times I do get tired of seeing the trains just go round and round. That's why I like the option of doing some switching - setting out cars at factories and sidings and operating accessories. At times I'll even use a simples switching list.

And then I'm ready to let them go in circles agains!

[Anonymous]

No, but I'm getting tired of watching the Lionel Track Gang working for the past 3 months and not making one inch of progress on the siding! Joe

[Big_Boy_4005]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

Bob, I won't be having that problem on my home layout. Two reasons: one, no cabooses.[swg] Two, complete block occupancy detection on the mains. If a coupler was to open and drop part of the train (which has happened often in the past), the signals would indicate red, telling the operator to stop. As you said, to each his own.[:)]

Jerry, sorry you missed out. The sponsors said same time next year. As far as I know, I will be there. Are you sure you were thinking of this show? Menomonie is west of Eau Claire, which is a pretty long drive for you.

Bill, when it comes to layout design for toy trains, I really like the idea of reverse loops. They add a lot of interest. The trick is to have one going each direction, so you never have to back up.

Buck, I'm afraid Columbus is a little too far. I was lucky to make it the 50 miles to this one, in my 93 GMC pickup with 208,000 miles.[swg]

[Anonymous]

Circles don't bother me all that much, although I do prefer to have sidings and such so I can do more than just run 'em around and around.

Just about every layout I've ever bult has had some sort of continuous running configuration, be it a circle, oval, dogbone, or something else.

I did have one point-to-point Large Scale pike when I lived in Chesapeake, VA, and am currently planning another one for my living room--this new one will feature LGB's U.S-style trolleys, which I have taken a liking to. The next trolley I buy will have sounds, so I want to be able to make use of it. The layout will have automatic reversing to provide something that approaches continuous running (works great for motive power designed to operate in either direction).

[Buckeye Riveter]

Elliot, Great photos! I wished we had a train show like that in Columbus.

On my layout, we normally run two trains on a single track. The layout is really a doubled over dog bone. When we run the two trains, you must wait at the station for the other train to clear the signals. The kids real learn to run the trains.

[FJ and G]

that's pretty neat when the kids get some hands on experience. They'll always remember that. I used to visit an HO club layout in my hometown when I was a kid. I had to stand on my tippy toes just to see. Never recall anyone speaking to me or offering to let me run their trains. They all were wrapped up in themselves.

Not a reflection of HO, just a reflection of those times when kids were less of a center of attention than today, when everything is "let's do it for the kids"

[Anonymous]

I can watch trains go in circles all day. Something tells me you turned a few heads at that show. Nice to see you putting smiles on the Kids faces. Kind Regards Steve

[prewardude]

Do I ever get tired of watching my trains go in circles? No. That's just me, though.

That being said, that's a pretty neat looking layout, Elliot! [:)]

[overall]

I have a layout that is large enough to run two trains on the same track. I set the one with odessey to a constant speed then I run another regular TMCC equiped train behind him. I obey my own block signals so as to not get too close to him. I don't know why but I can do this for a long time w/o getting bored with it.

George

[Roger Bielen]

That's why, in addition to my two main loops, I have a freight yard and a one track branch line with a reversing loop hidden in a mountain.

[Anonymous]

I eventually got tired of watching my trains go in circles back in the early 1970s because I never gave any fore thought to incorporating reversing loops into my large basement layout.

I learned from that mistake and all my subsequent layouts had provisions for reversing loops. But keep in mind that it takes careful track planning to place reversing loops into a layout and, at the same time, make them appear realistic. They look best when placed far away from the front of the layout. This is especially important when building smaller or narrow layouts.

My current layout now under construction measures 5 1/2 ' deep and 17' wide and will have three separate reversing loops and one double main crossover.

BillFromWayne

[Anonymous]

Darn, thought about going to that menomonee show!

Anyway, I think that watching trains go in circles is when they have lots of smoke, sounds and action. Otherwise I get bored.

[Bob Keller]

Circles work for me. Very theraputic.

Unless something uncouples and the engine hits the caboose, of course!

To each his own.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Thanks Brian. I guess there were two messages here, and you touched on both. One is for us as collectors and operators, who have a real tendancy to design display loop type layouts. There is so much more that can be done with layout design, especially when we apply the concept of "trains going places" to our collections.

Of course the other part has to do with sharing the hobby with others, especially children, and getting them interested. On one level what I did was a huge success, but in a way it was a bit of a crule trick. I took years worth of experience, and materials accumulated over 25 years and turned them into that slick display. I just hope people didn't come away with the impression that that could happen overnight.

The HO and N scale guys have very pretty modular layouts, but all the public can do is look. Add to that the trains just going round and round, and it's easy to see why trains can't hold today's kid's attention.

[brianel027]

At first Elliot when I saw the question, I thought "well I get tired of my life running in circles, but the trains? Heck no."

But now I see what you are talking about and my train hat is off to you!!!

I know, because I had a traveling layout I took to shows for years. To run a line back to the threads on advertising, what you are doing here Elliot is the very best form of train advertising. No television ad will ever come close to the thrill kids and their parents get from actually having the chance to run trains at a show. For many years, I was the only layout at many shows that had a "hands-on" layout.

The guys that do this kind of thing really deserve a nod of thanks from all the train companies too! This kind of activity does more to get folks into the hobby I think than anything else.

On the other hand, the "do-not-touch - these-are-pricey-collectibles" hurts the hobby in respect to attracting the newcomers. Even though the trains may very well be pricey collectibles.

Again, great job Elliot! Good move. I'm sure folks had a much better time at your display because of it.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I certainly do!!!!

Last weekend I did my third and final public show of the season. Big Girl and I loaded the truck and schlepped off to Menominee Wisconsin. Using the same portable layout, I created something very different from what you normally find at public shows. A switching layout!!!



I built a special control panel, to work the switches and uncoupler magnets, and used one of my TMCC engines.



But what was really different was I let the visitors decide where to place the cars, and let them throw the switches and do the uncoupling, while I worked the throttle.



Not only did the kids get a kick out of this, but some of the the adult modelers in smaller scales thought it was pretty cool too. If only I had put the signs inviting people to try it, out sooner, we might have won the popular vote for Saturday.

Real trains go places!!! Why shouldn't our's???