Need help with this Fastrack layout design

[Anonymous]

I am a newbee looking for what track I will need to do this layout from a Polar Express set I bought for my son on xmas. If I can get a a parts list it is off to the hobby shop I go again. Already bought the two car expansion and a couple extra straights. Have a 4x8 table with grass and xmas lights. I really like this layout. Running out of smoke fluid already. We are really having fun!
Thank you
http://customtrainlayouts.com/layouts/layout_1.asp

[challenger3802]

Hey it looks like a good starter layout, plenty of interest for children not to get bored with a train going round and round in circles.

The best place for you to find track descriptions and quantites is Atlas (website below), then take the order you need to your LHS tomorrow!

http://www.atlasrr.com/

O'h and [#welcome] to the forum, many happy train hours to you this festive period.
Ian

[fwright]

I don't know if any track planning software has the Lionel Fastrack library yet. If one of the packages has the library, that would be one way to get the list of track needed.

Another possibility is to contact CustomTrainLayouts to see if they would provide a parts list, or sell one at a nominal fee.

The third possiblity is to roll your own - make take a couple of trips to the LHS though! Counting the curves from the picture, I come up with 20 pieces full curved track - each full curve is 45 degrees. Get the curved pieces, put them together in the approximate correct positions, along with the switch, and measure what you need for straights. Then piece together each straight with the various straight track sections available.

The grade on the inside loop is quite steep; getting that laid smoothly with Fastrack will probably be the most difficult part of building the layout.

Hope this helps

yours in tracking
Fred

[jecorbett]

If you want to do this with sectional track, it looks like you'll have to go with 18" radius track. Atlas track uses three sections to make a 90 degree turn. You have the 4 corner turns so that's 12 pieces of 18" radius track. However, since the turn in the lower right is not continues, you will need 2 full pieces of 18" radius track and 2 half sections (They sell half sections or you can cut one in half). The inner loop on the left is a 225 degree turn, that is 7 1/2 pieces of 18" radius. The inner loop on the right is a 270 degree turn so that is 9 more pieces of 18" radius track. By my count, that is 27 full pieces of 18" radius track and 3 half sections. You will need one right hand #4 Snap Track turnout to and one more piece of 18" radius track to make the spur track. Be sure to get the Snap Track turnout because it forms a 15 degree portion of an 18 inch radius curve. Atlas straight sectional track comes in 9 inch lengths and I am estimating 21 pieces but you might as well get two dozen just to be safe. It is likely the straight track will not come out exactly to lenght so you will need a razor saw or rail nippers to cut it to length. Atlas also sells straight track in a package of smaller lengths of various sizes but you'll have to get lucky to get the exact length you need so be prepared to cut the track to length.

You'll need plenty of rail joiners. I think Atlas includes rail joiners with their sectional track but I would buy an extra pack just to have spares. Also, you will need risers. Bachmann and Model Power both make pier sets to lift your track up on over the lower track.

[SpaceMouse]

Isn't the Polar Express O scale? Certainly the track looks too large to be HO and if it is O then the PE will never make those turns. It wouldn't make them if it was HO.

HO or O, those look like 15 inch radius turns if that's a 4 x 8.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. It looks like that design would be a tight fit. I thought it was O guage but not sure. Sure would be alot of track for a 4x8. After spending the day finishing the table, electrical wiring, and cramming as much track as I could or had on a 4x8 table, we ended up with what I guess you could call a family fun center. Forgive the mess but this is my first attempt and have only been at it two days. The boy loves it. It can be seen here:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/369139/13

[fwright]

http://www.thortrains.net/ has some more designs for Fastrack, as does the Lionel web site. Atlas O has the same radius curves, so some of their track plans could probably be modified to fit - see http://www.atlaso.com/welcome.htm

Most of the 4x8 layout plans for Lionel have the track very close to the table edge to maximize what they get on the table. I personally prefer to move the track away from the edges a couple of inches so that when my kids determine by trial and error the maximum speed for the track curves, the trains stay on the table and don't make the journey to the floor. That means a simpler track plan - but that's personal preference. Some of the Lionel project railroads even suggested putting up a chicken wire screen to compensate for track that is too close to the edge.

I don't think many of the forum readers realized you were talking Lionel and Fastrack - most of the Lionel, O, and American Flyer users stay with the Classic Toy Trains forum. Fastrack is actually 18inch radius in O, but uses 45 degree curves.

From your picture, doesn't look like there would be room for both the slot cars and the trains if you went with your original layout choice. But what you have sure looks like fun!

yours in training
Fred

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help and the great links. I have bookmarked them. I think the best way for me to see if this layout was done with Fastrack on a 4 x 8 is for me to clear off the table, lay down paper and measure/peice it out. I work at a paper converter and have scrap rolls of paper 40" wide. If it does fit, it sure will be close.

In order to do that I will have to tear down the funcenter and get serious. I guess the slot car hobby will have to go. My son flew one of the cars into the washing machine today so it is obvious the layout is less than ideal for slot car racing.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/369139/13

[Anonymous]

The layout shown at
http://customtrainlayouts.com/layouts/layout_1.asp
is actually MTH realtrax (layouts 1 and 4 are realtrax, layout 2 is fastrack). The minimum diameter of realtrax is O-31 so you will need a bit more room to implement the same trackplan in fastrack (minimum diameter of O-36). Atlas has curves of O-27 and O-36 so it could probably be modified for Atlas track while remaining in a 4' x 8' space.

RR-Track http://www.rrtrack.com/ has track libraries for all the common O-guage track systems.

Daniel Lang