the joy of continuse running

[Anonymous]

personally i enjoy switching it is so much fun, on my friends layout i alway run the local switching every industry along the way on his 18x36 layout!

[tatans]

Well, well, well, so I'm not the only one who sees the merit in continuous (continuse??)
running. I've been planning a logging system with lots of trestles, deep cuts, logging camps, the odd tunnel and a helix inside a mountain to add some variety. I believed this is frowned upon by some of the comments from other forums and the snide remarks "Christmas tree" from the "experts, so you guys go ahead with your little pieces of paper and 300 switches( turnouts?)and spending most of your time trying to get the system running and we "Christmas tree" guys will sit back and enjoy. glad this topic came up. e n j o y

[RedLeader]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NZRMac

O, T, N Here's my layout in the living room, just a small switching yard that grew!! Round the walls two track except for the bridge. The round the walls part is just 5"-6" wide.
Room is 10' X 12'





Ken.

That bridge is gorgeous!! The kids luv trains going round_n_round, so I did it that way. Better if there are two main loops and if in some point both trains cross each other in different directions.

[MisterBeasley]

I like the added interest that continuous running adds to the switching operations. With nothing else on the layout, the switcher has an easy time of it. However, when you add a freight coming through the main line every now and then, it becomes a much more interesting puzzle. With DCC, this is much more realistic than DC, because you can use multiple speeds and different directions without a complex block-wiring system. Without having to "run the track," you can concentrate on keeping the turnouts all set right, and your switch engine can "take a break" and watch the trains go by while it's waiting for a clear track.

[NZRMac]

O, T, N Here's my layout in the living room, just a small switching yard that grew!! Round the walls two track except for the bridge. The round the walls part is just 5"-6" wide.
Room is 10' X 12'





Ken.

[Anonymous]

I just finished building my first layout. It's a 2'x2' square with just a complete circle of 9.75" radius track, built just for practice before I move on to a larger layout. I can honestly say I will sit there and watch my train go around and around for hours.

[scubaterry]

My first layout was all about "roundy roundy" with very little switching. Got bored with it soon. Next layout had same "roundy roundy" but more switching and a yard. Current layout (the first one I actually thought out before hand) has a double main with a "butt-load" of switching. I now think I am where I want to be. I can run two trains east and west bound while I work one of the two yards or spot cars in the many industry sidings. It is very enjoyable for me to have the unsurpervised activity of several trains working in the background while I hustle cars around. Best of both worlds. Plus the moving trains pickup and deliver cars for my enjoyment making it a little more prototypical. I now have four Loco's with sound and that increases the level of enjoyment for me. I turn down the sounds of each loco so I can barely hear it at the far end of the layout. I can't wait for the BLI sound switchers to come out. So I have evolved from liking all "roundy roundy" to really enjoying the switching aspect of the hobby. Just something nice about having a couple of loco's pulling their load around while I busily spot cars. Just my thoughts on the subject.
Terry

[easyaces]

I once belonged to a club that had a continuous run and was all modular,(20ft wide x 120ft long) with each module or two having a different theme to it. There was nothing more fun than to watch a long freight or passenger train wind through those themed areas around the layout , like taking a trip throgh the country!!!

[Anonymous]

my current layout is a glorified oval (with embelishments) what I am doing is taking one section of the oval and passing it through a tunnel. on each side of that tunnel area are tracks coming out of staging. so in essense that tunnel is the end of the layout in either direction. point to point, but on an oval. its under construction and we'll see how the operations work out. but i'd miss continuous running terribly

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by railman

the loop is your friend. Keeps the family at peace with the trains. So when you bring them down to the basement, you're not spending all the time switching, and can flip on a couple passenger trains, and let them run, strike a poker face about how much fun it is to watch, etc.

Hey- it keeps the "lease" on the railroad line, ha ha.

[:-^][#ditto][(-D]

[railman]

the loop is your friend. Keeps the family at peace with the trains. So when you bring them down to the basement, you're not spending all the time switching, and can flip on a couple passenger trains, and let them run, strike a poker face about how much fun it is to watch, etc.

Hey- it keeps the "lease" on the railroad line, ha ha.

[FThunder11]

Right now, mine is gonna be a point-to-point, but I do like continuous(ey kant sspeell) running. And I have left room ti eventually make it continuous running.

[Junctionfan]

I like the continuous running so I can let the gears of the locomotives going. The brand new engines seem to need to "stretch" before they can do well in layout performances. Does anybody else find that too?

[jacon12]

At present, until the new garage is built, my 'layout' is O scale running on a shelf just over the doors and window of my 12x12 foot computer room. No duck unders. There is a small folding step ladder in the back corner to get me up high when I want/have to be. The shelf width, along two opposing walls is 9 inches deep and along the other two walls it's 19 inches deep. There is a small closet approx. 5 feet long and the tracks go through the wall, around the shelf in the closet and back out again. There are two small 'yards' just big enough for a single side track on the 19 inch shelf. I have an MTH O gauge diesel with cars and an MTH O guage steam passenger train up there. One sits on the siding when the other is making it's rounds. Foam scenic hill sit between the tracks and the wall which has a cloud patterned wallpaper. A passenger station sits near one of the 'tunnel' entrances. And this is O guage. HO would have allowed me to have a couple of more side tracks in my small yards and maybe even two main lines.
It's amazing what you can do when you have to.
Jarrell

[Paul W. Beverung]

I've got a 12x26 foot modular layout in H.O. One of the things that I like about it is the abilty to set a train or two on run and sit back and watch. Also I can still work the yard or industrial area while the trains are doing there thing. I can also run some real long trains at times. I've tried to design a layout that incorporates continueous running and point to point. No luck so far. I've got an L shaped area 26x29 to work with. The biggest stickler is working in the ore dock so it is on the outside. It's going to be a real giant and I want it to be in the spotlight so to speak. Anybody else out there modeling an iron ore hauling road?

[Javern]

nothing like a long train at eye level to stir up some childhood memories, sitting by the tracks watching trains go by on those sunny warm summer days

[Anonymous]

"Continuous Running" is far better than a computer screen saver.

By the way, would everyone concider a point to point with auto reverse continuous running?

[Anonymous]

OK Train Nut: I'm in the process of building my first layout in years. and I'm in a similar position. I live in an apartment so space is an object. My daughter moved out so I took to building an "L" shaped , shelf unit in her room. It's 10' x 10' long "L" 24" wide with a 34" dogbone on each end for turnaround. I went with double track in "N" scale. I'm using Kato Unitrack. It's great. While I am buiding in Spurs and Yards for operations I can run 2 continuous trains at once. And it's a much better expereince than my HO TYCO days when trains continuously jumped the tracks. This Kato is so reliable that I can leave for 1/2 and hour to burn in an engine and when I come back everything is still running great. I say go for it. Don't be intimidated by the by the books runners. Nothing can make a family or friends interested in model RR than seeing trains run. I know this from real life recent experiences. Dave

[on30francisco]

My layout runs around the perimeter of the room. Although I do a lot of point to point running and switching, I designed the layout so I can just kick back and run the trains around the room continuously when the mood strikes.

[FRITSCHSR]

I have a 11' X 16' around the wall shelf layout with a 4' X 4' penisula with a engine service facility that has 2 continuous mainlines and a continuous branchline. When I have visitors over I can have 3 trains running at one time without paying any attention to it or 4-6 trains if I keep an eye on it. Little kids love to watch trains constantly moving and would soon lose interest if it were a point to point.

[dano99a]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NTDN

QUOTE: Originally posted by Oklahoma Train Nut

I have about 10x14 ft , but it must share space with my bred, nightstand, desk, and shelf. I would aloso like to have room to walk! I am looking for more soulutions, but I have not found one yet. Thanks for all your posts

hmm...try around the room at 50" high, 1.5 feet deep? high enough for a good duck under by the door and over any furniture, yet low enough to see everything.

jay

I would do what Jay is suggesting. With it being 1.5 feet deep you could fit a nice yard in there and get the continuous running part in there. Get a wireless controller and you can lay in bed and enjoy your trains [:)] I would highly recommend 2 yards on smal one large. So you cna get the activity of switching in there. Or one large yard a a few spurs along the main.

[Anonymous]

Well asw Fergmiester said"Continuous running is rather hypnotic " My Layouts going in my office around the walls higher than I'd like. I have always thought that continuous running is better than watching my screen saver on my computer, I enjoy watching it during my thinking times.

[Anonymous]

I, too am strugging with continuous running vs. no continuous running on a small layout.

No offense to anyone, but I am turned off by seing any track make a u-turn, yet, I have no space for a large layout. My wife and I will be moving to a new house soon, but I must share the garage with my other hobby - my drums!

So, I'll be making a shelf layout. But I want continous running!

So, I'm thinking about a shelf layout, but with a thin ring of "return track" that wraps around from one end to the other, so I end up standing in the middle of the loop.

I'm going to make the "return track" removable. Who knows, I may never remove it, or I may always remove it.

This will allow me the realistic scenes a shelf layout provides (large radii, no track turning 180degress on itself, etc.), but with the option for continuous running.

A return loop such as this will require a duckunder, hinged section, removable section, etc. It will require something tricky like that.

Also, the return loop section will not be scenicked. Maybe I'll be able to rig up a timing circuit on it so the train takes some time before returning to the actual shelf layout, where I'll be able to be doing some switching before the train on the main line comes back to town....

As soon as I find out how to post an image on here, I'll post a cad image of what I'm talking about.

[Anonymous]

I would run it along the walls like NTDN suggested, easy to do, and you can still have sidings and a small yard if desired.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Oklahoma Train Nut

I have about 10x14 ft , but it must share space with my bred, nightstand, desk, and shelf. I would aloso like to have room to walk! I am looking for more soulutions, but I have not found one yet. Thanks for all your posts

hmm...try around the room at 50" high, 1.5 feet deep? high enough for a good duck under by the door and over any furniture, yet low enough to see everything.

jay

[Anonymous]

well dano99a, I have about 10x14 ft , but it must share space with my bred, nightstand, desk, and shelf. I would aloso like to have room to walk! I am looking for more soulutions, but I have not found one yet. Thanks for all your posts

[Anonymous]

Continuse run is GREAT! I couldn't live without it.

[dano99a]

First I think there is nothing wrong with continuous running, (we call it "christmas tree" at our club). My layout at home is 2 main lines one upper and one lower that do connect to make one big mainline with 2 yards (one big and one small) with a few small spurs and a few sidings to boot. So I can run continuously OR I can have a full blown op session for 4 folks in my basement.

But to better answer your question:

If you have/had a shelf layout and a 4x8 or 4x6 is out of the question then how much space exactly do you have to play with?

[Anonymous]

One feature of a previous layout I had built was a two-track mainline, in a continuous loop, which was hidden for one half so that one only saw traffic moving in one direction. With this arrangement, I could place two mainline trains into "orbit", going in opposite directions, and use them to represent the dispatched traffic which my locals would need to stay clear of. Thus, I could operate the layout by myself, all five scale miles of it.

I'm now rebuilding this layout, and I've reduced the double track to single, and I'm adding stub-end staging to make the layout much more point-to-point, but I'm still going to include a continuous-run cutoff. Running around the very-long-loop is all that the kid inside me needs most of the time, and I can't imagine leaving this feature out. Indeed, I purchased a basic Unitrack loop at a recent train show, just so I'd have a loop on which to burn-in my new engines, and I can't tell you how many days that card table stayed set up in the middle of my bedroom with short trains circling! Yes, I play with trains.