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My father had model trains when he was a boy and my parents gave me a set when I was young. I had a Lionel (O-scale?) set and an HO scale set. I particularly loved the Lionel set. 15 years later, I just bought my first house. For some reason I have this incredible urge to resurrect my old train sets and put it in my finished basement. Space is a premium and there is going to be a lot of activity down there with the exercise equipment, a pool table, couches, and a TV. I was considering setting the trains up on a ledge around the perimeter of the top of the wall near the cieling. I don't plan on creating the gorgeous detail that many people have but the basement has a few features that could make the track layout intersting. In the far corner of the basement there are walls that segregate the living area from the furnace and oil tank. I was considering cutting a hole in that wall and having the train enter and exit that area like a tunnel. I'd also like to keep the tracks away from the stairs because I have cats that would love to climb around on the track that high up. To keep the track clear of the stairs (and thereby the wall) I was considering building a trainbridge out of steel and wood that would span from the edge of the room to the middle of the basement where the support beams for the house are. Now to my questions: 1) For the Lionel (O scale), are there length limits to how long the track can be? The setup I want will be very large (1/2 to the full perimeter of the house). I'm sure the length of the track is dependent on the power supply. Is there a rule of thumb concerning watts/tracklength? 2) For my Lionel (O scale) train, what reasonable grade can I have? Adding some ups and downs would add more interest to the setup. I know this is dependent on the health of the track and locomotive and the length of the train. Are there any rules of thumb? Should I not bother and just keep it all flat? Remember, my setup will be very large. Thanks!
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