Toy train operating and collecting

rfamilyof5 wrote:

There is some great information here and I really appreciate it!  I have another (potentially dumb) question.  Can he run two trains off of one transformer?  I am already thinking that Santa might bring a second engine if the answer is yes!  My husband made a 4x8 table and I can't believe all of the layout options for that size.

With starter set transformers, yes, you can run 2 trains at once, but it really isn't practical. The starter set transformers just don't have the power to do it well. Either get a second starter set transformer, or one transformer that is designed to run multiple trains.

I bought my kids a Thomas set and my sister bought them a NYC Flyer set just 3 years ago. We now have a permanent layout and greatly enjoy the time we spend working on it, and running trains on it. 

Jim 

Welcome from me too.    Keep an eye on "E-Bay".   A short while ago, I was able to purchase a brand new NYC Flyer Passenger Expansion Pack for less than half (incl s&h) of Lionel's catalog "special" price.  There just may be some FasTrack bargains there also.  Best of Luck! 

rfamilyof5 wrote:

Can he run two trains off of one transformer?

Time for a Lionel ZW transformer!  

rfamilyof5 wrote:

Can he run two trains off of one transformer?  I am already thinking that Santa might bring a second engine if the answer is yes!  My husband made a 4x8 table and I can't believe all of the layout options for that size.

You are getting into an area where there will be a lot of differing opinions. My personal advice, especially for a 4x8 table, is to put your money into operating freight cars ( milk, dump, etc), animated trackside accessories (signals, crossing gates, etc), and scenic items (houses, people, cars, etc). If his interest in trains grows, that may be the time to think about running 2 trains, buying more expensive transformers, or even building a larger layout. Just having another train running will not be a cure-all for "keeping things interesting".  Joe

Adding an elevated trolley line adds alot of action. The Lionel trolley has a bump and reverse feature. When it hits a bumper it reverses direction automaticly.

Buildings, cars, accessories all add to the fun as well.

You can do a lot on a 4X8.  One of my previous temporary layouts had two loops crossovers, sidings and several accesories.   I never got scenery on it before it came down, but it was fun while it was up.

It was all O gage tubular track with 022 switches.  If your set has Fastrack in it, you might be better off on a 5X9 size since the track circle OD is about 40".  I could get more on the 4X8 with O track since it has a 31" OD. 

Hi, this is with O27, not fast track, but this is what we built for my Nephew on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Had to cut several fitter pieces to make everything line up properly, and it just fits, the track is right at the edge of the table, no safety zone for a derailment (this was built on a floor level table on a carpeted floor) if on an elevated table 5x9 would be a good choice to give a safety zone for derailments.

 A LOT more can be done in O27 in a small space than many people give credit for, although on a busy layout like this, you will be giving up a lot of scenery options to get this much track in, it would be a better candidate as a "Toy Train" layout than as a "High Rail" layout.

                Doug

Edit- for some reason the layout image didn't come through very well, but just click the layout image, it will go to a larger view that shows very nicely.

rfamilyof5 wrote:

I have another (potentially dumb) question.  Can he run two trains off of one transformer?  I am already thinking that Santa might bring a second engine if the answer is yes!  My husband made a 4x8 table and I can't believe all of the layout options for that size.

I'll echo what others have said: it's better to go with a second transformer for the second engine as the CW-80 really isn't intended to handle more than one train.  Or, as also said above, consider getting a bigger transformer that can handle more than one train.

Multiple trains are nice, however, my two little guys really enjoy having multiple cars to switch around.  Now that our Christmas layout has been dismantled, I'll be setting up the temporary layout on the living room floor on weekends. (As the wife permits, of course! ) Usually I have one or two engines out along with 10-15 cars and a couple of cabooses - we'll run one engine with a variety of cars, stop and switch the cars around a few times, then switch engines and/or cabooses, then do the whole thing over again.  Also, we have a dump car with logs which will get dumped and reloaded occasionally.

Again I really appreciate all of the information you all have shared.  My dh and son went to the train show yesterday.  It wasn't really what they were expecting but they did get to talk to some dealers.  They didn't buy anything (mostly because the one vendor that really took a lot of time to talk to them didn't have any curves).  Anyway, we got on ebay last night and did some research and we picked up some track so we can make a figure 8.  We also made a list of the order in which we need to pick up track so that our son can eventually build the layout that he likes.  He was so excited to win the auction!  We have to do it in steps because the track prices add up quickly especially when you want the remote switches!