new to toy trains

[Anonymous]

need info on bridges-- back ground 's---

[Anonymous]

i didn't get any pics. something said no pics.

[Anonymous]

tschmidt-- please e-mail pics. the lie-outs are very close to each others. thanks for info and in advance for the pics. [e-mail]--- thats my son's (he gets e-mail pics. that i don't get.) [e-mail]--- is my e-mail.

[tschmidt]

We were putting in a family room (18x18) and wanted to incorporate the trains (O gauge) is some way. I was able to build a 6" shelf around 3 of the walls and a 20" deep bookcase on the 4th wall. This allows for 3 or 4 tracks across the top of the bookshelf. There were 2 tricky parts. The first was a staircase coming into the room. We cut a hole through the side of a riser along the wall and it made a great tunnel entrance. Where we crossed a doorway a fold down shelf/bridge was built that alligns the track perfectly every time. All my wiring and power was able to be hidden from sight inside the bookshelf.

I used Gargraves track and Ross switches. By using TMCC I have no power packs or controllers out in the open. I used a 6" triangle shaped piece of wood at every stud to support the shelf. I found these pre-cut at Home Depot.

On the walls I used shelving from Glenn Snyder display systems out of Buffalo. It's aluminum and strong. I put 12' of trains on each shelf and it holds them easily. It is not very expensive either.

By doing it this way we were able to have our family room and trains all in the same place. It turned out great and looks pretty good too. If anyone is interested in a pictures I'd be happy to temail them to you.

[Dave Farquhar]

Before spending too much money on books, I suggest checking to see what your library has. There's enough interest in Lionel trains that larger libraries often have some titles.

Check out any book by Peter H. Riddle you can find. You'll probably end up buying several of them, but they're worth reading first. His wiring books and his tips and tricks book will give you tons of insight. I dare say after reading them, you may not need any help from the people at the hobby shop.

As far as service at hobby shops, sometimes the people aren't helpful just because they don't know. I've got three good hobby shops close to me. One is trains only, and the service there is exceptional. The other two are general shops that sell everything. Both of them have one person on staff who really, really know trains. Next time you visit either of your local shops, if the person doesn't seem to know much, ask if there's anyone who works there who has a Lionel layout at home. If there is, they'll probably tell you the person's name and the hours he or she works, especially if you say you're looking to buy quite a bit of stuff.

[dougdagrump]

Since it will be on the walls close to the ceiling I would suggest going with O scale. I have both the scale and non-scale on mine and it doesn't seem like much of a difference on paper but when you are looking up at the locos and rolling stock it seems to make a big visual difference. [:-^]

[eZAK]

Not that Big_Boy_ is wrong, BUT

My suggestion to you would be to get a current catalog from Lionel, MTH, & K-line.
Then buy the latest issue of CTT & OGR.
Also a beginner's book like OGR's 'The Primer' will be helpful.

Armed with this info. look through the adds of both mags and find a good price on a starter set. (Set does not have to have track and trans, since you'll be adding more track and will probaly out grow the stanard trans.

Next is to plan an attack. What is your buget? What is your track plan?
How, Where, and from What will you hang the track?
What materials will you use?
The mags can provide pre-enginered ceiling mounts or you can turn to this forum and search and/or ask for detailed do-it-your self system.

Once you have a plan add up your linear feet and buy your track.
I prefer Gargraves Trackage. It has been around for years, It is cost effective, Looks great, Has real wood ties, and is meant to be bent into any curve you want. This eliminates the need to buy extra curves.

Some of the things you'll need most are a good plan and the resolve to see it through.

Happy Railroading! & remember we are here to help (well most of us) [:)]

[Big_Boy_4005]

It sounds like one basic decision has been made, that's a good start. O gauge it is then.
Let's plan the track, then the rest will fall into place.

Single loop of track?

Single train?

No switches?

If the answers are yes, then I'm thinking Williams engine, to keep it simple, forget TMCC. For this project I like Atlas track, since the solid rail will make less noise. Any simple transformer, such as an old 1033.

[Anonymous]

hi, grumpy --- "BEST = most for the money that well last the longest. this is to start a rec-room type deal we'll see once I get into it. track 1st , corners that fit , transformer that's the right size, wireing that keeps it ok --running all (most ) of the time,bridges,tunnels,& then the train set.

[dougdagrump]

The key word is how do you define "BEST". And how "BIG" your budget is going to be for this project. Since it is going to above eye-level it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to use the the real hi-end track unless it would be beneficial for operating purposes. From my very limited experience I would suggest going with TMCC since it is being used by a greater number of manufacturers. [2c]

[Anonymous]

etc...(ooops again & not get but getting sorry i'm a slooow typest& never prof- read my stuff.

[Anonymous]

"O" pricing --best which names are the best in --tracks, loco's trainsformers,ect...
i have stopped at two stores & i'm get not alot of help (just what they want to sell.)
trust facter LOW.

[Anonymous]

well garden trains are out . so "O" is the way I'm going. so back to needing help. what are the bridge sizes ( covered, designer, open, ect.....)are there tunnels that go against a wall? ?? corners on shelf system,(flex ,.027 setw/ base?)can i us a cable 1/2 the hight of train as protaction if there's a derailment?

[Anonymous]

[^] Beaks,

Yes, the TMCC is great for the shelf layout. If your trains have cruise control (Kline) or the Oddyssey speed control (lionel) you can as the info-mercial says: set it - and forget it! I also used the momentum setting on the CAB-1 controller. This regulates the maximum speed your train can go which helps if you have kids using the trains at all.

Quite honestly, I am still not 100% comfortable yet with the trains going overhead. Derailments have alwya sbeen part of my trains, and if I get one, its a long way to the ground. No Speeding!

Good luck!

[Big_Boy_4005]

G trains kind of range in size from a scale proportion of 1:32 all the way up through 1:20 or so. The trains are about 8" tall. There is only one gauge of track for all of those different sizes of trains. The G experts can be found on the Garden Railways forum here at Trains.com. It sounds like you have a pretty good vision of what you want the layout to look like, I think she'll like it. [swg]

[eZAK]

[#welcome]jbeaks2,

Go to a hobby store and measure the 'G' scale stuff (LGB for one brand)
You'll find that you need 10" to 12" clearance.(Including; support, shelf, track, & train)

Waht size is your basement ceiling?
Bringing a 'G' train down 15" to 18" might overwhelm the room.

Given what you said already I would go with 'O' gauge/scale.

[Anonymous]

area--ooops!!!

[Anonymous]

more please: what size is the garden trains? I think i might be able to us it if i make a tunnel over the door (8'door) taking out the molding (3") and ?? x"s of top of door, if my better -half ( as she calls her-self) likes the design. It's my pool / game room, but total design of all of house IS hers.

[Anonymous]

thanks all r. cab. 522 tmcc will let me turn it on and let the train run on it's own?
GRUMPY: the is a 14" section X 23' that will have buildings & ect...
planning to piant landscape on upper walls --- one aera an old gold mine -- 14' aera will have town & bridge over a pianted canyonw/ river --- a section w/ a ranch. ect...... all the way around.

[dougdagrump]

Using a wide radius corners would allow for some full size scenery and some of the building facades that are available would allow for scenery on the straight sections without having to build the shelf out to far from the wall. Wish I had thought of that when I put mine up. [:(]

[Anonymous]

A few of us here have set up shelf layouts with great success. You may want to check out the "building a shelf layout" thread for more ideas. My experience has been that the shelf layout has its pros and cons like any other. It creates a wonderful way to view the trains with a minimum of scenery and accessories, but the trains are never as close as I would like them to be. However, they run at 7 feet above ground , and I am 6 feet tall, so there is a one foot gap at its closest point, which is probably the same distance as a standard layout. Its just the perspective that changes. I think you can see O gauge trains fine, as long as the lighting is sufficient. I don't use a safety rail as it blocks the view of the trains, and given the size and weight of a GG1, I'm not sure a safety rail would help if that thing went off the track. I keep the TMCC governor on so the trains can never go above a certain speed which helps solve the derailment problem.

And BTW, I had one wall that was about 9 feet long and I put up a one foot wide shelf so I could put some accessories in back. It works very well to display some accessories.

[lionelsoni]

Been there, done that. You're right, there should be a safety rail. I think it's about as easy to add one to a bracket mounting as to a shelf, and even easier with hangers, since the rods provide convenient mounting points.

[Big_Boy_4005]

True Bob, but remember if you are running the trains and don't have a shelf or some kind of rail, it's a long way to the floor if there's a derailment.

[lionelsoni]

Jbeaks, I think that you will find that G is too tall for your space. Here are some thoughts about your problem:

It is not necessary to build an actual shelf for Lionel-style trains. Traditional tubular track is stiff enough to be supported only every foot or two, depending on the type. I strongly recommend the long sections (about 3 feet) that are now available. The supports can be brackets or crossbars hung from the ceiling by threaded rods. You can see more of the train this way, too.

You can put the straight sections closer to the walls if you use spiral curves at the corners. These start and end with a gentle curvature, for example O72, but have a tighter curve in the middle. The gentle part gets the train a little distance away from the wall before the ends have to swing out for the turn. A spiral doesn't take up much more room than an ordinary corner using the tighter curvature. You might find it easier to put a shelf in the corners than to use brackets there; but hangers should work fine in a corner.

Anything above 2 percent may limit you going uphill. But with magnetraction or traction tires and short, light trains, you can manage much steeper grades.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Hmmm, 7" is probably too small for G, it's even a little tight for O, but you could get through. I like at least 6" for O, because that doesn't limit you to the smaller pieces.

Does the door open into the room? Can you suspend the track from the ceiling and swing out away from the door? Is the door near the corner of the room, so that you could bridge across the corner?

The 3% grade is OK, but it sounds like you have room to make that a lot less steep, maybe less than 1%. On a layout of that type if you could make it flat it would be best, then you wouldn't have to slow down and speed up as much. Did you want to have switches up there, or just a simple loop?

If you use a 36" radius curve (072) in the corners, the maximum distance from the corner will be around 15". As you increase the radius, that distance will also increase slightly.

I know I ask a lot of questions, but I want you to have the best results on your project.

[Anonymous]

My room is 23'--21' ---my door is 7" from ceiling will G get through that small of an aera . I'm then going down at 3% to 18" at far end. at 15"-- 18" is all the buildings & other stuff. I have 5 1/4 " to put track on ,what size corners do I need?Is 3% to much for down hill. Can I have more then 3% for up hill? "O" and thank for the info so far, and the nice wecome!!!!

[dougdagrump]

Now that's a set-up for a bar, run a string of gondalas thru the cooler, load them up with beer cans/bottles and movem out. [:D]

[Big_Boy_4005]

[:D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Buckeye Riveter

G will work but..........I really like G outdoors and O indoors just because of the size.

For normal operation and "play", I agree O is best for indoors, but for a high wall / ceiling display G is really nice. Bars and restaurants have been doing G displays for years. There's even a flower shop here in St Paul that has a G display. Apparently there was a guy running a small train store out of one corner of the shop. He ended up moving out, but the display was still running. It went right through the walls and through the cooler.[:p]

[Buckeye Riveter]

G will work but..........I really like G outdoors and O indoors just because of the size.