Post 4 5-24-2016 revised 7-26-2022
Resources- Books and Magazines & Layout Track Plan and Features
Resources: These five booklets and books were helpful and used from the start.
First Book. and must have. “Operating O and O27 Trains”, "A Comprehensive Guide to the Desgn, Construction and Operation of a Layout For Lionel Trains " edited by Maury D. Klien and Bruce C. Greenberg , 1976, 242 pages. This book was first published by Lionel and titled Handbook for Model Builders (Fun and Facts for Amateur Railroader) in 1940 and written by Lionel personnel. The "Operating O and O27 Trains book has pages 7 to 168 from the Model Builders book.
"Operating O and O27 Trains" is a "must have book for building a postwar Lionel train layout " and my main, best layout building book. It has track plans, details on homemaking surface mounted turntable, round house, coal mine, and sand station and details how to wire a layout to run two trains on one track loop using a relay and how to keep the engine eUnit from cycling. It lead me to install 2 trains on 1 track operation, a homemade turntable and round house, control panels and coal mine on my post war layout.
This book explains a lot about how real train yards and engine service facilities work, bridges, signals and all about trains. It has numerous train track plans and is the one source to get acquainted with real post war trains and train layouts. It is available at Amazon for about $7 in 2022.
Second Book, “Lionel O/O27 Train and Accessory Manual” No. 6-2953 Copyright 1975, 33 pages, a great book to explain how to operate two trains on one loop with blocked track sections and relays to keep trains from over taking one another.
Third Book, “Lionel Track Layout Book O27”, 21 pages
Fourth Book. "Model Railroading, A Family Guide" by Bruce Greenberg, 1979, 167 pages, hardback. Describes blocked track, cab control panels and repairing train gear. It was a Christmas gift in 1981.
Fifth Book. “Model Railroading”, 5th ed., Reprinted in 1990 By Greenberg Publishing, Original published by Bantam, written by Lionel staff in 1950, 384 pages. I had the original from a 1950s (is now missing) and acquired the 1990 ed. In 2019, a "Model Railroading" 3rd ed. was purchased, which featured a homemade turntable with a wooden wheel to turn it and a homemade 3 stall round house. The 3rd ed. better represents the a 1950s style Lionel train layout and is worth hunting down, for information on the style of my layout.
These two magazines were used later to keep up with model railroading and keep up interest.
"Classic Toy Trains" magazine was found in 1988 and have issues from the start as a subscriber, Summer 1988 to lately with some missing the last few years. For me, the early 10 years or so issues have more use for my 50s style layout and my post war locos as later issues started moving away from postwar trains and layouts.
I also have " O Scale Railroading" magazine, starting with run 45, Aug 1976, and later changed its name to "O Gauge Railroading" magazine around 1989 and later started this forum. My issues are complete until the last few years. I find the issues from the late 1980s and 1990s to better suit my layout and postwar locos.
Old 1980s and 90s issues of these magazines can be found at train shows and TCA etc. train meets for little or no money. Also, back issues may be available for these magazines by way of on line archives. Old issues from the 1980s and 1990s make great reading watching boring TV shows and I have spent some of that time reading and making my own customized indexes to allow me to quickly find articles of interest to me.
"Model Builder" magazine was not used and recently discovered. Lionel's "Model Builder" magazine, published from Feb 1937 to Mar 1949, for total of 79 issues for 10 cents an issue. It shows many track plans and how to do articles on building TT, RH other buildings and uses the same older methods I used from the 1950s. It is available free at trainlife.com or https://trainlife.com/pages/mo...der-magazine-archive
Another booklet not used but very helpful is "How to Operate Lionel Trains and Accessories for 027, O and Super O" published by the Lionel Corporation in 1965. It must have been available on line for free as I have a home copied edition. Ebay also has some copies for sale. It is about 31 pages and is a summary of installing Lionel track and accessories and maintaining Lionel trains. It can be found here: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...683274707297/o27.pdf
Layout Track Plan and Features
Major objectives of the layout include making it interesting, fun and challenging to operate and observe for all operators and viewers, young and older. I did not want a simple loop or two of track and just sit back and watch trains circle around.
My brother and I quickly became bored with our simple loop with a figure eight in a few days of running at Christmas. An active track plan with lots of running routes was desired with trains reversing, lots of switches and have the ability to operate multiple trains. Things were needed for the train to do like load, unload, uncouple, make and unmake trains and thus it should have operating accessories and operating cars.
Several lists of desired features were made and several track plans were sketched.
The layout is to be a portable, floor layout as it was desired to install the layout in a family or other room floor for two months around Christmas and then removed and store it in the garage or storage or shop room. The layout would be moved with the house hold furniture when relocating for employment (this was a great idea as the layout has be in six different houses from 1976 to 1993 !). All track, switches, transformers and control panel would be attached to the layout and trains, buildings, bridges, mountains, accessories, etc. would be removed for storage or transport.
The layout would have section sizes that allow easy moving in and out of the house for storage in garage, etc. and also allow packing for shipment with house hold goods for job relocation. It proved to be good for moving as it was made sections sized as to fit in queen size bed mattress boxes. The board section must be small enough to go through standard size doors and up stairs. The sections must have means to allow it to be moved for storage and into the house from the garage by one person (examples: wheels and hand holds).
The oval and figure 8 was the basic building block. Reversing was desired and this configuration allows reversing in both directions. This was my childhood layout and we liked the great train operation with only four switches.
Two train and two loop operation was desired so a second loop was added around the inner loop and figure 8. Inter connections between the loops were provided allowing transferring trains from both loops while running in either direction.
Train storage and passing was desired so a full length bypass was installed on the outer loop. A small bypass was installed on one of sections of the figure 8.
Two transformers were located on each side of the active switch and track diagram control panel, to allow two engineers to have convenient access to one transformer and the active switch track diagram control panel. A transformer selector switch was installed on the control panel to allow one transformer to operate the whole layout or switched to allow one transformer to operate the inner loop and the other to operate the outer loop.
All of the track was blocked and controlled as to “live” or “dead” by a slide switch on the control diagram control panel. The exception to this is all switches are always “live”.
Multiple trains operation on each loop was desired. This will allow four trains to be operated on a total of two loops. A major source of information for multiple train operation on one loop was the booklet “Lionel O/O27 Train and Accessory Manual”, No. 6-2953 Copyright 1975. Post 8 starting on page 28 shows how to operate multiple trains on one loop by preventing one train from overtaking and running into the train ahead. It does this by having insulated blocks controlled by a relay with train occupation sections. There are two insulated sections for each loop to allow two train operation in both directions. A 5 ohm, 25 watt adjustable resistor is installed to keep engine E units from cycling when being halted to allow the lead loco to move ahead. Installation of multiple train operation was easier due to the blocked track plan utilized. Two slide switches on each loop control the multiple train operation. One power ups the relay. The other selects direction the trains are going, CW or CCW by setting which of the two detector section is to be used ahead of delaying block.
The idea for a homemade turntable would come later and it is the ultimate operating accessory allowing track engine storage and swapping.
Track diagram shown on the active control panel
Switches on control panel - next Photo
Top - LW Train Transformer reset switch on circuit breaker and light showing Short
2nd down - Relays on/off switch for in loop and out loop for 2 trains per loop system
3rd down - switch to set up relay system for CW clockwise or C W counter clockwise two trains on one track operation
4th down - LW Transformer selection switch: left Red dot for Red Lighted LW on left of control panel controls whole layout, or right for Two transformer operation Red dot and Green dot to allow Red Lighted LW control inner loop and Green Lighted LW to control the outer loop. Color is the light color on LW trans.
Video of Two trains Operating on One Loop if it works on OGR
YouTube Video of Two trains Operating on One Loop Link Below, in case video above does not work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szGr4ymfJEs
Charlie
