Layout Help - Newbie - 8'x10'

Welcome to the forum!! A lot of great info here. A great layout resource is thor trains dot net. click on 027/O and check out the variety. Have fun and enjoy a great hobby!!

Welcome to the forum!

You have enough room to run 3 trains.   This website has numerous track plans than can be expanded to fit your space and is a good place for ideas:

http://www.thortrains.net/

Don't worry on the brand of track - you can make them work with any brand in your space.

-Greg

Welcome......you got some neat stuff to start with! The Empire STate Express is a terrific MPC freight set.

I will look forward to more pics!

Peter

An 8' X 10' layout will be more than sufficient to operate those three trains and there are a wide variety of layout designs that will fit those dimensions.

What transformer will you be using for power ?

If I can fit three trains on 9x6, you can definitely have more than enough interest in 10x8! I could try to mock something up for you if you want?

Sal G.

Consider adopting Lionel "O" track; it has a higher profile than O27 and its minimum radius is O31 --  with wider radii available. I predict you'll appreciate O31 curves and switches because most trains can negotiate that curvature. However, O27 may be "too tight" a curvature for many trains.

Perhaps -- like many hobbyists -- your interest in the hobby may grow in the future to include larger-sized trains that require even larger curvatures:  Lionel FasTrak is available with O36, O48,  O60, O72 (and wider) sizes.

If confession is good for the soul ...
I acquired Lionel trains that require O48 curves and switches, but my latest layout could only accommodate O42 track and switches because of the size of the train room.  I can't run those trains, but they are placed on display shelves. The only solution -- build an addition to the house! Nautically-oriented guys will understand this syndrome after building a boat in the basement and then realizing it's too big to fit through the basement exit door.  Moral of the story: when starting out, practical limits of space (and funds) may dominate one's thinking; but years later, bigger dreams will naturally emerge. Plan ahead!

Carry on, regardless ...

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394
mottlerm@gmail.com

Yeah, I'd definitely recommend Fastrack and an either O72 or O60 loop

On a smaller layout like that, one way is to go multi level. It may not be possible to connect the levels, but you could have an elevated branch with the 2 others on the main level. 

I have several pictures I would like to post for members that are interested in tubular track floor layouts.

They are on  my cell phone and I do not know how to post them They are not videos.

@Ban Bywaters posted:

I have several pictures I would like to post for members that are interested in tubular track floor layouts.

They are on  my cell phone and I do not know how to post them They are not videos.

Try sending a couple of photo's on your phone to your e-mail address. Then, on your computer, open the e-mail and download/save the photo's to your desktop. 

Then log on to the Forum and Add Reply to whatever thread you want and click on Add Attachments before you post your Reply and you can "browse" to the photo's on your computer desktop. Click on the photo want to post and it will load into your Reply. You can attach as many photo's as you want up to the maximum file size on the Forum. Then hit Post Reply. 

Thanks for the feedback so far all - 

After closer research, it seems I actually have the O size track, so that seems generally positive.

BigKid, I think I will go multilevel, that would be fun.

Richie C. - I have the big ZW transformer, though I could certainly get my hands another smaller one from my dad.

BurkusCircus52, if you were really willing to mock something up for a newbie like me that would be amazing.  You should know that I am now also going to be able have the Barrel Loader set as well as the Cattle Car set, so I would include those if I could.

Appreciate all the feedback - I will post photos as I progress!

@bigkid posted:

On a smaller layout like that, one way is to go multi level. It may not be possible to connect the levels, but you could have an elevated branch with the 2 others on the main level. 

Yes.  Not hard to do.

I have about 130 sq.ft. of layout in a 10'x12' room.  Check out the benchwork builder Mianne who makes excellent benchwork - and he can do multi-level as he did for me.  You can do what you want with the two levels - be as creative as you can be.  It's fun.

Here's the two ideas I came up with. I can do more if needed, or modify some of the plans if you have ideas. This is also the first time I've worked with tubular track, so sorry if there's any geometry problems.

Here's the first idea, with a pair of wide-radius outside tracks and a reverse loop plan on the inside.

And here's a plan with a similar outside plan, but an elevated upper level. the track in red goes up at a 3.7% grade, which is a bit steep, but most trains should manage. Ran out of track to finish the O-72 loop (SCARM has a 100-piece limit), but just O-72 corners and a 40-inch piece finishes it off.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for edits, but this should be a good starting point.