# Building new indoor layout - Help



## volahs (Jun 7, 2010)

My father has told me he would like me to get his large collection of LGB trains working and I have very limited experience in trains. He has eight engines and about 40 railcars. I have begun the conversion to DCC and done three engines and they work great. I have also built a platform which is 30 by 18 feet in his basement, now I wanted to start the layout design but I am completely lost. He has trains from all different eras so its impossible to pick an exact genre. For now I am just looking for any guidance on how to begin the layout, where do I store the engines on the track, should I build a turntable, do I even have enough space, should I put on a second level at some parts to create more space. I will send pictures when I am next at his house in a few weeks but really wanted to get some ideas, he has tons of cool buildings and the trains are in great shape and my children and my sister's children will really enjoy this in a few years so I want to get started. Any help or ideas orpictures on indoor layouts would be greatly appreciated. I appreciate the help in advance. Also one other question I had is in building a reversing loop I isolated the tracks and got a double pole switch from Radio Shack and it works but my train stalls on the insulation because it has only two shoes and I must be missing something but I can't get it to go across, the larger train do cross but I have a stop/start kind of situation and the sounds goes and comes back its not continuous.

Thanks,
Gregory


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmm... 

1) A '30 by 18' platform'? I hope you are not talking about a single 30' x 18' table. That would get you into major 'Reach' and 'Access' problems immediately. A diagram of the space available would help a great deal here. As a general rule, the track should be no further from the edge of the table than what you can comfortably reach - 3 - 4 feet, max. (I learned this the hard way and rebuilt my indoor line more than once because of it). You *REALLY* want to avoid 'head bangers' (duckunders to reach middle portions of the layout) if at all possible. 

2) What size curves iof track is available? I must point out that many of the larger locomotives cannot handle the smaller diamter curves. R1 curves are what is found with most starter sets; R3 curves will handle all but the largest or most finiky of locomotives. 

R1 curves make a circle four feet in diamter, center to center, give or take a smidge. Because of overhang and whatnot, you need at least a 4'6" space to adequately fit an R1 circle. Switches for this diameter are fairly common and cheap. 

R2 curves make a circle five feet in diameter. I am not aware of any switches using this radius of curve. 

R3 curves make a circle eight feet in diameter. There is an intermediate curve size, sometimes called R2.5 with a 6.5 diameter, but it is made only by a single manufacturer if I remember right. Switches are available in this size...but they start getting pretty spendy. 

R4 and R5 curves make circles of 9' and 10' in diameter respectively, if memory serves. 

As to the type of layout possible in that space, it depends on the size of the curves you use, and whether or not you want continuous run. Most indoor G scale layouts in that kind of space tend to end up as either huge ovals (sometimes double tracked or looped around more than once for long mainline runs) or as 'folded dogbones' (double tracked mainline with a loop at either end). Other designs are most definitely possible, though.


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## Shawn Fields (Jan 2, 2008)

Gregory,
I did A thread during the construction of my indoor layout, that may or may not be helpful but it does show how I built it and the materials I used seeing we have similar space restrictions I Have posted a link to the thread below


I Hope this helps....

Bluestone Junction


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## volahs (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks for the responses. When I get back to the states I will email more details and post some pictures.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I have also built a platform which is 30 by 18 feet 
As mentioned above, you want to avoid the reach and duck-under problems if you can, especially with small children around. In that space you can do lots of things - I would start thinking about a U-shape for the base and a folded dogbone layout, with lots of other smaller circuits, some at higher levels, in the corners. The smaller loops let you run diverse typers of trains without them visually impacting each other too much. And you can run Thomas and let the smallest kids have a ball wiithout ruining the mainline operation. 

A 10' wide baseboard with a 2' access corridor in the center, carried all the way from one end of the U to the other, (with the ends connected and the 10' shape varied whenever you feel like it, of course,) will give you plenty of options.


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## SandyR (Jan 6, 2008)

Train-Li-USA has an R2 switch available. I haven't seen it, but will possibly buy a couple to expand my garden railroad...They have an ad on p.82 of the current Garden Railways magazine. 
SandyR


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## jr747 (Feb 7, 2008)

Greg,

I wanted to contribute because I have a simular size in my basement. The dimensions of my layout is '36 x '14 but part of it is only '10 wide because I had to make room for some french doors leading to the back of my my house. I have a double track oval. I chose this because I wanted to run bigger curves so that I could run bigger engines. I'm using '9 and '10 curves on my main lines.

Below are some pictures. They were taken about 3 years ago and my layout has changed since.


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