Track plan books?

stevedenver said:
Let me add, the track plan book is excellent.
However....
Its partially focused on what i think of as very german layouts, yards, stations, double mainlines, and automation.

There is another book "The World of LGB" which is substantially yhe same, but has a bit of info on early digital operation. This book should sell for considerably less. I have both, and have read each several times.

The older version, for me, has a couple of features i like. Most layouts have dimensions provided. There is a list of garden plants that may be helpful. There are many photos of earlier LGB stock, and some elaborate layouts and scenes.

I think both are nice but neither is necessary, unless you want extensive electronic automation, old style.

I would suggest:1 that you purchase an lgb starter set, many are on ebay. Find one that appears to be in great condition, little wear to wheels and skates may reveal this. Take your time and get a feel for what there is, and good prices. Much on ebay , used, is priced near or above new!



Why a starter set? You will get a reliable, if non US outline loco, two cars, and a circle of track and deminimis power pack, typically at the lowest price for all the items.
The train will fit well in a small layout tight curves and sidings.

Having a loco that doesnt give you headaches WILL make your new project rewarding. Bachmann big haulers......maybe not. It depends on the version.

I have waaaay too many lgb locos, some quite large and pricey, and i still run my little lgb stainz locos with great joy. So will you, trust me on this.

2 since you have a small area, i think buying some extra sections of R1 curves and switches , and some straight sections will allow you to assemble and reconfigure as you like. Plus, while lgb R2 is better, and R 3 better still, for your space, the tighter curves can be used for sidings passing tracks, an inner loop. They probably won't go to waste.

Shop, and get a feel for prices,because i think used track is priced close to new, as can be switches, and when close, id go new (see below).

There are several on line dealers, trainworld, only trains, trainz, nicholas smith, star hobbies, pizza trains (try pizza trains, i think he has some very fair prices everything, new and used) and others. Some offer better pricing than others, but this is a start.

Flex track is great, but....it is not easily bent, especially tight radius, and requires cutting and joiners. You have to have your plan finalized.

On joiners, these are critical in outside operation. They must be tight and clean at the time of track joining. Expensive rail clamps are, imho, better, but may not be necessary for a raised bed, as there presumably wont be soil creeping onto the joints.

Imho, new track will provide good tight joiners but so can cared for and tweaked used track. It all depends on condition. You cannot imagine the wide range of owner abuse or care there is.

Just my thoughts. I think a raised layout may be wonderful. Be aware trains occasionally jump the track. A fall will likely damage or destroy a loco.
Click to expand...
More good, solid, experience-based advice there.
I, too, began with the same LGB starter set, about 10 years ago, half-price from a closing-down sale. Still got the Stainz, always use it for test runs, the controller for occasional testing, one of the coaches (still supposed to be repainting it) and the track. Bear in mind that R1’s can be converted with careful bending to R2, 3, 4, 5... I sold or traded in the other bits, including the reversing unit (an unexpected bonus, but that’s another story). The downsides - I decided early on I wanted to run US not Continental or British; I wanted a more sophisticated controller, but not DCC, wider curves and to use longer lengths of track with Massoth-type rail joiners. My track is mostly raised, but no more than a foot or so, in one stretch (Remember the spiral? Great way to get more track in a limited space, but introduces gradients.)
Traders - it is possible to get bargains from e-bay, but I’d suggest the best asset you can acquire is a friendly relationship with a fellow, and hopefully local, G-scaler who can tell you about what might be available close to home, and from whom, and what to avoid. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
 
Grindar said:
I'm wanting to build a garden railway, and have been for maybe 25 years or so now :) I think if I plan it out enough (budget and so forth) I can get it past The Powers That Be for construction permission, but that's my weak point. Outside of one random webpage and a few on SCARM, there just doesn't seem to be nearly as many track plans out there for G scale, and I'm really not very good at doing them from scratch myself on paper. All I can seem to find is one LGB track plan book that looks like it's been out of print for 20 years or so, so it's kind of pricey (For a book where I can't find out enough about the exact contents to know if it will be useful, anyway).

My space is about 8' x 20'. The 8 can be a little flexible, but as small as possible is a plus. Equipment wise, the biggest engine I want to run (and can reasonably afford along with construction costs this year) is the Piko BR24, which will probably have a short string of passenger cars to pull. Looking a little toylike on sharper turns is fine. I'd prefer LGB geometry, not out of any specific brand loyalty but because I know local hobby shop has a bunch of it used along with rolling stock, and the saving money on that is always good :)

So with that brief outline of what I'm looking for, any suggestions on where to dig for plans? I'm really not very good coming up with them myself, having tried it for years on my indoor trains and coming up with nothing. (Noch preform ended up saving me on my Z scale lol) It's easier when I've got track to push around, but that is kind of the problem I'm trying to solve here...not having the track yet and needing to know what to buy. And I know someone will say "convert something from a smaller scale that you like" but that is rarely so simple, especially again when you don't have the track to just push around and make it work :/

Anyhow, I appreciate any advice you guys can give!
Click to expand...

When I started my garden railway I laid a garden hose out on the ground then moved it to shape. When I had the shape I was happy with I staked it out with bamboo food skewers and used then as my centre line. I then laid down my track roughly and used the skewers to peg it down so I could see what I had.

I am planning an new layout in a 14' x 20' (4.5m x 6m) area.

I have been messing around lately with SCARM and Anyrail so far have not had much success. I find they have restrictions in their own way especially as I use flex track which I find manipulating it a bit restrictive, they are OK for fixed track.

I also have a copy of the old 101 track plans for HO and tried to shoe horn a layout into the area my new layout covers but that is not working either.

I think I may resort to the garden hose and chalk markings on the floor when I get to the new house where the layout is going to be built.
 
GAP said:
When I started my garden railway I laid a garden hose out on the ground then moved it to shape. When I had the shape I was happy with I staked it out with bamboo food skewers and used then as my centre line. I then laid down my track roughly and used the skewers to peg it down so I could see what I had.

I am planning an new layout in a 14' x 20' (4.5m x 6m) area.

I have been messing around lately with SCARM and Anyrail so far have not had much success. I find they have restrictions in their own way especially as I use flex track which I find manipulating it a bit restrictive, they are OK for fixed track.

I also have a copy of the old 101 track plans for HO and tried to shoe horn a layout into the area my new layout covers but that is not working either.

I think I may resort to the garden hose and chalk markings on the floor when I get to the new house where the layout is going to be built.
Click to expand...

You can't beat seeing something 'on the ground'..

Good to leave the hose for a day or two, and look at different times of day.. - Will the yard be in damp-shade? Is that site for a bridge going to look silly?
You will still move things.. Even as the track goes down! But I reckon it is always better to be a little 'free-thinking', rather then try to stick to a drawing that is not going to work in the real world.
 
A trap for young players..... if you proposal involves gradients, most, if not all, of theses 'set track' plans will not work (properly).
The reason, when you tip the track up or down for the gradient, you need more track to cover the same horozontal distance.
 
PhilP said:
You can't beat seeing something 'on the ground'..

Good to leave the hose for a day or two, and look at different times of day.. - Will the yard be in damp-shade? Is that site for a bridge going to look silly?
You will still move things.. Even as the track goes down! But I reckon it is always better to be a little 'free-thinking', rather then try to stick to a drawing that is not going to work in the real world.
Click to expand...

Is leaving a hose on the ground not just a pipe dream

David
 
Gavin Sowry said:
A trap for young players..... if you proposal involves gradients, most, if not all, of theses 'set track' plans will not work (properly).
The reason, when you tip the track up or down for the gradient, you need more track to cover the same horozontal distance.
Click to expand...

It's all a matter of perspective ;) Max
 
I love looking at track plans - real and those devised by modellers.

I opted for compressed prototypical passing loops as found on most narrow gauge railways.
Many in Austria have/did have a couple of loops together head a head shunt or two, like this station on my railway.

IMG_6657.JPG
 
as has been said - no need to follow detailed track plans. Also, don't be afraid to cut a piece to shut the gap.
Finally, it is not a race, its a hobby, budget and track plans can evolve over time. G scale is not cheap but no need to rush it. A little here and a bit there and she will never notice - anyway what are Christmas and Birthdays for?
 
ARIA31 said:
Dear Zerogee,
you said that you are running one Piko BR24, what is the minimum radius you have. R1, R2 ...??
Do you think R1 is acceptable ?
Click to expand...

I've never run mine on anything less than R3...... I think it would probably be just about OK on R2, but I reckon it would struggle on R1.... the drive gearbox setup might just about handle it, but I'd be worried about the coupling between the loco and tender. Has anyone else here actually tried to run one on R1 and can answer this definitively?

Jon.
 
I dont have the book, but when I am planning tracks I use the Any Rail software. It is free if you use 50 pieces or less. (I know, the limit is low... but you can actually put sections of your layout together if each section is 50 pieces or less.) It also has Piko track in the software system. Their track system/geometry seems simpler to me and use FAR fewer of those silly little pieces. (Hello 41mm, 52mm 72mm, etc. etc. ?)

Each track joint is a new chance to lose power, so i say get rid of as many small pieces as you can! Now if I can only find a rail bender to borrow in TN :)

Also... haven't run a Piko BR (any BR) on R1 (4' diameter) track, but i have seen a Ludmilla loco go around that radius! Piko designs everything to work around the R1 for when people have space issues. Probably won't look amazing though.
 
1to3 said:
I dont have the book, but when I am planning tracks I use the Any Rail software. It is free if you use 50 pieces or less. (I know, the limit is low... but you can actually put sections of your layout together if each section is 50 pieces or less.) It also has Piko track in the software system. Their track system/geometry seems simpler to me and use FAR fewer of those silly little pieces. (Hello 41mm, 52mm 72mm, etc. etc. ?)

Each track joint is a new chance to lose power, so i say get rid of as many small pieces as you can! Now if I can only find a rail bender to borrow in TN :)

Also... haven't run a Piko BR (any BR) on R1 (4' diameter) track, but i have seen a Ludmilla loco go around that radius! Piko designs everything to work around the R1 for when people have space issues. Probably won't look amazing though.
Click to expand...

I have started usin Anyrail but as I use flex track I find the software a bit restrictive in the shapes I can bend.
I found SCARM was better with flex track although a bit fiddly.
I would loan you my rail benders but being in Aust its a bit far, that and I am quite attached to one of them (the Bellybender)
 
Oh btw
Grindar....
Also invest in a red lgb track cleaning block. Twenty bucks, tops.
This Will also make your new train life very pleasant and your loco will run its best. Do not under estimate how important clean track is, even for g scale.
 
1to3 said:
I dont have the book, but when I am planning tracks I use the Any Rail software. It is free if you use 50 pieces or less. (I know, the limit is low... but you can actually put sections of your layout together if each section is 50 pieces or less.) It also has Piko track in the software system. Their track system/geometry seems simpler to me and use FAR fewer of those silly little pieces. (Hello 41mm, 52mm 72mm, etc. etc. ?)

Each track joint is a new chance to lose power, so i say get rid of as many small pieces as you can! Now if I can only find a rail bender to borrow in TN :)

Also... haven't run a Piko BR (any BR) on R1 (4' diameter) track, but i have seen a Ludmilla loco go around that radius! Piko designs everything to work around the R1 for when people have space issues. Probably won't look amazing though.
Click to expand...


If you use Massoth rail clamps or similar, the little make up bits don't cause any electrical continuity problems - I have gradually replaced most of the fishplates on my 13 year old layout with these - especially on points(switches) - to make them easy to lift out
 
Software, that's a 2B pencil, isn't it? No good for plan drawing, lead smudges and you can't get a fine point. ....and hardware must then be a 3 or 4H pencil,
ideal for track planning. Oh, just ask your (grand) father.......
 
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