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help with basics


anthony
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hi im new to the forum and any railway, iv collected oo gauge locos and some carriages and wagons ,for a while and i have a test track in shed, but now im  thinking of running a loop from out of shed.

i can see im going to need a lot of advice and hoping this is the place. hopefully i can ask questions as i go along 

my 1st question is im going to have 6 tracks in shed to prepare whats running 3 tracks going into 1 and out of shed onto loop then 1 track returning to shed splitting into the other 3 tracks when they finished running . i dont know if i explained it but im wondering what track i need to get the 3 tracks into 1 thanks

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Hi Anthony,

Welcome to the forum. I think you will get good answers here, although the forum can be quiet so answers can be slow in coming, don't give up hope as they do come in the end.

Just so I can be clear on your plan, if you can give a bit more detail it may help with the answers.

What kind of space do you have in the shed? What layout in the shed are you thinking of?

Are the three tracks in and out going to be separate, rather than joining up in the shed to make a continuous circuit?

The easiest answer to give you is that tracks are split and joined by points (sometimes referred to as turnouts). Points come in a variety of sizes. There are two main types: Sectional track, made by Hornby or Peco (under the trade name of Setrack) which is basically trainset track designed for layouts that are in small spaces. Sectional track is the easiest to fit together as it is all made around set angles and lengths. Then there is track that is designed to be more freestyle, it is put together with flexi-track that needs cut to size to fit. The advantage of using flexi is it looks more realistic but it is harder to make it work. So depending on your skill level, space available and what you want there are very different answers.


I'll attach an image using sectional track for 3 sidings in what is probably the easiest set-up for a novice. Using one Peco ST-240 left hand point, one ST-241 right hand point and a ST-225 2nd radius standard curve in addition to the straight track pieces.1823296302_setrack3siding.jpg.a3c8f7a58b2df7e9f3cca97f34d16a46.jpg

 

I hope that is of some help.
Barry.

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hi barry thank you for your reply the 6 tracks in the shed are the staging area with 3 tracks merging into 1 for outgoing and the other 3 for returning locos

the loop is going to be outside, my plan is to start slow and work up to the shed end before cutting the entrance to the outside

i'm hoping to have 1 track coming out of the shed joining the loop and also a 2nd track leaving the loop returning to the shed

but 1st things to finish inside thank you for diagram it helps alot you wouldn't believe how i was thinking of doing it

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So I'm guessing the track out on to the loop and the track in from it are at the same side of the shed?

You're going to be doing a lot of taking stock on and off of the tracks if that is the case. You may also want to consider some kind of cassette system to make it easy to move trains from one set to the other? That is basically planks of wood with edges that the trains run on to that you can slide around and connect to each track or slide out of the way when not in use.

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yes same end i like the idea of a cassette system, a lot of the locos i get are broken, i try to fix them get most running on test track, but they need a longer uninterrupted run on a loop,

the idea of running them outside is more room and hopefully later extend and run more than 1 at a time

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using the image what barry kindly added, the track in the shed when i lay it i see on youtube they use cork for the track is that what i should use for indoor and would it be different for outdoors thank you for replying and helpful ideas. As the pictures show my top shelves are my test tracks and the bottom is the 1 im using for the staging area

20200813_132540.jpg

20200813_132543.jpg

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iv got the track sorted from 6 to 2 like the diagram, iv still got to get some more track to reach the end of the shed,then its cut the hole and start outside .

im thinking power to tracks now, this is where i need help. do i  put power into the 2 tracks or in each of the 6 im using dc

thank you for any help

20200818_160016.jpg

20200818_155927.jpg

Edited by anthony
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Hi,
You can put the power in at the two lines where they come in to the area. That way the only sidings that get power are the ones that the points are set for. The disadvantage of this though is that you rely on the contact of the point blades to transmit the power.

If you put a feed to each siding you'll need a switch in each feed to isolate the sidings you aren't using or everything will go. I'd put insulating joiners on the rail being switched off, you don't have to but it saves confusion if you get a mismatch between point setting and control.

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