Model Forum / General / Railroads / November 2004

No, no, no!

Your son should be able to actually touch the trains, put them on the
tracks, and so forth. One ft below the ceiling??? How's he gonna see the
trains?

O-27 is 27" diameter, so you don't need much space. Get a 3ft square or
larger piece of 1/2" good-one-side ply, and 1" insulation foam to glue
to it (use Liquid Nails or similar - make sure it's the water-based
acrylic latex stuff.) Paint the foam all over with medium to light tan
latex paint to seal it, then paint "scenery" on it with latex and/or
acrylic craft paints.  Use a variety of greens and browns, mark out some
"roads" and paint them grey, and so forth. Mount the track on it, using
double sided carpet tape under the ties, and 1" nails through those
little holes. Store the thing on its side against the wall. You could
set up the circle of track on the carpet every time he wants to play
with it, but that takes a long time, and eventually the track pins get
too loose to be useful.

If you must build on a shelf, at least bring it down low enough so that
he can see when standing on a low step-stool. You can build shelving and
cupboards under the train shelf - I'm sure you can use more storage
space, we all do. :-) At the corners, the shelf will have to be about
18" deep at the squared ends for O-27, but along the wall it can be
narrower. If unsure, lay a quarter circle of track on some box-board,
and experiment with clearances. You need at least 2" on each side of the
track (mneasured from the tie ends.) You can make a turn-back loop at
each end; you'll be pleasantly surprised at how little space an O-27
loop takes. And that will give you space for a large cupboard or dresser
for even more storage. :-)

Oh, and watch out for miniferroeuqinitis - a benign but lifelong
condition, that has been known to strike many parents and grandparents
who "only wanted a small layout for the kids." :-)

Have fun!

O track is 31" diameter over the ends of the ties, and O27 is 27" dia.  This
affects both the speed trains can go (must be slower for tighter curves, and
the size of the locos and cars that can run on the track.  O27 is limited to
smaller O27 trains, now called "Traditional" by Lionel.  O track will
accomodate O27 trains and many of the larger O size trains.  Many of the
recent (last dozen years or so) O gauge models are full 1:48 scale
proportion and some of these require even larger radii to operate.  Many of
the recent, improved lines of track with built in roadbed and realistically
spaced ties (as opposed to the old 3 tin ties per track section) come in a
wide variety of radii.  O42 track, for example with a radius of 21", will
only be about 13" out from the corner of the room assuming you use the 1 x 6
for the tangents with the track centered on it.  Try the largest the looks
reasonable in the room to give you the biggest choice of equipment and least
operating (derailment) problems.

Since you mention steamers produced in 2002, I gather you are talking about
models introduced each year vice prototypes locos.  The various
manufacturers introduce several new models each year, but they do not
typically designate any as a yearly special in the same way Hallmark, for
example, has a specific 2004 Christmas ornament (or rather scads of them).
There were specials for the Lionel centennial a few years ago, but that
tends to be the exception.  Look in catalogs for the models listed as "new",
or ads in magazines like Classic Toy Trains for the "2004 new releases", or
in collectors guides like the "Greenberg's Guides" which list the years each
model was made.

Another avenue would be to consider the prototype - what new model locos did
GM and GE introduce in 2002, or what new locomotives did you son's favorite
RR buy new that year?  Railfan magazines and RR historical groups often have
this kind of info.

A 1 x 6 may be a bit narrow.  The track center line is usually set back
about 4" minimum from a layout edge in O gauge.  You might get by with 3" if
you put on a vertical lip to catch any derailing trains.  This would leave
only 3" from the track centerline to the wall (and less if it's a 1 x 6
board only 5.5" wide).  The overhang on large locomotive in tight curves can
be considerable, and I would guess many front corner running boards etc. may
hit the wall with this spacing.  Your local dealer should be willing to set
a few differnt trains of different size tracks so you can take some
measurements to establish your design minimums.  Hope these comments help.
Gary Q

Don't worry too much about the speed of the trains.  I had Lionel back when
I was a kid and ran them at full speed all around the track with no
problems.  Then I found out about real train speeds and slowed miine down a
lot to the point where I get coimplaints sometimes when I run on somebody
elses layout.
Get the set and have fun with your kid.  Let him own it rather than you and
he may take very good care of it.  If he starts breaking things for the fun
of it, let the damaged stuff stay that way until the set is destroyed and
let him know that the reason why it is broken is that he broke it.  He may
then really learn respect for other's stuff then as it is a lesson that
every boy needs to learn.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?