Hello,

I have a question for those experienced with small layouts…

Our family ended up getting a swimming pool this year, so my nascent, not-so-big layout has been torn down and moved to my parents’ house, about an hour away.

I am still wanting a very small layout to play with here at home, and so I am contemplating something quite small and mobile so that I can move it around our very smalll yard. This would let me set it out on the patio to run small trains, using my Lil Critter and Mighty Mack locos, and move it out of the way when people are using the pool, etc.

To do this, I want/need a very small radius turn…around 32" D.

Does anyone have experience with this? Can anyone please give some advice on how to bend the track to allow this? (I am a novice modeler).

Thanks

Paul McKenzie

Nepean, ON

Vic Smith should be able to answer all your questions. I think every layout he’s ever built could fit inside a pizza box. Do a search for “Pizza Layout”. It may or may not get you some result.

Here ya go Paul:

https://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/8809/portable-pizza-layout?page=1

Some really cool photos there! Quite confident whatever I do will not look that good, but lots of inspiration to draw from…

if i were to build a movable layout, i would use frames and adjustable legs (like sawhorses)

the width depends on one’s desires (much landscape around the track, or not)

the length of the modules should be a multiple of the standard rail-lengths.

for curves i would stay with R1. so each 90 degree curve would need to be a 800mm x 800mm (31.5" x 31.5") frame.

maybe this: http://kormsen.info/modulbau/ gives you some ideas.

I bent 8 foot flex track and got a 29 inch circle. Only one rail clamp on each rail. Do this with Nickel plated track and cleaning will be minimized, but there will be wear on the track which will remove the nickel on the inside. I use the short kit cars from HLW and body mounted kadee couplers and changed to metal wheels (USA Trains ). This goes on my pool table and a Christmas tree goes in the middle for the holiday season.

I also bent 2 pairs of 8 foot flex track and got approx. 5 foot circle with only 4 total rail clamps!!

Hi, my photos are kind of limited after I lost my data storage. Youtube hosts a few videos which give another perspective, my handle is KlunkerRider so you can find my channel for other videos. I’ll try to check in here more often if you have any questions, my access is kind of limited right now.

Paulmac said:

Quite confident whatever I do will not look that good, but lots of inspiration to draw from…

I said the same thing a few years ago! These guys use Jedi mind tricks!!

Ken Brunt said:

That’s about as small as I could handle, it’s done very nice, I like it.

trainman

Ken Brunt said:

Thanks for finding that Ken. I don’t think I had ever seen that video, although some of the structures look familiar. Lots of fun stuff in there - kudos again, Vic - very well done. I love all of the items that just grab your attention.

Bruce Chandler said:

Ken Brunt said:

Thanks for finding that Ken. I don’t think I had ever seen that video, although some of the structures look familiar. Lots of fun stuff in there - kudos again, Vic - very well done. I love all of the items that just grab your attention.

I remembered seeing that video or one just like it but had no idea where to find it. So I just went to the “view page source” on Vic’s post and found the one he tried to post.

Thanks all for the suggestions and advice. After Korm posted about a modular layout, I thought I would just see how it might work, so I took a small LGB toy train out in the yard.

I was quite surprised to find that with all the stuff now going on in our very small backyard, the train looks much larger than it is and very out of place…

Given that, and the limited amount of room I have to work with, I have decided to go with a small O scale set-up for this space.

I can store it all in a case, and set it out when I want a bit of train therapy in the backyard on a sunny day.

At our place large scale trains are welcome, as are plants, food-bearing plants especially. I have outlawed swimming pools, kids, dogs, and lawnmowers. These injunctions works very well. Put your foot down and play with big trains.

For a tighter than R1 circle of track (3 feet) :

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hartland-Locomotive-Works-3rd-Brigade-Army-Train-Set-10201S-G-Scale/142395003935?hash=item212767541f:g:89MAAOSwOQJdNg5Z

The Mac’s are kind of neat as well.

You could mount it on one of these and just wheel it out of the way when needed .