Is 16 foot enough for a loop?

PhilP

PhilP

G Scale, 7/8th's, Electronics
TRADER
Country flag
Title says it all really..
At the planning stage, and getting serious now.
Garden is approximately 22 foot wide and 120 foot long.
There is a shed about halfway down one side with a 4 foot border running back towards the house. The garden slopes down from the shed towards the house.

My intention is to come out of the shed a 'shed floor' level, probably as a single line. This will be (in the future) the mainline which will run right through the shed and out the other end. there will be a point just before the shed to take the line round to the other side of the garden, to run down towards the house. - Idea being to get a 'Stage 1' loop completed fairly quickly to keep the interest up. I know how long my projects can take!
Just before this point, I am thinking of a loop off towards the outside of the garden. If I keep this section level, I can (in time) create a station area, and use this flat area for marshalling stock into trains.
The initial question is will a 16 foot loop be adequate?
I know this depends on stock, type of railway etc. But.. if there is a station, there will have to be coaches!
Initially, I have a Stainz (or two, shhhh! Don't tell SWMBO!;)) and a Lyn. - I would like a Class66 in the greater scheme, but that requires a l o n g save!

My thinking is that I ought to be able to get a reasonable size loco, six 'proper' length bogie coaches, and a guards van into 16 foot. - Is this a reasonable assumption?

After the flat section the line will descend (gently) down the border towards the house.
There is a 'patio' (rough crazy paving) outside the house which is lower than the garden by about 30 inches. - Four reasonable steps.. This will provide a nice site for the inevitable bridge! this will have to be home-built due to cost. Oh, and about 8 foot long.
The line will then curve round to join up with that coming from the first mentioned point. End to end about 36 feet.

Does the above sound a reasonable first stage? - I have already acquired about 200 foot of track, and enough R3 curves for half a loop.

Cheers Guys (and Gals)..
Thoughts??
PhilP
 
I would make the loop as big as you can manage in the space, and run trains to fit it. Dont forget if you want to run round, the extra points take up valuable space. At least you can use the curves as a headshunt.
Due to lack of space I had to use R1s for one of my turn back loops, it works very well, but of course only small engines ( or some larger LGBs , but they look silly ) can use it. Only the live steamers and battery locos can go right round due to the electric supply needing a section break to prevent shorting out. The length of the siding/loop track can be extended to fit the space available, but again I was restricted.
Hope that helps a little.
Syd
993ca40cfd014618948ce4ecc618a629.jpg
 
Measuring up your stock is the only way to tell and allow a foot either end for clearance off the curves. So 16ft from the points would mean a 14ft loop. Assuming say 2ft - 2ft6in for a loco and 18in to 2ft per coach that would give you 5-6 vehicles plus a loco so sound about right. Varies on what you buy though if you go up to scale length coaches it can knock 1-2 off. ;)
 
Aha!
Thanks all.. Told you I was new to this.. I mean a 16 foot long passing loop / siding do-hickey.
;)::clap:
 
I read that as a return loop rather than a passing loop too!

You will need curves R3 minimums for a ART Class 66 though....
 
If you work on the basis of each length of 1000 rail is 12 inches, then work out the total length of straight track on the mainline between the two sets of points, divide by the average length of your rolling stock and subtract 1 from the answer, you get the approximate maximum number of pieces of rolling stock your loco can run round. To be one the safe side, if you start the loop section at each end with a half straight rather than a curve, you should be fine.
 
That's about 4.5m useable length in new money - LGB bogie stock tends to come in about 3 lengths: 0.63m for the longest RhB stuff, 0.43m for things like the Harz, and about 0.39m for the verandah ended clerestory roofed stock. A loco and van would add about 1m tops to that. So in theory you should be OK for up to 5 of the longest items and six of anything else.

Whatever you do, do try and use the largest radius points you can. You'll never regret it. I started with R1s in the days when the only other offering was LGB R3s, which were too expensive at the time, as they were motorised. Now I have spent a lot slowly replacing the 30 or so R1s with 3s and 5s to make live steam operation easier
 
Two questions:
Playmofire; Not sure what you mean by staring with a half straight?? If you diverge at a point, you are going to need a curve to get back parallel to the line you have diverged from. - Or do you mean point, half-straight, then curve?
Pghewett/All; Is there anything which will NOT cope with R3?
Supplemental to that; Is there anything which will not cope with R3 point and immediately following curve to get back parallel to the line diverged from?
TIA,
PhilP.
 
I thought you meant a return loop as well. Using a half straight, or even a one foot straight, from a point before the curve to run parrallel with the main track gives less of a twist for the loco and stock plus looks better...but again takes up extra space. Quite a few engines complain at R1 curves and many just will not go round them, but R3s will accomadate most engines apart from the really large ones. The class 66 really needs R5s to be happy as it is a large engine. The R5s do not actually take up much more space, but do have a cost penalty as they are not cheap items! I choose to have very few points and use all R5s and they do look better as well, at least to my eyes.
32dc0512ddbb4283aeb80c7c262f2d55.jpg
 
PhilP said:
Two questions:
Playmofire; Not sure what you mean by staring with a half straight?? If you diverge at a point, you are going to need a curve to get back parallel to the line you have diverged from. - Or do you mean point, half-straight, then curve?

PhilP.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right, and finishing similarly.
 
If you ran Trams you can do a balloon loop terminus with a car siding in less than a metre square...
 
Whatever size you make your passing loops, one day it WILL limit your train lengths.

How do I know? :thinking: I have this problem. :crying: I like long trains and now have more stock than will pass in the loops; unfortunately the only solution is to change GARDENS!!!!! :wits::wits:
 
Ah! Bobg ..
It may take me a little time to get there!
Tramcar Trev ..
Does a Bachmann christmas tram count? - I have one of them!
:clap::thumbup:
And, a NW2 notor block to go in it.. Now if I can find some G scale christmas lights to go on it.. .. ..

Thanks to all.. Lots of food for thought..
PhilP.
 
bobg said:
Whatever size you make your passing loops, one day it WILL limit your train lengths.

How do I know? :thinking: I have this problem. :crying: I like long trains and now have more stock than will pass in the loops; unfortunately the only solution is to change GARDENS!!!!! :wits::wits:
Click to expand...
I solved this problem by having double track, so no need for passing loops.... :D
 
PhilP said:
Ah! Bobg ..
It may take me a little time to get there!
Tramcar Trev ..
Does a Bachmann christmas tram count? - I have one of them!
:clap::thumbup:
And, a NW2 notor block to go in it.. Now if I can find some G scale christmas lights to go on it.. .. ..

Thanks to all.. Lots of food for thought..
PhilP.
Click to expand...
Phil, I have discovered that Bachmann trams (4 wheelers) can negotiate a 250mm rad curve....
 
tramcar trev said:
.... I have discovered that Bachmann trams (4 wheelers) can negotiate a 250mm rad curve....
Click to expand...

How much did you have to open up the gauge to achieve a radius that tight Trev?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom