Just as it is for adults, what holds the attention of 4-year-olds will vary widely. Probably best to let the OP decide what will work best with his young charges.
You'd be surprised at how interesting switching can be with kids. Simply put, a train that goes somewhere and does something when it gets there will keep their interest longer than going nowhere fast.
Amen again to David and now Paul. You never stated it was for a child. We thought you yourself were " getting back into it after 20 years ". Still, if it is for a child then why disorient he or she to the old roundy-round trick 96% of parents, grand parents who also do not know nor wish to find out, indoctrinate children to via same old same old repeated mistake ? Since the child is oblivious to the real one's design and practice, give the child the more realistic one and watch him go to work and enjoy learning. Then later on he will most likely start reading RR books and Mags., too, if he keeps up interest. !! Johne, we are not ganging on you nor pushing you away as being too, say, green for 'our' club, say. We merely are attempting to get you 'on track' as to your choices you're making at the outset. We are your friends and have been there. About 55 years ago my dad (who really didn't care much for trains) built a roundy-round for me on a 4x8. It took a visit to my first MRR club open-house to find,... trains don't do that...Please travel to the nearest train store and go right to the " How to " publications for your own good, not ours... Welcome aboard.. Mark
I thought the whole idea of putting a layout up for discussion was to help the OP make it better and more interesting to run I really like the basic layout but would like to keep it but at the same time I am looking for ideas that would make it more (operational may be the right word). I did make some more changes that I think cleaned it up a bit.
A critical part of this process is to understand exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish with your layout. So far, we have only learned that this is meant to amuse your grandchildren, which would change how we might approach things than if the layout was for yourself and you were looking for an incrementally bigger challenge. If indeed the layout is for you, then the process will be much more in-depth, requiring that you think long and hard about what you're attempting to do, and occasionally may involve starting over. More than a few layouts in this forum have benefited from a clean slate, and more often than not the outcome was a much better layout for the modeler, one that accomplished their goals. If you're not interested in finding ways to look at the space you have in terms of what can be done that's interesting and will allow you to grow and improve as a modeler, and are instead solidly set on this particular plan, then there's not much we can do except pick at specifics. For example, you now no longer have two independent mainline loops. At the top center, the two lines converge. There are a number of other tiny improvements that can be made, mostly to do with the choice of curve radii that can smooth things out and make the lines flow much better, but it's up to you how far you want to take this.
OK, so taking your last plan as a starting point, and loosely using its design constraints, this is what I would do, for what it's worth-- There are specific reasons for each of the things I did. First, I made the mainline smoother and more flowing. I added an "offset" in the foreground (where the passenger station is) to add interest and break away from the plain oval ("racetrack") effect. I placed the branchline to the coal mine over the mainline, instead of under it, since a mine would tend to be up in the hills. This also helps add some visual mileage to the mainline by breaking it up. Plus, it avoids having the middle of the layout become a "bowl", which makes it harder to see things. I simplified the remaining sidings and gave each of them purpose. Most importantly, I positioned switches and sidings as close to the front of the layout as is practical so as to avoid problems reaching them, since they will require access.
John, There is not a lot of room in that area especially if you are also considering a roundhouse. Additionally, I do not believe that the light blue track (inner loop) will have gained sufficient height at the point you would cross under it. You could put in a two engine train shed by adding a turnout on that track.
Paul is correct. Also, a turntable with roundhouse would tend to dominate a scene, and on this size layout it would make things rather crowded. I've added a second engine track, and also displayed the part numbers so you can order track, if you're interested.
FWIW, I really like what David did with your concept. Fits the space and should give you plenty of fun. Bill in SOCAL Arroyo-Mesa RR
As I have seen many times before, David has taken an interesting idea and improved upon it. This latest version would be a great layout to work on with your grandkids and something you can be proud of also. Well done guys and great suggestions from all.
Hi Johne230, and all reading and contributing to this thread. It's evolving very well. JM2cents, maybe a runaround to get the loco to the other end of the train? Could be a reason not to, not much more complicated.
I have all the additional track that I will need to do the layout. I want to use DCC on this one but dont know if I will have it when ready so I am going to use DC power until I get it.I will install power points at all switches and all 4 sides of the double crossover. Is there anything else I will need to do that I can set up now for when I switch over to DCC. I know everybody says to solder power to every track but I am not going to do that.
If you are referring to every piece of sectional track, someone needs to explain to me where that myth came from.
