ratcatcher Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 Hi I am new to this forum so please bear with me!After months of deliberation on what type of layout to make for my grandson and a couple of disappointing attempts (the main criteria being storage) I came up with the idea of 18mm ply board with 18mm x 100mm walls, this being stiff enough not to need an underframe. The idea being to paint the underside and walls white so that the whole thing would stand on its end and take the guise of a bed headboard.fitted two circuits plus long looped sidings, tunnel, platforms, buildings, points, hills and forna. An added bonus is that the inside of the walls can be painted as a backdrop. the overall effect is spectacular and my grandson liked to play "bet you can't find the train set with his friends"Anyway my son has brought it back as some repair work is needed not least the fact that the single visible mains wire has been pulled out of the transformers.I was just going to repair it but I have aquired a HM 2000 controller with an extra side pod so I thought that I may completely re-design wth a triple layout.What I would like to know is the minimum size board that I could get away with for a fourth radius track allowing for swing out clearance for the side walls?I thought that my grandson (who is 7) would play with it twice and then forget it as kids do but this is definitely not the case as he plays with it every single day and has a fair selection of trains his favourites being the duchess of abercorn and the evening star.wierd innit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ73 Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 Hiya & welcome to the Forum 😀 I thought that my grandson (who is 7) would play with it twice and then forget it as kids do but this is definitely not the case as he plays with it every single day and has a fair selection of trains his favourites being the duchess of abercorn and the evening star.wierd innitWell may be not 'wierd' - may be (hopefully) it is a sign that he will have a life long passion & is hooked for Model Railing like rest of us folk!!! 😀 😎 The HM 2000 is my 2nd choice of Controller (My 1st Choice is the HM Duette!!!)You may want to be 'inspired' by my video - it has Tunnels, Gradient stations - 4 loops, etc - Also just in case - I also have a 'Evening Star' & it is a Lovely Loco (Has he mastered how to put it on the Rails??? (Cos it does have a lot of wheels to contend with!!!)) or does he have a Rerailer??? Any way a few weeks ago I had a bit of trouble with my E. S. & made a vid about it - Like I said J. I. C. - hope you don't get any trouble with it cos after all it is your Grand Son fav Loco!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37lover Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 RatcatcherIf you click on the Help & Advice tab at the top of the forum, and then select Support, you can find details of the track pieces; the 4th radius is 572mm, this is to the centre of the track. You would be wise to add a generous 50mm to allow for any overhang so that would result in a board width of 572 + 572 + 100 = 1244mm. You may realise a 4ft board is 1220mm so that might just work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted May 3, 2020 Author Share Posted May 3, 2020 He is indeed train daft and he can rail his evening star although it is new and hes still at the staring at in awe stage The thing that I find weird is the facination of a 7 year old to a thing of an age long before he was born.He likes diesels as well, he has a class 37 that he really likes He has evening star, cock o the north, duchess of abercorn, flying scotsman, mallard, duke of gloucester, brittania, class 37 130, hymek1A20 (x2) intercity 125 and many tank engines including the obvious thomas and percy all with rolling stock and all in new or nearly new condition.this is one of the reasons that I would like him to have a 3 track layoutin normal times his day is school, tea, trains. and he has 2 younger brothers to pick up the batonDon't remember my childhood being like that My own choice would have been the duette but just in this instance I didn't have a choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted May 4, 2020 Author Share Posted May 4, 2020 Well! I have been instructed by OH that I am not allowed to make a bigger layout as this one will just go in the back of sons discovery (he has roof bars for heavens sake)So I am removing the old controllers and transformers and fitting the HM 2000 (just main unit) and a few more buildings, just means tweaking the track a bit.Disappointed though and who would have thought papier mache could be so hard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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