New to Hornby hobby :-)

[SanjeevG]

Hi there,

l've been crazily following hornby and managed to start my first collection for Christmas with a "Santa Express" -oval 92 x 77cms. 
if I need to extend this to 120x110 to go around the Christmas tree, what is the extension I need to buy please? Bit confused with the extension packs I saw online :(

[Going Spare]

Welcome to the forum.  If you purchase 4 x R601 double straights, they will extend your oval by 33.5cms in each direction (to 125.5 x 110.5 cms).  The extension packs are designed to help you if you are using the Trakmat that comes with the set.

[Howbi]

The Extension Packs are designed for the TrakMat layouts.......all you need are suitably sized straight pieces of track..........ie........R601 = 335mm, R600 = 168mm & R610 = 38mm.........so just calculate the lengths you need to achieve the require increase in size......HB

[SanjeevG]

Welcome to the forum.  If you purchase 4 x R601 double straights, they will extend your oval by 33.5cms in each direction (to 125.5 x 110.5 cms).  The extension packs are designed to help you if you are using the Trakmat that comes with the set.

Thank you :) trackmat didn't come along with the item, probably I need to purchase as an extra?

[Chrissaf]

No you do not need a TrakMat, forum members only mentioned it because you used the phrase

 

"Bit confused with the extension packs I saw online"

 

in your reply.

 

The TrackMat extension packs have special use, and are not relevant to what you have described you want to achieve in your question.

 

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum. TIPs include 'How to post images' and 'How to make links clickable'.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

 

[SanjeevG]

I got 4x straight and added 2 to make the oval bigger. If I need to the remaining 2 to make it a circle, do I need 607 x 4?

[Going Spare]

I am not sure what you are trying to achieve.  The original set would have come with 8 x R609 3rd radius double curves which make a circle, plus 1 x R600 straight track and 1 x R8206 power track to create an oval.  My intention in suggesting adding 4 x R601 double straights was to place one in each quadrant so the oval is expanded in both length and width.  If you are thinking of making a second oval inside the existing one, you will need 8 x R607 2nd radius curves plus the two R601 you already have and 2 x R600 straights.  If you want to run a small locomotive on each oval using just the one controller, you will need Link Wires pack R8201 but the two motors may prove to be too much of a load for the controller if run for any length of time.  To give you independent control of each train, you will need a R7229 controller, P9000 transformer and another R8206 power track in place of 1 x R600 but you will not need the R8201 link wires. 

[SanjeevG]

Spot on  My intent was expand the oval and hence found sensible to add 4 straight tracks. Added 2 comfortably to the longest side but not the shorter ends as it didn't fit :(

[Peter Stiles]

He says this is "Santa's Express" so the loop of track you get with it is 1st radius. Just big enough to go round a xmas tree, but only a few locos will navigate those tight turns (Peckett W4: yes, Terrier: yes, Thomas The Tank: No! to my chagrin...)If you want to run larger engines you'll need an entire oval of track to run them on, simplest answer then is often to buy another train set (most of which have the larger 3rd radius which virtually everyything will get round) or the Family Fun Pack (which has the little-bit-larger 2nd radius curves which most things will get round). If budget doesn't stretch to a Highland Rambler (80 quid) then yes, start with a bunch of R606 second radius curves or R608 third-radius curves if you have the room)The Track Pack extensions expect you to start from a 3rd radius set of track nor Santa's express (as ever see the stickies at the top of the forum for the gospel on how to set that lot up)

[Going Spare]

I stand corrected.  This must be the first set Hornby have issued for many a year with 1st radius curves, and hence why there is not a TrakMat included.  Looking at the catalogue again, the dimensions shown for the oval of track are those for 3rd radius curves but the description does indeed refer to 1st radius.  (Looking back, the correct measurements are shown in the 2019 catalogue but in the 2020 catalogue the Coca-Cola track description and dimensions again contradict eachother.)  So a second oval would still use R607 2nd radius curves, but laid outside rather than inside the set oval.