HM 7000 App TT:120 track builder layout planning

[My name is Bond]

When opening up the HM7000 app track builder only the 00 track range appears.

If it is available how do you access the TT:120 track range?

It is obviously possible to upscale everything but the track geometries for curved track sections are different angles and the points are radius 6.

In addition I don’t know if the TT:120 straight pieces and curved radius are a direct downsize scale to the OO track range.

How are those using the app track builder managing or is a different method used to plan a layout?

[Rallymatt]

TT:120 uses a different geometry to OO. The TT:120 version of track builder in the App is not available , it was mentioned that it will be a future release.

It’s possible to create a layout plan for any scale but the actual pieces may not match what you would need in reality to make it work with set track

[P-Henny]

Others who can not wait for a track builder update have been using Hornby TT:120 in Anyrail and SCARM to plan their layouts.

Discussed in other previous threads.

[Moccasin]

Wonder if it's worth a new sticky thread to provide TT layout planning options in advance of TT track geometry being added to the HM 6000 and 7000 apps? For those new to the scale, it will be a common query.

[My name is Bond]

Both Anyrail and SCARM track builders are PC Windows based only and are around £35 after currency conversion to purchase.

At this stage I will do my own conversion table and upscale the HM7000 track builder. Geometry won’t be entirely perfect of course but I would like to create ideas to give me something to consider.

Having set something up on a 1.75m x 1.05m baseboard with TT:120 track, the equivalent of 2.4m x 1.44m (8ft x 4.7ft in old money) if using 16.5mm 00/HO track, then I was very impressed with what could be possible in the small space available. The aim would be to maximise goods yard movements whilst at the same time having constant running on a mainline oval.

The good news is that I can reach to the rear of the layout with a 1.05m wide board so it can go into a room corner. Something that would be very difficult if impossible with a 1.44m wide board when all around access would be required.

There is also the future possibility of, from the main baseboard, running a shelf along one wall and creating a return loop in the room corner at the other end so the return loop module when it appears will be useful. Allowance to be made for this extension in the plan. It will give the locos a good length of mainline straight track to run along and back.

And from a scenery point of view you can do 1.57x as much creating 57% more scenic interest than in OO.

So it’s a balancing act between layout playability and scenic presentation. Too much track and scenery suffers and vice versa.

[Rallymatt]

Reaching all parts is a very wise move, things always happen just beyond otherwise!

[Fishmanoz]

There is a lot of SCARM and Anyrail design coverage in a number of earlier posts.

[P-Henny]

Both Anyrail and SCARM track builders are PC Windows based only and are around £35 after currency conversion to purchase.

 

 

Both products have free evaluation options. The free restrictions usually limit the number of track pieces. Users get around this by creating their layout designs as a series of smaller layout sections that can be overlaid after printing out.

 

 

[My name is Bond]

Doing a forum search of both Anyrail and SCARM did produce some interesting results and pointers to websites that show plans so that was a useful suggestion.

If you don’t have a PC or laptop and use an iPad exclusively (fine for HM7000) then there is one app available for £1.99 called Train Layouts. I might download this and give it a try.

Nothing in the Android play store.

I do have access to all the model railway magazines online but they either feature large show type layouts or shelf type back and forth layouts and all using flexible track. Never anything using set track. Which is odd really considering a high proportion of their readers probably use set track, and also their advertisers offer it in their adverts.

To be fair to Hornby this is an area that they do cover in their own OO magazines but these arrive only 4 times a year. And it’s early days for Hornby TT so little chance of featured layouts just yet.

[My name is Bond]

Thought I would Google “track plans Hornby” and the result revealed a website showing many Hornby 00 layouts previously featured in various Hornby track plan books and designed for 8’ x 4’ baseboards which scales down to 1.75m x 0.9m in TT:120. Other baseboard sizes were featured.

There are some interesting ideas shown however all the layouts are track intensive with room for railway architecture and little else. But it enable me to calculate what I need using TT:120 track to include certain shunting and goods yards, run around through and terminal stations, and even elevated track sections.

The straight section lengths in OO can be calculated and then multiplied by 0.72 to give an equivalent TT:120 length. Curves all radius 1, 2 or 3 as nothing greater than this available at the time the plans were created. Exclude radius 1 for loco running but OK for storing wagons and coaches.

Pity Hornby are out of TT8002 straight track but I guess there is always Peco flexible track but I am in no hurry at the moment. Might get a few more track bits and pieces to see how certain track arrangements work out.

[Skelton Junction]

My donated available space guidelines have recently been relaxed (something I’d wish I’d known before) by the other half which means I’m eyeing up R7277 converted to TT120 as an approximate style for the next layout. Therefore the current set up can be the practice and rehearsal stage. By the time I get to that point of infrastructure movement I’m hoping the track plans for our scale will be more readily available.

[P-Henny]

I’m eyeing up R7277 converted to TT120 as an approximate style for the next layout.

 

 

@Skelton Junction

Please note that the R7277 (Large Corner Layout) has been extensively discussed on the forum due to its large number of different Reverse Loop short circuit paths that are inherent in it. Easy enough to resolve with traditional DCC RLMs. But significantly more difficult on an all track live DC powered layout when using Bluetooth HM7000 control.

Suggest you review this 2021 thread to understand the potential issues.

Large Corner Layout Complete Track Question :: Hornby Hobbies

EDIT: Unfortunately, some of the onward links in the above thread land on old posts from the previous forum where images have been lost.

[Skelton Junction]

Thank you for the heads up Paul. Point duly noted and thread investigated.

[Moccasin]

Saw on a Hornby Instagram reply that the TT120 track system is going to be added to both HM apps “very shortly”.

Am assuming that means with the next update to the iOS/iPadOS app and the release of the Android app. That’ll occupy many happy hours for some of us on this forum!

[Rallymatt]

I think I know what a future development will be leading on from that too 😁

[david_watts1]

Might be nice for those of us using android to actually get the basic app since I've had my chips for 2 months now.