Big Changes Coming to the O Scale Train Room!?
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- Опубліковано 17 січ 2024
- It’s a new year! And that means New Years resolutions, right? For 2024 we are looking to redo the Lionel and MTH O gauge/ scale 1st layout! Not only redo it, but upgrade it with Atlas O track! Can’t wait to get it installed!
For any of your O gauge needs, whether it be track to trees, make sure to check out Roundhouse South Trains!
roundhousesouth.com
Atlas is the way to go. I dived right into that track without looking back. The switches will make you cry. Like you said, just gather here and there. Always lookin good, keep up the awesome work!
Join the 2 layouts by a drop in section or a lift bridge.that way the door is still accessible.
Keep the Mopar’s and keep Strohs in motion!!!
Center cut out is a good idea. Good job!!
Honestly, I really like your current layout. Not too many structures so you focus on the train itself.
It's your layouts. Do what floats your boat. Enjoy the hobby as you see fit. I always enjoy your videos. 😎👍!
Around the room layout 👍🏻✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
Love the channel, thanks! Please share the Atlas track installation, wiring, etc! It's going to be awesome!
An ambitious makeover plan, Zach. An open centre plan makes a lot of sense for access. It'll be interesting to see how you place the structures on both layouts. In the choice of track, why chose the most expensive? Ross Custom Switches hand makes a more realistic looking track at a lower price. It's advertised in 'O Gauge Railroading Magazine'. Looks great to me, but it's your layout. Anyway, your plans sound great, so I hope you have great success.
I used 2 lionel lift out bridges in my layout and made lift out sections and have a complete walkway through my entire layout
I think you will love the Atlas Track. I use it and I love it myself. Well worth the Price,IMO. Thanks for sharing, Zach
WOW!!! What a Challenge !!! Good Luck!! Thanks for the update! Happy New Year!!
Yeah the atlas switches have been a pain in my ass, the machines break easier than anything I have ever seen in my life
Thanks for sharing looking forward to the new layout 😊😊👍👍
What I would do is connect both layouts together. Starting with a lift up bridge on hinges to connect both layouts. It would be a good double track maybe even a 3 track main. Doing that you may get 0-72 O-80 curves and make the layout basically a tear drop U to give you access to most of the layout
You've really made that MTH track very professional looking and opening the center sounds like an excellent idea I'm just a beginner and I own Lionel FasTrack your MTH track is very sharp
That sounds fantastic and I can’t wait to see the changes. 👍😎
Free my boy Lawson! lol Can't wait to see the changes!
Zach like the new track, maybe someone will donate some track, like what you do.
Still like the idea of Bridging the two upper loops you could either do a lift out Bridge cantilever bridge or a lift bridge thoughts to ponder to ponder have fun my friend
Well, first, your are a model railroader, so the fact that you are crazy isn't in doubt. Second, while I agree you need to have a better way to access all parts of your layout, working from in a doughnut hole, does have its' drawbacks. Following my move last year, I needed to fit a layout into a small square room with a door opening into the room. After many hours of planning and experimenting, I realized I had to have a space within the layout for access and operations. It does work, but to follow a train I have to keep turning around. With trains running in different directions, at least one is out of sight about 30 percent of the time. And, since the layout reaches all four walls, my only options for photography are from the center of the layout, or from the door and a window which make most of one side of the room. Unless I am tightly focused on areas on two sides of the layout, my mid section will be appearing in my videos. Just some areas for you to consider as to make changes.
I thought you were crazy at first, because I was like didn’t you just do the ballast and shrubbery? But when you brought out the atlas, I was like oh, I get it! But yea, I have my train around my room and love it so much. It’s longer and nicer. And by my door I have a removable section so that could solve your sliding door problem. A removable section that can come completely off.
It your gonna make it around the room then make sure you have it so the track over the walkway is hinged
Which that is something you could do anyway to connect the two upper levels, have a couple of switches on both upper portions of the layouts and then have the area over the walkway hinged so that while not in use you still have easy access to the door
YES REDO NICE LAYOUT. NEEDS HELP. DICILPINE SILLY NAUGHTY CATS. THUMBS UP HERE FOR NEW LAYOUT. THANK YOU FOR ALL UR COOL TRAIN VIDEOS. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK. VERY ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE. LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE PROFESSIONAL AND FUN TRAIN VIDEOS. ALWAYS LIKE AT THE FINALY WHEN YOU RAISE YOUR LIQUOR GLASS 🍷 AND SALUD TO ALL!! SALUD TO YOU AND SISTER.😊
Good move to add the accessibility. My current layout has very specific accessibility standards. I like my trains to go far, so I would be connecting your two layouts. Probably with swing gate as I don’t like lift ups or lift outs. The Atlas track is expensive, but boy, do you get an ultra-smooth and quiet ride. My current layout and last one were 100% atlas. Have fun.
Yeah building a way to walk into the middle of the layout is a good idea it'll make maintenance a lot easier especially when an engine derail
hello Zach & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool Thanks Zach Friends Randy
My thoughts are to go with around the room. It's much better.
Very good ideas. You could probably go with O84 on the outer loop. Connecting both layouts could be an option, using a hinged, lift-up section. An open center will grant good access to all of the layout. You probably wouldn't need more than a three foot opening or so, depending on the width of the platforms. Usually, you can reach about four feet over the platforms. My new layout is eight foot wide at its widest, so I don't need an open center. The track will run closer to the edge and the buildings and scenery will be a bit back and towards the center, so I don't dislodge them or knock anything over. This is a change from my old layout, which was around the wall, between four and five feet wide. I was just in the basement taking final measurements and will be using as much of my old bench-work as possible. You have a large undertaking and in the end, it will be worth it. On another note, my cats were never allowed in the train room. My basement is divided into two sections, so it was easy to keep them out. I'm sure that you will find some system that will confound the wayward felines. Good luck and keep the updates coming.
Another thing. If you connect the upper loops on each layout, you could run those big, 21" cars and the Big Boy on a very long section with sweeping curves and they would look incredible. Just a thought.
Thank you!! I do agree completely, a big run for the upper loop would be awesome!! But, can’t fit anything more than O54 on the 2nd layout for the upper loop. This removes the 21” cars from being able to run. Kinda a downer…. Would only be freight cars, or smaller cars. But!… still a plus! Idk, we’ll see… appreciate the feedback!!
Very cool! Good luck to the next phase!
Yes i agree with you open it up. And get riding them rails my boy
Man I am so excited for that project to be unveiled! Gunna be awesome
Me too my man!!
Cool! Can’t wait to see the progress 😊
I'm working on building my Atlas track stock too. I grabbed a full circle of O72 from a buy/sell group for a great price. The switches are hard to find used in good condition for a cheap price.
It’ll be great to see all the changes you make! Always great to see what you’re doing in the hobby!
😊 Cant wait to see whats comin down the track!! I'm sure it will be epic!!!😊
Around the room
Oh wow, this is going to be a huge change. Love your enthusiasm. Cant wait to see how it goes.
Thanks Dave!
Looking forward to seeing your new construction and revamp! You have some awesome ideas!👍👍
Yes, do it the way YOU want it done, looking forward to your updates, Happy New Year
Atlas O track is very nice indeed!!!! For my 24 x36 layout I used GarGraves and Ross track.......these brands are just as nice and cheaper. Thanks
Zach, thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing the new layout. Happy New Year! SR
Happy New Year! 🥃🍻
Your layout looks great
Big change and lots of money!! Been thinking of switching to atlas track from fast track.
You’ll love the atlas track and I like the idea of walking in the center of the layout.
Looking forward to the Atlas O track on the layout Zach.
GREAT VIDEO ZAK JUST DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY OR FLOATS YOUR BOAT IM GOING TO PUT ALL MY FREIGHT CARS AND N SCALE LOCOS ON CONSIGNMENT AT MY LHS WHEN I REBUILD MY N SCALE LAYOUT IT WILL BE 100% AMTRAK COMPLETE WITH A DEPOT SEVERAL PASSING SIDINDS AND A FEW DEAD END SPURS FOR TRAINS YEA ATLAS O SCALE TRACK ROCKS AND YES IT IS EXPENSIVE GOD BLESS HAVE FUN JUST ENJOY YOUR WORK ;-)
About time! Create the around the wall for accessibility and, yes, better closeups for filming. Nothing wrong with using building flats as well! Cant wait to see the progress!
Can’t wait to see
Around the room is the way to go. That’s what I’m doing with mine
You will be very satisfied using Atlas track. Excellent choice.... salute ! 👍
🥃🍻
Great news! I started my layout construction and have it set up in an island configuration with the dimensions of 8x20. I quickly found myself wanting easier access so I’ll be expanding the width by 2 feet (just enough to get in the middle). This way I can easily add scenery, fix things, and re-arrange things. Definitely a great choice! I also was accumulating o gauge tubular track, but have now switched to gargraves tubular and have just been hoarding it as I find it come up for sale. Best of luck on your endeavor. I’ll be watching the videos to follow for some ideas!
What's up!!!!! :)
Hey Zach , go for it bud, I’m sure it will look great ,easy access to layout is a must, I have to do the same to part of mine eventually , if that door wasn’t there it would be awesome to hook up both layouts, definitely need to leave one layout running while working on the other that atlas track will look awesome 👍 hopefully u want lose much scenery it will look awesome my friend when finished, Get her Done so we can see! Hey man great hanging with ya at Tony’s 👍 Thanks,,Eddie
Can't wait until the tear down and rebuild can u put a swing bridge connection with both upper level
Your layout, your call. My experience is this: If done right, the walk-in layout can make your layout appear to be bigger than it really is. Instead of looking like a loop, or loops around a town, you can make it look like the trains leave a town and ventures off to somewhere else before returning, which gives the illusion of it being larger. The downside is, at least for O Scale, is the amount of space certain buildings and accessories take. Even doing the walk-in style layout, you can end up with places (corners) where you may still have to reach a considerable distance to work on things. A suggestion to keep in mind... do below street grade / underground terminal type station, and build your city above it. Kind of like a subway station, but with an exposed side toward the walk-in of the layout. You'll fit more into a space, and it'll give you something new to model. You could do that on one side of the room, and then have the layout transition to the more rural scene on the opposite side of the room. Just some food for thought.
Can't wait to see what's next. I like the idea of accessing from the center. I wish it was something I thought of when building mine. Welcome to the Atlas O side. It's not cheap but it's worth it. If only you could teach the cats to fix the things that they break LOL. I'm a 54,63,72,81 guys myself. Well the 81 is in the process. But good luck thanks for sharing.
I'd still should have a lift bridge and connect the 2 tables
Hey Zac, looking forward to the updates. I’m lucky enough that my cats don’t destroy my layout. They like watching the trains run 🐈🐈 I also have my layout designed around the room with space to walk through in the middle. I’m in the process of switching my track to Gargraves.
Yeah I will be getting mine up and Running Soon ..Then I'll start doing UA-cam Vidoes As Well ..Iam Just Using floor for The Moment 😅...Happy Railroading 😀
Hello Zac, beautiful layout, and I am actually looking to do pretty much the same thing, with creating an access panel in the middle of the layout- however my layout is nowhere near as large in area as yours. What I would also like to do is add an elevation line like your layout has- where did you get the red trestle track which your upper level rests on? I was thinking of making my own from wood but I like the look of yours better. And I feel your pain with the cats, in my case my wife and I have three cats who like to terrorize our layout. but we manage to live with it, cleaning it whenever we can. Looking forward to your revised layout. As they say, a model train layout is never finished. A+++
Wow. Has it been that long since you redid the layout?! Feels like yesterday. Looking forward to seeing the new layout!
For sure doesn’t seem like that long ago. Does it!?
hey Zach at gfw trains wally and george have a round the room layout in the basement with at least 2 doors which have hinged track infront of the access doors using atlas track. not sure how they do it but ive never seen it fail to work in every video.
I love my animals but not around my layout lol.
Try to connect the two scenes in front of the slider using a," steel girder" type of bridge in front of the sliders Draw style. Repurpose the elevated Bridges that you are removing. Obviously you would have to get custom and creative as you always do Zach. A lot of work with not as much investment but you will have a massive run for that big boy. Also add elevation to the far end with your alien scene in the mountains. Sorry to make the wheels spin in the mind, you asked for it!! Just an idea. Can't wait to see what you end up doing.
Great idea, I did that to my layout. Have you thought about making a removable bridge to link the two layouts maybe for the top loop. It would afford you the opportunity for long consist and you will still have access to everything.
How about this for a good change.
Connect the too layouts together with a Hing bridge.
It can be done so if you need to get in the back side you can.
But it's not my place to tell you what to do.
Zach no one tells it like you. I would go for the around the room type layout. I wonder if you could also run a long loop around the walls up by the ceiling? Therefore, you don't have to worry about a bridge and so forth. I would also repurpose the existing bridge. You spent time and money on it so with the investment your making on the change why not try to save a few bucks. I like the move to the Atlas Track. I also understand if you're operating within a budget why RealTrax would be your choice. One question, you mentioned putting the city atop a mountain, does that mean the this new train board will not be flat?
Awsum 🚂👍👍
Accessibility is always a good thing! Seriously consider using Ross/Gargraves track though. I had Atlas for about 5 years and was not impressed at all. I use all Ross now and have no problems whatsoever. My .10
The atlas track also seems to be hard to find in large quantities. I think someday you will wind up with a round the room layout, I’m just not sure how.
On the DT Shortline I have had a center walk way from day one as you get older it is a must I use easy lift bridges with center pins no hinges or are you going to duck under
Zach, if you do go the around the room route, how do you intend to access the middle? Removable/raisable section, or do you just plan to duck under, or something else? Each has advantages and disadvantages, but I would suggest thinking through that part before you commit on a plan.
Thinking of either a tilting or lift out section of the layout up front for access. The tables tall enough to duck under, but know that would get old quick too lol
Just put in a lift bridge brother
Gonna be cool to see the rebuild! Are you reusing the table and cut a big hole in it?
Thanks! Thinking of just rebuilding/making a new table. This one’s not really set up for a hole in the middle
What about a lift bridge between the two layouts?
Sounds like a good idea. I assume you’re going to duck under or have a bridge to flip to go under when you enter the new middle walkway?
Yes, planning to have either a tilting or lift out section up front to gain entry into the middle
Are you able to tell me and other viewers where there’d bridge came from? Perhaps you did in a previous video but I don’t recall which one.
I am looking to add upper levels to my layout and I really like that red bridge loop.
How will you get to the center of the layout…. Duck under or lift-up bridges? Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Either a swivel or lift out section on the front I’m thinking.
Zach, good luck with your redesign I’m sure it will be a lot of work but it will be worth it in the end. Can you tell me where you got the red elevated bridge from I really like that and would like to incorporate an elevated section like that on my layout.
Thanks! I built it outa of 1/2” MDF and bridge side plates from TW Trainworx. Some nice stuff!
@@CountryBunkersTrains Thanks Zach checked out their site. They have some nice stuff. Keep up the videos really enjoy them.
Hi country I’m doing the the same on my layout
I was doing the same in my videos
Hey Zach that's a good idea to redo the layout also if you're interested im selling some of my Lionel cars most of them are modern and im running postwar Lionel and locomotives my name is Bill Harvey
“U” or “L” shape would make more sense. Crawling under the table or lift ups sucks. Joining the two tables together might be against code for blocking a door. What is benefit of atlas track vs the tracks you have? Tracks you have look nice. Myself I would like all around access to trains. It appears access to windows and walk around are not obtainable with basic rectangle without size reduction. Sorry I have no other suggestions.
Make it so you can get in the middle.
Where did you get that bridge or did you make it yourself?
Is the two car garage yours? Move the layout out there.............
Is the big red bridge for sale
I really appreciate your visionary ideas for this project but don't u think it time too buil or buy a outdoor building that you can have ac an heat so u build a monster layout
Once the lotto ticket hits, for sure! 😂🤣 already got the building for it, but man is insulation, finishes, and everything else expensive…
@@CountryBunkersTrains I've got a 12x20 shed temp control and lighting comes fully equipped 3 thousand dollars both of your layouts would fit easily into it
Do What ya Gotta Do.cats Please Stay Off.
Can I run a Big Boy around 042 track? Snug fit but is it doable?
A semi scale one can, absolutely!
@@CountryBunkersTrains , you say semi scale, but what does that equate to in inches long?
@@robertcornelius3514 meaning not “full scale”. For MTH would be a Railking model. For Lionel would be a LionChief model. Both of these are “semi scale” (not full scale/ 1:48 size and) but can handle O31 curves. I’m not sure how many inches long they are.
The problem with this hobby is it will never be done. There’s constantly new ideas and room for improvement
maybe add a web cam so your followers can watch as you go.
you just build a lift out section
Could never understand why people think it's cool to have their cat walk all over their layout.😬🙄 As they say each unto themselves, not my monkey not my zoo. I would suggest don't spend to much time on details and get that track layed and enjoy the running time.👍😁