New 00 Gauge Layout Ideas

[myth3_16]

Hello Everyone,

Long time user here. I've got lots of N gauge stuff but my Father-in-Law is gifting me all of his 00 Gauge model railway trains, track, buildings etc.

He has not long turned 80 years old and now feels that he cannot continue climbing into the loft to run his layout. Unfortunately, I don't have the same amount of space as he has in his loft so I'm going to have to cut back on the layout ideas. As I said before I've been in the process of getting my N gauge layout up and running for the past 5 years but it's just not come to fruition yet. Got to make some room in one of the rooms in my house.

It's not feasible for me to build in our loft as it is very cold up there and I can't afford to get it properly insulated so that I can spend time up there building the layout. I have come up with an idea though.

For the baseboard I've thought about using 4 x 4ft by 2ft boards in a square with a hole in the middle so the board will in effect be 6ft by 6ft square with a 2ft x 2ft access hole in the middle. I've got the Anyrail program but I'm just not feeling creative at the moment. What 00 gauge stuff would I be able to fit into this space? I've not got any 00 gauge track plan books, all I have is N gauge ones. I know that N gauge track plans can probably be adapted to 00 gauge.

Your thoughts are very much welcome. The engines he's got are mainly steam engines but he does also have some 0-6-0 and 0-4-0 engines too so I'm thinking some sort of double mainline around the outside with a goods loop around the inside near the inside access hole. I'm hoping to get an incline with a viaduct and also a tunnel. Is this doable or am I just flying with the fairies?

Look forward to your responses.

Many Thanks,

Brett

[Mountain]

How about this? It is a well known and clever track plan.
8
https://www.osbornsmodels.com/peco-setr ... 2372-p.asp

I would use straight points to do it if you can find a suitable trackplan as it would avoid de-railments and to me it looked better with the normal points rather then use curved points.

One can make it double track but I feel that it has charm as it is in its branchline form.