# Help with Designing First Layout!



## RailRider777 (Aug 11, 2015)

So, long story short I am just now able to se up my first HO scale layout in my older brother's basement of his house. I need help coming up with Layout designs. I have 2 candidates so far, but I want to see what others come up with. Here's what I have: 
-24 Bacmann E-Z 18 inch radius curves
-4 Bacmann E-Z 9 inch straight pieces.

Of course, i'm sure I could talk my parents into buying me a few more straight pieces as I can pick them up for about a dollar each. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Railrider

As you have found, there is not much you can do but make a circle or
an oval with those track sections. Turnouts and crossings are what lets you be creative in
your track plans but you also need more track sections to make use
them.

Look at some of the other posts on this and the other layout forum and
you'll see numbers of track designs that might interest you.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

As Don said, your choices are pretty limited, especially if your track acquisition options are limited to a couple more straight pieces.

You could probably get a limited "twice around" loop going with what you have (24 curve pieces will make 2 complete circles). You really didn't give us any indication of how much space you have available, and what shape it is, so it's hard to say more than that.

Can you give us some indication of your space constraints, as well as your ability to acquire other pieces of track and building materials?

Also, just something you might want to consider: quality of track pieces. I'm seeing STEEL EZ track for about $2.00 each (in 4 packs); the Nickel Silver stuff is more like $2.75 (again, sold in 4 packs). I see sale pricing for the steel track in the $1.00 range, but be warned: steel track's only virtue is that it's cheap. It doesn't conduct electricity that well, and corrodes easily (into a corrosion product that is non-conductive). Nickel silver (usually abbreviated "NS" on websites) is much better quality, and in this hobby, you definitely get what you pay for.


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