Know-how 4 min read
Wooden train track plans: 6 layouts with a parts list
Six wooden train track plans, from the circle to the oval with a station, each with a parts list and the floor space it needs.
by Georg Wächter
Once the first circle from the starter set is running, someone soon asks: what do we build next? Here are six wooden train track plans. Each one comes with a parts list and the floor space the layout needs. All six are starter ideas from Trackplanner Kids, and the app has checked every joint.
Which pieces the plans use
The plans use the common size shared by wooden railways. In Trackplanner this is the standard wooden railway library, Holzeisenbahn (Standard). Four pieces come up again and again:
- long straight, 21.6 cm
- medium straight, 14.4 cm
- mini straight, 5.4 cm
- big curve, 45°. Eight of them make a circle.
Some plans add a switch, a crossing or a buffer stop. Every straight and every curve has a peg at one end and a hole at the other. If peg and hole don't meet, turn a curve over. A switch has three ends, a buffer stop only one. The crossing has two lines: one has two pegs, the other two holes. Track compatible with BRIO® has the same dimensions as the standard size (BRIO data sheet).
What can we build with the starter set?
That depends on what is in your box. Count the big curves and the straights and compare them with the parts lists below. Eight big curves make the circle. Add four long straights and you have the oval. For everything else, the parts list shows what is missing.
Circle and oval
The circle. 8 big curves, 8 pieces in total. Floor space: 44.4 × 44.4 cm.
The oval. 4 long straights and 8 big curves, 12 pieces in total. Floor space: 87.6 × 44.4 cm. Two straights go on each long side.
Long oval for the hallway. 12 long straights and 8 big curves, 20 pieces in total. Floor space: 174 × 44.4 cm. The oval gets longer but stays narrow, so it fits in a hallway or along a wall.
Layouts with a switch
Oval with a siding. 5 long straights, 1 medium straight, 9 big curves, 1 left switch and 1 buffer stop, 17 pieces in total. Floor space: 102 × 56.2 cm. The siding branches off at the switch and ends at the buffer stop.
Oval with a station. 4 long straights, 1 medium straight, 2 mini straights, 10 big curves, 1 left switch and 1 right switch, 19 pieces in total. Floor space: 109.2 × 60.1 cm. Between the two switches there are two tracks side by side. One train waits there while the other one passes.
The figure eight
Figure eight. 1 crossing, 4 medium straights and 12 big curves, 17 pieces in total. Floor space: 101.5 × 44.4 cm. The crossing sits in the middle, where the trains cross over.
Changing the plan
If a piece is missing or the room has a different shape, change the starter idea in the app. You lay the track on the tablet, look at it in 3D and enter the size of the room. The parts list keeps count of the pieces the layout needs. There is more on the toy trains page and on the wooden railway page.
Frequently asked questions
Do the plans work with BRIO® track?
Yes. The BRIO® pieces have the same dimensions as the standard size. So far the BRIO library only has straights and the big curve. Take switches, the crossing and the buffer stop from the standard size in the app.
Are there plans with a bridge?
Not yet. The dimensions of the bridge pieces are not confirmed, so they are not in the library. The ramp is already there: 21.6 cm long, it lifts the track by 6.4 cm.
Which layout needs the least space?
The circle, at 44.4 × 44.4 cm. If the space is long and narrow, the long oval for the hallway fits at 174 × 44.4 cm. It is no wider than the circle.
Where can I print the parts list?
In Trackplanner Kids. Open a starter idea, and the parts list shows every piece with its count.