Clover Street Railroad
Train magazines are filled with "high rail" layouts, that fill whole rooms with realistic, accurately scaled landscapes. By contrast, my "low rail" layout fits on a 4x8 foot table top, and is designed to maximize interaction and play, rather than realism. It was assembled over a weekend using Lionel Fastrack on a cheap artificial grass carpet from Lowes. Accessories are all track-powered. TMCC is included for the engines but not for the switches or accessories.
- This layout features inner and outer loops, a (one way) reversing loop, plus a bump-n-go trolley line. All switches and accessories use track power and the engines are TMCC controlled. Because no one makes a TMCC trolley, I installed a rheostat in a Lionel bump-n-go trolley so that it moves slowly at full 18v track voltage.
- Two trains plus a trolley can run simultaneously.
- Accessories include K-Line Mainstreet buildings, a K-Line passenger station, the new K-Line by Lionel snap together factory and fire station, an MTH beacon tower, a postwar Lionel operating switch tower, a Lionel operating gantry, and a K-Line operating freight platorm.
- Engines are a K-Line Shay, a K-Line semi-scale 4-6-2 steam loco, and a K-Line EP-5. Rolling stock includes Lionel log cars, Lionel slag cars, a Lionel operating crane car, and a K-line operating milk car.
<