NVT To Go, a portable SM32/O27 layout

[drewzero1]

With the Christmas tree track put away for the season and the outdoor NVT still too snowed over to repair, I've been setting up and taking down sectional track on the floor every time I want to play trains or test a piece of equipment. After setting up the same oval of O27 tubular track for the third or fourth time I thought it might be fun to put it on a board for easier setup and wire it for running the vintage Lionel stuff too.

Screenshot_20260212-180241.jpg (404.2 KiB) Viewed 433 times

I started with measuring the oval I had. A circle of 27" radius track elongated by two straight pieces on each side, a bit tight for some of my larger stock but most things that can handle the tight curves on the outdoor Nolwyn should run at least as well on this. The overall dimensions were a bit smaller than 48"x28", and I happened to have a slightly damaged half sheet of OSB that I'd found lying in the middle of the road last fall, so I started with that. I cut it into an oval plus a bit for two Lionel UC/RC control boxes on two of the corners, and added a cutout for a handle.

Screenshot_20260212-180305.jpg (436.07 KiB) Viewed 433 times

I picked up some 3/4" #4 screws to fix the track to the board, and at the moment I'm looking into carpet or felt to cover the board for ground cover and sound dampening. I don't plan to have any permanent structures, but instead to leave some space in the middle for the kids to arrange structures and scenery each time we play with it. (And to allow for different scale scenery to be used for 16mm vs. O-gauge operation, if desired.)

[drewzero1]

Testing with some track spiked down, the board really makes a difference in rigidity for this beat-up old tubular track.

Screenshot_20260212-222553.jpg (376.43 KiB) Viewed 424 times

Thinking of trying to fit a manual turnout on one of the straightaways, but I seem to have put both of my turnouts somewhere so safe I can't find them at the moment.

Screenshot_20260212-222737.jpg (401.9 KiB) Viewed 424 times

I misremembered earlier about the dimensions- I added an inch to the radius on each end to have a little more room around the edge. The board is actually 48x30 inches, with a 15 inch radius on the curved end.

[ge_rik]

Looks promising, Drew.

Rik

[drewzero1]

Thanks, Rik. I've made a bit more progress in stapling down some astroturf for grass... It's a bit of an unnatural look, but suitable for the exaggerated, oversaturated style of a lot of tinplate O gauge toy trains. (Maybe it will make my toyish garden railway models look more realistic by comparison?)

Screenshot_20260224-074644.jpg (429.24 KiB) Viewed 297 times

Before stapling down the turf I suddenly remembered to do a quick test of transportability and with the curved end it rotates just right into place in the back of my car, with room underneath for kid stuff, work stuff, and a few pieces of railway stock to run on it.

Screenshot_20260224-074706.jpg (320.2 KiB) Viewed 297 times

And with the turf and track attached it fits fine, and gives me some ideas that might make road trips more interesting. (Just try not to stop the car too quickly or you might get hit by a runaway train!)

Screenshot_20260224-083022.jpg (415.19 KiB) Viewed 297 times

[Peter Butler]

That's what estate cars are for!

[drewzero1]

That's what estate cars are for!

So true! My last three cars have been wagons and at this point I can't imagine driving anything else. I transport work equipment a lot, plus kid stuff, plus other random junk I come across. Now that I've got kids using the backseat most of the time the rear cargo space becomes a lot more valuable, since the carseats stop the rear seat from folding down.

I think I've seen yours somewhere on here... A Volvo, right? I have a soft spot for Swedish cars (my perennial project car is a SAAB) and test drove an XC70 a few years ago. I'm still considering it someday but hanging on to my inherited Subaru as long as I can keep it running.

Tonight I had a little mixed-scale running on the board, testing out some coal wagons I've been working on. Two of them still need floors and the wheels could use a bit of fettling, but I think they fit the look I was going for.

Screenshot_20260301-202956.jpg (446.74 KiB) Viewed 194 times

Some of my smaller stock might pass for O scale if one isn't too picky about the details. (And in general, this one isn't.) So I thought I'd see what a handful of small wagons would look like being pulled behind an O-gauge locomotive.

Screenshot_20260301-203738.jpg (407.61 KiB) Viewed 194 times

I might need to add an O scale brake van to my to-build list, and keep my eye out for a more convincing goods locomotive...