Hobbies And Interests
Basic Loop
A circle of track is easy to make with just a few pieces, and if you have straight sections, you can widen the track further. Start with a circle, then add a straight between the curved pieces. If you add more straights to one side, and fewer to the other, you will build an oval.
Figure Eight
Using a cross-shaped junction, or the base of the clock tower piece from one GeoTrax set, attach straight sections to all of the corners, then join the two pairs of neighboring tracks to create a figure-eight loop. You can replace the cross junction with a bridge, and build a second section of track beneath the first.
The Pretzel
Using a pair of junctions or switches, you can make a whole new layout. Lay out some track in the shape of a pretzel, starting with a figure-eight, and adding two switches which you can join on the same side. This gives your train a number of directions to go before retracing its tracks.
Sidings
Real-world trains sometimes need to take a break, and they will do so on sidings. Next to a straight section of track, place a switch, and then a second straight section that's parallel. However, don't connect this track to anything. These parallel sections of tracks are called sidings, and are like a parking space for trains. Add these to your tracks.
Homemade Trestle
A trestle is a type of bridge support often found on railroad tracks. You can build your own using 1/4-inch wood. Attaching one of these to your track gives you a whole new level of possibilities, especially because it is much taller than the rest of your track.
Attached Loops
Build a branch from your existing lay-out by adding a switch junction. Then, after a few sections of track, add a simple loop. Use this loop to make a second station, or attach a play set piece. Try to use the various GeoTrax themes, and create little areas attached to your main set-up which follow a new theme--for example, send your trains from their world into a Christmas world, or to Radiator Springs from the Pixar movie "Cars."