Congratulations. I was like Block, then realized you are running DC/DCC, plus I think some DCC exclusive people wire with a few blocks. I think? At some point I have to figure out the DPDT main to program track switch thing, or just buy that NCE thingy? But that is a long way off.
My plan is to continue wiring the blocks and then turnouts for the running track that's flat on the surface of the HCDs. That'll allow me to run trains. The yard and engine terminal will be worked last. Next up will be the raised track segment, which provides an alternate mainline route. That portion will take some time, having to engineer track support for the grades and all. At least that's my plan.
Well, enough of the blocks are finally wired so that I can run a train around the oval portion of the layout that has no raised track. The only thing that messed me up was that I incorrectly wired the reverse section polarity, but that was a fairly quick fix. While doing that I had a dead short and assumed trouble was compounding. As happens, an idle screwdriver decided that it would be amusing to quietly rest on both rails. I think @BNSF FAN had this happen on the JPT Sub too. I plan to glue down my Unitrack, but only with a very light touch of Aleene's Tacky Glue here and there. I don't want to forever bond the track in place in case there's trouble or if I want to make a change. @BNSF FAN 's experience finds that thin seepage of glue under the track from scenery projects provided sufficient strength. I'll see how it goes and if I need to add a bit more glue here and there, it's okay. The layout is in a temperature controlled room.
One weird problem surfaced on the backside of the layout where my locomotive died several times on a (Kato) No. 6 switch, like the power wasn't reaching the rails between the points and the frog. It did it several times, but now I can't get it to repeat. Some of my stuff has sat for several years, so maybe it just needed a little use. I may swap it out just to be sure. Another reason I don't want to solidly glue my track down.
I am a member of the "Accidentally Leave a Screwdriver Across the Track and Wonder What the Hack is Wrong Club", too. Congrats on getting trains going. Doug
The evil screwdriver short! Those just sneak up on you. It's funny now but it wasn't at the time. Glad I could be of service on the glue idea. So far, I have had no movement in my track with only the ballast glue seepage and other ground cover glue seepage holding the track in place. Almost 3 years now and going strong!
Always expect the unexpected. You know as soon as you decide to heavily glue it down, a problem will arise? At least this way you have a chance of simple repair. Good luck.
One of the frustrations about buying track for a model railroad is that regardless of how carefully I plan, I build an inventory of items I thought I needed, but don't. With each revision of my Unitrack plan, I end up with surplus left hand switches and must buy right handers. Curves too, with too much of some and none of another. And these things always come to light just after I place an order. I mentioned in the weekend plans thread that despite track planning software, ya never know how things will settle out until you start to run trains and work the layout.
That's why I'm in the prototype stage, with viaducts, etc. that will be replaced with ground-level Unitrack on stacked/shaved foam terrain (after I'm happy with the way it operates). I can pull the ground level Unitrack pieces out of the viaduct frames and re-use them in the final (?!) layout. Don't worry, I've still got a decent inventory of Unitrack which has, and may yet, come in handy!
I did one better--I wired a feeder into a crossover incorrectly and couldn't figure out why it was shorting when I powered the DCC system up...
I'm happy with my decision to use glue sparingly in fixing my Unitrack in place. It doesn't take but a few drops every foot or so and it's very solid. If I commit to rearranging track, I think it'll come up without ruin. I'll need to drill two new holes for the turnout wires and maybe fill one where the old turnout was ..... when I get my two turnout$ ordered. No track feeders need to be added or changed. I'll lose ~ 20% of my yard capacity, going from 39 cars to 31, but my engine terminal will be much improved, with more capacity and better flexibility. Those of us with space and/or budget limitations all deal with balancing one thing vs another in layout design. To gain one thing, you must give up part of another.
That's why I have abandoned a drawn out planning stage and pretty much dive right in, laying track, after I get an idea in my head as to what I generally want. Doug
Why I have so much Atlas track over the years. You are not alone I don't think? No matter what track you buy, Kato, Atlas, Peco, etc... Same here, kind of like a puzzle is how I figure out my layout plan. And it changes so often, it's crazy. I think after almost a year I have it the way I like it, till I add something again
The thing with extra track when you are all done building it...you can always sell the leftovers on TB Swap meet. Then just sit by your layout with your favorite beverage...smile..and watch trains run...JS
I think that can work pretty well with hand-laid or flex track, but sectional track has less operating tolerance, and is often laid out manually by simply finding what appears to fit. I would worry that some suspect joints between sectional track pieces, that appear to fit, would be more likely to cause problems later. I run a train in XTrackCAD on my layout design iterations to "test drive" them (for feel and appearance), including their sidings, yards, etc. Other layout packages allow this too. I've found (by trying to replicate in XTC a track plan I had already built) that sometimes just because a sectional track layout seems to fit fine on the physical layout, doesn't mean it truly fits correctly and works reliably. XTC has limits (which you can customize, but be very careful) on how much it can fudge when you use the "Connect Two Tracks" feature to close a loop, etc. This keeps me honest... It's also pretty easy to get the XY coordinates (in your choice of units) of several critical track joints, and mark/check those on the layout, so you make sure you're actually recreating the trackage as planned and checked in XTC. This is especially important if you, like I, rotate your track plan a little in the layout, making it much easier to unknowingly distort your carefully checked track plan during construction. I like to slightly rotate my track plans in their rectangular layout spaces, simply because it looks more natural to me. Did I mention I like watching auto racing on road courses much better than on ovals? That spills over into my favorite track plans...
