ok Finally got the RTS program to work and track to line up filled in and color coded this bitmap of my layout design. this will be on a 74 x 48 inch table top [ 25. January 2004, 01:25: Message edited by: Wolv_Cub ]
changed it to JPG Hmm,, I have had cable so long I forget to change things so they will load faster for others
The layout will be N-scale. Most of the curves are 9 3/4 inches; there are a few 19-inch radius curves. The yard if I have things measured out right will have a loco maintenance building, a car shop, refueling station. The siding on the other side of the layout will have a coaling station and water tower along with maybe another industry. The riverfront will have an industry or two. The spur line on to the mountain will possibly be a coalmine. A town area on the other side of the mountain will be something close to the small town I grew up in. The bridge section over the lake to the mountain I want to build a wood trestle bridge I have discussed wooden trestles before I know they can be difficult but I really think a wooden bridge there would go really good there. The era for my layout I have not fully decided if it will be about the end of the transition time from steam to diesel or if it will diesel and the steam loco will be a restoration project by a historical society. As it is right now I only have the foothill section glued down and graded for the most part I still need to check the % of the grade and book I got the basis for my layout doesn’t really discuss how to figure the grade %, it more or less tells you what size risers to use.(which I do not have yet) The book I am using for the basis of my layout is N-scale model railroad that grows Publish by Kalmbach books, authors Kent Wood and Ric LaBan I have modified the layout to suite my needs and fit what I want.
Hi Allen May I make a few suggestions? These only apply if you are like me and want operations on your layout. If your thing is the pleasure of building the layout, or working on the structures and details, and running trains for the fun of running them - then ignore me. If you want to work like a real railroad, then I have some thoughts for you: Three loops won't give you the sense of the train going somewhere as much as one folded mainline would. In N scale on a table this size you have tons of room for climbing enough to fold back over itself. Some sort of figure-eight for example. Where would the trains go? you can have only one town and all other destinations are "virtual", represented by staging track(s) or interchanges (that's what I have done on mine), or you have enough room to have two ends of a line: maybe a town at one end and a big industry at the other. Will you be operating multiple trains at once? either for the fun of seeing busy traffic, or for the social aspect of having a few mates around for an operating session. If so, gotta think about the interaction between switching activity and through traffic. In particular, can two through trains pass? can a loco switch the yard without blocking the main? (I think the yard throat on your design crosses another mainline track?) next, think about storage: where do you stash a caboose while you are making up a train? where do idle locos ... er ... idle? Will your table be against a wall or do you have access to all sides. I can only reach about 2'6" when the table is at 4' and I can reach 3' max when the table is lower, say 3' high. So a 4' table against the wall has access limitations. You can put in an access trapdoor, angle the table away from the wall a bit to pop up at one corner (what i have done), or even put the table on skids or wheels so you can pull it out from the wall. But all those strategies are for emergencies only, not for regular operations. Now, finally to answer your question re gradients. Sounds like you want to measure the actual gradient on the table as compared to just calulating a theoretical grade. Get a straight edge and a level. Put one end of the straight edge at the highest point. Hold the other end over the lowest point. Make sure the straight edge is level. Measure how high is it above the lowest point. Call that H Next use a flexible tape to measure how long the track is between the two points. Call that L Make sure H and L are measured in the same units Your gradient is 100 x H / L as a percentage. Eg if the track climbs 3" over 8' of track, then 8' is 96", so it is 100x3/96 = 3.12%, which is about as steep as you want a grade to be. Actually it will be steeper in the middle, as your grades need to transition: you don't want a sharp bend as the base goes from steep to flat, you need a more gradual change of gradient.
Yes you may, and I am looking for suggestions, which is why I posted my layout, as it is not set in stone other than the foothill section has been started. Shown by these link to pictures of the foothill section foothill over view foothill side view The layout I choose leaves options for adding more modules later right now the room I am using is quite full and I will have access to 2 sides all the time but I can move part of the layout away from the wall if I need to. The tabletop stands 2 inches short of 3 feet, right at my waist level. I am interested in operations, being this is my first attempt at a layout I am not sure about what operations I should try at this time, but I can change a few things to add some simple ones, as I am still gathering supplies to kick this design off. Right now I only have some of the track I need and have a short oval loop to just run the trains and testing, I have been gathering needed supplies for the last 3 years. its has been slow due to the fact first daughter was a surprise slowed me down a bit, second daughter was an even bigger surprise and slowed down my plans even more. My wife is returning to work and I can now start working on the layout again. At this point I think I need to explain a bit about myself I am an EMT and started this as a stress relief in the time I have been putting the actual layout work off I have been weathering my rolling stock and putting the buildings together and painting them when I have had time and thought about it. As far as control, I plan on a dual cab control set up so that I can have a couple of trains operating in different sections at one time. The throat for my yard actually passes under a bridged section to the mountain loop, I was actually looking at the yard throat and noticed that I may have room to put another switch section right next to the throat branch off the main line and put another access to the yard and possible staging. The town side loop will pass through a tunnel that passes under the mountain. As far as storage I do not plan on leaving the trains or rolling stock on the layout as I have a 2 year old and 1 year old presently and the train room is also the home office/computer room, and I can not totally limit access. I was thinking of an under the table storage or staging as for right now I am using 2 saw horses that the table top is secured to and I am in the process of looking for a house. Once I get more permanent residence I plan to build a better leg system. The switching controls I plan to use a combination of powered switches and lever controlled switches. [ 28. January 2004, 13:53: Message edited by: Wolv_Cub ]
Hi Allen Me to I'm starting my first layout (in 25 years - i had one as a teenager). I'm also doing it for stress control - i'm in IT and work 50-60 hour weeks, and my wife just got thru the big C. I've just started buying and I've started the framing too - see my other posts. You have an advantage with some of your buildings and stock already bought. i know my plan is going to suffer when I buy some structure that doesn't fit So i'm talking from the experience of heaps of armchair modelling, no real experience but I figure just an objective eye and another set of thoughts helps (so if you want to return the compliment check out mine ) OK stand by the table and try to re-rail an imaginary bit of rolling stock on some of the far away track. You can have inaccessible turnouts if you do a real good job of them - me I'm not taking the risk, Seems I've mis-read the plan and you only have two loops, one of them elevated over other track and going round twice. But that still leaves the smaller loop - doesn't do anything does it? operations-wise I mean. What's the purpose? why does a train go there? Riverfront sounds exciting: docks, cranes, model boats. Fish packers. Bung some sidings in so you can switch it. put in one or two more industries around the place what is the passing siding up the back for? make it staging representing the rest of the line: maybe expand it to three or four tracks (I know you have the little kids but they can't reach that far back and in a couple of years they'll be less of a threat) Elaborate the yard a bit: service facilities: engine shed, coal and water, or oil and sand, depending on your era. Put a switch lead on the yard so you can put a train together without going on the main. think seriously about DCC. I know it looks expensive but it isn't so bad when you consider the cost of block-control switches and wiring, and if you are going to do it, better to do it from the start than try to do a big conversion later. the starter kits are a couple of hundred bucks. For example, All you need is the Digitrax Zephyr, as its Jump Ports allow you to attach two cheapie 12v controllers to give you three cabs total. You don't need walkaround for a layout that size so the fixed Zephyr box is just fine. And forget Soundtraxx, buy the cheapie decoders, eg MRC if you have to. me i make a bit of money so i'm using Digitrax decoders and hope to buy all steam locos with sound fitted. Write a story about your railroad. What does it do? Why is it there? where is it? what's around it etc etc have you checked out some of the planning advice on the Web? this is one of my favourites. One of my countrymen (I'm Kiwi and Aussie) has good advice here is one more superb source of info, especially Schumaker's "Model railroad Operations" cheers Rob
I reworked the yard a bit. Looking at the yard from left to right. The first branch off in the yard will be the car shop. The second branch will be the loco maintenance shop and refueling sanding etc. The wall side of the lay where the siding in brown will be a steam engine coaling station water tower and another sanding building. The spur near the yard will be a coalmine and the mountaintop is supposed to be the divider for the layout. The other spur and I may add more spurs there; I have not fully decided what I will use as my river front industry or industries. The tunnel portion of the layout is supposed to be part of the main exp; the train will leave from its’ departure point travel around the mainline loop once pass through the town and switch to the tunnel loop and once out the other side pass through the town again simulating going through another town and back on to the mainline, basically it is there for my amusement, give the idea of a longer route than what is actually on the layout and to give me some practice at playing with scenery. Also once I wire according to the book directions it will give me a place to side a train while I am running operations on the other side of the layout, that is the reason the book gives for the loop there. The other loop or highline its purpose is to get to the mining spur and leave a place to leave something going there if I want to run some operation on the other side of the mainline. As for the story line of my layout I have a number of ideas but I do not plan on going into that till I get enough supplies to start something more than a tabletop loop of about 3 feet I am a work in progress thinker I considered DCC, but decided against it if things would drop considerably in price I may think about it later, but if I change to DCC I will probably redo the whole layout, besides I have almost every thing I need except for a few switches, that I can pick at a local electronics shop for about $2.00 each or less depending on how many I buy at a time, or what they have gotten in stock or over stock I should say.
Cool, I get it. The loops are a holding pattern for trains, so they keep running. Something for me to think about.... Best of luck. Keep us posted Cheers Rob
The Track fairy was kind to me, got enough track to atleast lay most of the track plan out and see where things will fit. The river may not have enough room but time will tell if not just gives me that much more room for other industries. the yard I will have to wait til I can get some more switches and try to fit things in better From the Overview you can see that I will have room for a number of things while a few areas will be tight but should give me enough to do with scenery and some operations actually I celebrated by bringing out the Engines and rolling stock so see how things went. So far not too bad as, I progress and can change out the rapido couplers for MT couplers I will have to work on makeing sure they match up found a few coupler would not line up to stay coupled as the train went up and down grades. Hmm get one thing solved and a few more things pop up [ 06. February 2004, 02:54: Message edited by: Wolv_Cub ]
