Hey Kirt, Long time no see. Are things still going smoothly? You might have this thing completely finished with scenery and everything by now if you kept working at the pace you were in the spring.
not much more done...i have put plywood on all of the benchwork. It is starting to get cold here so i will be back at it soon.
a few questions: 1. Does anyone know how to save an xtrakcad file as a jpeg? 2. I was going to use atlas code 80 flex for this layout but the unitrak looks nice. If I used the unitrak, would I at least be close to breaking even when you factor in the roadbed, ballast and other materials for the flextrack? any opinions are welcome.
Hi Kirt, The only way I know how to get a jpeg is to export a BMP and convert it in Photoshop or MS Paint. Unfortunately, without Photoshop (or equivalent) the image quality will drop terribly as the BMP format is different than the standard jpeg. You need to convert what is called the "mode" before converting the format. If you like, you're welcome to just send me the BMP and I can simply convert it for you. As for cost of Unitrack vs Flex, Unitrack is going to be much higher than flex, even after you factor in roadbed and ballast. Plus, chances are, you'll want to ballast over the unitracks prefab ballast too. The major advantage of unitrack is the time it will save you. You could set up your entire layout with unitrack in a matter of hours instead of proabably a week out to a few months to lay flex, depending on how quickly you work. My own formula for deciding which track to use is as follows. Code 80 Flex: Cheapest option Most relyable Flex option Basic trackwork skill required average prototypical visual appeal Unitrack: Most expensive option Most relyable of all track Quickest assembly No trackwork skill required Poor prototypical visual appeal Code 55 Flex Average expense, cheaper than Unitrack, slightly higher than C80 flex Requires slightly higher track work skill Excellent prototypical appeal Incompatable with some older, large flange wheels..(but replacements are available, which also increase the visual appeal (and performance) of rolling stock as well)
Just a note about the conversion, it sounds like PNG will provide the best results in this case as it is significantly superior at preserving sharp lines (ie fonts or track plans). JPG will most certainly splash a lot of compression artifacts all along the track lines and descriptive texts. Try both and compare. Alright, im done.
Thanks mark and virgule. Ok, I am messing around with the xtrackcad program and I have drawn out what benchwork I have built so far. This next image shows a plan that was designed for me a while back and is close to what i am looking to do. (Thanks Mystere) In the photos I have shown of my room earlier in this thread, I have thin ply on top of the benchwork framing. I think I am going to take that off and cut 3/4" ply to follow the trackplan and attach it with cleats. It will give me more flexibility in construction. I may also add the center section that is shown in the second plan.
Hi Kirt, I got your e-mail and played around a little this afternoon with some yard designs based loosely on the reference you provided. I was a little worried about tight fit depth wise, but I see you have extended the benchwork out 6 inches, so thats good. Here's what I came up with off the top of my head. Top long tracks are the main yard, lower right is the engine facility tracks and I guess the lower left could be a transfer or classification yard. To be honest, I only assume I know what that is, so I could be totally off on the classification yard. Nonetheless, it's a usable collection of tracks
Thanks mark...I can't figure out how to make the yard ladders on xtrak. Do you have to add a small section of track between the turnouts?
No, you can connect turnouts directly to turnouts. Are you using sectional templates, like the Unitrack or Atlas library? While you have a track section active (before you hit space to fix it) You can tap the shift key to rotate its position and target connection edge.
Glad to see you're getting the hang of xtrkcad. It's a tough program to pick up, especially working with flex. For the yard design, think about which track will be your through main lines and which will branch off to the yard. The general rule of thumb I use is keep the main line clean. Basically just use as few turnouts on the main line as possible. After that, you have a huge amount of freedom when it comes to yard planning. I would also take some time to play with xtrkcad's "run trains" option, where you can run virtual trains over your plan. This puts you in the engineer's seat to help weed out impractical track arrangements.
Thanks mystere....Here is what I have come up with so far.... Anyone got any comments, suggestion, criticism???? All is welcomed...
Been lurking and following this thread for a while. Looking good. If you need any help converting hand drawn to xtrkcad, let me know. I have it figured out pretty much.
