I've been here chatting back and forth with you and was neither offended, nor did I think it was obnoxious, just so's you know. And I'd go with bumper C, if it was my layout. The welded-rail type bumper looks the best.
PW&NJ Thank you kindly. I know the track isn't prototypical, but figured may as well get the one that seems best for the era. In case you haven't been told lately >>> You da man! *chuckle*
Well, I sure hope I'm finished with this layout. I'm all fiddled out I think. Been playing with it too long, tweaking things. The only layout that gets used is the one that's built. I looked over the one corner in the living room & guess what? It's the correct size for this layout. So, it looks like I have my spot. I just have to build it a little higher than I otherwise would. I'll still be fine though, I will still have plenty of room to reach everything. I'll now post what I think is the final deal. And now ... for your viewing pleasure, I'll post a link to a cute little video that I saw from another forum. It's very entertaining! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNRbocWYA5M&feature=share Enjoy! *waves insanely on the way out the door*
David, With the double crossover, you will want to have feeders on both the inner and outer loops. The double x-over does not route power. You will want to do that for either DC or DCC. I assume you are going DC, with your concern for total cost up front. You do not need to buy additional Kato feeder track, or feeder unijoiners, if you don't want to. It is very simple to solder feeder wires to the underside of Unitrack. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your plan for a small layout. What matters is that you will enjoy watching the trains run.
hawk I didn't know those existed. Good to know as I tried taking out a piece of the inner track to replace with a feeder. It comes out a fraction too short. So it looks like when I place an order I'll see if they have that. If not, I found a site that shows how to do it yourself. You got me curious so I did a search. http://sites.google.com/site/josephbales/unitrackfeedertutorial
We have an active Unitrack group here on TB -- lots of good and detailed information and advise available there, plus a lot of info in the N-scale forum here. Don't worry if the parts don't match perfectly in AnyRail, too. You have a lot of margin in attaching unitrack peices together.
RBrodzinsky Thank you for passing that along to me. I will look into that later in the day when I return from errands.
Been a long while since I've spent any time on here. Mother's health keeps deteriorating. About 9 things wrong with her and I am her primary caregiver. The cancer specialist fully believes her mass in her abdomen is cancer from his experience reading the MRI's, cat scans, blood work. She's losing weight, depressed, has little energy, and gets exhausted easily. I am experiencing some of my own health issues. This being said, I have my 30"x48" HCD in the corner of my living-room waiting on me. I have about $150 saved that I can part with for my Kato UniTrack. I've forgotten half of what my plans were until I located this old thread to read over again to refresh my memory. I'd really like to place an outer oval to have a train running gently while I play with a little switcher on an inside track and a spur or two. One day I hope to go DCC for some greater flexibility. I still prefer to keep one side half of the layout open for the winter wonderland scene with a frozen pond for skaters, a nearby bonfire, a sleigh, and people having general winter fun. The other half I'd like to have a couple of spurs for some activity with a switcher. Just wanted you folks who have shown an interest and kindness in this matter that I am trying to return ... because I sure need something to get my mind and spirit on something pleasant and have a break away from some of the doom and gloom. I have to do this for my spiritual and mental health, and to retain my sanity. I'm fearful I'm going to blow this $150 making nothing but mistakes (the price of being a novice and no one near to help me avoid mistakes) and be stuck with a layout that stinks and that I regret. I could possibly push the envelope to as much as $200 in track if need be. I'm gearing up for this before Thanksgiving so I can have some pleasant times in the evenings with the layout. It's wasn't a bit pleasant taking Mother to buy her headstone. She told me she hopes she has one more Christmas to spend with me. We all must go through our own private burdens in this life, and I'd rather help deal with mine through having some time with model railroading as I both remember, and dream it. Thanks to all who have pitched in, conversing with me, trying to help me in this. Your friendship means much to me. I'll check the board more frequently for any further suggestions before I jump off the deep end and commit to spending that saved-back track money. Once it's spent I'm not going to have cash laying around for a do-over, so I must be wise in my purchasing. Thanks a bunch.
There is very little that can go wrong with a small layout like the one you are proposing. Especially if you are using Unitrack. I am using it almost exclusively on my layout, mixing in some Code 80 Atlas track here and there. Unitrack is as close to foolproof as you can get. So I suggest you go ahead with your layout and not worry about getting it wrong. If you do happen to get stuck, we are all here to give advice or render whatever assistance we can. I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress!
Sorry to hear about your mother, I haven't lost a parent but I do know that dealing with cancer is a terribly unpleasant trial of life. As for your proposed track plan, if your main goal is to have one train doing the roundy-round and a small switcher on the inside track, do you ever intend to take the switcher onto the outer track and vice-versa? I ask this merely based on your budget. That double-X-over, while a really cool piece, isn't going to be a focal point of your layout (or is it? I can't tell what part is going to be along a wall/furniture/etc.) If it is, then you have call for a PRR tower, if not, then two separate loops will be cheaper and less complicated. Funds saved there could go into buildings, roads, trees, rolling stock, etc. Just my $.02 based on a quick perusal of the thread.
Sorrry aboout your mom. One great thing about unitrack is that it is very easy to add and expand. I would recommend starting out by putting down your outside loop. You can always swap straight track for switches later on. Don't worry about making mistakes. I bought unitrack for my son to build a layout. At age 9, he was able to take apart all of the track and create new layouts with the track. If you don't like what you have, you can always change it and make it better. Someone asked about moving from the inner loop to the outer loop. If you don't mind them not being connected, you will get some good savings making the 2 loops not connected. You can always add 2 switches later on and make one crossover if you need to change loops. Then when you have money you could add another set, maybe on the other side of the loop. Hope that this helps. I am looking to make a layout on a 36" x 80" door that we can move around when needed. Since reading your posts, I am wondering if I should think of starting out smaller myself too.
Finally went and did it. Placed an order late last night for a modified version of the posted layout. Spent just shy of $200. I figured I had to stop procrastinating.
Do you have a pic of the modified version of the layout you decided to go with? I have been following your thread since the beginning and would love to see what you ended up with. John
I was going to post the layout, but then realized I forgot how to post the link to it. Guess I'm quite rusty. But, I do have the track, and am collecting materials into one spot for easier access. Have a little multimeter I bought a couple of years ago, an N scale gauge to check wheels, track, and such. The HCD is leaning against the wall in the corner of the living room near where it'll be set up. Just odds and ends to purchase now. If anyone can point me in the right direction for posting my link I'd appreciate that. Then once posted I'll explain the reasoning for the current variation I chose.
Copy your link to Windows Clipboard (I prefer highlighting it and hitting Crtl+C). Then in the reply to topic window, click on the icon of the world with a chainlink. Press Crtl+V to paste the link into the popup window.
Just an update in case someone out there noticed my lack of posting ... Been looking at my HCD for a long time. It's propped against the wall in the corner of my living room. It's 30"x48" and now I'm researching the best method for use. Thinking of perhaps a framed area that I can lower the HCD into. Also considering plexiglass (maybe a few inches high) attached on 2 sides just in case a derail or bump were to knock the train off ... gotta protect it from a fall. The Kato Unitrack is in a box waiting ... so that part is done. Tabletop and track - Check! Considering what type of table legs to work with. Been checking Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot, etc, for these. Have to decide on how high to make the table. Going with 1 to 2 inches of foam board on the top, with cork under the Unitrack for sound deadening. Instead of a winter scene that I desperately wanted to model, I decided it would be better to go with the Fall season. Our home is baseboard heat and dusty so the winter snow would eventually become dingy, dirty, and likely difficult to keep clean and tidy. I think fall would be less of a headache, and if I decided to make it look like a "wet" fall scene perhaps I could use a spray to make it appear as though it had just rained and that might also offer some help with cleaning up any dust, or at least make it easier to dust off, the scene. That small space is mine as soon as I get these last few, but major, details out of the way. I have to relocate a spot for our winter humidifier ... that's the last item that needs to be moved out of my spot. So, I need a sturdy table frame to set my tabletop in, or on. I guess I'll cover the table when not in use with some fabric to keep the dust and animal hair off of everything, or some plastic. Any comments, thoughts, or inspiration, are always welcome. I hope to be able to report some progress by the end of October. Blessings & Best Wishes to one and all ...
