As far as matching the kato radii, that is not too hard. Go to "Special" - "Shape Flex Track". You can create any degree and radius of curve. I have done this to make a track set for EZ Track. I just make one of each available piece, line it across the top of the page, and then copy and paste each piece as you need it. Turnouts are a bit harder but they can be done in the same way, then use the group function to tie the curve and straight together. As far as elevations, set all your elevations as you go. When it is all done, then tag all items, then order by height in the View tab. I like to make the mountains a seperate layer so I can turn them off and on since the program doesn't have any type of transparency function. Geeky - Thanks, I have actually started on the benchwork. The corner module is built but I am stuck on building the helix that I decided to add in under the return loop. It's not going together quite like I want. The Helix will lead down to a staging yard under the upper right leg of the layout.
Looks nice. Have you updated your track plan? I'm having trouble integrating what you are doing with the last plan you posted. Hope you get plenty of time to push the project forward.
The plan posted at the top of this page is of the layout I am building for myself. This layout is for a customer at the shop I work at. This is the track plan for the layout being built in the shots above: I had to tweak a few sidings to work with buildings the customer already had.
I recall this now. Sorry for the confusion. Hope you'll keep us posted with the layout as it progresses. It is an interesting trackplan.
More progress tonight. Now I have to wait till the rest of the turnouts and bridges come in start laying track. I also need to paint the roadbed gray before laying track. For anybody that hasn't tried using latex contact cement to lay roadbed and track, you don't know what you are missing. The progress shown here is two evening sessions of roughly 3-4 hours each night. The cork goes down like it has double stick tape on it. Press it down and you are done. No waiting for glue to dry, no weights holding down cork, no pins. It makes quick work of laying cork and track. I have used small tubes of foam safe contact cement on a smaller layout left over from foamy RC plane construction. It worked well but was expensive at about $4 per tube. It would have taken 3-4 tubes to do what I have completed so far. The quart that I picked up at Home Depot for this was $10 and another $3 in disposable foam brushes. I can't hardly tell that I have consumed any from the quart. This will last forever or until it dries up on me. Tips: *) Keep a hair dryer handy, it helps speed the drying process before pressing the cork/track down. *) Don't squeeze the foam brush when cleaning up. Just rinse and let dry. It will be usable later but if you squeeze it, the glue soaked in the brush just causes it to squish and stick to itself in a blob. *) Make sure to buy the odorless type. It will state "latex" or "water washup" on the can someplace. If you look at the earlier pictures, you might be able to pickup where I started with the wrong kind. It melts the foam. Fortunately, I didn't put it on very thick before I found this.
Tony, Do you put the contact cement on both the foam and the cork (as one usually does with contact cement)? If so did you have trouble with the cork sticking down before it was positioned properly?
Mark, Yes, coat both the foam and cork with contact cement. Then take a hair dryer and blow dry both surfaces till they are dry to the touch. This just speeds things up instead of waiting 5 minutes or so for it to air dry. In my cool basement it would take even longer. The product I am using is white when wet and clear when dry. When both surfaces are completely dry, they stick well. If you try to lay the cork too soon, it doesn't stick well. If you jump the gun and it doesn't stick, just take the hair dryer and heat/dry it some more. It usually only takes a few seconds and it will stick fast.
Tony: On your own layout, would you consider a spiral helix as an option? What about moving the coal tipple to the outside of the upper right hand loop instead of the inside, maybe aiming parallel along the right side of the upper right section of the layout, but still serve it from sidings located at the top of the layout... and adjust the green line in the upper left corner to pass on the OUTside of the orange loop instead of over it except (if you insist <big grin>) where the gentle curve sweeps around that short siding to the left of the coal mine siding. In the upper right hand corner of the layout, about where the double orange tracks loop from the front of the layout to the back, start a 1.5 loop double tracked spiral helix with constantly decreasing radii. The double tracks on the helix would be on 1.5 inch centers with the ramp itself being 3 inches wide. At the bottom of the 1.5 loop helix (where the tracks exiting the half loop are just inside the tracks from the 1st loop), the tracks would separate and one would continue straight to the upper left hand corner where the orange turnback loop is currently positioned, but the other would bend across toward the front of the layout shelf to pass along the front edge on the layout as close to the front edge as you want it, but also with as many staging tracks as you prefer. The staging tracks could even be visible or partially visible in front of the fascia and/or below it (but if the staging tracks are positioned under the main layout at this elevation just 4 or 5 inches below the station, you won't be able to see or reach any of the cars except on the first/front track). The staging tracks would condense back to a single track that turns back in the lower left of the track plan and passes up the left hand side of the staging tracks and then arcs back to where it would tie into the other track that went straight across the top of the plan to the upper left hand corner. Essentially, you will have used the two-tracked spiral helix to descend enough to pass under the framework and give yourself about 4 inches between the railheads at the start of the helix and in the staging tracks. Maintenance and construction of the helix will be relatively easy with the coal tipple on the outside of the green loop (it is just a cookie cutter ramp that loops around itself and with the coal tipple moved outside, you'll be able to stand comfortably in the helix). Maintenance of the loop across the top and along the left side would be a nightmare, but no more than what you had considered for the original plan. [FWIW, I'd suggest you consider running it right next to the staging tracks (instead of at the back of the shelving on the left and top where it would be so hard to get to]. The beauty of the spiral helix is in its easier construction and maintenance. Its primary flaw is that it is a voracious space hog, especially when double tracked. A stacked helix can fit in a MUCH smaller footprint and ascend/descend as many loops as you want, but construction and maintenance issues are definite liabilities. Each modeler has to decide for himself whether the advantages of either type of helix outweigh its disadvantages. Consider, too, the repositioning of the coal tipple...regardless of which type of helix you build...because you will definitely regret trying to maintain any helix while seated under the benchwork and reaching up into a helix you can't stand in because there are coal tipple tracks (or orange double tracks if you put it in the upper left, or the orange siding tracks if you put the helix in the lower left) crossing above the helix. There are also pros and cons to visible staging. Ease of construction (single deck versus double deck), maintenance (ease of access and clearance above and avoidance of bending over so far), and operation (car reporting marks can be seen more easily and cars can be "fiddled" more easily) are definite plusses, but appearance can be, for some people, a clear minus. Food for thought...Cheap, too...only $0.02.:teeth:
Tony: Ken Anthony just started a thread describing some open staging tracks on one section of his terminal layout. Would "disguising" your visible staging in a similar manner be an appealing option to you?...It might be an easier alternative than a helix to lower level staging, if you can arrange the 5 or 6 staging tracks along the front of the layout or could widen the shelf enough to put the staging between the orange and green tracks on the left leg of the plan.
PPUIN, Thanks for the commentary on my layout plan. There are still some things that are going to change but the helix is something that has to stay because of the shape and use of the room. I will start a new thread later with a full plan of the room to show you what I mean. The main area of the layout that will not change is the city area in the upper left corner. The helix will be below that. I have already worked out track access and nothing will be unreachable. The layout will be fairly high, roughly 50" to make helix and hidden track access easier and also to clear a bench on along the left wall. The staging will be under the upper section to the right of the helix. The coal mine may get moved to the other end of the layout. Not shown in the plan is a small 6"x12" nook on the end of the lower leg of the layout that may end up being the extra space for car staging at the coal mine. It may require shortening up the loops on that end to make room for a coal mine. My layout is on hold until I finish the one in this topic. I have a deadline on this one, my own can wait.
Today's progress on the layout. I burned the midnight oil a bit tonight. I started laying track around 1pm today and have a completed mainline, passing siding and two yards tonight at around 1am. My goal was to get the mainline in, the yards were a bonus. The river bed was also cut today. Next is to start dropping feeders and power it up. I learned one thing while rolling cars along the track to test joints and turnouts...Atlas #6's are really picky about wheel gauge. The person I am building this for has a bunch of 80's rolling stock which I fear will be an issue. I am going to suggest he start replacing trucks now so he will be ready when the layout is done.
Another weekends worth of work: I started out by doing some test running earlier this week to find a stubborn spot of track. Try as I could, I could not get the kinks out. I gave up and re-laid the section and the layout ran flawless. I ran a Spectrum Consolidation on the outer line and a Mountain on the inner line for about 20 minutes with no derailments or stalls. That test was powered from a terminals clipped onto one of the yard leads. After track testing was complete, I started adding feeders on Thursday. I probably went a bit overkill with 6 feeders per main line (1 every 3-4ft of track) but I am not soldering the turnouts or bridges to give room for rail expansion and to make them easier to replace or remove for cleaning. I wanted power feed on each side of each unsoldered connection. I also added feeders to each leg of the yard and issolated the the passing siding and mountain line so that they will be able to be run DC or DCC while the main line is in operation. The mountain line was the weekends project. The mountain line now rises 4" above the base plane of the layout. I still need to lay track on the last half of it. It is going to end at a logging camp and should provide a nice view block from one side of the layout to the other.
