Well ive made a few more changes from what Sumner had showed me. i m not about all that yet. so ill play with it fer a while. That double cross over on the bridge ? lift out area i just cant seem to move. I really like it wright where its at ,although i did try and move it and i just didnt like it any where else. so its staying there.. got to watch some more videos of bridges/ lift outs. so i think i may have a plan for that when the time comes. Im going to be pretty set on this being built either on a trailer or in a shed as a permanent area for only the layout and related stuff.(well see how that works out ) im enjoying watching all the builds from different people . give me tons of ideas on how i can combine the stuff i like and kick out the stuff i dont. especially the electrical pick up parts. From simple to sorta complicated.....
The two leads off the yard to work it on the left could be just one. I include two routes as options but having the lead spit into two could also have advantages. About moving the double crossover you need to do what works best for you (also anyplace else). It is 'your' layout. I really like the way it is turning out as I'm into having things to do and with the different industries and such you are headed in that direction. Putting the layout in/on a trailer could have definite advantages if one ever had to move. If I build it myself I might look at push-outslide-ouit sections like on some of the RVs. Of course I have a habit of getting carried away with my projects . They wouldn't have to work all the time like on an RV so could be pretty crude. Or leave space that could be converted to them later. Looks like one could pick up a new 18 ft. flat bed trailer in the $2000-$3000 range and a 20 ft in the $3000-$4000 foot range with double axles. You could build on one pretty quickly, especially if it was only meant to go down the road once or twice. Have fun whatever you come up with, Sumner
For 2000.00 to 4000.00 you could buy a decent 29 foot RV. It comes with a furnace for winter. An A/C for summer. A really good sound system. It has a power converter which supplies 12V DC and 24V DC (good for DCC command stations). 2 really comfy swivel 'captains chairs'. Even has it's own generator in case the electric goes out...you can still run trains. You could still put the layout you are designing in there. Just curve it back to the short side by the door. You could even put your 'lift out bridge' across the aisle. Leave the convertible bed under the window just in case you need a nap...or a place to stay if you get 'in the dog house'...lol And it's movable if you have to move...JS .
haha nice rv.. i got the trailer for $200 bucks . it had a camper on it but was very rotten, just hauling down the road was scary . but once torn off and burned i now have a blank canvas. i did find a school bus for $1200 and i really thought about that. but i think this trailer or a shed will be good fully insulated with heat an air will be great for me. ill have every thing in one spot dedicated to just the layout . im still thinking about that bus though gas rig runs and drives. i dont worry about legalities i dont care much fer the law. they annoy me some what. (lets just say ive had some bad dealings with them and kicked a few off my land ) shoot now im thinking about that darn bus, water proof roof . rv's here are garbage from what ive seen for the price's . but your rv above looks fantastic .
ok new problem that im just not smart enough to figger out but was thinking its a possibility. ive seen many spiros going from one level to the next level of a layout. im thinking that maybe in future plans of this current layout ive been planning to add a spiro but that spiro would be the size of the room 7 foot by 12 foot /84 inches X 144 inches same sine as the layout but this spiro would only be between 10 an 15 inches wide up to the upper layout witch would be 15 to 20 inches wide upper level. how does one figger this incline /decline between upper and lower layout ? ill add a drawing of sorts. hope this makes some kinda sense cause im not good at explaining. i was thinking about incline/decline of 1 % or is that even a possibility ? just thinking about future build add on.. Am i crazy for even thinking about this ? Could it work?
Need to know the radius of the curves for a totally correct answer but.... .... if for instance the train ran right at the wall all the way around the distance for one lap would be (7' + 7' + 12' + 12') x 12" = 456 inches. A 1% grade would give you .01 X 456 = 4.56 inch rise for each lap around. A 2% grade would give you .02 X 456 = 9.12 inch rise fore each lap. To get to the upper level 30 inches above the lower one would take 30/9.12 = 3.3 laps with a 2% grade. As I said this is right at the wall. Factoring in the turns at the walls it is going to be shorter so maybe 4 laps?? Figure the length of the track for 1 lap and use the methods above. Saying that I did this quick but think it is correct. Hopefully someone will correct it if it isn't. Also a 2% grade would climb 2" in 100", 3% = 3" in 100".... ............ going to take a lot of track to climb 30" and hopefully the diesel, if it is a diesel, has a full load of fuel before starting. My track elevator can do 10+ inches in 60 seconds with about 14 feet of track , but it does need a dedicated space just for it. Sumner
An around the room ramp from one level to another depends on the number of doors/windows that cannot be blocked. Generally, it would require helices or loop-backs at the edges of doors or windows. You might also consider an island layout (e.g. E or C shaped), rather than an around-the-walls configuration, for a multi-layer layout.
Thank you for those reply's. im just thinking about this as i go along. i know there needs to be enough space between them so to grab derail locos ect. i had thought this would be pretty cool if i can pull it off. instead of helix at one end, why not the entire room as a helix around the walls. Sumner ill take your math and ill see if i can figger this out. probably gunna take me a long time , but thats ok ive got time (i hope ) I could even do small industries on the way up or down this type of wall helix.
