The C&L Layout Begins

Yeah I thought of that but was trying to have less switches. I probably will though anyway. Switches, love and hate them at the same time. I am also trying to get the switches within reach as I will operate them manually at first and maybe forever. Still working on it though, and making changes. Gonna try the switches at the top for the out exit as suggested tonight.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

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BoxcabE50,

Added the switches. Only had to switch 6 switches, and twice, to get the locomotives where I wanted them from the yards All kidding aside, it is nice not to have to go in reverse now to get to the other track. Man, that is a lot of switching. Removed the temporary roadbed, what a pain it was causing me. Also, only have to remove one 5" straight piece on the left, add a bumper to it, and one switch at the bottom, and replace with a 5" straight piece when not using the L section. BTW, me like the 2 new switches at the wall, to get the locomotives out, especially when I have the L attached

Also, shouldn't the 9 3/4 inner loop have the same amount of space on the left and the right, since they both have the same number of pieces of track? I am confused! The left side is the bottom picture. Tight space, much larger on the right side. Of course they should be equal spaces, on both sides, shouldn't there be?

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Bought a piece of cork that is 2' x 4' (same size as my layout) and this stuff is awesome, and only $4.97 plus tax. I kept trying to tape down some old cork roadbed I had for testing and it was a disaster to say the least. I really like this 2' x 4' cork and am going to buy another piece for the L (also 2' x 4') extension.

Here's a video. I know about the crappy paint jobs

 

You think my 8 year old niece added enough telephone poles to the layout? She had fun I'll say that.

 

Alright, as I said in an earlier post I bought some 2' x 4' cork board to go on each of the 2' x 4' sections of layout. Because I am using old items, such as sections of Atlas code 80 track that I had purchased and added too over the years, buildings, and everything else, I am trying to figure out how to tack down the track without having to use glue? I change my mind so much on the actual layout configuration, but I need to tack it down with staples, track nails (if I can find them), so the track will stop moving around on me, and make it lay flat. You think a household stapler is a bad idea? Will it break the ties or make contact with the track? I have some temporary paper road on the layout with cork board push pins, (see picture) and it pretty dense cork and kinda takes a lot of pressure to push them in. Do they even sell those black track nails any more?

Also, notice the school at the intersection is warped from being in a tote over the years in a hot garage. How can I shape it back to flat?

Any ideas appreciated (except glue )

Thanks,

 

House stapler will not work. They will come up. Go to your local hardware store and get some thin nails or tacks with wide enough heads to secure. Your tack plan looks great for the space and looks like it will keep you busy. If you want to make your layout look bigger look into 3D buildings you can print from home and use balsa wood or poster board with a background. This will let you keep space but add to your scenery so it seems as though your train went 10 miles down the track vs just a few feet away.

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I think thumb tacks would work in between the rails, as they are short. Great idea, and card stock buildings too.

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Maybe try the pins with the round ball on top, that you can find at the super market, just take the ball off, bend the top and insert them in.

 

With the basic setup I have in these pictures there is no way to "turn around" a locomotive to go in the opposite direction by switching right? I have to either add a spur going in the opposite direction, or just physically turn the locomotive around?

Thanks,

 

Yeah, that's an older picture, but I still have the same design but have made adjustment such as what you suggested. As a matter of fact I keep changing things around a lot. Will be hard for me to actually secure the track down at some point I am planning on making it easily removable as I change things often. Part of the fun of the hobby for me.

Thanks again,
DJ

 

Continuing to mock up my layout with bits and pieces. First question is do I have to run power to different areas of the layout with such a small layout? And if so how many points for lack of a better word. I also am thinking about mocking up a tunnel on the L where the straight section of track is and moving the spur or yard somewhat. I need spurs on that site since it is straight track in my mind.

Also thinking of mocking up either a lake on the right side of the L, where the sort of S curve is, or a general aviation airfield. I also would like a bridge somewhere but can not figure out where or how to do that. The L shape is also stored under a bed so nothing can be really high on that section. Or has to be removable such as a tunnel!

Any ideas appreciated,

Thanks!

 

After looking for awhile at local hobby shops, and online, I found these tonight at Michael's Craft store. They work great as N Scale track nails and are actually a kind of copper color. They do have to be cut off to be shortened, but they fit perfect in my Atlas code 80 track and my bridge pier's ( I think they are also Atlas and they have pre-drilled holes). I will tell you I have two 2 x 4 layout design's that can make an L shape, and the main thing is I have 2 x 4 x 1/8 inch cork board underneath the track and bridge piers. Should work in styrofoam too, but NOT wood. They are flat on the end but do have a small head on them.

They were $1.79 for 150 pin's and work out great for me, as I change my track up all the time, and did not want to use glue or anything like that.

 

A couple of things you might consider. Build on a 1 or 2" extruded foam over your base. This will allow you to utilize your piers as a river crossing without having to worry about track length for passing over/under with your train.

See if can find some 2 or 3" tall lengths of clear plexi. You can build edge protection for your layout and the little one can still see through it.

Keep posting pictures, this is interesting to watch evolve.

 

Thanks for the suggestions and I am always changing the track plan at this time ( thus the reason I like the removable track nails, or pins). Since I have the 1/8 " cork it really helps to keep the track in place and not move around, and is super easy to remove them and move track around. Only thing is so many switches, which I added by the way. I always forget to set a switch and derail a lot They are remote switches but not wired and may never be as they are really old too. That's why it called the C & L (Cheap Layout) as most of the stuff I have, began in the 1980's up until the also cheap, Bachmann E-Z Command DCC System in 2016 ( which I love the simplicity of it) , and the Bachmann F7 locomotives which I also love, as they are simple and cheap compared to others. It's all about fun for me at this point. I have had so much fun the last few days, changing things around, and just running trains. I spent hours messing with it and the time just flew by. Will post more pictures if things get changed again ( which it will) or additions are made in the future.

BTW, are the piers a 2% or more grade? I think they are Atlas but not sure I bought them so long ago.

 

An ever changing layout. Some of the box cars and stuff barely make it under the bridge. But I love the fact that I now have a siding, spur, whatever you call it right by the chair where I sit to run the layout. The big coffee cup will at some point be coffeeville and I will have place for my huge coffee cup. You know kind of like that shoe house you see on the internet or that big doughnut in California on top of the doughnut shop

 

Looks like fun

If you are worried about younger fingers winding the throttle up to slot car speeds, with DCC you can program in a lower "maximum speed", for each loco

For DCC, you should ideally run power in every 3 feet. But you can get away with further apart if needed clean track conducts better, so it will run well while you keep experimenting with the layout, but once you fix the track down and stop moving it, after a month or two you might need to run in more power.

 

I created a reverse loop ( I assume ) by mistake. How do I fix it? Reverse loop connection is by locomotive on the left in the picture. Where do I connect to avoid the reverse loop? I DO NOT want to wire for a reverse loop. I did not think about what I was doing when I was trying to extend my bridge If I can get it working I need a few more pier's to replace the new ink cartridge boxes ( if I can get it to work )...amazing the stuff you use on your trains.

Now you know why it will never be permanent pretty much! I just can't leave alone trying stuff by moving track around. This time though I created a headache...kind of...but had fun doing it, if I can fix it. It was originally hooked up on the switch next to my folded glasses. The switch right next to the L shape.

 

A reverse loop is created when one rail touches the other - when a train can start out facing left and come back facing right. The big swooping bridge of ink'd supports needs to turn left at the high end, not right in this case, which may be hard to do stylistically.

(I always view these things by taking a red pen and a blue pen to a paper copy of the track plan; put the red pen on one rail and the blue pen on the other rail, and run around the track until red touches blue, and there's your problem )

Engineer's Advocate:
If you are happy with DCC only and never want DC again, "auto reverse" modules are actually surprisingly easy to use, just find a section longer than your longest train (like the whole of the bridge), insulate both rails at each end, and feed the isolated section from the "auto reverse" box instead of the bus directly.
Or, find a way to make the bridge curve left, not right.

(I have found Lego to make good bridge piers in the past. Meccano not so much, it conducts!)