OK.... After a few failed Atlas flex attempts, I'm switching to Unitrak. This layout would run along a wall in our office/spare rm. There will be minimal scenery on a white wood bench that runs behind a couch. This is the very beginning of a plan, I dont see going far in the next yr. If I'm lucky, I build the bench and outer loop to play. I'm going to take a look at the JJJ&E and any other unitrak layouts I can find. Before you scratch your head and wonder why did he do any of it this way... 1) This is the indoor space I think I can negotiate. keeping it simple means I can vacuum the dust off it. I'll put in a few buildings and some figures. A couch sits in front of the narrow section. I could keep designing that to be thicker, but I won't get it. 1a - As long as The described Kato passenger cars will clear each other or a freight train, I'm gonna live with the ugly radii, unless there is a better idea. 1b - I really want a cab forward and the really long steamers one day. Can they negotiate the 13.7" of the inner large loop, or the 15 of the outer? I can shorten the whole thing to clear the walls, but my desire to have the 2 loops on the left pretty much means will maintain the Kato double loop spacing. 2) Along the back I should be able to park (please give me the correct word for park) 1 or 2 long passenger trains. I chose the placement of the 3 crossovers to allow the 2 trains to come in through the middle if they fit, or 1 long train using the ends. 3) I chose the other 3 crossovers so I could reverse from the inner or outer loop. I think I see that I already need 2 more so that the 5 are spaced like the spots on a die, so I can reverse from either direction. 3a - Crossover questions. Will a long consist (full 16 car Daylight behind a GS4, or a 20 something Amtrak setup behind E8s) make it through multiple crossovers? This would be my first redesign... 3b - My Bachmann 4-4-0s and other small stuff that can't be DCC wil be relegated to the 2 small loops on the right. I understand 4-4-0s don't do turnouts, but could they make it through the crossover straight and just stay on that loop? 4) The yardlike section on the left. I have a #6 going into the yard and then 4s. If I limit this to freight, is it big enough to be useful? 4a - I think I need to add uncoupling track. Can/should that be adjacent to the turnouts? I still have to learn how it works... I get it in O but thats powered. The whole pin height etc thing is magic to me. 5) On the right. The smallest loop is for small conventional stuff. The next larger loop should allow the same as I think I should be able to isolate 1/2 of the crossover from the DCC and run it conv, if I want. Is this correct? 6) In the time it's taken me to write this I 'm adding another #6 switch left of the yard to park another loco and If I'm not mistaken a #4 turnout is a 15 deg 481, I will add one on the right to park a loco 7) What DCC systems will accomodate all the switches and locos? Once I narrow that down, I'll compare them. All in all it looks to me like I could have 4 trains running unattended. 2 on the outer loops and 2 on the little loops on the right. IF the answer above is that long passenger can make it through multiple crossovers, I might be able to route around the yard and pay attention to even more!!!! If you read this far, I thank you.
Double crossovers are complicated. This layout provides a very simple effect but would be very difficult to build and wire and run for DC. I am not sure about DCC, but I still think at least half of your crossovers would create a tricky reversing situation. If they don't do turnouts, they probably don't do crossing either. You could most safely keep the 4-4-0 on the inner loop only. I once built a small layout in ten days with a twice-around over-and-under oval with no turnouts for a demonstration. We wanted the train to run unattended with little chance of derailments or stalling. I would actually rather use the sharpest loop on your trackplan for something else, but those are my "druthers". I would run a small 8-wheel diesel switcher, and be able to switch some industries on spurs inside the oval, but as I said that is my druther, may not be yours. Should be as long as you run slow and avoid S curves,which your plan does, with all turnouts curving the same direction. For a classification yard, I would think tracks closer together would be more realistic. I don't know how Unitrack handles uncouplers. Are you planning to use MTL couplers, or? Fine. Oval by itself can be powered however you like it, DC power pack. Very dangerous, might possibly be done but tricky to figure out and throwing a control the wrong way would fry the layout. I don't know what is available "off the shelf" in Unitrack. I think several single crossovers and no more than two double crossovers would make a better layout, more railroadlike, and have more operating potential. But that is just my druthers.
Thank you - Because I'm limited to the space I take behind a couch, I don't have rm for single crossovers. Kato makes 6 and 4, so the track spacing would be to wide. I will try to make the yard tighter. I will not try to run the loop that connects to the rest DC. Fryings good for bacon. I am thinking about the right side. Thing is, I have many locos that wont take DCC. I think DCC systems allow you to run 1 loco DC, but I don't think that would be enough for me. If thats the layout you built in 10 days. Nice job.
It is a nice plan for what you are proposing. To simplify the wiring for DC, eliminate the double crossover which connects tracks 3 & 4 (from the top) in the long section. Then you have no reversing sections, and can run DC or DCC. The Kato passenger train consists will have no issues negotiating through the crossovers, just make sure everything is nice and level side-to-side. If you really want to cross between tracks 3 & 4, then move the double cross connecting 4 & 5 to the other side of the 3&4 cross (directly below the 2 &3 cross on the right). That way, you have only one reversing section, the inner loop on the left. DCC with a single AR module (PSX-AR or AR1) will handle beautifully. Any/all DCC systems can handle this layout easily.
Does the gridded area above represent the benchwork, and the grey where the couch will sit? Or will the couch sit right in that big open area of the grid? I'm trying to formulate some ideas here, so knowing the above will help me help you even better. Thanks.
The innermost loop at far right is not connected to the rest of the layout- Am I correct? Trolley line? Or? Boxcab E50
The couch will sit in the open areadiectly in front of the straitaway. On the left I can come out 3' from the well with the straight away and 4' from the left wall. On the right I can come out 53" from the straightaway and 3' from the right wall.
I guess I still dont quite understand the benchwork/couch arrangement. Could you maybe add the benchwork outline to the attached plan for a visual reference of exactly how much table space we have to play with? Sorry.
I haven't forgotten my own post, I'm just negotiating some space, so I was waiting. I will get it uploaded. Thx
