In the March 2011 CTT, on page 42 there is an article describing a trilevel Lionel display layout. On the right side of the illustration, there are two structures in which track is shown as being supported by a concrete looking structure with a pretty sharp curve in it. How and from what would you make that? What material would allow that sharp a curve?
I would use Hard board for the curve with some 1/2" wide strips vertically every 6' or so painted with flexstone paint.
Jason
B&O = Best & Only
When you say hard board, exacty what is that product? Is it at Lowes or Home Depot? Is this a situation where you have to wet it to make it flexible? Thanks for reply.
Home Depot and Lowe's cary it. It is also called Masonite. Ive bent mine as tight at a 42" curve. No wetting needed. Flexstone is a brand of spray paint with a rough finish.
Try the flexible foam walls and seam sealers from Scenic Express. I've used on my layout, although the curves aren't as sharp as the 032's on the plan. They look great.
Exactly! I've been looking at those, and may up-grade portions of my layout with that very same thing.
Jon
I'd probably go nuts and cast a bizillion individual hydrocal blocks and lay them with some kinda mortar. But I'm just like that sometimes.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Becky,
A bizillion hydrocal blocks? I don't know how long that would take, but it would not leave you much time to run trains! LOL!!Cobrabob.
Toy Trains, they are not just an adventure, they are a way of life !
I always found it best to run the trains while I was working on the layout, especially when I'm spraying water!
No wonder your hair looks so great, spraying water on a running layout does magic to the human anatomy eh? Ironhorse
Ok--I started this thread, got my answer in the early posts, and am just checking in. Getting back to the layout originally mentioned, I saw some design problems, I believe. If you look toward the lower left of the illustration, the lowest level track enters right on the front table edge, through a tunnel portal. If you put the track that close to the edge, the portal hangs off the supporting lumber. A solution might be to use larger radius (27") curves, using a little of the space I believe is available, but shortening the straight portions. This would allow you to move the portal back into the curve but at a gentle enough radius that I don't believe the width clearance of your trains will be affected. I am also using wider radius on the other corner of the layout at fromt right of illustration.
Also, looking at the back right of the illustration, I believe those curves place track almost one on top of another, which is not whatt he illustration shows. A sloution may be to build the layout 1 foot longer at 11ft to get some room for some laterai seperation which will allow for some support and realistic scenery.
Also, going wider creates room to install a siding on the middle level loop at right to curve into and end a station right side. Probably using a double curve RH turnout to do that.
Further for a few more operational possibilities:On the middle layer, Install a cross over from the figure eight route immediately behind the station to the passing siding in from of ths station with the turnout right next to the one next to the tunnel portal. A correspoding cross over can be installed going the other way from the figure eight route back by the signal bridge to the other route, right infrom of the other tunnel portal. This would probably require the use of a Ross double curve left turn out.
Hope you can follow that; I do't have any idea how to post my design from my early version of RR-Track (over 11 years old!)
The track dimensions on the drawing don't add up. The radius of O31 track is 14.14 inches. So, on the lower level, the right side track is 14.14 + 3 * 10 + 3 + 14.14 = 61.28 inches deep. The left side is 14.14 + 2 * 10 + 5.5 + R = 39.64 + R, where R is the radius of the "O-54" curve. So R = 61.28 - 39.64 = 21.64. Doubling this to get the diameter and adding the tie length to get the nominal diameter gives 2 * 21.64 + 2.25 = 45.43 inches, which is substantially bigger than O42 but nowhere near O54.
In the other direction, the front is 14.14 + 2 * 40 + 5.5 +14.14 = 113.78 inches, while the back is R + 8 + 40 + 3 * 10 + 14.14 = R + 92.14 inches. So here R = 113.78 - 92.14 = 21.64, which at least agrees with the first calculation.
I haven't analyzed the other levels; but I see from the drawings that they all have "O-54" curves stacked up in the upper-left corner; and all those curves are the same size, beginning and ending 30 inches from the corner of the board.
Bob Nelson
The section labeled 3 inches on the lower right should be 8 inches (actually 7.9).Someone at CTT must of misread the original drawings. Haven't checked the rest yet, but I will.
OK, I guess I started this thing. In response to your concenrs about the tunnel portal on the lower left, there is 2 inches between the edge of the track and the table. This will leave 1 inch for the portal. It will fit on the straight section. The tracks on the left and back are intended to be on top of each other per the plan. As I stated in the article, I designed the layout to fit in a limited 6x10 space. With more room you can always improve upon the design and layout. Watch the double curves, they can be "troublesome".
One other point, the section labeled 3 inches on the lower right should be 8 inches. Apperantly CTT misread the original drawing.
If you intend to build the layout , I would suggest you mock up a couple places before starting construction. Make sure the clerance is ok for 15 inch cars on the center level along the back. Also, the bridge peir at the top as well as the bribge entrance needs to be carefully located. The overhang on the cab of steam engines can sometimes hit the bridge if too close to the curve.
Hope someone out there builds it or something similar. Would love to see the photos in CTT.
Perhaps the "3-inch" and "8-inch" labels are swapped.
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