Cunningham's Gap in HO

[mike33469]

I'm getting ready to build the Cunningham's Gap layout in HO scale featured in the March 2003 Model Railroader. I was wondering if anyone is fimilar with this layout and might be able to tell me which turnouts are used [#4's or #6's] and which go where. Any information about building this layout including benchwork tips woud be most welcome. I've built a couple of layouts in the past but always with fairly complete instructions. Thank you.

[nfmisso]

I could find no reference to what you are looking for in the index or contents of Mar 2003 MR.

[Jetrock]

Check Page 98--it's the track plan for "The Virginian in HO and N."

willist, this track plan is esseintally just a bare-bones plan--it was not worked out in all that much detail, as MR's featured step-by-step projects are. This plan is not an actual layout--just a drawing in a magazine. Details like benchwork are not included, as they are left as an exercise for the modeler. The fact that this is an idea, not a layout that has been built, is pretty clear in the article.

Judging that the plan is intended for use with large articulated steam engines or bigger diesels, and the curves are generally pretty broad (on the HO version), I'd say #6 turnouts are generally most appropriate, although the fiddle yard probably uses #4's to save space. The author is Australian and mentions the use of Peco track--Peco switches come in radii rather than frog numbers, and don't exactly match Atlas and other American turnout dimensions.

In either case, actually turning this track plan into reality will take some work on the modeler's part to figure out exact track placement, benchwork, etcetera. If you have built several layouts in the past, you already have the skills necessary to work out all these things on your own.