Jeff,
Yes, the Walthers turntable is pre-indexed on 10 degree spacings. Their roundhouse is also built on 10 degree stall spacings, so in order for the track to align from the roundhouse to the turntable, the building must be placed as close as I previously stated. Here is a photo of a full size template for the turntable with rays spaced at 10 degrees. You will notice the rays align with the roundhouse floor sections as planned.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
Don, That's why I said I THINK it's too close and encouraged a look at the templates. Couldn't swear to it from lack of experience with the walther's units. From a visual standpoint, it Is a little too close for my liking (personal preference here).. Here is a 1949 overhead of the one I plan to model (105' TT).
Byron,
My post was aimed more At scratching than a pre-indexed unit (like the walthers). Please see the final paragraph in my post above.
4-6-6-4 Challenger wrote:Thanks for all of the info so far. Does anyone know of good yard and engin terminals with a round house that would work great for a 12x8ft layout. I dont have to have a circit layout just a yard and engin terminal.
Challenger, How are you planning to access the interior of this layout?? Even the lankiest kid (tall and thin) I've ever seen had at best about a 28" working reach. You have what I would call some pretty serious access problems especially on the right side of the layout 12x8 space. I would encourage you to look at Corey's thread
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1436789/ShowPost.aspx
as his space is 10x8. I'm just suggesting that you consider the pains of reaching over (to work) as well as constantly crawling under the layout to get to something. Remember Murpy's golden train rule. It will NEVER derail or stall where you can easily reach it.
rolleiman wrote: 4-6-6-4 Challenger wrote:Thanks for all of the info so far. Does anyone know of good yard and engin terminals with a round house that would work great for a 12x8ft layout. I dont have to have a circit layout just a yard and engin terminal.Challenger, How are you planning to access the interior of this layout?? Even the lankiest kid (tall and thin) I've ever seen had at best about a 28" working reach. You have what I would call some pretty serious access problems especially on the right side of the layout 12x8 space.
Challenger, How are you planning to access the interior of this layout??
Even the lankiest kid (tall and thin) I've ever seen had at best about a 28" working reach. You have what I would call some pretty serious access problems especially on the right side of the layout 12x8 space.
U-shaped layout, L-shaped layout or O-shaped layout. Challenger is not proposing an island layout is 12x8 foot - he is saying that the layout has to be contained within a footprint that is maximum size 12x8 foot, with the right 8 foot side and the rightmost 4 feet of both the bottom and top sides up against walls.
Actually - according to the discussions earlier in this thread Kyle has about 8 1/2 x 13 feet available, see overview of room below: Overview of room:
I would encourage you to look at Corey's threadhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1436789/ShowPost.aspx as his space is 10x8. I'm just suggesting that you consider the pains of reaching over (to work) as well as constantly crawling under the layout to get to something. Remember Murpy's golden train rule. It will NEVER derail or stall where you can easily reach it.
I would encourage you to look at Corey's thread
It is good general advice But not particularily applicable here. Kyle (Challenger) wants an engine terminal/yard layout in H0 scale - he can live w/o continuous run.
So an U-shaped layout about 2 feet wide with an opening towards the left, possibly with a 2x2 peninsula on the inside of one of the two lefthand corner for a roundhouse might be a solution here. That would allow about 12+8 (top and right side) for a yard, about 12 feet (towards the rest of the basement/entrance for an engine terminal.
Possibly a divider down along the uppermost side, with a couple-three of staging/fiddle yard tracks on the 8 feet outside (towards the cabinets) - leaving room for a couple of train of maybe 12-13 40' cars, an engine and a caboose, drawers for cars below layout.
Something roughly along those lines perhaps. Anyone feel up to drawing up a possible yard and steam engine terminal for Kyle ?
Smile, Stein
I hadn't read everything in complete detail so admittedly, I missed a few details. I do remember shape discussion early on however. Didn't know that continuous run was something Kyle was willing to give up, only that he wanted a large engine terminal and yard.
I was hoping to point him toward an O shaped layout possibly with an extension (with his parent's permission) along the top of that cabinet row. IT, would be the perfect place for a rather large stub ended yard, having the ladder run basically on the right side near where the alcove is. The area suggested previously for the turntable would then work if it were flipped 180 degrees and with sime fitting, a 90 degree or so roundhouse is workable. From there, a continuous couple loops around the remaining space in the "O" would provide some railfanning type operation on the layout space, complete with Nebraska's towering mountains () or at least rolling hills on the western end. Could be the best of all 3 worlds and not too daunting to build.
I designed a layout for a freind several years back that offered tons of operation possiblilty, a smaller yard, no roundhouse (I know Kyle wants one) that would probably fit his space. With the additional space above the cabinets (if you ((Kyle)) can swing it), the engine facility could be worked in. IF anyone is interested in looking it over for ideas, I'll dig it up and post a screenshot of the drawing. May even still have a few photos of the layout.
If you have access to a computer, then you need to perform one the basics of model railroading: research. If you type "union pacific" (or any other railroad you are interested in) in to your browser, you can obtain a wealth of information relative to the road you selected, including its smaller engine terminals. Further, in order to run Big Boys into North Platte, you would have to modify history since the 4000's rarely, if ever ran to North Platte. The UP's position was to let the Big Boys handle Sherman Hill, then turn the eastbounds over to the Challengers for the flatland running. The 4000's were generally restricted to Salt Lake-Cheyenne.
There were literally thousands of smaller engine terminals on each railroad in the country during the 40's and 50's, so you shouldn't have a problem finding a good UP terminal to model.
Also, DonZ and others are correct: just because one wants the turntable to look a certain way doesn't mean it will end up that way without serious modification as the geometry imposed by the table's length will determine correct track spacing and distance from table to building.
Correction. Of course you have a computer. What I meant to say and didn't complete the sentence (old man syndrome) is you should have access to a computer you are not liklely to get kicked off of, since once you start this process, you will be amazed at how much info there is out there. You won't want to shut it down. Try this for starters:
Evanston Wyoming Roundhouse
To see an aerial shot of the complex today, use Google Earth or Microsoft's TerraServer and type in the location you want to see. Try also Historic Aerials. Their selection of areas is limited, but the images go back to the 30's and 40's.
The capnets are 2ft deep and area at the bottom of your drawing is off limits. I may be able to do some sweet talking to my parents and see if I can get 1-2ft to have it stick out that way. I did talk to them about the room above the garage and they said NO.
4-6-6-4 Challenger wrote:help help help
Model Railroader June 2008 - track plan Montreal Harbor Railway
Model Railroader May 2008 - track plan Junction City locomotive terminal
Former is 9x11 feet - should fit into your 8 1/2 by 12 feet if you squeeze it a little at one end.
Latter is 12' 6" by 3'8", of which staging is 4' - and should fit neatly into an I or L-shaped layout in your room.
Just wanting to sumerize this (for my own mind)..
1. Once we get to the fish tank, we stop. Cannot go beyond that point and the fish tank is not movable (for easier access into the aisle area).
2. Layout Must be free standing, cannot attach the walls.
3. Your interest is primarily a large yard and engine terminal.
I may have missed it but, Can you build above the cabinets? (I'm guessing not because without some fancy carpentry, it'd be difficult to accomplish without attaching to the walls). If not, would your parents buy the idea of having to use a lift or swing gate of some sort to get To the cabinets? Actually, it would probably require two of them, one on each end of the layout. If so, you could expand your layout 3 feet to the left based on the current working drawing. I'm sure duckunders are out of the question for them..
rolleiman wrote: 4-6-6-4 Challenger wrote:help help helpJust wanting to sumerize this (for my own mind).. 1. Once we get to the fish tank, we stop. Cannot go beyond that point and the fish tank is not movable (for easier access into the aisle area). 2. Layout Must be free standing, cannot attach the walls. 3. Your interest is primarily a large yard and engine terminal. I may have missed it but, Can you build above the cabinets? (I'm guessing not because without some fancy carpentry, it'd be difficult to accomplish without attaching to the walls). If not, would your parents buy the idea of having to use a lift or swing gate of some sort to get To the cabinets? Actually, it would probably require two of them, one on each end of the layout. If so, you could expand your layout 3 feet to the left based on the current working drawing. I'm sure duckunders are out of the question for them..
Yes, your summary is correct. I can't build near the cabinets and the duckunder is out of the question for them. Yes I just want a yard and an engin terminal.