Texas Zepher wrote: ondrek wrote:Oh and to the advice of everyone, I have taken out the switch back.I can't speak for the others, but I didn't necessarily mean take out the switchback - I just meant the double switchback.
ondrek wrote:Oh and to the advice of everyone, I have taken out the switch back.
ondrek wrote: Texas Zepher wrote: ondrek wrote:I have taken out the switch back.I just meant the double switchback.I guess I dont understand what you meant then. I thought the switchback that i had over near the two factories was what you were referring to. double switchback? what were you referring to?
Texas Zepher wrote: ondrek wrote:I have taken out the switch back.I just meant the double switchback.
ondrek wrote:I have taken out the switch back.
Texas Zepher wrote: ondrek wrote: Texas Zepher wrote: ondrek wrote:I have taken out the switch back.I just meant the double switchback.I guess I dont understand what you meant then. I thought the switchback that i had over near the two factories was what you were referring to. double switchback? what were you referring to?A switchback is where a locomotive has to pull a train into one siding and then back up to get into another siding. In your original plan a train had to pull left into the first sticks-&-stones siding, then backup to the right where the tower is (switchback 1), then had to pull left again into the factory siding (switchback 2).
Right, then we were talking about the same thing.
current design:
I tested out the right hand side of the stair climbing turnouts. every engine and car I sent through it seemed to go just fine. So the double slips are not needed. good thing, that was going to run me over $100, I got all the #4's I needed for $52. I just need to get the peco 24 degree crossing now. and then wait till I can start taring down the old layout.
Kevin
ondrek wrote:I tested out the right hand side of the stair climbing turnouts. every engine and car I sent through it seemed to go just fine.
Autobus Prime wrote: ondrek wrote:I tested out the right hand side of the stair climbing turnouts. every engine and car I sent through it seemed to go just fine.o:That's the way to do it. If you can save days of analysis by fifteen minutes of testing, test away. Do be sure to run some trains backward through the crossovers, too, because that's the real test. The slack and pushing emphasizes any tendency to derail.
Backwards, right, I did that, but with the engine only, it worked, but I will need to do it with cars linked up. on the current layout, derailures occur with the engines, well, maggies really, as she is the only one with an engine with a leading truck. that truck does not like the atlas snap switches we have. cars would derail only when the switches werent set right as cars went through.
ondrek wrote: Autobus Prime wrote: ondrek wrote:I tested out the right hand side of the stair climbing turnouts. every engine and car I sent through it seemed to go just fine.o:That's the way to do it. If you can save days of analysis by fifteen minutes of testing, test away. Do be sure to run some trains backward through the crossovers, too, because that's the real test. The slack and pushing emphasizes any tendency to derail. Backwards, right, I did that, but with the engine only, it worked, but I will need to do it with cars linked up. on the current layout, derailures occur with the engines, well, maggies really, as she is the only one with an engine with a leading truck. that truck does not like the atlas snap switches we have. cars would derail only when the switches werent set right as cars went through.Kevin
its a Spectrum K4.
it does it all, picks at the facing points, and climbs out of the frog, but on only 2 of my snap switches. I dont think its the engine, as it did none of that behavior on the peco's. I think the snap switches are faulty.
not a big deal as I will not use any snap switches ever again in a layout., well...never say never right?
It has possibilites. The view block down the center is a good idea. It gives a back drop and blocks the view across the table. If you can see the tracks and trains going down one side and back up the other, it is hard not to think of a model train running round a table. With the view block, you get two scenes, into which the train enters and leaves. Much more convincing. Plus the back drop allows good photographs of your trains and layout, from eye level, without unprototypical things like floor lamps and walls showing in the photo.
The double track main will allow you and your son to run a train apiece round the main line. Good feature. You have a fair number of spur tracks to serve industries, and allow a peddler freight to drop off and pick up cars. Can you make the spurs any longer? A longer spur can hold more cars, and you will find your cars expand to fill track available.
Can you work in a long siding? Long enough to stash an entire ready to go train? This would allow you to change the train you have running on the main line. You halt the running train, bring the new train onto the main from the siding, and run the old train onto the siding. or a siding for the station, allowing your passenger train to stop, load/unload passengers and baggage while the frieghts roar thru on t he main line?
Condsider replacing some of the stores in the town with rail served businesses. A lumber yard, a coal dealer, an oil dealer, a saw mill, or the takes-any-kind-of-car team track.
Consider having your road cross the main line. This lets you install grade crossing protection, a pair of gates that lower, with red flashers on the gate, backed up with a pair of crossbucks, also flashing red. The crossing protection can put on a very attention catching show.
Have you read "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong?
Good luck.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
David star-
I dont think I can make the spurs any longer. plus if i keep them this length, then we can fill them with what we have, I know that if I make it longer and can fill it with more cars, then more cars will be bought, I dont need to buy more, nor do I want to.
Work in a long siding...one for a whole train....I didnt consider this. If i went to a full 5' deep, I would have room for one. Its a thought I will ponder. thanks for the idea. as it stands now, the freight runs on the inner circle, so when the passenger train is stopped, the freight can continue, that is as long as the passengers are not boarding on the city side, if so, the freight must stop as the people need to cross the freight tracks to get to the passenger cars. I am not too worried on this as this is exactly what happens in Claremont, NH. the freight waits for the amtrak to stop and pick up people and the people walk across the tracks the freight engine is waiting on.
in the plan, yes, all the buildings are makred store. thats my lazyness coming through. they wont all be stores. they will be buildings that I find interest me and nicholas...I just labled them all store and I used the same building from the library too. Kims house I think it was, from Atlas.
I tried to get the crossing gates, with flashing lights and automatic lowering. when my wife saw the price for the whole set up, she didnt like it. so even if we have the road cross, there wont be any such crossing gates. the road crosses over the tracks to create the scene separation.
I have not read track planning for realistic operation.
Thanks for the relection though some very good points.
sfcgadget wrote:Looks pretty good. Is there any way to add a siding or two on the outer track? A small narrow extention for a interchange/fiddle yard would be great if you could add it to the outer loop so it attaches on an end of the table or forms an L.
I have thought of that. I think that I will probably put in turnouts to allow it, but just leave it at that for a while, but know that if I ever wanted to expand from it I could.
kevin