Transcribing Track Plan to Table Top

[kasskaboose]

Were you listening to my phone call with one of my good friends?!  Bill Day is one of my train mentors and I asked him this same question.  He told me to take a lof of time thinking about how the layout gets scaled to a larger size.  I also plan on using grids.

Perhaps consider also using different color sharpies for types of track and consider accounting for structures.  It's awful when you can't fit a building and have to redo track, scenery, etc.  Pls don't ask how I know!

[7j43k]

Howardr

I set out the tracks (Bachmann EZ-Track…sorry about that) on the table top and there isn’t any sort material underneath the tracks and the table top.

 

I’ll have to pull up the track...

 

Before you pull up the track, use a marker to outline it.  Pull up the track.  Drill holes down through the table top.  Apply foam.  Drill upwards through the table top and foam.  Draw a line through your series of holes.  Reapply track.

Should you find your drill bit too short, drill bits are sold in 6" and 12" lengths.

 

Ed

[rrinker]

 It's a different story if using flex track to build a layout. But even then - after trying it once, I gave up on the idea of transcribing my plan full size. I do the plan to make sure what I am trying to do fits in the space available without using too tight curves or impossible turnouts. And then to visualize if it accomplishes what I want the layout to do. When it's time to start putting down track, I will take measurements from a reasonably sized printed copy (with some easy to use scale to make it easy to put a ruler on the plan and read off distances) and measure from the layout edge or other fixed point to place some critical turnout or ladder, and then start building off there, just laying out centerlines with a straight edge for straights and a stick pivoted on my camera tripod for inside curves. So what i end up with looks like the plan, but if I were to print the plan 1:1 and overlay it, thing wouldn;t exactly line up in many places. 

                            --Randy

 

[mbinsewi]

I'm thinking the same as Randy, I don't see any difficulties.  Maybe take some pictures to help you reassemble it.

Mike.

[markie97]

I use XTRAKCAD to design my layout. I identify some critical sections of track, typically turns and turnout locations. The program will give you exact locations of radius centers and beginning/ endpoints as well as track lengths. If you establish a "zero" point of your layot you can measure off from there. I believe I can measure my critical locations at better than a 1/16'' more than close enough. My experience has been the program is much more accurate than my measuring and track laying skills. Once the critical locations are identified the rest of the layout simply flows together.

[rrinker]

 Oh man, it ate my post...

It's EZ Track, just take it apart in chunks, write down the list of pieces, and it will be easy to put it back together after adding foam or whatever.

Of if just placing a subroadbed under the plastic roadbed, trace the outlines of the plastic, and take the track apart in chunks, not indidual pieces, and it will go back together exactly as you had it. No need to make any sort of complex schemes to transfer the plan to the table.

                                  --Randy

 

[hon30critter]

Another method might be to use grids to locate where the track sections are. Draw up a reasonably sized sketch of your layout and then measure your layout off into 1' squares. The squares will give you coordinates for almost every piece of track. Transfer the squares to your sketch and plot the track locations. Since you are using E-Z Track it should be fairly easy to re-lay the track on the foam because it will retain its curves. Don't glue or nail anything down until you have got all the track in place because you will have to make some adjustments as you go. You could make things easier by using masking tape to label the intersections of the grid lines right on the track before you lift it up. You could also use a chaulk line to mark the grids on the foam.

We going through a similar exercise right now with our club's new layout. We are in the process of transferring the plan onto Homasote and plywood. It sounds easy to do, but it's not. We have easements on most of the curves so plotting those takes a lot of time. Your E-Z Track won't have easements so the job will be a lot easier.

Hope this helps.

Dave

[Track fiddler]

I don't know the only quick easy fix I could think of is to take some big sheets of paper and tape them together and put them over your layout and tape them to the sides. 

Take a big piece of pencil graphite or a color cran with the paper striped and sideways swipe over all your rails the impression will come through.

Then cut it out and transfer trace it to your foam. That's what I would do, it should work. I remember stuff like that back in early grade school.

Hope that helps

                   Track Fiddler

[Howardr]

Hello all,

I have made some progress on my HO 6x17 layout.  I set out the tracks (Bachmann EZ-Track…sorry about that) on the table top and there isn’t any sort material underneath the tracks and the table top.

Now that I have a track layout that I like I would like to put some foam insulation board under the tracks, sheets about 1 – 2 inches thick.

I’ll have to pull up the track to insert the foam boards and I would like some suggestions as how to transcribe the track plan to the foam boards after the boards are glued down.

I plan to pull the tracks up in about 3 foot sections and I have electrical connections already marked on the ply wood.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks